Two days passed quickly. Conrad spent almost all of that time on nothing but the basics of Nen.
He didn't try to rush into anything advanced.
Ten, Ren, Zetsu, and Gyo filled his schedule from morning to night, and by the time his rental period ended, his control had become more stable.
When the last day came, he packed without hesitation and left the hotel early.
There was nothing left for him there.
At the airport, he used part of the money he had taken to buy an airship ticket to Yorknew City. He also picked up food for the trip, a new set of clothes, and a phone.
After paying for everything, he checked his remaining balance.
150,000 Jenny.
Conrad passed through security and entered the airship terminal.
When boarding began, he followed the other passengers onto the airship, found a seat by the window, and slid his bag under the seat in front of him.
He leaned back slightly and looked outside. The ground slowly moved away.
This was only the beginning. Yorknew was larger, more dangerous, and full of opportunities, and, truth be told, he wanted to see it with his own eyes.
He rested his head against the seat and closed his eyes briefly, keeping a thin layer of Ten without thinking about it.
His plan was simple for now: learn, and survive.
He was watching the clouds when his attention shifted. Behind him, someone was whispering.
He didn't turn his head. He relaxed his breathing and focused his hearing naturally, without using Nen.
A woman spoke first. "So… are you sure the Red Diamond is here?"
A young man answered. "Yeah. I confirmed it before boarding. It's in the captain's room."
Conrad's interest rose slightly, though he stayed perfectly still.
"You're not guessing, right?" the woman asked. "This isn't a rumor?"
"No. It's real. Inside a reinforced chest. Five armed guards at minimum. Guns, maybe more."
The woman clicked her tongue softly. "That makes things complicated."
Conrad shifted his gaze just enough to see their reflections in the window. They looked normal, in clean, well-fitted clothes. The woman leaned back and crossed her arms.
"But if we get it, that's two hundred million Jenny."
The number made Conrad raise an eyebrow. He could hear the excitement and greed in her voice.
"That's more than enough," the man replied. "We could disappear. Live comfortably for the rest of our lives."
The woman nodded slowly. "Assuming we don't die."
The man exhaled. "We won't act yet. The airship stays in the air for fourteen hours. We have time to prepare."
Conrad smiled faintly. So that was it. Thieves.
He lightly activated Gyo, just enough to check whether either of them was hiding Nen.
He saw nothing obvious. Real Nen users wouldn't fear a handful of ordinary guards with guns, yet these two spoke as if they were taking a serious risk.
Of course, that didn't mean guns were harmless to Nen users. It was only that a user with any potential had the intelligence and the means to handle a small group of men with small-caliber weapons without much trouble.
The woman whispered again. "Five men with guns isn't something we can handle head-on."
"We don't need to," the man replied. "What we need is a distraction."
Conrad's smile widened a little.
Two hundred million Jenny. That amount could change everything for him. He would be free to move without worrying about rent or food.
He had planned to struggle in Yorknew, slowly building funds, taking jobs, maybe hunting criminals. This was faster.
Still, he didn't rush. He stayed seated and listened as they went over routes, blind spots, and the layout of the airship. Eventually their voices faded as they leaned closer together, whispering too quietly for normal hearing.
He leaned back and thought it through. The plan was acceptable. But if the Red Diamond was guarded by armed men on a civilian airship, it wasn't exactly clean business.
He closed his eyes and activated Zetsu, suppressing his presence completely. No aura leaked out, and to anyone watching he was just another passenger resting on a long flight.
Inside his mind, he began to plan. Fourteen hours.
He didn't need to steal the diamond himself. He could let the thieves act, watch how the guards responded, and learn who aboard was really dangerous. But if things went wrong…
He opened his eyes slowly and looked at his reflection in the window.
Let's see how this plays out. I may just wait for them to take the Red Diamond, or whatever it is, and rob them when they try to escape with it.