Chapter 57: The Astonishing Number of Treasure Chests
After Krollo left, the rooftop fell silent, leaving only the clown sitting in a wheelchair.
"Already seen through me, huh? Can't bluff him for long after all."
The clown watched Krollo's retreating figure, seemingly sensing something.
"Forget it, even if he sees through me, he can't do anything about it. Keep believing in that so-called prophecy or fate—being too reliant on Nen abilities is your weakness, Krollo."
The clown muttered under his breath. His cooperative relationship with Krollo was far less stable than it appeared, but both were clever men who understood each other's value.
For instance, the clown knew the weakness of the Nirappan tribe, while Krollo possessed formidable combat power and had several members of the Traveling Group under his command.
After hesitating for a moment in his wheelchair, the clown took out a phone from the Hunter World and dialed.
Beep... beep... The call was answered.
"Star, fishing, golden goat."
After the clown recited a long string of code, a female voice came through the phone.
"Code correct. Connecting to a three-star hunter."
A moment later, a hissing sound came from the phone.
Boom!
An explosion echoed from the receiver, the loud noise making the clown instinctively tilt his head.
"What a 'surprise.'"
The clown shook the phone in his hand, suspecting it was broken.
"Who is this?"
A rough male voice came through the phone.
"Mr. Luke Freeman, about the matter we discussed last time, have you considered it?"
The usually composed clown now had a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
"Not interested. Scram! Call again, and I'll crush your balls."
Click... The call was cut off. The clown tightened his grip, and the phone snapped with a crack.
"A muscle-brained jackass. How did someone like that become a three-star hunter? If I ever get the chance to return to the Hunter World, I'll definitely devour your soul."
The clown's pupils turned fiery red, as if flames from the abyss were burning within.
"Hahaha, you sneaky bastard finally got a taste of your own medicine. I hate scheming and tricks."
Behind the clown, the phantom of the Count of the Abyss laughed uncontrollably, magma shooting from his nostrils—which was actually his snot.
"I hate jackasses, like you."
"What did you say? Say it again!!"
"I hate jackasses, like you. Hah, never heard such a strange request—wanting to be insulted twice."
The clown regretted choosing this demon lord. Initially, he chose him because the guy lacked intelligence, acted without thinking, and was easy to manipulate.
But after spending some time together, the clown was shocked to discover that the Count of the Abyss wasn't just simple-minded—he could be classified as outright stupid. If not for his powerful bloodline, he would have died long ago in the Black Abyss.
"You shameless, despicable, lowly human, I..."
The furious Count of the Abyss spat hot saliva everywhere, nearly exploding with rage.
"Shut up, or I'll eat you."
The clown's smile suddenly vanished as he turned to look at the Count's phantom.
The Count of the Abyss was about to speak, but when he saw the clown's gaze, a chill ran down his spine.
"You freak, go ahead and eat me if you dare! The Count of the Abyss has never feared anyone—not in the Black Abyss, and not here in Reincarnation Paradise."
"Just kidding. You're the demon lord I rely on; how could I eat you?"
The clown burst into laughter, as if everything before was a joke.
"Hmph."
The Count's phantom disappeared, feeling that he might be devoured sooner or later.
"To survive, the best method is to have no principles. Don't you agree, Count of the Abyss?"
The clown pulled out a pack of cigarettes, hesitated, and took one out. He didn't usually smoke.
"I hope you don't die at Krollo's hands. Compared to those arrogant hunters before, you're my true opponent, Bai Ye. Perhaps because of you, my life will be complete. Hahahaha."
The night wind blew, and on the rooftop, a clown laughed maniacally.
...
Inside the auction hall.
After the Nirappan tribe temporarily retreated, the barrier was lifted. The barrier master girl lay limply in her boyfriend's arms.
Several contractors walked in from the back door.
"These monsters aren't that tough."
"Don't jinx it. If this assault lasted another hour, we definitely wouldn't hold out."
The contractors sat in a circle in the hall. In front of the Three Brothers of National Football were over a hundred treasure chests, with a fangirl beside them.
From the placement of the chests, it was clear the Three Brothers of National Football held a high status among the contractors. Those with ability, even if a bit goofy, earned respect.
"Total of 107 chests: 12 blue quality, 95 green quality. Excluding us three brothers, there are 23 people here."
Originally, there were 31 contractors, but 5 died guarding the back door, leaving only 26. This didn't include Su Xiao and Vini.
"Let's discuss how to distribute these chests."
The eldest of the Three Brothers looked around, worried about internal conflict among the contractors. Though the monsters had retreated, no one knew if they would attack again.
"Do we even need to discuss this? Whatever the Three Brothers say goes. We have no objections."
A gunner who had been coasting through the whole fight spoke up.
"Distribute based on kills."
The Death Mage stared at the chests, expecting to get at least 20.
"Kills? Hah, without the Three Brothers holding the front, you'd be dead by now."
The fangirl sneered, twirling a serpent-shaped dagger in her hand.
The Death Mage turned his head and glared at the fangirl, but after a moment's hesitation, he didn't dare to clash with her. He had heard of the Hunter Alliance's deeds.
"Everyone, how about we roll for them?"
A young man suggested.
"Roll?"
The contractors shook their heads one by one.
Just as the contractors were dividing the spoils, Su Xiao walked into the hall. His storage space was filled with green and blue quality chests.
102 green chests and 23 blue chests—undoubtedly a huge fortune.
Su Xiao was in a good mood, but he didn't yet know how many chests the other contractors had. He had killed far more Nirappan than them, yet his chest count was only slightly higher.
However, he was the sole owner of these chests, while the others had to split among 26 people. If luck wasn't on their side, they'd have to rely on strength.
Su Xiao had a vague suspicion that these chests might be underwhelming. The drop rate for chests from Nirappan seemed high, but even if they were low-quality, this was still a massive haul.
Now wasn't the time to open chests. Though the Nirappan had retreated, that didn't mean they had given up. Besides, the clown and Krollo were still unaccounted for.
Finding a quiet spot in the hall, Su Xiao took out some food from his storage space to rest and replenish energy.
Bubu Wang spotted Su Xiao entering the hall and trotted over happily.
"How's the back door?"
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, and Su Xiao, with his 'Beast Language MAX' skill, understood its meaning.
Not stable, but it won't be breached for a while.
"The auction hall can't hold out much longer, huh? Expected."
Su Xiao sighed. If the Nirappan launched a second wave, breaching the hall was only a matter of time.
"Bai Ye."
Vini stood at the stairway leading to the second floor, signaling Su Xiao to come talk.
Su Xiao got up and entered the stairway, closing the door behind him.
"Something up?"
"I saw the clown earlier, on a nearby rooftop."
"You didn't shoot?"
"No. I didn't want to alert him. With the clown's intelligence, he wouldn't expose himself to a gun barrel without precautions. Given the current situation, the auction won't hold much longer. So, I have a bold plan..."