Chapter 16: The Man Known as Roda Kingdom
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The following afternoon, Haiser received four messages from Izunavi.
[An ancient sword believed to be “Absolute Sovereignty” was excavated three years ago from an unnamed ancient tomb somewhere in the Kakin Kingdom. It was later acquired by the renowned tycoon Rodakin Dom.]
[Rodakin Dom owns a private museum in Romin City. It opens to the public once every ten days. The next opening is six days from now, and Rodakin Dom himself will be present.]
[Rodakin Dom is one of the Hunter Association’s benefactors and is no ordinary man, so be sure to negotiate peacefully. I once did him a small favor; mentioning my name may help. Remember, he dislikes beating around the bush. Speak plainly.]
[The first message came through a paid channel on the Hunter website. The fee is fifteen million jenny.]
Fifteen million? Compared with the twenty million jenny Gon and Killua spent in the manga just to look up information about a game console, that was practically a bargain. The Hunter network really was useful—there was nothing it couldn’t find. He absolutely had to take the Hunter Exam next year!
Haiser packed his backpack and transferred the information fee to Izunavi. He then left Heaven’s Arena and headed straight for the airship airport.
He had already looked into it. Romin City lay at the southern tip of the Arima Continent, neighboring the Oikuma Federation, one of the V5. Even by airship, the journey would take three days. Fortunately, he now had four hundred million jenny in his account—the winnings from his match against Grando—so travel expenses were no concern at all.
Three days later, Romin City.
The airship was spacious, and the meals served aboard were varied and surprisingly delicious, so the three-day journey had not been particularly dull. Even so, stepping out of the airport into the brilliant sunlight made Haiser stretch involuntarily.
Romin City was far more scenic than Flash City or Heaven’s Arena. The air was noticeably fresher, and the breeze carried the fragrance of flowers.
Since he had only recently finished eating aboard the airship, Haiser decided not to sample the local cuisine first. Instead, he hailed a taxi and went straight to Rodakin Dom’s residence in the city.
Only upon arriving did he discover that the “home” of the wealthiest man on the Arima Continent was truly enormous—absurdly so, like something straight out of a Hollywood film.
Metal railings stretched as far as the eye could see. Great numbers of burly bodyguards in black suits, sunglasses, and earpieces patrolled the grounds. There were hills, lawns, woods, ornamental rocks, small lakes—and Haiser would swear he had even seen two giraffes!
There was none of the classic scene he had expected: no underling making things difficult for him, no disdainful butler. Haiser merely gave Izunavi’s name, and after consulting the master, the butler bowed and invited him into the vast estate.
It took a full five minutes by car to reach the magnificent castle. The moment Haiser stepped into the hall, he noticed a figure standing at its center.
Contrary to the potbellied fat man he had imagined, Rodakin Dom was a kindly-looking, impeccably groomed old gentleman. He wore an understated yet extraordinarily expensive master-tailored formal suit, with a scarf woven from the hair of some unknown rare beast casually wrapped around his neck. His snow-white hair had been combed back into a perfectly neat style, and his face was clean-shaven, not a trace of stubble in sight.
“Welcome, Mr. Haiser, Izunavi’s beloved pupil.”
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With a broad smile, Rodakin Dom took the initiative and shook Haiser’s hand.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Rodakin Dom. Thank you for taking the time to see me despite your busy schedule.”
Thanks to his parents’ excellent upbringing, Haiser was always courteous toward the elderly. “Haiser is fine.”
“Hahaha, no need to stand on ceremony. You may call me Rodakin Dom as well. After all, that is what your master calls me.”
The old man blinked, his tone humorous. “Izunavi told me you were interested in my collection, ‘Absolute Sovereignty’?”
The two went to a parlor beside the main hall and took their seats. Remembering Izunavi’s advice, Haiser got straight to the point.
“Yes. It concerns my Nen training, so I would be deeply grateful if you would allow me to see this legendary sword.”
Rodakin Dom’s smile did not fade. “A Nen user, are you? Izunavi certainly opened my eyes thirteen years ago. That was when I learned the true power of Nen users—something those half-baked frauds I employed could never compare with. It was also why I later became such a generous supporter of the Hunter Association.”
“Haiser, Izunavi once did me a great kindness. So if you wish to see the sword, there is no problem. However, this ‘Absolute Sovereignty’ is a prized possession of mine, one I value far above all my other collections. Do you understand what I mean?”
“…I do.”
Haiser nodded. “Then I will be equally direct. Until I see the actual object, I have no way of knowing how much help your collection might provide for my Nen. Nevertheless, I can make you a promise.”
Rodakin Dom’s smile grew broader. “Excellent. I like straightforward conversation. It is still early. Shall we go and take a look now?”
“Of course.”
Rather than leading Haiser to the museum, Rodakin Dom followed an extravagantly decorated corridor toward a staircase descending underground.
“Of course, what is displayed in the museum is only a replica. I publicly claim that I had it specially made out of personal interest. There are so many bandits in this world, not to mention that irritating lowlife gang of thieves known as the Phantom Troupe. Naturally, a genuine piece I cherish should be kept in the safest place possible, shouldn’t it?”
The spiraling staircase finally came to an end. When the doors opened, they revealed a collection room of roughly two hundred square meters. Each bizarrely shaped ancient artifact stood beneath a bulletproof glass case, while lights from various angles allowed visitors to admire the priceless pieces at their leisure.
The north wall of the chamber, crowded with all manner of treasures, was completely bare except for a single famous painting by Callie Dominic: Girl by the Sea.
Seeing Haiser raise his head to admire the world-famous masterpiece, Rodakin Dom chuckled.
“It is the original, you know. I paid sixteen billion jenny for this peerless treasure.”
The old man rapped on the wall beneath the painting, then spoke fourteen syllables in some ethnic language. The girl’s eyes in the painting suddenly emitted two beams of light, which swept directly across Rodakin Dom’s pupils.
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“You turned a painting you bought for sixteen billion jenny into an anti-theft device?”
Haiser, who had been admiring the painting, was instantly speechless. “Wouldn’t a normal security system have been fine?”
The old man looked unbearably smug. “Where would be the fun in that? Once I buy a collection piece, I am free to use it however I please. Look—even a powerful Nen user like you is shocked by it. That is the power of money.”
Clack, clack, clack!
The wall trembled. Then it slowly rotated as one metal gate after another opened, revealing the true collection room hidden behind it.
There were far fewer artifacts here, but when Haiser concentrated his aura around his eyes, he discovered traces of Nen lingering on every one of them. There was no doubt that each piece was a priceless rarity.
Rodakin Dom raised a hand, signaling Haiser to wait. Standing outside the collection room, he cleared his throat and called inside:
“181.”
Hum!
A sealed case hanging on the inner wall of the collection room rose into the air and slowly floated to the storage platform by the entrance.
“This is an anti-theft system I commissioned from a professional Hunter in the Association. Anyone other than me who attempts to force their way into this chamber will pay a terrible price.”
Rodakin Dom lifted a hand, indicating that Haiser could take the sealed case from the platform. “That is the artifact believed to be ‘Absolute Sovereignty.’ It is extremely old, so please handle it with care.”
The old man was clearly very confident in his security system. After all, it had been designed with painstaking effort by a two-star professional Hunter from the Hunter Association. Only Rodakin Dom and that Hunter knew how the system operated, and anyone else who attempted to break in would suffer for it.
Moreover, whenever Rodakin Dom spoke the password, the system would determine whether he was being controlled or manipulated by Nen. Even if some superhuman managed to force his way inside without suffering any consequences, whatever he wanted could simply be handed over to him. Why resist?
Haiser nodded, stepped forward, and lifted the sealed case steadily from the platform. It was surprisingly light.
Click.
When the case opened, its contents came into view.
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