The Hunter profession encompasses a vast array of specialties, some more peculiar than others.
Take, for instance, the so-called "Cute Hunter." Just from the name alone, it's hard to imagine what exactly they do.
In contrast, the "Lost Hunter" Kanzai mentioned is far more straightforward. As the name suggests, their job is to help people find things, ranging from small items like contact lenses to major cases like missing persons.
The Lost Hunter from the Association is named Loupe Highland.
Kanzai wasn't particularly fond of the guy, but to quickly resolve the source of the "Post-Mortem Will," he contacted Loupe right away. After settling on a price, Loupe immediately set off from the Hunter Association Headquarters, estimating it would take three or four days to reach Bright Pearl City.
With the most pressing issue already handled by Morrow, Kanzai and Nenze weren't in as much of a hurry anymore.
"Loupe is part of the Anti-Chairman Faction. That's why I can't stand him," Kanzai bluntly explained when Morrow asked why he disliked Loupe.
Morrow looked surprised. "There are factions like that in the Association?"
"What's so strange about that?" Kanzai scoffed. "The Association itself is a rare platform and stepping stone. Many Pro Hunters want to use it to climb higher, so they're all about scheming and pulling, pulling… uh, what's the word for it?"
"Ramen," Morrow quipped without missing a beat.
"Pfft, cough, cough!" Nenze, who had been sipping tea nearby, choked and coughed quietly.
"(▼皿▼#)"Kanzai bared his teeth in irritation. "How the hell is it ramen?!"
"Oh, it's not ramen?" Morrow smiled. "Then I suppose you meant 'forming cliques.'"
"Yeah, that's the one!" Kanzai glared at him. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"So, the Anti-Chairman Faction is just a small group that disagrees with Chairman Netero's philosophy?" Morrow smoothly steered the conversation back on track.
Kanzai nodded. "Exactly. These idiots think way too highly of themselves. They claim Chairman Netero's ideals are outdated. Sure, even among the Zodiac Twelve, there are more radical hawks, but at least they aren't that arrogant."
"Hmm." Morrow fell into thought.
Listening to Kanzai, some vague memories started coming back to him.
Indeed, within the Hunter Association, aside from the factions among the Zodiac Twelve, other factions existed as well.
And when it came to the Anti-Chairman Faction, Morrow's mind immediately conjured up the image of the "Anti-Chairman trio."
Well, he couldn't remember their names.
He just recalled that during the Election Arc, these three had loudly proclaimed their goal to "revive the glory of the Pure Paladin Squad," only to be effortlessly dismantled by Hisoka.
Though Morrow had forgotten the trio's names, he vaguely remembered that one of them was a Double-Star Hunter.
But star ratings were more about contributions in their respective fields rather than combat strength.
So judging power based on stars was meaningless.
Lost Hunter Loupe… right, he was one of that trio.
Morrow mused silently. Kanzai looked at Morrow, who was deep in thought, and said, "Once Loupe arrives, he'll likely take a keen interest in your skills and do everything he can to recruit you into their ranks."
"How could that be? I'm not even a Pro Hunter."
Morrow shook his head.
Kanzai replied, "With your abilities, you'd definitely pass the Hunter Exam and get a Hunter License. Besides, you've 'borrowed' my license more than a few times. Don't tell me you don't want to earn one yourself, it's only a matter of time."
"!"
Morrow turned to Kanzai in surprise.
"?"
Kanzai frowned. "What's with that reaction?"
"Nothing."
Morrow smiled. "I just have zero interest in factions or power struggles."
"Yeah, that's obvious."
Kanzai nodded, then mused, "If you ever joined the Association, I bet you'd get along great with Chairman Netero."
"Why do you say that?"
Morrow asked curiously.
"Because of your strength."
Kanzai's expression suddenly turned serious.
"In less than half a year, your progress has been insane. That's why I'm convinced you're just like Chairman Netero, a pure battle maniac, completely obsessed with getting stronger."
After months apart, what shocked Kanzai wasn't just Morrow's powerful Nen-exorcism ability, but also the sheer leap in his overall strength.
Honestly... He found Morrow's growth rate downright unnatural.
Morrow simply chuckled at Kanzai's words, offering no response.
—--
A few days later, Loupe finally arrived.
When he showed up, Morrow happened to be removing Post-Mortem Will from a new victim.
Whatever the Third Princess Eve had done, people in this city kept inexplicably becoming hosts for Post-Mortem Will.
Thanks to Nenze's reputation for taking in "patients," these victims, mistaking their condition for an illness, would come to the temple seeking his help.
This conveniently spared them the trouble of tracking down the victims themselves.
However, Nenze hadn't made any effort to hide his actions.
So the Third Princess was probably aware, yet she'd made no move so far.
Maybe she simply didn't care.
Led by a young monk, Loupe paused outside the door, silently observing Morrow as he exorcised the Post-Mortem Will from a victim.
"A Nen exorcist who can purify Post-Mortem Will…!"
Behind his glasses, Loupe's eyes gleamed with interest as he witnessed Morrow's ability.
This was a rare talent indeed.
Inside the spacious hall, both Kanzai and Nenze noticed Loupe's arrival.
Morrow also turned his gaze toward Loupe.
Just as he remembered, the man was a bespectacled Black man.
His eyes briefly flickered to Loupe's left hand, where the aura felt noticeably stronger than the rest of his body.
Conjuration, huh…
From just that subtle difference in aura, Morrow had already drawn a basic conclusion.
Unaware of Morrow's scrutiny, Loupe suppressed his urge to strike up a conversation and instead shifted his attention to Kanzai.
Pro Hunters prioritized their missions, and Loupe was no exception.
"Mr. Kanzai, shall we begin the retrieval operation immediately, or do you have a specific plan in mind?"
"Immediately."
Kanzai replied flatly. Loupe had no objections and nodded slowly.
Ten minutes later, the group gathered inside the meditation room.
In front of Morrow, Kanzai and Nenze, Loupe directly activated his Nen ability.
"Call of the Lost."
Aura surged from Loupe's left hand, visibly condensing into a slightly bloated palm.
This palm was larger than normal, and from the wrist, it appeared hollow, more like a bizarre glove.
"This is my ability, Call of the Lost," Loupe said softly, gripping the silicone-like palm as he explained, "Before activating the search function, the seeker must wear this palm and sketch the item they wish to find. It doesn't need to be an exact replica, but they must harbor the emotion of 'I want to find it' to establish a connection with the 'lost object.'"
After explaining the activation conditions, Loupe immediately looked at Kanzai.
Kanzai, in turn, glanced at Morrow, subtly signaling reassurance.
Noticing Kanzai's cue, Morrow volunteered, "I'll do the drawing."
As he spoke, he carefully examined the palm Loupe had conjured.
If this palm could truly locate objects with precision, it would be incredibly convenient.
Moreover, this man likely wasn't combat-oriented, his Nen ability seemed purely tailored to his profession, with no combat utility whatsoever.
Revealing his ability so freely probably stemmed from the mindset that he didn't need to fight.
Morrow took the palm from Loupe.
Its texture was indistinguishable from a real hand, though cold and lifeless, like touching a corpse's limb.
"Put it on, then draw," Loupe instructed.
Morrow slid his hand inside.
The search palm was larger than usual, but instead of feeling loose, it clung tightly like a second skin, fitting perfectly.
"This ability likely combines traits of both Conjuration and Manipulation…"
While thinking this, Morrow picked up a pen and, following Loupe's instructions, visualized the harp in his mind before sketching its outline.
A few minutes later, a roughly recognizable harp took shape on the paper.
At that moment, the search palm on Morrow's hand suddenly glowed with bright Nen, detaching itself and landing beside the drawing.
"Oh, oh!"
The palm tilted upward, revealing a mouth on its surface that emitted a sharp, masculine voice.
"I smell it, yes, a very strong scent."
Excitement laced the palm's voice as it pressed against the drawing, rubbing back and forth a few times before opening its mouth and slowly devouring the paper.
Loupe adjusted his glasses with his palm and remarked calmly, "I didn't expect it to work on the first try."
Kanzai shot him a skeptical glance. "This activation condition can fail?"
Loupe explained smoothly, "Probability is part of the Limitation. But ultimately, it depends on whether the seeker genuinely wants to recover the lost item. If they can't establish an emotional connection through my ability, then failure isn't my fault."
"So, once the connection is made, it's guaranteed to work?"
That was all Kanzai cared about. Loupe shook his head and explained, "Even if a connection is established with the lost item, insufficient emotional intensity might still affect Seeker's Hand's sense of direction. So, as I said earlier, whether the item can be found depends on the seeker's sincerity."
"Huh?"
Kanzai's lips twitched as he couldn't help but retort, "So the final interpretation is all yours, huh?"
Loupe fell silent.
If his ability didn't have these limitations, he wouldn't have been able to construct such a precise item-searching effect.
Moreover, without these constraints that affected the success rate, he would have long become a distinguished Three-Star Seeker by now.
Instead of still failing to even attain a Single Star.
Morrow observed the movements of Seeker's Hand while listening to Kanzai and Loupe's conversation.
In his view, Loupe's Lost Item Call, despite its many restrictions, covered a broad scope. If it could ensure accuracy in locating items, it could indeed be considered a rather rare ability.
Morrow suddenly recalled the parchment resembling a treasure map that he had found in Nolan's safe.
That parchment only sketched some mountainous and riverine areas in simple strokes, with no accompanying text or coordinates.
He wondered if Loupe's Lost Item Call could locate the place depicted on that parchment.
As Morrow pondered, Seeker's Hand had already devoured the entire map.
"Oh, oh!"
Seeker's Hand stretched out a strange trailing tone before shouting loudly, "I can feel it, it's in that direction!"
Using its thumb and little finger as support points, it lifted its entire palm, then raised its middle finger to point in a specific direction.
Loupe let out a surprised sound. "This is the first time I've heard Seeker's Hand's voice so loud. At this rate, there shouldn't be any issues."
Judging accuracy based on the loudness of the voice?
Kanzai had no energy left to complain.
But Morrow picked up on a detail from Loupe's words and asked, "When it's guiding us, does it always shout like this?"
"Yes," Loupe nodded.
Morrow fell silent.
The so-called emotional connection was easily satisfied for him since he directly extracted memory fragments carrying emotions from Post-Mortem Nen.
But he hadn't expected that, aside from these restrictions, Seeker's Hand also had traits akin to a Nen Beast, complete with a booming voice.
He couldn't help but feel that even if Seeker's Hand didn't make a sound, it wouldn't affect the ability's overall framework.
Unless the Nen user's personality had subconsciously imbued the ability with unnecessary traits.
Morrow even speculated that if Loupe were killed by Hisoka as in the original story, and his ability persisted as Post-Mortem Will, it might overcome these limitations and approach perfection.
Because in a way, once Post-Mortem Will formed, it would naturally shed any unnecessary traits.
—--
After fulfilling the conditions for Call of the Lost, Morrow and the others immediately set off with Seeker's Hand, while Nenze remained at the temple.
"That way, I can feel it… it's waiting for me!"
"Almost there, so close, it's much nearer than I thought!"
Seeker's Hand, worn on Loupe's palm, continued to guide them with its middle finger while bellowing in a robust voice. Morrow and Kanzai both agreed that the thing was too noisy, yet there was nothing they could do about it.
The three of them arrived outside Bright Pearl City and, guided by the Seeker's Hand, proceeded straight in one direction.
"This direction..."
Kanzai raised an eyebrow, realizing something.
Morrow glanced at him sideways.
Kanzai spoke uncertainly, "That thing... Could it be in the royal tomb of Kukan'yu Kingdom?"
"Royal tomb?"
Morrow suddenly understood.
Right, Kukan'yu Kingdom was different from the other V5 superpowers, having a royal tomb preserved wasn't strange at all.
"If it's really in the royal tomb, then we're in trouble."
Kanzai's brow furrowed tightly.
The mausoleum of a royal family member from a superpower, even if it was just the resting place of a single consort, was not a place outsiders could enter.