Chương 61: Fists and Money

This time, Uvogin was not the only one interested. Even Machi sat up straighter. Aren caught the faint brightness in her eyes and patted his own forehead. He had nearly forgotten. Machi had a special attachment to money. Strictly speaking, the amount sitting in her bank account was probably already higher than what she could earn going back and forth through Heavens Arena for a long time.

"Then I've decided," Uvogin said, rubbing his fists together.

"My next stop is that arena."

"It really does suit a brute like you," Nobunaga said. Uvogin bumped him with an elbow.

"Hey, Nobunaga. What about you? Want to come with me?" Nobunaga raised an eyebrow.

"No. I'm going to polish my swordsmanship. I have no interest in a place meant for brutes."

"Tch. Cutting people is cutting people. Why dress it up as swordsmanship?" Nobunaga gave him a look and stopped wasting words.

"I'm out too," Feitan said.

"If it's a holy land for fighting fans, then it's not for me. I don't like performing for an audience."

"Same here," Franklin said.

"Fine, then I'll go by myself..."

"I'll go." Uvogin's words stopped halfway when Machi cut in. The others looked at her in surprise. They were terrible at romance, but even they knew Machi preferred staying close to Aren. Pakunoda's face made it look as if she had seen a ghost.

'Wasn't she supposed to stay locked onto him?'

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Machi said flatly.

"The deputy leader is probably going to spend his time taking care of a child. I have no interest in babysitting." She shot Aren a sideways glance as she said it. It was not that she had any real problem with Neon. She simply did not want to follow Aren around while he trained a little girl. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Aren could only shrug helplessly. She was not wrong. He really did intend to start training Neon.

Feitan, Nobunaga, and Franklin had not named clear destinations, but they had already formed rough plans. Pakunoda glanced at Chrollo, then gritted her teeth.

"Captain, I plan to go with you while you look for new members." Everyone turned toward her. Pakunoda brushed her hair back, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"I want to confirm with my own eyes whether any new members are qualified to join us. Besides, both the captain and I are Specialists. We may be able to give each other ideas while developing our abilities."

'Pakunoda, that excuse is flawless.' Aren gave her an approving look. Pakunoda glared back at him. Her meaning was clear: say anything unnecessary and you die. Aren immediately crossed two fingers over his mouth to show he understood. Chrollo, meanwhile, considered it seriously.

"That's true. Since both of us are Specialists, there may be points we can compare."

'Chrollo too. Still impossible to read.' Once everyone had more or less decided, Aren clapped his hands and pulled their attention back.

"Since everyone knows where they want to go, I have one more proposal." He paused for a moment.

"What do you think of Light Nostrade after these two days?" Uvogin thought for a long time, then gave the only description he had.

"Useful."

"Yeah," Nobunaga said after a moment.

"That actually sounds right. He's useful." The others nodded one after another. If asked what they thought of Light Nostrade as a person, not one of them would have looked up to him. He was weak, his nerves were poor, and most things beyond flattery seemed difficult for him. But he was not useless. Not exactly. At the very least, he knew how to serve people well. Food, rooms, clothes, documents, vehicles, phones, minor arrangements. He handled small comforts with surprising competence.

Chrollo looked at Aren, something flickering in his eyes. He seemed to understand where this was going.

"Since all of you think he's useful, I'll be direct," Aren said.

"I want to develop the Nostrade Family into a subordinate organization of the Phantom Troupe. They can handle miscellaneous matters for us. What do you think?" That explained the test Aren had mentioned the day before. After thinking it through, Chrollo found the idea reasonable. With Nostrade's channels, they could gather information, move goods, dispose of targets, and handle work that did not require the Troupe themselves to appear. That would save them trouble.

"What about Light Nostrade's loyalty?" Chrollo asked.

"He is not like us."

"Why do we need to guarantee his loyalty?" Aren smiled faintly.

"If he becomes disloyal, we kill him. Captain, do you think Nostrade can develop power beyond ours? Or do all of you lack confidence in yourselves?" His gaze swept across the Troupe. Everyone smiled with open disdain.

"Him? Impossible." Chrollo realized where his thinking had gone wrong. They did not need Light Nostrade's loyalty. They only needed his usefulness. If he betrayed them, they would remove him. If one day they were killed because of that choice, then it would only prove they had never been strong enough in the first place. None of them had ever treated death as something distant. That was the arrogance and ferocity people from Meteor City carried from birth.

"You're right, Aren," Chrollo said.

"We don't need to ensure Light Nostrade's loyalty. We only need to ensure our own strength."

"Then should we call him in now?" Pakunoda asked. Aren smiled.

"No. This matter can wait a little. For now, everyone should prepare for their own departure." Uvogin burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Aren really is our deputy leader."