Chapter 6: Setting Off × Cheadle Yorkshire

Dia planned to take the long-distance bus to Cabalaf City to catch an airship. From there, he would travel to Loy City, the capital of the Mimbo Republic, where the National Medical University was situated in the suburbs.

The bus was noisy, packed with elderly passengers pointing and chattering about the scenery outside. Dia sat quietly eating his steamed buns, periodically manifesting The World to test its limits.

As I thought, the duration has indeed increased.

After testing it several times, Dia was certain that the time-stop duration had extended by approximately 0.2 seconds.

Was it because of those two battles? The cooldown hasn't changed at all...

Dia pondered silently. Perhaps those two fights had deepened his synergy with The World. Still, it was nowhere near the 5 seconds DIO maintained under normal conditions, let alone his peak of 9 seconds.

Still have a lot of work to do.

"Do-ru-ru-ru-ru…"

A sharp, abrupt ringtone interrupted his thoughts. Dia took out the beetle-shaped mobile phone he had bought before departing; it was pricey, but offered excellent value. Who would be calling me now?

He answered. Before he could speak, a clear, calm female voice came through:

"Hello? Dia? I heard you were in an accident. I was on a mission for the past few days and didn't get your messages. Are you okay now?"

Dia’s eyes lit up. It was Cheadle Yorkshire!

"Ah, Cheadle-sensei! I'm completely fine now." Dia’s tone was bright. He gave a quick report of his well-being, then shifted gears. "However, I've had some new research findings regarding the human body recently and would love your guidance. Are you free in the next few days?"

Indeed, he intended to use his Ripple discoveries as bait to trade for Cheadle’s instruction in Nen. Given Cheadle’s character, described in the manga as someone with an "overwhelming sense of ethics," Dia felt this approach was viable. Besides, he had no other options; where else would he find someone who was a Nen master, trustworthy, and willing to teach him? The Hunter Exam wasn't until next January. He didn't have the time to gamble on luck.

Far away, at the Loy City airport, Cheadle had just landed. She frowned, but didn't refuse. "Very well. I’ll be at the university for the next few days. Come find me when you arrive."

Cheadle hung up without further pleasantries, adding only a curt reminder to be punctual.

To Cheadle Yorkshire, the student Dia Diego had left a deep impression. Even as an undergraduate, he had participated in research, and many of his findings were, from her perspective, quite groundbreaking. She even believed that, by the standards of a Disease Hunter, he had the potential to attain star-rank in the future. That was why, even though she no longer took on students, she had made an exception for him, eventually personally inviting him to pursue his Master’s and Doctorate under her. But he had seemed to lack ambition for further studies, rejecting her invitation at graduation with a look of genuine guilt. She had felt a deep sense of regret over the loss of such a scientific talent.

She found the "new findings" he mentioned on the phone quite strange. According to her intelligence, Dia had survived a shipwreck by a miracle and had been recuperating at the home of some kindhearted civilians. When she first heard about the wreck, her instinct had been to issue a Hunter mission to search for him, and she had only breathed a sigh of relief when reports confirmed he had been rescued the following day.

So the question is, Cheadle mused, under those circumstances, where did he get the time and equipment to make any "new findings"?

Is there something he can't say over the phone?

Cheadle’s first instinct was that Dia had something vital to discuss that required a face-to-face meeting to avoid a leak. But he was just a student fresh out of university, what could he possibly have that was so important?

Cheadle shook her head, dismissing the thought. Her dog-like ears twitched as she adjusted her glasses. Whatever it was, she would know once he arrived. What she was truly worried about was what Beans had told her yesterday regarding the Vice Chairman election in December!

The moment she thought of that, she thought of the person she despised more than anyone: Pariston Hill. Not only had he been appointed the new 'Rat' of the Zodiacs within a few short years, but rumors were circulating that the Chairman had already hand-picked him as the next Vice Chairman!

Chairman, what on earth are you thinking...

Standing in the airport, Cheadle looked toward the Hunter Association headquarters, her mind a swirl of troubled thoughts.

Dia was completely unaware of Cheadle’s troubles; he was busy with his own task. He kept his head lowered, maintaining his strange, rhythmic breathing while muttering to himself. He was practicing speaking while maintaining the Ripple. The skill itself wasn't difficult, but because he had spent so little time studying the Ripple and had spent most of that time in life-or-death combat, these finer technical points had fallen by the wayside. Now that he had crossed over, he finally had the time to polish these minor skills.

In his spare time, he also contemplated his future path. This world was undoubtedly full of the unknown and adventure. Some people feared adventure; others yearned for it. Dia belonged to the latter. He wanted to see those unknown vistas, meet those fascinating people, scale the highest peaks, and defeat those arrogant enemies!

But the foundation for all of this was strength.

Dia looked up, staring at the moving scenery outside the window, thinking of the powerhouses from the manga: Hisoka, Chrollo, Pariston, Ging, Netero... If these people were to become his enemies for whatever reason, could he emerge victorious?

Take a simple example, he thought. If the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva hit me with a palm strike faster than the speed of sound, I probably wouldn't even have the time to activate time-stop!

The Hunter society was, in reality, a brutal killing field. The strong fought with the resolve to uphold their own wills, even in the face of death. Before such resolve, the weak had no choice, nor could they expect pity, the strong didn't even care about their own lives, let alone those of others.

But fortunately, Dia, possessing The World, clearly had the qualifications to become one of the strong.

…

High above Cabalaf City, a small airship floated in silence. Inside, besides the pilot, there were only a man and two women.

"Boss, where to next?" the pilot asked casually. He was a young man with a blond, doll-like face and emerald green eyes, looking remarkably harmless.

The man seated in the cabin looked up. He had a cross tattooed on his forehead, blue earrings, and his black hair was combed back into a perfectly neat style. He held a piece of paper with a sketch on it. Most striking were his eyes, deep and indifferent, seeming to hide infinite secrets.

He was the leader of the A-class criminal organization, the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo Lucilfer!

The pilot, naturally, was one of the Troupe's key intellects, Shalnark.

Regarding Shalnark’s question, Chrollo pondered for a moment before speaking calmly. "To evolve my ability, theoretically, I should head straight to Pati City to steal 'that thing'."

Chrollo paused for a moment before continuing. "But the person he needs to save hasn't reached their limit yet. The one who bought 'that thing' likely won't take it out this early."

Just as Chrollo finished speaking, a mature woman with a tall, voluptuous frame, golden hair, and a prominent aquiline nose spoke up: "Isn't there a way to locate where 'that thing' is hidden ahead of time?"

Another girl, petite with pink hair tied into a massive ponytail, said coldly: "Why not just find the guy and force him to hand it over!"

If they wanted something, they simply took it by force. That was the way of the Phantom Troupe.

Chrollo shook his head. "He is backed by state-level power. We cannot achieve our goal through brute force."

He turned to Shalnark, who was piloting the airship. "Find a way to leave the Mimbo Republic first. I fear we’ve already been spotted."

With that, he lowered his head and returned to staring at the paper, saying no more. On the page, someone had drawn a rough sketch of a stone-like object, resembling a crystal-clear gem.

The silence returned to the airship.

Chapter 7: Secret Tribunal × On the Grid

National Medical University, Center for the Study of Rare Diseases.

Dia dragged his luggage into the building, looking road-weary.

"Hey, student! You can't just wander in here."

Before Dia could even set his bags down, a long-haired girl in a lab coat with dark, heavy circles under her eyes called out to him. Dia turned, ready to explain, but when the girl saw his face, she froze.

"Diego! How are you back? And how did you... how did you become... so..." The girl stammered, eventually squeezing out one word: "Mature."

Dia recognized her; she was a junior from the lab. He smiled. "Oh, hey Alice! Ran into some trouble, so I came to ask Cheadle-sensei for some advice."

Alice was stunned. In her memory, Diego had been a soft-spoken, kindly guy who wore a gentle smile and was always helping students with their experiments. But the Dia standing before her now had shed that old, pushover aura entirely. Even his gait carried a sense of confidence and steely resolve.

"Diego, you're a step too late," Alice said, snapping back to reality. "Cheadle-sensei just got a call from the Supreme Court and headed out. I think she’s off to participate in a Secret Tribunal."

A tribunal. Dia’s brow furrowed. That complicated things.

In the legal system of the Mimbo Republic, there existed an entity that stood apart from mainstream courts: the Secret Tribunal. It wasn't "secret" in the sense that its existence was unknown, as everyone knew it existed, but it was named for the subjects it judged: those who could not be publicly revealed. Spies captured in clandestine operations, high-ranking officials with immense influence, even judges of the Supreme Court, these were individuals whose special status or the nature of their crimes would cause massive social upheaval if brought to a public trial.

The Secret Tribunal had no limit on the number of attendees, but it strictly followed the "Four-Three-One" principle: four key participants (judge, court clerk, legal scholar, and defendant); three stages of judgment (the claim, the cross-examination, and the final verdict); and one absolute rule of secrecy, where not a single word of the proceedings could leak out. Everyone knew the tribunal held secrets, but no one dared to investigate, for those who knew the secrets were either the staff or the prisoners.

Cheadle must have been invited as a legal scholar, but that made finding her incredibly difficult. The tribunal’s location was neither fixed, public, nor repetitive; given its nature, it was often held in remote, isolated areas. If Cheadle had traveled far, she could be gone for three or four days!

After giving the junior a vague excuse, Dia took his leave. Walking along a cobblestone path, he pulled out his phone. He didn't have high hopes, but to find out exactly when she’d return, he decided to try calling her.

"Do-ru-ru-ru... Hello? Dia? Are you here yet?"

To Dia's surprise, Cheadle answered.

"Ah, yes, Cheadle-sensei, I am. I was just wondering…"

"No time to explain. Get to the airport. Immediately! Beep-beep-beep..."

Before Dia could offer any pleasantries, Cheadle cut him off and hung up.

Dia was truly confused this time. Back to the airport? He’d just come from there! He flagged down a taxi on the street. Before the driver could ask for the destination, Dia pulled out two high-value Jenny notes. "To the airport, and make it fast!"

The driver’s eyes lit up. He snatched the money, didn't utter a single word of complaint, shifted gears, and took off like a rocket.

…

Screech!

With the sound of tires gripping and burning on the pavement, the taxi pulled to a smooth halt in front of the terminal. Dia threw the door open, leaped out in a clean, crouched landing, and bolted into the hall.

The moment he entered, his sharp eyes spotted a flash of green in the crowd.

Cheadle Yorkshire was wearing her classic white-and-green dress, a cross pinned to her collar, white knee-high boots, and gloves shaped like dog paws, which she seemingly wore to appear cute. A green-patterned beret sat atop her head, covering most of her hair, with two furry dog ears poking out, twitching from time to time.

She wears this to a tribunal? That's a bit much...

Suppressing his somewhat disrespectful thoughts, Dia hurried over and greeted her. Cheadle turned, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes; she clearly hadn't expected Dia to change so drastically since graduating. Still, based on her intelligence, it wasn't unusual for someone’s personality to shift after a brush with death.

"You're not slow. Do you have an urgent matter? If not, do me a favor and come with me." She didn't wait for an answer. "Check your luggage at the airport for now. I'll explain the details later."

As she spoke, she produced a badge from somewhere and handed it to him, then started tapping away at her phone. Dia looked down: the top half of the badge featured a minimalist scale pierced by a sword, and the bottom half was inscribed with the words: Court Clerk.

Is this...? Official identification for the Secret Tribunal?

Dia recognized the badge, but he was baffled as to why Cheadle was giving it to him. Was she making him a clerk? He wasn't even a civil servant!

He had a million questions, but there was no time to think. His intuition told him that Cheadle had no reason to harm him. Moreover, this was the perfect opportunity to get closer to her and prepare for his pursuit of Nen. He nodded decisively. "Understood. I'll be right back."

He sprinted to the counter to check his bags. When he returned with the claim ticket, Cheadle didn't say a word; she grabbed his arm and hurried toward the tarmac.

The tarmac wasn't far. They covered the distance in moments, boarding a small airship. Once inside and settled, Cheadle waited for the flight to stabilize before speaking.

"You recognize that badge. You’re coming with me to a Secret Tribunal. You’ll be serving as the clerk. It's just a record-keeping duty; your skills are more than sufficient for the job."

"The trial will be held on a mid-lake island 120 kilometers outside of Loy City, Hundred-Ring Island!"

"Don't worry about your identity. I've already called a friend in the legal department to register you in the system. As of right now, you're a registered government employee."

Wait, just like that? I'm 'on the grid' now?

Dia realized he had severely underestimated the influence of a Triple-Star Hunter.