Vengeance at all costs—this was a fundamental principle of the mafia.
And no one embodied this principle better than Nolan.
Before his organization, Menu, had firmly established itself, it had endured countless attacks.
Now, every single person who had ever dared to attack him had been wiped out—not only them, but also their friends and family.
That was how Nolan operated.
So, whether it meant paying a fortune to hire an assassin from the Zoldyck Family or leveraging his father's influence to mobilize members of the Shadow Beasts, he would ensure absolute retribution against the two Nen users who had obliterated his virus research lab's defense force in mere moments.
After issuing a series of orders, Nolan's mood improved slightly.
But until he saw their corpses with his own eyes, he still had to clean up the mess left behind by the destruction of the research facility.
His most trusted subordinate quickly left to make arrangements—contacting the Zoldyck Family's assassins and relaying Nolan's instructions to Earthworm and Poison Mosquito, the Shadow Beasts he had summoned.
Having served Nolan for many years, the subordinate had never seen him this furious before…
On this very day—
Deep in the Kukuroo Mountain, home of the Zoldyck Family, two new assassination contracts were received.
Meanwhile, in Yorknew City, where the auction atmosphere was reaching its peak, a shocking announcement spread like wildfire—
The Nampis Auction House had just added a pair of Scarlet Eyes to its high-profile auction list.
The news spread rapidly, immediately drawing the attention of human organ collectors.
Since the massacre of the Kurta Clan, the Scarlet Eyes had become one of the rarest and most coveted items in the underworld.
Every collector with the means to obtain them was desperate to do so.
Now that Nampis had unexpectedly announced the sale of a pair of Scarlet Eyes, it was like an unbelievable stroke of luck.
Within just a few hours, some of the most well-known human organ collectors rushed to the Nampis Auction House to confirm the news.
After verifying that the auction house truly possessed a pair of Scarlet Eyes, they left with visible excitement.
"It's been over two years since the Kurta Clan was wiped out, yet the demand for Scarlet Eyes has only grown stronger."
At Nampis Auction House, Aksai, the wrinkled-faced appraiser, called Moro.
"The reaction has been incredible. My advice? You don't need to invest any more in publicity. That said, if you still want to spend on marketing, I won't stop you."
"That won't be necessary."
On the other end of the phone, Moro gazed at the clear blue sky outside his window.
The Scarlet Eyes auction promotion had gone even better than expected.
Just as Aksai had said, the Kurta Clan Massacre was still fresh in people's minds—the hype surrounding the Scarlet Eyes had not diminished.
For human organ collectors, Scarlet Eyes remained the ultimate treasure.
After ending the call, Moro calmed his thoughts and resumed his daily training.
The airship still had about a day and a half before reaching Yorknew City's Lin Palace Airport.
Until then, Moro had no intention of wasting a single moment.
September 7, Morning
The airship landed at Lin Palace Airport.
After disembarking, Moro hailed a taxi and headed into Yorknew City, specifically toward Lower Water Street.
Two hours later—
Moro walked through the black and gray streets, following his memory to a rarely populated pedestrian alley.
The stores lining the street were nearly deserted.
As its name implied, Lower Water Street had poor sanitation—homeless individuals could often be seen sleeping on the ground.
Tourists visiting Yorknew City generally avoided this area, leading to low foot traffic and struggling businesses.
Only antique shops and appraisal businesses managed to survive, relying on Yorknew's auction-driven economy.
Moro wasn't in a hurry to find the antique clock he was looking for.
Instead, he leisurely browsed through several antique shops along the street.
After about an hour, he managed to find two valuable items:
A jade sculpture carved from pure Boyu stone.
A rusted pirate scimitar.
The first item turned out to be a Nen-infused object, and when Moro absorbed its Nen energy, his energy reserves increased by 20%—an unexpected bonus.
After stashing the items in his backpack, he finally made his way to the antique shop at the end of the street.
Ding-ding…
The bell above the door chimed as Moro pushed open the shop's entrance.
Behind a counter overflowing with miscellaneous items, a young woman with messy, bird's-nest hair suddenly popped up.
"Prices are on the tags. No bargaining."
She immediately set the tone, cutting off any negotiation before it could begin.
Moro simply nodded at her before heading deeper into the store.
The shop was chaotic, filled with real and fake antiques, scattered on the floor and crammed onto shelves.
After casually selecting two relatively expensive items, Moro finally picked up the heavy antique clock he had come for.
The clock was made of stone and brass, large and unremarkable in design.
The only odd feature was its pendulum, which was a diamond-shaped gray stone instead of the usual metal.
Moro placed all three items on the counter and reached for his wallet.
But before he could pay, the young shopkeeper locked eyes with him and suddenly said:
"That clock… it's special, isn't it?"
"No."
Moro calmly placed the exact amount on the counter, showing no reaction.
The young woman accepted the payment but then pointed at the two expensive items he had chosen, saying:
"You're not actually interested in these, are you?"
Moro was slightly surprised.
He hadn't tried too hard to conceal his true intentions, but the fact that she noticed so quickly meant she had sharp observational skills.
The last time he had come for this clock, the shop was run by an elderly man with white hair.
He wondered what relationship this young woman had with him.
"You were after that clock from the start," she said confidently. "Don't bother pretending. You've already paid, so the deal is done—but can you at least satisfy my curiosity?"
"Sure."
Moro understood her curiosity and didn't mind indulging it.
Without hesitation, he ripped off the heavy gray stone pendulum.
Right in front of the shopkeeper, he crushed the thick stone layer, revealing the egg-sized, untreated emerald hidden inside.
The moment she saw the emerald, the young shopkeeper's eyes widened in shock.
She looked up at Moro, her expression filled with astonishment.
Struggling to contain her excitement, she asked urgently:
"Can I take a picture?"
Moro glanced at her face and saw only awe and curiosity, nothing else.
"Go ahead."
"Haha! Thanks!"
The young woman quickly snapped several photos with her phone.
Moro, uninterested in lingering, left with the emerald.
The shopkeeper didn't stop him. Instead, she immediately posted the pictures on her blog.
Her post read:
"Just met a legend! Never thought an ordinary antique clock would hide such an incredible gemstone!"
The post went viral, drawing attention from two individuals connected to the Yorknew City Auction:
Biscuit Krueger, the Gem Hunter.
Kurapika, the last survivor of the Kurta Clan.
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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen