Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Start from the church in the center of Meteor City, Chrollo led Law into the East District.

After walking a short distance down the main street, they veered into a narrow alley.

The main street is spacious, but above the alleys are cables and wires crisscrossing like a tangled web, which block part of the sunlight and make the alleys quite dark.

As soon as they walked into the alley, they can see rats and cockroaches running around, and they can also see the residents of Meteor City sitting or standing like statues.

Law doesn't know if there is some difference between East District and West District, but the residents of Meteor City seen in the alleys almost all have their heads and faces covered, wearing a hooded cloak made of old cloth.

The arrival of Law and Chrollo didn't seem to affect them. They all remained silent and basically ignored the two as they passed.

Law just took a quick glance and then quickly shifted his gaze forward, no longer looking around to avoid causing trouble.

After walking in the alley for a while, the narrow space began to slowly expand, and the number of rats, cockroaches and people gradually decreased. The only thing that did not change was the tangled pile of wires and cables overhead.

By this point, approximately an hour and a half had passed since Law first encountered Chrollo, which means that the conditions for stealing Law's Nen Ability have already expired.

Although Law didn't know why Chrollo had given up, Law decided not to dwell on it.

After walking for another ten minutes, the two arrived at a standalone house.

The surrounding buildings are four or five stories high or even higher, but this house is only two stories high and occupies a large open space.

There is nothing special about the appearance of the house. It is very ordinary, and the overall color is mainly white. There is wall built around the house, and the entrance is a rusty iron gate.

Although the building occupies a large area and is even separated from the surrounding buildings, it cannot improve the poor lighting environment.

It was clear that the house's owner didn't prioritize good lighting, otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen this location.

Chrollo approached the iron gate, where two men stood guard on either side. Like the people in the alley, they also wore tattered robes but left their hoods down.

"State your business."

The gatekeeper knew Chrollo and directly asked.

Chrollo nodded and said calmly: "I brought an artifact for the Elder."

As soon as he finished speaking, the iron gate made a harsh creaking sound, and without any further questioning from the gatekeeper, it slowly opened.

Under the watchful eyes of the guards, Chrollo led Law through the gate. From beginning to end, the guards merely glanced at Law's unfamiliar face and made no other moves.

'The security here seems lax.' Law thought to himself. But then he reconsidered, 'Or maybe the people in the house were not worried about any enemy attacks at all. But it's unknown whether it was due to confidence or arrogance.'

Chrollo knocked on the door of the house three times. After a while, the door was opened. Without hesitation, Chrollo stepped inside, with Law close behind.

As soon as he entered the house, Law silently retracted his earlier thoughts about the lack of security. The reason is simple, that is, there were about sixty people standing in the house.

Compared to the two thin guards outside, the number of people in the house was a bit exaggerated.

The house was structured like a loft, with an open first-floor hall. People were stationed by the windows, the corners of the room, and even under the stairs. On the staircase itself, there's a guard every five steps, and the railings on the second floor are even more exaggerated, with people lined up shoulder to shoulder.

If there is a more exaggerated position than the railing on the second floor, it is around the sofa in the lobby, where dozens of people stand like they are queuing.

These people were all dressed in almost the same way, wearing ragged cloaks that obscured much of their appearance. Almost all of them were standing, except for one short man who was sitting on the sofa. This man was most likely the Elder of East District.

'This person... can also use Nen, and he's not the only one who can.'

Law calmly glanced at the number of people in the house, and finally looked at the person sitting on the sofa with a calm gaze.

The dim lighting and the cloak obscured the figure's features, so Law couldn't see it clearly. But judging from the hands holding the cane, he shouldn't be young anymore.

The Elder's appearance wasn't the most pressing concern. The critical issue was the presence of around sixty people in the room, of whom twenty-one were Nen Users.

It wasn't easy to gauge the total number in such a short time, but Nen Users who didn't actively suppress their Aura were as conspicuous as fireflies in the dark, making it easy for Law to count them.

This is because Nen Users constantly used Ten, maintaining their Aura around their bodies.

Based on the intensity of their Aura, Law identified five relatively strong individuals.

The strongest one is the Elder. Law wasn't sure of the Elder's specific strength. But since there are so many people around him, he wondered if it's because they are afraid of death, or is it related to the Elder's Nen Ability.

The second strongest person was the man standing next to the Elder.

"Hmm?"

Law subtly glanced at this individual, and was slightly shocked in his heart, but his face remained calm.

'Chrollo had mentioned that Cook had a twin brother. This man was most likely him. Although there were some differences in their figures and looks, their triangular eyes were so similar.'

'Chrollo, you bastard, couldn't you have clarified this?'

Law really wanted to pull Chrollo's collar and spit at his face. Judging from the position of Cook's twin brother, he was most likely the Elder's right-hand man, but Chrollo had conveniently skipped over such a critical piece of information.

In just a few seconds, Law had assessed the situation in the house and identified the potential dangers. However, his composure didn't falter, and his expression showed no trace of unease.

The East District's Elder, who was sitting on the sofa, quietly observed Law for a moment, and said in a hoarse voice: "This must be Law, correct?"

At those words, Law instinctively tensed, not because of what the Elder said, but because after the Elder said these words, a cold gaze swept over him.

The gaze swept over him like the flick of a serpent's tongue.

The source of the gaze wasn't the Elder, but Cook's twin brother...

'Chrollo really set me up.'

Despite the circumstances, Law didn't panic. At this time, he began calculating potential escape routes in case things went south.

In fact, Law had misunderstood Chrollo.

Although Cook's twin brother is the Elder's trusted right-hand man, the decisions made by the Elder will not be influenced by anyone. Once the Elder determined that Law had value, Cook's twin brother wouldn't be allowed to act against him.

"Yes." Chrollo replied calmly.

"Two hours." The elder said lightly.

Two hours, that's the remaining time limit agreed upon with Chrollo.

Even with Law standing right before him, the Elder showed no intention of acting immediately. Instead, he seemed content to wait until the agreed-upon time.

"Yes." Chrollo nodded and said, "In the meantime, I'd like to introduce Law to you."

Law noted that Chrollo didn't use any honorifics when addressing the Elder, which shows that the relationship between Chrollo and the Elder is not that of a superior and a subordinate.

"Go on." The Elder turned his eyes hidden in the shadows and looked at the calm Law, or to be more precise, at the Hands of the Ominous Signs.

"He is skilled at appraising artifacts. He can determine their age and origin, and he has also brought one with him." Chrollo only highlighted the key points and simplified the introduction and purpose of his visit.

The Elder stared silently at the Hands of the Ominous Signs in Law's hand and said calmly: "I see."