The location was outside the harbor.
Yet Cluck could still hear the commotion coming from the harbor just moments ago.
However, Cluck paid it no mind.
Before contacting Morrow to purchase Feihmeng's Violin, she had already conducted a thorough investigation on him.
Otherwise, even if she had the means to locate Morrow, she wouldn't have rashly prepaid a deposit as high as 5 billion without first negotiating, especially before the transaction had officially begun.
Given her understanding, even if the commotion was related to Morrow, Cluck couldn't be bothered to look into it.
As for why she had to negotiate face-to-face with Morrow, there was another reason.
But now, seeing Mizaistom striding over with an imposing aura, Cluck fell silent and turned her gaze back to Morrow.
Although she had gathered some information about Morrow through her investigation, Mizaistom's sudden appearance made her suspect whether Morrow had committed some serious crime.
If that were the case, she would have to complete the transaction for Feihmeng's Violin before Mizaistom arrested him.
"Did you do something illegal?"
To clarify, Cluck asked bluntly.
Morrow shook his head. "No."
"No?"
Cluck raised an eyebrow and pointed at Mizaistom. "Then do you know who he is?"
"I do. Double-Star Crime Hunter Mizaistom, he introduced himself earlier."
Knowing he couldn't shake off Mizaistom's pursuit, Morrow remained surprisingly calm.
Among the Zodiac Twelve, there were distinctions between combat-oriented and non-combat-oriented members, but that was more evident in their Nen abilities.
Some of the Zodiac Twelve truly weren't skilled in combat, and their Nen abilities were tailored to their professions and domains.
However, any Pro Hunter who could become part of the Zodiac Twelve, even if non-combat-oriented, would have a solid foundation in Nen.
And Mizaistom, who had achieved Double-Star status in the Crime Hunter domain, was likely not far from being a true combat specialist.
Escaping someone of that caliber would be extremely difficult unless preparations were made in advance.
Now, with Cluck suddenly showing up, Morrow decided to stop overthinking and take things one step at a time.
Hearing Morrow's response, Cluck crossed her arms. "If you didn't do anything, why is that guy chasing you?"
Referring to Mizaistom as "that guy" suggested that the working relationships among the Zodiac Twelve were even worse than imagined.
Then again, among those twelve, even excluding troublemakers like Ging and Pariston, there were still three distinct factions.
"I also..."
As Morrow began to answer. Cluck abruptly cut him off. "Never mind, whatever it is doesn't concern me. Feihmeng's Violin, 6.8 billion, I'll take it."
Seeing Mizaistom approaching, Cluck spoke quickly:
"This price is based on the auction price from seven years ago, factoring in the depreciation from you dismantling the violin."
She emphasized the part about the dismantling.
At this moment, Morrow's attention was almost entirely on Mizaistom, and the offer of 6.8 billion exceeded his expectations, so he nodded in agreement. "Cluck."
Mizaistom approached Morrow from behind, his gaze settling on Cluck beside the car.
He was initially surprised, but after overhearing Cluck's earlier conversation with Morrow, he understood why she was here.
"These two are suspects. I need to verify their identities immediately."
Holding a yellow card in hand, Mizaistom chose to uphold the law despite knowing it would interfere with Cluck and Morrow's transaction.
Morrow remained unfazed, but Cluck, standing by the car, suddenly turned her sharp, knife-like glare toward Mizaistom.
"Mizaistom, are you blind or deaf?"
Cluck was certain this idiot bull could grasp why she was in such a hurry to complete the deal.
Yet, despite that, he showed her no courtesy, insisting on wasting even a second of her time.
Realizing this, Cluck's temper flared. Without giving Mizaistom a chance to retort, she raised her voice like rapid gunfire: "Verify their identities? If you're in such a hurry to die, the ocean's right there, go jump in, you brainless, moronic cow!"
"..." Morrow
"...." Kalluto
"...." Mizaistom.
Cluck's sudden verbal onslaught struck the three like a silencing spell.
Morrow shot a strange glance at Cluck's face, twisted with anger, as he tried recalling details about her from the original story.
He faintly remembered that during the Election Arc, it was Cluck who relayed messages to Pro Hunters worldwide via carrier pigeons.
Aside from her ability, another notable trait was her frequent foul mouth, though it didn't seem as explosive as now.
Still, since Cluck had willingly stepped in to shield him, Morrow was happy to let her take the heat.
Mizaistom and Cluck belonged to opposing factions, their relationship neither hostile nor friendly.
Now, seeing Cluck lash out over his interference, Mizaistom remained unshaken, his expression as calm as ever.
He outright ignored Cluck, raising the yellow card toward Morrow and speaking coolly, "Young man, I hope you-"
His words abruptly cut off.
Because Cluck had already flared her aura, her gaze murderous.
Mizaistom subtly furrowed his brows, tilting his head slightly to observe Cluck, whose entire body radiated a razor-sharp aura.
"I need to clarify some things, Cluck."
"So what?"
Cluck plucked a long feather from her feather crown, gripping it in her palm.
Mizaistom silently watched her actions, realizing she was genuinely furious, and also finding it somewhat odd.
From what he knew of Cluck, his interference alone shouldn't have provoked such rage, so there must be another reason.
Buzz… buzz…
Just as tensions between Cluck and Mizaistom peaked, the faint vibration of a phone became the loudest sound in the vicinity.
Cluck and Mizaistom glanced sidelong at Morrow.
Kalluto, who had been watching the spectacle, also turned his attention to Morrow.
The vibration came from Morrow's pocket.
Under their collective gaze, Morrow pulled out his phone. Kanzai's contact flashed on the screen before he answered the call.
"Morrow, I saw you called three times in a row. Did something happen?" The phone transmitted Kanzai's slightly weary voice.
Beside him, Cluck and Mizaistom's ears twitched slightly, both recognizing Kanzai's voice.
Cluck had investigated Morrow before, so she wasn't particularly surprised.
Mizaistom, however, was somewhat startled, only now realizing that Morrow's earlier call had been to Kanzai.
Morrow glanced at Cluck and Mizaistom's reactions but didn't directly answer Kanzai's question. Instead, he asked with concern, "Kanzai, you sound exhausted. Did I disturb your rest?"
"Not at all. Just ran into a tricky situation recently, bit of a headache."
Kanzai sighed tiredly before brushing past the topic and asking instead, "Never mind that. You called three times in a row at this hour, what's up?"
"Here's the thing. I'm currently doing Blacklist Hunter work, but I heard this line of business requires licenses or something. I was wondering if you could help me sort that out immediately."
Morrow didn't mention Mizaistom and Cluck's presence, cutting straight to the point.
"Oh?"
Kanzai sounded surprised, his mind racing as he probed tentatively, "Blacklist Hunters don't need licenses, but you do have to register your info. What made you suddenly think of this line of work? Don't tell me you're strapped for cash?"
"Yeah," Morrow replied succinctly.
"How much do you need? I can lend you some to tide you over. Wait, let me get your Blacklist Hunter registration sorted first."
Kanzai spoke with characteristic chivalry.
Hearing this, Morrow subtly glanced at Mizaistom and Cluck, his mind inexplicably drifting to Gel, the Snake of the Zodiac Twelve, whom he'd first encountered.
In just over half a year, he'd already crossed paths with four members of the Hunter Association's Zodiac Twelve.
The first one he'd met, Gel, would offer help out of humanitarianism, but her words and demeanor always carried an aloof aura that kept others at arm's length.
Mizaistom was someone who strictly followed the rules; while not exactly unpleasant, he was severely lacking in human warmth.
Cluck's personality carried a trace of arrogance. Though it wasn't overtly displayed on her face, her attitude toward people and situations made it palpable.
In comparison, Kanzai was so much better, chivalrous and easy to get along with, requiring little mental effort.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Morrow chuckled. "I can handle the money issue myself. Just help me with the registration."
"Got it, right away."
Kanzai didn't press the matter of lending money.
He tended to take things at face value in such matters, not interpreting Morrow's words as mere politeness but genuinely believing Morrow didn't need his financial help.
In barely over ten seconds, on the other end of the line, Kanzai had already completed Morrow's Blacklist Hunter registration.
For an average Pro Hunter, even with a license in hand, this kind of task would take considerable time, but Kanzai was a star-ranked Pro Hunter who frequently operated in the field. Due to the nature of his work as a Treasure Hunter and bodyguard, he often crossed paths with criminals and the like.
Thus, he had quite a few notable achievements in the Blacklist Hunter industry.
With these connections, something like registration was a trivial matter for him.
"Done."
Once finished, Kanzai informed Morrow.
"Thanks, Kanzai."
Morrow expressed his gratitude before asking, "About that tricky situation you mentioned earlier, can I help?"
"I can't help with this," Kanzai sighed. "This isn't something that can be solved just by united effort."
United effort? Oh, he probably meant joint effort.
Morrow almost didn't understand, feeling slightly speechless at Kanzai's habitual misuse of idioms, but he also caught the underlying meaning.
It seemed the troublesome issue currently plaguing Kanzai was something that couldn't be resolved through strength in numbers.
"Can you give me a brief explanation?"
Morrow pressed further.
From their earlier call, he could clearly sense Kanzai's exhaustion.
That kind of fatigue likely stemmed from mental strain.
If possible, he wanted to help share Kanzai's burden.
Hearing Morrow's question, Kanzai simply replied, "It's about that matter in the Kukan'yu Kingdom. I messed up. It's hard to explain in a few words, but I'm currently looking for an Exorcist skilled in removing Post-Mortem Will..."
"Huh?"
Morrow sounded surprised.
"What's wrong?"
Kanzai asked, puzzled.
"Nothing."
As he spoke, Morrow glanced at Mizaistom and Cluck, who had been observing nearby.
The main reason these two had temporarily ceased their conflict was probably because the person on the other end of the call was Kanzai.
"Kanzai, I'll call you back later. Gotta go for now."
Morrow hung up and turned his gaze to Mizaistom.
"Is this good enough?"
"..."
Mizaistom looked at the phone in Morrow's hand, remained silent for a moment, then slowly lowered his yellow card.
This meant he was no longer pursuing the issue of Morrow's identity, at least not for now.
What changed his mind was Morrow's connection to Kanzai; someone Kanzai acknowledged probably wasn't a bad person.
Still, Mizaistom had already memorized Morrow's name and appearance. Even if he backed off now, he would investigate Morrow later.
After all, he was still somewhat concerned about the unstable factor Morrow had displayed.
Cluck watched as Mizaistom put away his card and sneered, "Stupid ox, since it's settled, why don't you scram already?"
"Cluck..." Mizaistom's cheek twitched slightly. After a brief consideration, he decided not to engage with her.
He knew that if he responded now, he'd be subjected to a torrent of curses from Cluck.
With that in mind, Mizaistom shook his head slightly. Before leaving, he gave Morrow a deep look.
—--
Once Mizaistom was gone, Cluck's expression finally returned to normal.
She had delicate eyebrows, large eyes, a small and straight nose, and slightly full lips that added a touch of allure. Combined with her sexy and fiery attire, she was visually more striking than Menchi.
But most of the time, her unrestrained emotional outbursts greatly undermined the beauty of her face.
"Now that the nuisance is gone, let's get back to the deal."
Like Mizaistom, Cluck didn't press Morrow about his relationship with Kanzai, instead steering the conversation back to the transaction for Feihmeng's Violin.
Morrow nodded. "6.8 billion, no problem."
He took out his phone and contacted the middleman.
Once the price was settled, the rest was straightforward.
Cluck just needed to transfer the remaining funds to the designated account, and the Hunter website's middleman would deliver Feihmeng's Violin to the specified location, or she could pick it up herself.
After wrapping up the follow-up matters, Cluck put away her phone and suddenly blurted out something completely random:
"I've saved your contact number."
"Oh."
Morrow responded indifferently.
Cluck narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "There's one more thing."
"Hmm?"
Morrow looked at Cluck's face.
Cluck took a deep breath, and her voice filled with anger echoed through the night sky:
"You absolute colossal idiot, what kind of gluttonous stupidity made you think dismantling a violin was a good idea?! That was Feihmeng's violin!"
"???"
Morrow froze momentarily.
Behind him, Kalluto tightened his grip on his fan handle.
After cursing Morrow to his face, Cluck felt much better.
Although she was furious about Morrow dismantling the violin, it was precisely because of this that she had noticed the ancient musical score inside the soundbox.
"Goodbye!"
Having said her piece, Cluck turned and walked away decisively.
"....."
Watching Cluck's carefree retreating figure, Morrow finally understood why this woman had insisted on meeting in person to negotiate the price.
What kind of person was she?
Kanzai was so much better!
--------
Bonus chapter.