In the nearby cities, the Scarlet Eyes were known by another name: Apostles of the Devil. This was likely why the clanspeople disliked venturing outside; the people of this world always viewed those different from them as outcasts. Even if such differences had no impact on them whatsoever, the moment something unfortunate occurred, these people would invariably link the misfortune to those "outcasts."
Luo Ning didn't care much about this, but he wasn't certain if Uvogin would be relentless in his pursuit. After all, Phantom Troupe members had free time once their missions were over. His two attacks had undoubtedly offended Uvogin to the core, so the best course of action was to get as far away as possible. Furthermore, he didn't know if Shalnark had already obtained his Hunter License, but the man seemed to possess formidable hacking skills. It was best to keep his identity hidden. The most basic step was to discard his traditional ethnic clothing, which was far too characteristic of the Kurta Clan.
As for where to go next... Luo Ning touched the rain-soaked money in his pocket. He needed to earn money. Whether it was to buy back the Scarlet Eyes or to gather intelligence, he needed funds.
September was when the Yorknew City Auction would be held, which was also the best way to acquire Scarlet Eyes—by taking the underground route, just as Kurapika had done. After all, the hobby of collecting human organs was inherently dark, so most of these transactions occurred in underground exchanges. Yorknew City was likely the optimal location for such trades. Luo Ning also remembered that during the 1999 auction, a pair of Scarlet Eyes had been put up for bid. However, due to malicious competition, the final price was driven up to 2.9 billion Jenny, paid by a frenzied Kurapika.
In the world of Hunter x Hunter, the purchasing power of Jenny was roughly equivalent to the Japanese Yen. 2.9 billion Jenny was no small sum. The first way Luo Ning could think of to earn his first pot of gold was to head to Heavens Arena. For someone who had mastered Nen, this wouldn't be difficult. Reaching the 200th floor was manageable, and simply making it to the 190th floor would net him 200 million Jenny.
Luo Ning didn't know exactly how much he would receive upon reaching the 200th floor, but it should be more than 200 million. However, prize money was no longer awarded after the 200th floor; instead, one fought for glory. According to the original manga, once someone became a Floor Master above the 200th floor, they not only enjoyed fame but also lived a worry-free life, implying there were other sources of income. Luo Ning planned to earn the money he needed there before moving on to Yorknew City.
As for whether to find Kurapika, Luo Ning had no such intention for the time being. He wasn't the original owner of this body, and he wasn't collecting the Scarlet Eyes to return them to the clan; he wanted to absorb them. He wasn't sure how Kurapika would react to that. More importantly, he didn't know Uvogin's current stance toward him. Rashly finding Kurapika now could bring danger to the other boy. It was better to wait. Once he had enough money and had dealt with the trouble that was Uvogin, it wouldn't be too late to contact Kurapika.
Having mapped out his next moves, Luo Ning began his journey of wilderness survival in the forest. Meanwhile, Uvogin and Kortopi had arrived at the location where Luo Ning had discarded the sticker.
"The opponent is quite clever," Kortopi remarked as he picked up the sticker, forming an assessment of Luo Ning. "From the looks of it, he doesn't seem like a novice ability user. It's more like he's been in contact with Nen for a long time and has given it deep thought."
"His actual strength suggests he's only recently mastered Nen, but fighting him was strange," Uvogin said, recalling the battle. "He seemed to be in a state of Zetsu at all times, even while launching attacks."
"Trading the use of Zetsu for more unpredictable abilities?" Kortopi had already heard Uvogin's description of the fight.
"I get the feeling his fighting style is somewhat similar to a ninja," Uvogin said, pinpointing his intuition. "Clones, substitutions, and every time he uses a technique, he brings his hands together to form special seals."
"A strange Specialization type, but overall, it leans toward Conjuration and Transformation abilities," Kortopi said according to his understanding.
Whether it was clones or substitutions, they were Conjuration-type abilities. However, to materialize a clone—even one that pops with a single touch—one would surely have to pay a significant price! Having developed such abilities in the short time since mastering Nen meant he had almost certainly used a double-edged method like Vows and Restrictions.
"A pity," Uvogin added, thinking along the same lines. "If it weren't for my pursuit, he might have had a much broader future." Although he said it was a pity, his expression showed no such sentiment; in fact, he looked quite pleased.
"Are we going to keep chasing him?" Kortopi looked toward the dense forest ahead. Without the sticker as a guide, finding Luo Ning wouldn't be easy.
"The rest shouldn't involve me, right?" Uvogin stroked his chin. He wasn't prepared to let the other guy off so easily. Feitan's mockery was still fresh in his mind. He was determined to recover both pairs of escaped eyes.
"Yeah." Kortopi didn't stop him. He even conjured a duplicate phone for Uvogin. "This will last you twenty-four hours. The guy who escaped is named Luo Ning, right? If he enters a city, maybe you can contact Shalnark to help you find him."
"Thanks." Uvogin took the phone. "Judging by his direction, it doesn't look like he's heading to Nancha City. That only leaves Yanshui City."
"Good luck with your mission," Kortopi said with a wave. By the time he waved, Uvogin had already bolted out like an unbridled horse. At his speed, he might even arrive in Yanshui City before Luo Ning, but that was no longer Kortopi's concern.
Luo Ning was indeed heading toward Yanshui City. It was one of the only two cities near the village. Based on the direction the Troupe had entered the village, they likely came from the direction of Nancha City. Thus, Luo Ning gambled that they would likely leave through Nancha City as well, especially since Yanshui City was further from the village.
Reaching Nancha City by land-walking bird took six hours, but Yanshui City took ten. Neither city was particularly large, and there was no reason for the Troupe to choose the further one over the closer one. In that case, even if Uvogin really wanted to come after him, Luo Ning figured at most a duo would come to Yanshui City. That duo would likely be Uvogin and Shalnark, or Uvogin and Kortopi.
Just as Shalnark helped Uvogin look for the Chain User in Yorknew, Nobunaga—who usually teamed with Uvogin—would likely stay with Chrollo to protect the Scarlet Eyes since he was a combatant. Luo Ning even felt Uvogin would likely escort the goods first and only decide whether to hunt him down during his free time after the mission. By choosing Yanshui City, he had a fifty percent chance of evading the pursuit and gaining some time to grow. Even if things went south, he would only be facing Uvogin plus a non-combatant like Shalnark or Kortopi. Knowing their abilities, Luo Ning felt he still had a chance.