Unless provoked, adults in Meteor City generally don't attack children. After all, there's no sense of accomplishment in bullying a child, nor can good spoils be obtained from a weak one. Therefore, the enemies children in Meteor City encounter are mainly other children.
In the public hunting grounds, the Garbage Mountain area, we encountered quite a few children who attacked us first. Children of similar age were no match for us. Older children were a bit stronger, and some were exceptionally skilled fighters, but they were merely minor characters that required a little more effort to deal with.
The starting lines for those children were too far behind ours, and no one taught them from a young age. How could wild, uncultivated plants grow as robustly as carefully cultivated, generations-selected breeds?
If we, who had undergone years of professional training, couldn't even defeat ordinary children who always took the wild path, then the world-renowned Zoldyck Family business could simply close shop. (Laughs)
Among those children, there were indeed characters who seemed like future members of the Phantom Troupe. However, Illumi wasn't interested in other children; he skipped the dialogue every time and went straight into battle. His arrogant personality truly delighted me, as it minimized the butterfly effect as much as possible.
As expected of you, Illumi Zoldyck, you are a faithful practitioner of the "killers don't need friends" philosophy. As for the character named "Hisoka" in the original work who was very close to Illumi in the future, many readers and I felt he was more of a lover than a friend. (Laughs)
The shopkeeper in District 12, the area boss, left a deep impression on us. As we moved towards the front streets, we became more cautious, never provoking an opponent easily if we weren't sure of their general strength.
We specifically chose opponents with slightly stronger abilities as targets, which allowed us to accumulate more experience points and also made it easier to successfully retreat before defeat, avoiding losses. The key to "猥琐发育" – no, "cultivating one's abilities in obscurity" – is precisely "steadiness."
As usual, we struck and moved, fighting a guerrilla war, wandering erratically between Districts 11 and 7, engrossed in leveling up.
District 6 served as a watershed. Starting from District 6, there were electric lights. District 5 was even more prosperous, with a nearly four-meter-high wire fence erected to prevent people from the outer districts from entering freely. The entrance was guarded, and people from the outer districts wanting to enter had to pay one silver coin or other equivalent as an entry ticket.
Observing the situation inside District 5 through the wire fence, it was evident that the buildings in District 5 were mainly shops; in other words, it was a commercial district.
The spoils of our usual leveling sessions were exchanged for daily necessities. The only valuable items we had were five silver coins. The entrance fee was two silver coins per person, which was too expensive.
Moreover, if we entered District 5, there probably wouldn't be much we could afford. The strength of the guards in District 5 was not insignificant. The risk of being a thief in District 5 was quite high, and we dared not try it easily.
The districts above District 5 likely had higher levels. Weighing our current capabilities, we chose to temporarily stay within the range of Districts 7 to 13.
Putting aside District 6, because District 6 was even more special than District 5; it was... the red-light district.
This wasn't a matter of level restrictions, but age restrictions. When I realized what District 6 was for, I didn't linger, nor did I look further, and quickly left with Illumi.
As we left, Illumi asked me why I wasn't exploring District 6.
This was a difficult question to answer.
If I answered too maturely, it wouldn't align with the experience and knowledge expected of someone my age, and it would surely make Illumi suspicious.
If I answered too unreasonably, it would instead pique Illumi's curiosity and make him want to investigate, leading to unpredictable consequences.
After careful consideration, I placated him by saying, "The atmosphere in District 6 is very strange, and we should avoid it. This is my intuition."
Illumi also agreed that the atmosphere in District 6 was different from other districts. For once, he heeded my advice and didn't probe further. Compared to the strange and unknown District 6, roasted crows and leveling up were more enjoyable.
Our barbecue skills were getting better and better, so much so that some unsuspecting passersby NPCs wanted to snatch our grilled skewers.
Against those weaker than us, we chose to repel or eliminate them. Against those stronger, we honestly handed over the skewers. When the opponent clutched their stomach, showing an expression of "this meat is poisoned," we seized the opportunity to strike, gaining experience points and spoils.
So, the crows in Meteor City were indeed poisonous.
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Thus, we gained a "roasted crow bait" tactic, letting the willing fall into our trap, specifically targeting "fated individuals," hehehe.
But we overlooked one point: Meteor City wasn't an ordinary place; it was a slum. Most people couldn't afford to eat meat regularly. The lethality of roasted crows was astonishing and extremely harmful, to the extent that we unintentionally became notorious.
So, we were cornered.
Even though we sensed danger as they approached, our strength was insufficient. We were caught despite splitting up and trying to escape, unable to get far.
What terrible luck!
Isn't Meteor City supposed to be a lawless place where the strong prey on the weak?! Why were we brought to justice?!!
Could it be that our timing was off, and we happened to coincide with a special period when the elders of Meteor City were holding a meeting? And perhaps during the meeting, they were cracking down on serious crimes, making us the first targets?
Our opponents were two adult men. Under their force and the verbal threat of "Don't try any tricks, or we'll strip you of your clothes too," we obediently handed over everything, from our most valuable five silver coins to the most worthless piece of paper, thus averting disaster through financial loss.
Fear. Having stayed in Meteor City for a while, we knew that the people here were indeed ruthless. Robbing the defeated was commonplace. If we dared to hide anything, they would definitely strip us naked. Truly insane. We were just children!
"Although you don't remember me, I have a good impression of you two. The two little rascals who stole from the shop in District 12," said the man holding the single-page ledger he got from me. "You killed him, didn't you? I still remember a few months ago when he told me that necklace was only worth three silver coins. Tsk, he was lying, that crooked merchant."
"..." x2
No way, with that familiar tone, he wouldn't be seeking revenge for the shopkeeper in District 12, would he?
"Are you going to kill us?" Illumi asked proactively.
"How could that be? That would be too wasteful," the man said with a哑然失笑 (chuckle). "Water and food are the first and second most important resources, and people are the third. Living people are more valuable than corpses, especially promising young ones like yourselves. In many ways, I have high hopes for you. Would you like to make a bet with me?"
Meteor City, District 6.
In the afternoon, most of the houses in District 6 were closed.
He walked to the best-decorated house and knocked. A girl a little over ten years old answered the door. Upon learning his purpose, she called for a woman in her thirties.
The woman leaned casually against the doorframe, her face full of fatigue. "You didn't even clean your faces? Do you want me to see how dirty they are?"
"It was sudden. These two little ones are habitual thieves, and it took some effort to catch them," the man said, carrying the rope that bound our hands, as if he were carrying a pair of chickens or ducks (with implied meaning). "But I can guarantee that these two are exceptionally beautiful."
Hearing this, the woman reached out and carefully felt the bones of my face, then pinched my jaw to check my teeth. She was likely judging my age, much like a livestock buyer would judge a livestock's age by the wear on its teeth. In the end, humans are also animals, after all.
After pinching my joints in various parts of my body, she asked me, "What's your name?"
"..." I turned my head and signaled Illumi.
Illumi answered for me, "Her name is Mells. She doesn't have vocal cords, so she can't speak."
"A boy?" The woman was slightly surprised to hear Illumi's voice.
This couldn't be blamed on her; Illumi's appearance was already androgynous. Coupled with not having had his hair cut for several months, his longer hair made it so that without mentioning he was a boy, no one would recognize him.
After conducting the same bone examination on Illumi, the woman said to the man with some displeasure, "A mute and a boy... Are you toying with me? Five silver coins each, and that's all. You know you won't get a higher price elsewhere. Decide now whether to sell them or not. If not, don't come back."
Five silver coins, the same price as the whistle sold for. The shopkeeper in District 12 had estimated accurately; he even knew the price of people in special industries so well. If he hadn't died, he might have become the president of the Meteor City Merchant Association in the future. Laugh.
"Haha, after such a thorough inspection, you've already taken a liking to them and are still trying to haggle. Business is so hard," the man said, placing a hand on my head. "This little mute hasn't been touched by anyone yet. Can't you add another silver coin?"
"..." x2
I remembered, before I came here, he asked me if I had ever experienced "pain when urinating"... Hey, asking a seven-year-old girl such an explicit question is so rude!
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"This is a very serious question, related to the profession you are about to enter," the man explained, suppressing a smile. "If you haven't, and something happens in the future, I think you can receive troublesome guests a little later."
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"Do you understand what I mean?" the man scratched his head. "Sigh, I'm not good at explaining this verbally to children."
His companion joked with him, making a lewd gesture towards me. The two of them laughed so hard they slapped their thighs at this low-level joke.
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"Making that kind of expression, do you understand what I mean, little mute?" the man said with mock seriousness.
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Hey, Illumi, didn't you say, "Whoever calls me 'sister' or 'mute' again, I'll rip their mouth open," and then you actually did it? Shouldn't you have a righteous outburst and kill this man on the spot?
I looked at Illumi. Illumi said, "Are they asking if you have kidney stones, Sister?"
"..." You don't understand what they're saying, but you understand sophisticated words like "kidney stones"?!
Illumi's question provoked a burst of laughter from the two adult men... Hey, are you primary school students?!
"No need to rush, you'll understand soon enough," the man said, patting Illumi's shoulder vigorously while laughing. "Actually, it's no big deal, haha, no big deal!"
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The woman, who had inspected me alone after the man's haggling reason was unsubstantiated, added another silver coin to the price.
"Oh, I guessed correctly," the man said, pocketing the eleven silver coins and nudging his companion. "You lost the bet. You're treating next time."
"Lucky you," his companion spat.
The two men who sold the children left, chatting and laughing... Scum! Let's call them "Scum Man A" and "Scum Man C"! There's no B for a low-level reason I won't mention.
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"Don't forget the bet, little mute. I look forward to you becoming a great beauty in the future. I'll definitely come to patronize your business then." Scum Man A winked at me as he turned back.
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I looked at Illumi, hoping that this younger brother in the character setting would say something to calm my anger.
As long as he said just one sensible thing, I could guarantee that my favorability towards his character would immediately increase by "+1."
And he was actually distracted! I pinched his palm hard in anger, and only then did he say seriously, "I'm sorry, Sister. It seems there's still much I don't understand."
"..." You useless fellow!!! I misjudged you!!!
Mells' favorability towards Illumi decreased by -1.