Every name on the top hundred list belonged to ruthless criminals whose crimes were too numerous to record.
Take Bazel Hernandez, the serial killer Morrow had selected, for example. His criminal cases numbered in the hundreds.
Among them, two stood out as the most heinous:
One was the bar massacre, which claimed 81 victims.
The other was the tourist bus attack, where all 32 passengers tragically lost their lives.
Morrow's choice of Bazel wasn't solely due to his brutality.
Among the information Argo provided, Bazel's was the most detailed, including case descriptions of both the bar massacre and the tourist bus attack.
From these case details, Morrow identified two key pieces of information:
"Victims attacked each other before death," and "Victims' corpses exhibited massive blood loss."
This alone was enough to draw a crucial conclusion.
Bazel Hernandez was a Manipulator.
Moreover, Bazel had used his Nen ability without hesitation against ordinary people, allowing his ability's details to be exposed under scrutiny.
This revealed certain traits of Bazel's personality:
Arrogant, twisted.
Or perhaps harboring a pathological obsession with killing.
Having confirmed his target, Morrow contacted Menchi, asking her to gather information about Bazel through the Hunter website.
Then, he waited for updates.
—--
Three days later.
The airship landed at Lingon Airport.
Morrow and Kalluto disembarked and switched to a pre-rented car, driving straight to Yorknew City.
Once inside the city, Kalluto randomly picked a pawnshop on the bustling streets.
He then tossed the pile of clothes Kikyo had meticulously prepared onto the counter.
Most of these garments were custom-made kimonos and princess dresses, costing a fortune.
Now, pawned off, their resale value was far lower than their original cost.
Morrow had tried to dissuade him, but Kalluto insisted on getting rid of them.
On one hand, carrying too many clothes was a hassle, so selling them off would at least earn some money.
On the other hand, Kalluto felt his mother had gone too far, so there was a hint of defiance in his actions.
Morrow saw through this, realizing that Kikyo's aggressive financial lockdown had inadvertently provoked Kalluto's rebellious streak.
Soon, the transaction was completed.
Kalluto received a few million Jenny.
It wasn't much, but Kalluto was happy.
Afterward, Morrow took Kalluto to Yorknew's flea market for free trading.
It had been a while since Morrow last visited Yorknew, and he figured they might find some good deals.
They browsed from noon until evening, turning the few million Jenny from selling the clothes into a staggering 300 million Jenny through savvy purchases.
Once the 300 million Jenny safely entered their account, the gleam in Kalluto's eyes never faded.
The next day.
Morrow and Kalluto visited another flea market for free trading.
This time, luck wasn't as good; they only managed to scrape together another 100 million Jenny.
By the third day.
Morrow finally received a message from Aksel.
The golden astrolabe and Selma's Golden Scepter had been auctioned off. After deducting necessary expenses, Morrow would receive 20.6 billion Jenny. To thank Aksel for his help, Morrow specifically purchased a high-quality untreated gemstone from the market before heading to the Southernpiece Auction House and gifting it to him.
Soon after, Morrow secured the money without much difficulty.
This was precisely the reason he had come to Yorknew in the first place.
"Still 3 billion short."
Even with the profits from the free market over the past two days, there remained a significant gap from the down payment, and time was running out.
Because of this, Kalluto barely had time to feel excited before being doused in cold water.
"Then let's hurry and find Bazel."
With time running out, Kalluto was even more anxious than Morrow.
Morrow naturally had no objections.
The two quickly left Yorknew and embarked on the pursuit of Bazel.
With Kalluto's tracking ability, finding Bazel wasn't difficult, it was just a matter of travel time.
But it was precisely this travel time that made the down payment deadline even tighter.
Still, Morrow wasn't worried.
The biggest financial gap had already been filled. If necessary, he could always borrow the remaining 3 billion from acquaintances.
After a two-hour drive, they arrived at Lingon Airport.
While waiting for their flight, Morrow suddenly received a message from Menchi.
"Someone wants to buy the violin."
At the end of the message was a contact number.
"Finally, some news."
A faint smile appeared on Morrow's lips.
Feihmeng's violin had been disassembled by him earlier.
Though it could still be reassembled, the selling price would undoubtedly be affected.
However, the strange text inside the violin's soundbox might help mitigate the loss.
So when he left Heavens Arena, he had entrusted Menchi to list it on the Hunter website's trading channel, with the Hunter Association's middleman handling the transaction.
Now, at last, a potential buyer had emerged.
Morrow glanced at the departure time on the airport screen; there was still about half an hour before boarding, so he decisively dialed the number.
A moment later, the call connected.
"The seller of Feihmeng's Violin?"
As soon as the call went through, a somewhat sharp woman's voice came through, carrying an unmistakable arrogance.
"Yes," Morrow acknowledged.
The woman on the other end wasted no time introducing herself. "I'm Cluck, a professional Music Hunter, currently holding a position in the Hunter Association's Zodiac Twelve. I want Feihmeng's Violin, let's meet and discuss the price."
Hearing her words, Morrow was momentarily surprised.
Cluck of the Chicken, one of the Zodiac Twelve of the Hunter Association.
He hadn't expected her to be the one interested in Feihmeng's Violin.
But then again, it made sense; she had achievements in the fields of music, botany, and dance, so her interest in the violin wasn't strange.
"Is a meeting really necessary?"
Suppressing his slight surprise, Morrow replied calmly, "This transaction is being handled by a middleman, and the violin is in their possession. As long as the price is agreed upon, you can pay and receive it directly from them."
"I know," Cluck's tone was forceful. "But I prefer negotiating in person. Name a time, and I'll come to you."
Morrow sensed her domineering attitude and fell silent for a moment.
No wonder she had introduced herself so bluntly from the start; it was to make her demand for an in-person negotiation seem less suspicious to him, the seller. However, Morrow had no intention of wasting time on so-called face-to-face negotiations.
"This transaction is already being handled by a middleman from the Hunter website. There's no need to make things so complicated. Sorry, I don't have time. Maybe you can consider making an offer now."
After a brief silence, Morrow outright refused the idea of meeting and instead made a counteroffer.
Cluck's voice soon came through the phone. "Doesn't matter. I have time. I'll come find you in the next few days. Also, I've already transferred the deposit to the middleman's designated account and granted the seller full withdrawal access at any time. That's my sincerity."
Morrow was instantly baffled, unable to comprehend Cluck's approach.
She was willing to grant the seller unrestricted access to a hefty deposit, such boldness and decisiveness, yet insisted on meeting to negotiate?
Just as Morrow was about to speak, Cluck left him with a single word, "Wait for me," before abruptly hanging up.
This impatient, headstrong manner was very much in line with Emission-type tendencies, but the domineering undertone in her words and actions also carried a distinctly Manipulation-type vibe.
Frowning at his phone, Morrow didn't bother calling Cluck back. Instead, he verified her identity with the middleman.
Only after receiving confirmation did he put his phone away.
Nearby, Kalluto, who had overheard the conversation, asked curiously, "Why is she so insistent on meeting to negotiate?"
"No idea. Probably just a personal habit." Morrow glanced at Kalluto. "Also, she's most likely like you, she has some kind of tracking ability."
"Huh?"
Kalluto blinked in surprise.
Morrow explained, "To confidently say she'd find me within a few days, she can't just be relying on movement intel. She must have a way to pinpoint Bazel's location at all times, just like us."
"No wonder she didn't care at all when you refused to meet."
Kalluto nodded in understanding, though a faint trace of hostility flickered across his expression.
Morrow sighed softly.
Honestly, after that call, he really didn't want to meet Cluck. That domineering, borderline arrogant attitude was far too grating.
"But whatever, let's see how much she transferred first."
Remembering the deposit, Morrow took out his phone again and logged into the account with unrestricted withdrawal access.
When he opened it, the number on the screen jumped out at him: 5 billion.
"Tch."
Just for a deposit, she'd casually transferred 5 billion without hesitation.
Morrow's first reaction was shock, followed by astonishment at the potential value of Feihmeng's Violin.
He'd thought selling it for one or two billion would already be an astronomical price.
Yet Cluck had opened with an unreasonable 5 billion deposit, not even concerned about the negotiation process.
This casual disregard for transaction norms, paired with unshakable confidence, practically oozed from the staggering sum.
She must have some way to gauge the approximate value of Feihmeng's Violin…
At the very least, even with signs of disassembly, the violin was worth no less than 5 billion.
Could it be because of those strange markings inside the soundbox?
Hard to say. In the world of Hunters, collectors naturally gravitate toward acquiring items with special significance or rare curiosities, often paying a premium for them.
As such, golden artifacts like the golden astrolabe and Selma's Golden Scepter don't typically fetch high prices.
If not for the thick layer of historical significance covering these two golden items, they wouldn't have sold for that amount.
"With this, the deposit issue is settled."
Morrow raised his phone, turning the screen displaying a large sum toward Kalluto.
Kalluto, however, merely gave a slight nod, lacking the expected excitement and joy of achieving a short-term goal.
"What's wrong?"
Morrow noticed Kalluto's reaction and asked with concern.
Kalluto didn't hide his thoughts. "I was wondering what that woman's ability is like."
Hearing this, Morrow immediately understood the reason behind Kalluto's reaction and couldn't help but smile wryly.
"So, without even knowing what Cluck's ability type is, you're already competing with her in your head?"
"Is that not allowed?"
Kalluto replied, slightly irritated.
"Of course not."
Morrow delivered a chop to Kalluto's head with his Palm Blade.
"Ow!"
Kalluto clutched his head, his deep purple eyes flashing with a hint of grievance.
This was the first time Morrow had ever seen Kalluto display such an emotion.
The Kalluto he knew was like a blade of grass pressed down by a strong wind, refusing to fall, exuding a stubbornness and resilience beyond his years.
Though this trait often led Kalluto to push himself too hard, it was also this very quality that effortlessly bridged the gap between Morrow and him.
If Morrow saw his own shadow in Kurapika, then in Kalluto he saw a quality worth learning from.
So when he had praised Kalluto earlier for being impressive, he had meant every word.
Of course, Kalluto had his flaws, his excessive focus on strength made him prone to mental exhaustion.
As Kalluto's friend, Morrow naturally hoped that Kalluto would overcome his tendencies to overexert himself and spiral into mental fatigue during his upcoming trials.
He wanted to help Kalluto achieve this, not because Kalluto had told him about the so-called Zoldyck Family trials, but simply because he wanted to see Kalluto grow, to no longer drown in that suffocating psychological pressure.
Morrow prided himself on understanding Kalluto well, which was why he was surprised by this rare display of grievance.
Even so, upon noticing Kalluto slipping back into mental exhaustion, Morrow didn't dwell on that flicker of emotion. Instead, he spoke seriously:
"I've told you many times, don't go looking for trouble and add unnecessary stress to yourself. Besides… Cluck's ability is just my speculation. Competing over unconfirmed information? Are you an idiot?"
With that, he delivered another Palm Blade to Kalluto's head.
"Ow!"
Kalluto covered his head with both hands, pouting. "That's because I trust your deductive skills!"
"Is that the point here?"
Morrow shook his head slightly. "The point is, there's no need for you to compete over something like this."
Kalluto fell silent, sulking as he rubbed his head.
"Let's go. It's time to board." Morrow was the first to head toward the boarding gate, thinking to himself that once they were on the airship, all he needed to do was have the kitchen prepare some sugar pancakes to immediately soothe Kalluto's anger.
Kalluto watched Morrow's retreating figure, recalling the words Morrow had spoken when they first met: "Your ability is precious." Instantly, a loud voice shouted in his heart: It's absolutely necessary!
Then, Kalluto quickened his pace to catch up, walking side by side with Morrow while deliberately stomping his feet with extra force.
This childish act of intentionally emphasizing his footsteps made Kalluto, in that moment, unconsciously shed his usual mature facade.
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Bonus chapter for the 20 power stones.