Chapter 19

Similar appearance—

And those light blue eyes, as if carved from the same mold.

She really looks so much like her…

Kido's emotions surged, memories intertwining like a web.

Her eyes gradually lost focus, the figure she had yearned for day and night, blurred and clear, gradually overlapping with the young man before her.

Fortunately…

He doesn't look anything like Hawk at all.

There's nothing more to be grateful for than that.

Kido, lost in thought, thought to herself.

On the other side of the threshold.

Seeing Kido's sudden visit, Moyu's eyes showed a look of surprise.

Wearing green and white, with long green hair, a black-rimmed glasses, and a pair of dog ears.

The Dog of the Twelve Earthly Branches, Kido?

Moyu's mind quickly recalled Kido's image from the original story, and the woman before him looked almost identical.

If he had to point out a difference—

It was that she looked younger, and her nose was normal, unlike the delicate, small dog nose in the original story.

But just by those dog ears, he was almost certain that the current Kido was a member of the Hunter Association's Twelve Earthly Branches, which is why she would alter her appearance to match the title "Dog of the Twelve Earthly Branches."

But…

How could his stepfather, of all people, be connected to a member of the Hunter Association's Twelve Earthly Branches???

What's going on???

Even the memories left by his predecessor contained no relevant information.

Moreover, Kido's reaction was a bit strange…

Moyu, feeling puzzled, hid his surprise.

Confirming that the other party hadn't noticed, he immediately put on a gentle smile and said softly, "I'm sorry, Hawk went on a long trip recently and hasn't returned yet."

"Um, oh…"

Kido slowly came to her senses.

Realizing her lapse, she quickly adjusted her mindset and said as calmly as possible, "I called Hawk before coming, and I knew he wasn't here, but he said he would be back soon, so he asked me to come to the temple first."

"I see."

Moyu thought for a moment and asked, "Did he say when he would be back?"

"Yes."

Kido habitually raised her right hand, wearing white gloves, palm facing up, and said, "He gave an uncertain answer of 'about three days.'"

"About three days…"

Moyu lowered his eyelids, calculating the time, it was exactly half a month.

However, based on the memories of his predecessor and his current understanding, Hawk seemed like an ordinary monk who enjoyed drinking and eating. How did he end up interacting with Kido?

Kido, looking at Moyu who was deep in thought, had a gentle expression.

Moyu suddenly looked up.

Kido quickly hid her emotions, maintaining a calm face.

"May I ask…"

Moyu, looking at Kido, asked tentatively, "Does Hawk owe you money?"

"…"

Kido was forced into silence.

The first thing that came to her mind was how terrible Hawk's image as a father must be in Moyu's heart.

Worse still—

Speaking of owing money, Hawk did indeed owe her some money.

Kido managed a forced smile and said insincerely, "Hawk doesn't owe me any money."

Pausing, she pretended to be curious and asked,

"So, does he owe a lot of money to others?"

"Not a lot, just likes to buy things on credit."

Moyu raised his hand to his chin and said, "As far as I know, he owes about ten pounds of meat from the butcher in the village at the foot of the mountain, and quite a bit from the grocery store, but not as much as from the convenience store, where he owes a lot of cigarettes and alcohol. But the fat aunt who runs the convenience store is very nice and has never…"

"Having such a terrible father must be hard for you."

Kido's forehead darkened, not wanting to hear any more, she gently interrupted Moyu's narrative.

Moyu smiled, not continuing, and instead invited Kido inside.

Kido, unable to refuse, followed Moyu.

Her gaze swept over Moyu's aura.

"The fluidity and stability of his 'binding' are both excellent. At this level, even a talented Nen user would need at least half a year to achieve it."

"And Moyu… being able to awaken Nen autonomously under the suppression of 'God's Word' is already quite remarkable, and he has reached this level of 'binding' in less than half a month."

"In terms of talent, he is undoubtedly a monster, but the 'guidance' from Light during this period must have played a crucial role."

Kido thought to herself.

During her journey, she had conducted a certain level of investigation into the recent developments in this area.

So she knew that Light had dealt with a wanted criminal here recently and had stayed at the temple for a while before leaving.

The fact that Light had 'guided' Moyu was her speculation.

The basis for her speculation—

Was the condition for a professional hunter to advance to a higher star rating.

To advance from one star to two stars, one must personally cultivate a one-star professional hunter.

Therefore, many professional hunters who aspire to a higher star rating would not miss any promising talents during their careers, and taking on apprentices is a common practice.

Of course, not all professional hunters do this; some take on apprentices or guide juniors based on personal preference.

But for someone as ambitious as Light, upon recognizing Moyu's monster-level talent, he would inevitably approach and guide Moyu to advance his own star rating.

Kido's speculation was largely accurate.

However, given her current position and identity, she would not rashly bring up this matter.

"I forgot to introduce myself."

In the courtyard, Moyu suddenly stopped, turned to Kido, and smiled, "I'm Moyu, but since you know Hawk, you probably know my name too."

"Yes, I… have always known."

Kido also stopped, her eyes showing a momentary change.

Yes, she had always known, but had never inquired or cared.

Despite her intentions to protect…

Kido silently calmed herself and then introduced herself with a serious demeanor, "Kido Yorkshire, a two-star professional hunter specializing in difficult cases, and also a member of the Hunter Association's Twelve Earthly Branches."

"Hmm?"

Moyu, prepared, naturally showed a look of confusion.

He wouldn't casually reveal his identity as a 'prophet' and should feign ignorance about the two-star professional hunter and the Hunter Association's Twelve Earthly Branches.

As for his identity as a Nen user…

Although it was already known to Kido, the source of his Nen ability was autonomous awakening…

In this situation, he wouldn't abruptly act as if he knew a lot.

Especially since the other party was a friend of his stepfather and might know some of his background.

"Moyu, was my introduction too formal?"

Kido relaxed her posture and smiled at Moyu.

At the same time, she speculated—

Had Light not mentioned anything about the Hunter Association to Moyu?

"Not at all, it's just…"

Moyu looked at Kido hesitantly, his innocent act was just enough.

"Let's sit down first."

Kido pointed to the stone table and chairs in the courtyard and smiled, "We can use this as a topic for conversation, and I'll explain it to you gradually."

"Okay."

Moyu nodded obediently and prepared tea and snacks.

Kido watched from the side, and so far, Moyu's words and actions had pleased her, and she felt relieved again.

Relieved that her 'close friend's' son didn't look like his father, and relieved that her 'close friend's' son hadn't been corrupted by his father.

In this formal encounter—

Both Moyu and Kido had things they needed to hide…

Kido couldn't reveal her intentions and wouldn't actively disclose her investigation of the temple's recent developments.

Moyu's 'prophet' identity was a secret that must not be known by outsiders, not even a hint could be revealed, and given his autonomous awakening of Nen, he couldn't suddenly act as if he knew a lot.

If Hawk, who could recognize someone like Kido, was also a Nen user, Moyu wouldn't have to go to such lengths.

Both needed to hide these things, leading to a certain level of pretense from their respective perspectives.

But relatively—

Moyu had more and more important things to hide.

Bringing the tea and snacks, Moyu sat down.

Subsequently, Kido gave him a detailed introduction to the Hunter Association and the significance of star-rated professional hunters.

"Really hard to imagine…"

After listening to Kido's introduction, Moyu couldn't hide his amazement, "How could Hawk know someone as important as you? He really doesn't owe you money?"

"Ha…"

Hearing Moyu's words, Kido couldn't help but laugh, confirming that Hawk's image in Moyu's heart was already quite terrible.

Although she disliked Hawk, Kido felt a bit reluctant to let his image in Moyu's heart become even worse, so she said insincerely again, "Hawk really doesn't owe me money."

"Then how did you get to know Hawk?"

Moyu asked curiously.

He didn't need to know this, but asking under these circumstances was harmless.

Kido's smile faltered slightly at his words.

From entering the temple to now, it had been less than half an hour.

But this brief encounter had already made her, who loved by association, thoroughly like Moyu.

Because, whether in appearance or in words and actions, he was too much like her deceased 'close friend'.

"Actually…"

She hesitated for a moment, then decided to say it, "Moyu, I and your mother were childhood friends."

Pausing, she added, "If I could, I wouldn't want to know Hawk at all."

"I see."

Moyu nodded slightly, pretending not to hear the latter part of Kido's words, which were clearly targeted at Hawk.

Regarding his predecessor's mother…

The memories he received contained no interaction with her.

He didn't even know her name or what she looked like.

So, Moyu had no strong reaction to this.

Seeing Moyu's indifferent reaction, Kido, who knew the details, subconsciously bit her lip, and a sudden impulse rose in her heart.

"Moyu, come with me!"

"…"