Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Chrollo explained Law's value, but the Elder's response was very bland, with only a short, "I see".

Then, the Elder extended a slightly withered hand toward Law.

Without needing any prompt from Chrollo, Law calmly walked forward, placed the Hand of Ominous Signs on the Elder's hand, then took three steps back, maintaining a distance of slightly over a meter from the Elder.

1.2 meters is the standard safe distance between individuals. It will neither be abrupt enough to appear defensive nor too close to cause discomfort. Law chose a distance not exceeding 2 meters yet slightly more than 1.2 meters.

This distance allowed Law to launch a direct attack on the Elder if necessary. Should things turn awry, he wouldn't hesitate to strike the Elder.

As long as he uses his Nen Ability, God Hand to 'peel off' the Elder's heart and then uses it as leverage, he will be able to escape.

After the Elder took over the Hand of Ominous Signs, he did not examine it immediately, but instead looked at Law and said hoarsely: "You are very similar to Chrollo."

Hearing this, Law shook his head and smiled, "It's obvious that I'm much more handsome than him, how can I be similar to him?"

Chrollo glanced at him and said nothing.

There was a slight commotion among the crowd, but the Elder raised his hand and the commotion instantly subsided. However, the atmosphere noticeably changed.

Even as cold glares from over a dozen individuals converged on him, like spotlights on a stage, Law's smile didn't waver for a moment.

Such a nerve-wracking shift in the environment would unsettle anyone without firm psychological fortitude, but Law remains as calm as a still lake.

"I wasn't referring to your looks." The Elder looked at Law and clarified.

"If it weren't for our looks, then how would Chrollo and I be alike?" Law shrugged, thinking to himself, 'This Elder was surprisingly particular.'

The elder said coldly: "You two are very similar in that you can remain calm and composed in dangerous situations, especially since you are of similar age."

"Ah, I see." Law pretended to be suddenly enlightened, 'So, this situation really is dangerous, huh?'

The Elder probably didn't care at all about what Law was thinking. After he finished speaking, he began to examine the Hand of Ominous Signs.

From beneath the shadow of his hood, the Elder's eyes gleamed with interest. His withered hands kept stroking the Hand of Ominous Signs gently, as if caressing a delicate beauty.

After a moment, the Elder lowered his head and asked, "What is this?"

Law calmly replied, "This wooden hand is called the Hand of Ominous Signs. It is a sacred object used in rituals by the now-extinct Lilite Tribe."

"The Lilite tribe? I've heard of them. I knew they had a sacred artifact, but I never knew what it was. It turned out to be this wooden hand." The Elder's previously lifeless tone seemed to gain vitality, as if he was interested.

Law did not rush to explain further, but waited for the Elder to continue asking questions.

There is a difference between active interpretation and passive interpretation, and this distinction is quite important at this moment.

After letting the Elder knew about Law's value, Chrollo seemed to fade into the background, blending seamlessly into the shadows. If Law made a wrong move, Chrollo would not intervene and would just watch as Law met his doom.

However, as of now, although Law has not completely entered the safe area, he wasn't far from it, as long as he avoided any reckless moves.

"Why did the Lilite Tribe carve so many eyes on this wooden hand?" After a while, the Elder asked again.

Law continued to explain: "This symbolizes [gaze]. The people of the Lilite Tribe believe that the God of Bad Omens receives their will through its eyes."

"Interesting. So what is the so-called ritual?" The Elder slowly raised his head and looked at Law.

The Elder's gaze was indifferent, as if he was looking at a dead object rather than a living being.

This is what Law felt from the Elder's gaze.

"It's a curse." Law's expression remained unchanged as he answered, "The people of the Lilite Tribe would crush their fingers and rubbed them on the Hand of Ominous Signs, praying that the God of Bad Omens to bring disaster upon their enemies."

The Elder was silent for a moment after hearing this, then he quickly glanced at Chrollo and said coldly: "I like this thing very much, so I'll keep it, but three of its fingers are broken, and that displeases me. Therefore, I'll give you an opportunity."

Chrollo brought Law to him, along with a valuable antique. While the Elder could have let things slide, the Hand of Ominous Signs was missing three fingers, significantly reducing its value. Therefore, the Elder didn't want to let Law go so easily.

For the Elder, Cook's death wasn't of much importance. He could easily find someone else to replace him to appease the Mafia. But he still had to take Cook's twin brother's feelings into consideration.

However, a damaged relic alone is not enough.

The smile on Law's face gradually faded. Perhaps there was one thing that he and Chrollo were really similar in, which is… they both didn't like being controlled by others. However, the current circumstances demanded submission.

He resolved to endure for now, and once his Nen Ability further improves, he will have the capital to act as he pleased.

"What kind of opportunity?" Law asked as he looked at the Elder.

The Elder slowly stood up with the help of a cane. His legs were still strong, so the cane was likely more for show than support.

"Come with me."

After the Elder stood up, he did not say what the opportunity was, and walked directly to the bottom of the stairs with the Hand of Ominous Signs.

Cook's twin brother and another man, who had been standing next to the Elder, glanced at Law coldly and followed the Elder.

Law simply ignored their cold gazes and followed the three, while thinking about his next step in his mind.

He had to keep a close eye on the Elder at all times and also always look for opportunities to take immediate action. This is his backup plan.

The Elder stopped at the base of the stairs and pressed a square stone brick on the wall.

With a click, the brick sank inward, and a rumbling sound came from under the ground, accompanied by the sharp sound of gears turning.

'A basement? Looks like he's going to take me to see his collections. It's pretty much the same as Chrollo anticipated. But if I don't perform well, it will be my own problem.'

Law thought silently, feeling happy instead of worried. With the help of the white smoke text, it would not be an exaggeration to say that his appraisal skill was at the master level. The issue he should consider now was how to absorb the Nen on the antiques in front of these three people.

After all, all three of them are Nen Users. Although they usually don't deliberately concentrate their Aura on their eyes, it would be troublesome if he was seen while absorbing the Nen.

Of course, the prerequisite is that the Elder's collections are of high quality.

Law followed the three into the stairs that extended downwards, while Chrollo didn't follow and watched them go down.

When the door on the ground closed again, Chrollo's mouth curled up. He roughly knew the Elder's consideration criteria, and if Law's appraisal skill was high enough, he could easily survive.

After all... the Elder not only value collections, but also talents who can appreciate antiques. But even if Law can survive this time, there will be a lot of troubles waiting for him in the future.

Of course, Chrollo could foresee these troubles, but he would not tell Law on his own initiative. Moreover, he was not sure whether Law's appraisal skill was indeed as high as Law said.

'Can you come out? I'm looking forward to it.'

...

The stairs leading to the basement spiral staircase.

Law counted them deliberately and found that there were seventy-two steps in total.

After reaching the bottom, the Elder's men turned on the lights, and the light was bright enough to illuminate every detail of the basement.

'This strong light is probably to make it possible to see the collection more clearly. It also shows the Elder's love for the collection.'

Standing at the back of the group, Law didn't act recklessly and refrained from focusing Aura in his eyes. After all, these three are skilled Nen Users.

So, he observed the situation in the basement with his naked eyes, and after seeing it clearly, his heart began to waver.

In one corner, a massive black dog lay quietly, and its cold, predatory eyes were fixed on him. Next to the giant dog, a pile of human bones stacked into a gruesome mound.

A chill ran through Law, and he quickly averted his gaze to the collection instead.

'Six items in total, two of which have Nen.'

Even without focusing the Aura on his eyes, the strange sensation Law felt when he found the Hand of Ominous Signs in the landfill reappeared. Like a guiding light, it pointed him directly to his targets.

A subtle smile appeared on Law's lips and he simply ignored the slightly weird giant black dog.