'Can you tell me the whereabouts of the Dark Sonata?' and 'Do you know the whereabouts of the Dark Sonata?' might sound similar, but they were fundamentally different.
This man she had never met before was certain that she knew the whereabouts of the Dark Sonata.
'How did he know?'
The more she thought about the details, the more terrifying it seemed.
For the first time, Melody heard her own heart beating so fast, as if it were about to leap out of her throat.
Seeing Melody's panic, Law apologized, "Sorry, that was abrupt of me."
Approaching the subject so directly must have touched upon a deep secret within her. This reaction wasn't strange.
Melody's wide eyes slowly softened, 'Right, this man might have come for me, but he held no malice.'
Calming down, Melody listened to Law's heartbeat and shook her head. "I don't know the whereabouts of the Dark Sonata."
"Is that so..." Seeing that Melody didn't seem to be lying, Law was surprised. He had thought Melody would know the Dark Sonata's whereabouts.
After a moment's thought, Law smiled at Melody. "My apologies for disturbing you."
With that, he turned and left without hesitation.
Watching Law's retreating back, Melody couldn't help but ask, "Why are you looking for the Dark Sonata?"
Law stopped walking, his back still to her. "I won't answer that question. However, I might have a way to restore you to your original form... if you can provide information about the Dark Sonata in exchange..."
After saying this, Law continued walking forward.
Melody's body trembled slightly. "Your name?"
"Law."
Watching Law's figure disappear around the corner, Melody's expression was complex.
She slowly lowered her head, looking at her reflection in the bright floor tiles.
A partially bald scalp, no eyebrows, the outline of her nose almost faded, two rat-like front teeth visibly protruding.
This was her current appearance, so ugly it could scare children into crying. If she didn't speak, who could tell her gender?
Melody's hand slowly reached into her satchel, touching a photograph.
It was an old photo of her, capturing her original appearance.
'Can it be restored...'
A look of confusion appeared in Melody's eyes.
Forget her face and figure… the skin on her arms, hidden beneath her clothes, was as black as charcoal.
…
The days passed, and the Nostrade Household had grown somewhat accustomed to Law's presence.
His arrival indeed hadn't posed any danger to the Nostrade Family. On one occasion, he had even stepped in to protect Neon.
That single intervention gave Dalzollene and the others an even more shocking impression. They were all Nen Users, yet they were far from being on the same level.
Having stayed at the Nostrade Family's mansion for so many days, Law noticed one thing: Light was almost always out, seemingly drumming up business, and enemies frequently targeted Neon.
Neon was the foundation of Light's standing in the underworld. After making countless enemies, it was natural that some would want to remove his foundation.
This was also why Light hired so many professional bodyguards.
Only two days remained until September 1st.
On this day, Neon performed a divination for an underworld boss.
The person requesting the divination didn't need to be present in person, but they needed to provide a color photograph.
This convenient method allowed Light and his clients to complete transactions without needing to be on-site.
In her large, pink, princess-themed room, Neon sat on the bed. Raising her pen, she activated her Lovely Ghostwriter.
In the room, besides two maids, were Dalzollene and Law.
Swish, swish!
The ballpoint pen raced across the paper.
A short while later, Neon had written the prophetic poem.
In just that brief moment, Nostrade earned over a hundred million in payment… a truly cost-free business.
After writing the prophetic poem, Neon tossed the pen and paper aside, lay down on the bed, and flipped through a book about famous human organ collections.
Dalzollene picked up the paper from the floor, glanced at it, and handed it to Law.
Law took the paper and read the content of the prophetic poem.
[The basement where all items increase in value]
[That place will become your final resting bed]
[As long as there is no staircase leading up]
[You must absolutely not go down]
[And you must absolutely not compete with others in numbers]
After reading the prophetic poem, Law expressionlessly returned the paper to Dalzollene, who took it, silently glanced at Law, then stepped aside to call Light.
He needed to relay the prophecy's content to Light, who would then relay it to the client.
Law glanced at Neon, who was lying on the bed kicking her legs, then opened the door and left the room.
Outside in the corridor, Melody and Baise were present, as they were part of the security detail.
Seeing Law emerge from the room, the two women reacted differently.
Melody's gaze was calm, while Baise looked slightly annoyed.
Law ignored them both, walked past, and returned to his room.
Closing the door behind him, Law took out his phone and dialed Kurapika's number.
After a few rings, the call connected.
"Master."
Kurapika's voice came from the other end.
"Have you arrived in Yorknew City?" Law asked.
"Yes," Kurapika replied.
"Good. With less than three days left, first familiarize yourself with the details of the major auction houses," Law instructed.
"Mm," Kurapika acknowledged, then asked in a serious tone, "The Spiders... will they come?"
"They most likely will. I'll inform you after further confirmation. We'll meet up in Yorknew City then," Law said.
"Mm," Kurapika responded.
Then, Law hung up and called Sabro, instructing him to mail the three auction items to Yorknew City.
After making the two calls, Law put away his phone.
"'The basement where all items increase in value' and 'compete with others in numbers'," Law murmured to himself, "That undoubtedly points to the Yorknew City Auction. Because this client is an underworld boss, and his first stop next month is the Yorknew City Auction."
"'That place will become your final resting bed' clearly indicates death."
"Who else but the Troupe would dare kill an underworld boss right at the auction venue?"
Law felt he had a general idea.
If not for the Phantom Troupe's involvement, how could an auction of that level run into trouble?
One must remember that the mastermind behind it was the Ten Dons. Even though all the auction attendees were underworld bosses, before entering the venue, they had to follow the rules: no firearms or recording equipment.
Therefore, anyone involved in the underworld wouldn't dare cause trouble at the Ten Dons' auction.
On the contrary, most underworld bosses attended the auction just to show their faces before the Ten Dons.
That evening, a private airship took off from the Nostrade Mansion's grounds.
The Yorknew City Auction was an opportunity for every underworld figure to be seen. Light attended every year, and this time was no exception, though he had already arrived in Yorknew City two days prior.
Aboard the private airship were Neon's group, including Law.
From here, it would take thirty-five hours to reach the outer airport of Yorknew City.
Half a day later, Neon wrote a prophetic poem for another underworld boss, and the result was identical to the previous client's prophecy.
After discovering this, Dalzollene promptly notified Nostrade.
Law also saw the content of the prophetic poem and became even more certain that the Phantom Troupe would come to Yorknew City.