Luke looked at the massive machine and subconsciously rubbed his chin.
"Where can I get electricity?"
"Without electricity, this machine won't work."
Outside, finding electricity was easy; nearly every small hotel had it.
But in Meteor City, electricity is a scarce resource, unavailable to ordinary people.
At least, Luke couldn't find any in Nobunaga's room.
"There's electricity in Meteor City. I think it's the church, right?"
"Chrollo seems to be there, showing the cartoon Mighty Sweepin' Power Cleaners for the children of Meteor City."
"If it can show cartoons, there must be a projector. And to run a projector, there must be electricity..."
Good, the logic was clear.
If he needed electricity, the church was the perfect place.
And if Luke guessed correctly, Chrollo was about to show a cartoon to the children in Meteor City.
Luke was deeply impressed by this episode in the original timeline.
It was during this screening that many problems arose.
But Chrollo resolved them flawlessly in front of all the children, showing for the first time his outstanding charisma.
It also deeply impressed Uvogin, Machi, Nobunaga, Feitan, and Phinks.
As a result, Uvogin was convinced and made peace with Chrollo.
It also made Feitan and Phinks willing to follow Chrollo.
Not to mention Franklin, Shalnark, and Pakunoda, who were already around Chrollo.
That was the early shadow of the Phantom Troupe.
This also included Sheila before the incident, and… Sarasa.
Luke's eyelids twitched slightly at the thought of Sarasa. Even if he hadn't reached the outer perimeter during this period, he had learned from conversations with Nobunaga, Phinks, and the others that quite a few children had been disappearing recently.
Some lawless individuals had already extended their reach into Meteor City.
"I don't think there's much time left before the screening starts..."
"At that time, I'll have a perfect reason to enter the church openly."
Well, it's not impossible to sneak into the church now.
With the help of Phinks and Uvogin, it could be done.
But this power booster is incredibly large and conspicuous.
If he found electricity in the church and pulled it out, not to mention the risk of being seen, if the electricity consumption was much higher than normal, it would definitely attract Father Lisoresl's attention.
But during the screening, with the projector running, using more electricity wouldn't stand out.
And if he really thought about sneaking in, Luke felt the church wasn't so simple.
The fact that the church could stand so grand in Meteor City was proof enough.
And after discovering Chrollo's talent, Father Lisoresl had directly gone to the elders and said: "His creative ideas often amaze me. I hope to summon him to the elders' meeting to hear his ideas."
This was Father Lisores's recommendation to the elders of Meteor City.
And crucially, Father Lisores could directly communicate with the elders of Meteor City face to face.
This alone was something few in Meteor City could achieve. Not to mention, after hearing Father Lisores's recommendation, the elders not only didn't take it lightly, but actually considered it seriously.
This is truly remarkable.
Luke also knew that Father Lisores wasn't just familiar with the elders of Meteor City.
He also knew and interacted with certain mysterious figures.
For example...
Miss Renko, the embalmer of Kirimori Valley.
After Sarasa's death, it was Father Lisores who contacted this mysterious woman, who then collected Sarasa's body.
She stitched Sarasa's mutilated remains back together.
This method impressed Machi so much that she desperately sought out Renko.
After earning Renko's admiration, she traveled to Kirimori Valley to learn the art of suturing from Renko.
Well, perhaps it was because of Ms. Renka's influence.
Not only did she acquire a masterful suturing technique, but she also developed a relentless drive for money.
When Ms. Renka first appeared, many speculated she was Killua's mother, Kikyo.
But after numerous comparisons, this possibility was ruled out.
This person is a mysterious embalmer who lives in the Kirimori Valley near Meteor City.
And Father Lisores from the church was able to connect with such a person, asking Ms. Renka to collect Sarasa's body.
Luke still felt that the church was too complex, beyond his reach for the time being.
Since he would be able to get inside during the screening anyway, it was better not to startle the snake prematurely.
Having made up his mind, Luke slowly closed his eyes and began to train.
Aside from relying on his inventions, his own training couldn't be neglected.
But training on his own was admittedly tough.
He still needed proper guidance.
The news that Chrollo was inviting the children of Meteor City to watch a cartoon quickly spread throughout Meteor City.
Many children heard about it and were eagerly looking forward to the day.
Finally, as the appointed date approached, the children arrived at the church.
They saw Chrollo, Sheila, and Sarasa greeting the children at the door.
Even Father Lisores had a kind and gentle expression as he held food in his hands, welcoming the children who came to watch.
Although it was just the lowest-quality flatbread, the fact that they could watch cartoons and also get something to eat made the children extremely excited.
"I didn't expect him to actually gather so many children to watch such a show."
Uvogin, who had also heard the news and had come to watch the excitement, was impressed.
You know, Meteor City was quite poor, so for children to be able to watch cartoons was a rare and exciting thing, enough to make them burst with joy.
But…
"Hey, Chrollo, you took my videotapes, and it seems you're using them quite well."
Uvogin stopped in front of Chrollo and patted him firmly on the shoulder.
"I'm really looking forward..."
He then threatened: "Looking forward to what would happen after the screening!"
Well, Chrollo's intention to treat the children to cartoons had slightly improved Uvogin's impression of him.
But the thought that Chrollo had taken out these cartoon tapes, all looted from his own territory, made him particularly unhappy.
He's basically using his stuff for this!
"I'm looking forward to it, too."
Chrollo seemed particularly cheerful today, even flashing a lovely smile at Uvogin.
It was completely unlike his usual avoidance of Uvogin.
"Hmph!"
Uvogin snorted, saying nothing more.
Chrollo glanced behind Uvogin and spotted a group of people walking towards him.
"Hey, little Chrollo."
The relationship between Phinks and Chrollo wasn't as tense as it was between Uvogin.
Well, Phinks was mainly trying to steal Chrollo's things, and what Chrollo gave him was useless.
With one robbing, the other playing tricks, it was safe to say neither of them suffered much.
Phinks was in the stronger position during the robbery, so he didn't harbor much resentment towards Chrollo.
In fact, after seeing Uvogin like this, he even offered him a rather pleasant invitation: "If you're still up for it after you're done with Uvogin."
Phinks bared his brilliant white teeth: "Come play football with us next."
"I haven't played football in ages!"
"Well, we'll talk about that later."
Chrollo responded politely. Then he noticed Feitan standing next to Phinks.
That scornful look in his eyes, his dismissive expression, and that explosive hairstyle sticking out like a gas cylinder mishap, in one word, fierce.
Of course, appearances were secondary.
What struck Chrollo as different was that Phinks and Feitan, both of them, exuded a spirit that seemed different from the others.
It wasn't that their bodies had undergone any physical changes.
It was their mental state.
They were unlike the other kids hanging out in Meteor City, clueless about what to do tomorrow.
They simply muddled through, risking their lives to grab a single resource, resorting to any means necessary.
And now, looking at the mental state of Phinks and Feitan...
From their spirit and bearing, it felt as though they had found some greater goal, something to ignite their fighting spirit.
"Is it because of that person?"
Chrollo's gaze also caught sight of the trio heading their way here.
On the left was Machi; he knew her.
On the right was Nobunaga; he'd heard of him.
But the young man in the middle was a completely new face…
Chrollo thought about it in his mind, and he could guarantee that he had never seen him before.
"You are Chrollo, right?"
When Luke stood before Chrollo, the ten-year-old Chrollo was also sizing him up.
Well, this was the first time Luke had ever had a face-to-face conversation with Chrollo.
Although Chrollo was only ten years old, he wasn't particularly tall, only slightly taller than Machi and Feitan, and his face looked a bit childish.
But he did seem to have a special charm that made some children unconsciously want to gather around him.
"Luke."
"Chrollo."
That was how the two of them got to know each other.
They both tacitly avoided mentioning what happened outside the church that day.
Just as they were exchanging names, next to them…
"Huh? What's the meaning of this? Is it for me?"
Phinks looked at the bowl of low-quality dough held before him and couldn't help but raise his nonexistent eyebrow.
"Help us hand out snacks!"
From beneath the bowl of snacks, Sarasa's lively little face peeked out.