Death Notice Book 7: Chapter 14: First Meeting

“Of course, please follow me,” Dalzollene said, looking very pleased as he cooperatively stood up. “We have booked the top floor of the hotel. They should be waiting for us in the presidential suite right now.”

“Qin Lun, what are you doing?” The group followed Dalzollene upstairs, but Yin slowed down his steps and moved closer to Qin Lun, asking quietly. Even Liza, who was nearby, cast a questioning glance at him.

“Yin, haven’t you noticed that this Dalzollene is being overly attentive to us?” Qin Lun replied softly.

“The Shadow Beasts organization is famous worldwide. It wouldn’t be strange if he wanted to butter us up!” Yin rubbed his chin and spoke indifferently.

“Fool, that’s not what Qin Lun means,” Liza interrupted thoughtfully. “Although our organization is famous, the one who pays Dalzollene is Light Nostrade. He doesn’t need to curry favor with just the three of us. Unless…”

“Unless Dalzollene thinks there’s a use for us!” Yin wasn’t actually a fool after all. After realizing what Liza hadn’t finished saying, his expression slowly became serious. “So, does that mean there really will be problems at this auction?”

“Hmm, didn’t he already hint at that earlier?” A faint smile appeared on Qin Lun’s lips. “Dalzollene is the captain of the Nostrade Family’s guards. He must have witnessed Miss Neon’s predictions many times. I think we should start taking the auction’s security seriously.”

“How unlucky!” Yin patted his forehead in distress. “It’s all your fault, Qin Lun. I should be on Gold Beach right now, enjoying the sun and admiring the bikini girls…”

“Really?” Liza turned her head and glared at him fiercely.

When they were in Watt City, Qin Lun often saw this guy sneak out of Liza’s room early in the morning. Of course, this also had a very obvious consequence: Yin’s status in front of Liza dropped sharply, gradually developing toward the direction of being ‘henpecked’.”

“Everyone, they are the guard members hired by our Nostrade Family. Let me introduce them to you.” Dalzollene quickly led the three into a luxurious large suite on the hotel’s top floor. In the main hall sat seven Nen Ability users with different appearances—five men and two women.

“Captain, who are they…?” One of the seven, a handsome man with brown skin, stood up and came forward.

“Oh… these three are from the auction’s organizing party. They specially came to meet the members of our Nostrade guard team to avoid misunderstandings during the auction.” Dalzollene explained with a smile, but wisely concealed the true identities of Qin Lun and the other two.

“Everyone, this is Squala, a Manipulation-type Nen Ability user who can freely command dogs. He, along with Rinshan and Shachmono, are veteran members of the guard team.” Dalzollene pointed to two other Nen Ability users on the sofa and introduced them.

Among these two, the thin young man with gaunt cheeks who looked very haggard was called Rinshan. Shachmono’s appearance was somewhat peculiar, with long, thin, curly sideburns and eyebrows so faint they were almost invisible. She could create Nen ninjas and control them with simple commands.

“The other four are Basho, Kurapika, Melody, and Baise. They are new members of the guard team, and their Nen Abilities are very powerful.” Dalzollene pointed to the other four and continued the introduction.

Basho was a strong, burly man with a full beard. He sat on the sofa and raised his glass toward the three as a friendly gesture.

“I am Basho, a Materialization-type Nen Ability user. The Nen Ability haiku I write become reality.”

(Haiku is a form of writing from Basho’s home country. Basho takes pride in it, forming his own unique Nen Ability.)

“Nice to meet you three. I am Kurapika, skilled with twin blades and chains.” After Basho introduced himself, a young boy wearing a blue coat beside him immediately stood up. He bowed respectfully to everyone but did not explain his own Nen Ability.

The boy had golden hair and black pupils, with a diamond-shaped earring on his left ear. He had slender eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and his features were extremely beautiful and moving, even more charming than a woman’s.

Looking at the polite young boy, Qin Lun, who stood behind Dalzollene, suddenly raised his eyebrows, and a trace of surprise inadvertently flashed in his eyes. Kurapika’s self-introduction had actually triggered a reaction from the Death Notice.

“Chains? I also have a chain ability. If there’s a chance, I’d like to ask Kurapika for some guidance.” Countless thoughts raced through Qin Lun’s mind in an instant, but he did not hesitate in his actions. He stepped out from behind Dalzollene, and the end of a black Claw Chain peeked out from his left sleeve.

Qin Lun’s sudden interjection made everyone in the room pause. Guidance between two unfamiliar Nen Ability users often came across as a challenge. But judging by Qin Lun’s smiling expression, it didn’t seem he meant it that way.

“It would be my honor to receive your guidance!” Kurapika’s expression remained unchanged, and he nodded calmly toward Qin Lun.

“I am Melody, an Emission-type Nen Ability user.” It seemed that to ease the awkward atmosphere brought by Qin Lun, a short, plump woman stood up from the sofa.

Compared to Kurapika’s delicate beauty, this woman could only be described as extremely ugly. Not only was she short and plump with balding hair, but her two sharp front teeth also protruded outside her lips, resembling some kind of rodent.

Seeing this woman with such a peculiar appearance, Qin Lun blinked, and a strange feeling suddenly rose in his heart, making him unable to resist looking at her a few more times.

Melody seemed to ignore Qin Lun’s gaze; she was long accustomed to those strange looks. However, the young man’s behavior angered another woman beside her.

“Haha, I am Baise, a Manipulation-type Nen Ability user. My Nen Ability is called ‘180-Minute Love Slave’.”

Baise was a tall, mature beauty with a charming face carrying a hint of laziness. At this moment, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, making her already exceptionally high and rounded bosom appear even fuller and more swollen, as if they might burst out of her black low-cut dress at any moment.

“‘180-Minute Love Slave’?” Baise was the first guard team member to reveal the full name of her Nen Ability, which unsurprisingly piqued Qin Lun’s strong interest.

“Haha, little brother, want to see it for yourself?” A trace of cunning flashed in Baise’s eyes. She took two steps forward toward Qin Lun, deliberately leaning down slightly to display her ample bosom in front of the young man and gave him a seductive glance.

Hearing Baise’s words, the other guard members in the hall each showed a strange smile. Only Dalzollene raised his eyebrows and spread his hands as if to interject, but he was a step too late.

“This…” Although he didn’t know what Baise in front of him intended to do, it was clearly not with good intentions.

Qin Lun gave a friendly smile and opened his mouth to refuse, but unexpectedly, the mature lady in front of him reached out with a pair of soft hands, wrapped them around his neck, and actively pressed her bright red lips against his, blocking the young man’s words with a deep, long kiss.

A woman’s unique, faint fragrance drifted into Qin Lun’s nostrils. Baise’s lips were soft and warm, and a trace of fragrant saliva seeped from the woman’s tongue tip into the young man’s mouth, stirring up some memories buried deep in his heart.

“Katharine!” Qin Lun was slightly dazed, and the image of another full-bodied, moving figure surfaced in his mind.

The young man’s right hand tightened, and the Dagger of Sin that had already slipped into his palm instantly retracted into his sleeve. The memory of the first woman in his life made him control his instinctive reaction to attack the mature lady in front of him.

However, Qin Lun soon paid the price for his softheartedness. When Baise lazily withdrew her lips, he immediately felt something was wrong. His body seemed to have turned into a puppet, and his consciousness was completely isolated in some cage within his body.

“How was it? Tasted good, didn’t it, my slave!” A trace of teasing flashed in Baise’s eyes as she lightly hooked Qin Lun’s chin with her finger. “Come on, little puppy, lick your queen’s toes.”

Yin and Liza had been watching the two from the side. Seeing Qin Lun in an awkward situation, they couldn’t help but exchange an amused glance. As experienced Nen Ability users, they had vaguely guessed the type of Baise’s ability.

However, they did not plan to intervene and stop it. As a new member of the organization, sometimes it wasn’t a bad thing for Qin Lun to suffer a harmless little setback—at least it would make him more cautious in the future.

“Baise…” Dalzollene held his head in frustration and was about to speak up to stop her.

Yet, to the surprise of everyone watching the spectacle, Qin Lun, who was in the middle of bending down to kneel, suddenly shuddered all over and froze in place. At that moment, the young man’s lowered head revealed eyes that had abruptly turned into a pair of blood-red orbs, pupils filled with cruel, bloodthirsty red light. But when he straightened up again, the blood color in his eyes had completely faded.

“Your kiss was truly sweet; it reminded me of many beautiful memories.” Qin Lun smiled, took the mature lady’s soft hand, and gently pressed his lips to the back of her right hand, expressing thanks with a kiss on the hand.

“You…” Baise stared wide-eyed in shock, unable to speak as she looked at Qin Lun. Although her ability was somewhat ineffective in combat, this was the first time she had encountered such an ineffective result.

“Alright, Baise, step back.” A trace of astonishment also appeared in Dalzollene’s eyes, but soon a smile surfaced on his face. For him, the stronger the three Shadow Beasts members were, the more secure the auction would be, which could be considered a good thing.

“Everyone, the BOSS has woken up. I relayed your request to her, and she agreed to meet you.” Just as everyone was feeling a bit awkward, Ivanov pushed the door open from outside and delivered good news to Qin Lun and the other two.

“Miss Baise, I’ll see you later then!” Qin Lun bowed gracefully to everyone in the hall. His gaze paused briefly on Kurapika and Melody before immediately moving away.

“Baise, are you alright?” After Qin Lun and the other two left with Dalzollene and Ivanov, Melody moved closer to the mature lady and asked with concern.

“I’m fine!” Baise stared blankly at the door, biting her lip, and slowly furrowed her beautiful brows.