"Do you like it?"
An unfamiliar voice suddenly came from behind Neon, causing the girl, whose long pink hair made her look like she had stepped out of a fairy tale, to jump in surprise.
Luo Ning looked at the startled girl without the slightest hint of guilt or embarrassment. He had been observing Neon for a while now.
Ever since Neon entered the museum, she had headed straight for this heart. While she was captivated by the "monkey heart," Luo Ning noticed that the old man responsible for cleaning the hall had passed by several times. He seemed to be paying close attention to Neon. Or more accurately, he was very nervous about Neon—or perhaps the heart she was observing.
'There is a problem here,' Luo Ning judged. However, he could also tell that the old man was just an ordinary person.
"Sorry, did I scare you? You seemed so entranced. Is there something special about this monkey heart?" Luo Ning asked with curiosity, shifting his gaze toward the specimen.
He couldn't see anything unusual about it. Then again, he had never really looked at a monkey's heart before. Who would turn such a thing into a specimen for exhibition? From that perspective, the heart was indeed a bit strange.
"No, no, this is just a very normal hu—monkey heart." Neon's face turned slightly red, and she avoided Luo Ning's gaze.
His short golden hair, defiant eyes, and cold, noble aura—combined with a well-tailored suit and a voice that felt slightly distant yet perfectly composed—made Neon feel involuntarily shy. It was the same feeling as if a campus idol had suddenly approached her to strike up a conversation.
Luo Ning didn't notice Neon's subtle reactions. Instead, he caught the word "human" that she had accidentally let slip.
'So it really is a human heart?'
That made sense. In Luo Ning's memory, Neon was a collector of human organs. Why would she suddenly develop an interest in a monkey's heart? It couldn't be just because monkeys and humans were similar. And if the monkey heart in the display case belonged to a human, then the janitor keeping a close eye on it was highly suspicious.
However, Luo Ning was no judge. He took out a business card and dialed a number while Neon looked on in confusion. Soon, a middle-aged man appeared in front of the display case. This man, who looked unremarkable except for his balding head, was the director of the museum.
"I want to buy this monkey heart. How much?" Luo Ning got straight to the point.
"500,000 Jenny. Is there anything else you like? We can sell everything here," the director said honestly.
At least in Luo Ning's view, the price wasn't high. Especially after seeing the expression of surprise, regret, and frustration on Neon's face, Luo Ning paid the money on the spot. 500,000 wasn't much, and for a specimen to sell at that price was already quite good.
But as Luo Ning completed the purchase, he faintly felt a trace of killing intent coming from behind him. It was the janitor.
"Who are you, exactly?" Neon asked uncertainly after the director left with a look of regret.
Luo Ning lifted the bag containing the heart. "I actually have no interest in collecting human organs, but I am very interested in you!"
"Are you trying to pick me up?" Neon took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest.
"To be more precise, I am interested in your ability," Luo Ning explained.
Neon wasn't Luo Ning's type. Her figure was far too thin; Luo Ning was genuinely worried that his future child's cafeteria wouldn't even have a drop of soup. Forget the child—even an adult like him wouldn't be able to get a full meal. Furthermore, Neon's hands weren't nearly as beautiful as Milia's.
A flash of bewilderment appeared on Neon's face, and then she jumped like a cat that had its tail stepped on. "Your eyes are being very rude!"
Luo Ning didn't care about being rude. He only cared about Neon's deliberate attempt to hide her reaction. This meant that the current Neon had likely already discovered her own Nen ability. However, based on the information he had, she hadn't yet revealed this power to her father. Otherwise, Neon's treatment would have been drastically different.
Not only would she not allow a stranger like him to get so close, but her father would also do his best to satisfy her every whim. A heart worth only 500,000 Jenny would be nothing more than pocket change to a version of Neon cherished as a treasure by her father.
"Let's talk about the ability. The fact that I know about it means we are the same kind." Luo Ning handed the heart directly to Neon. "This is for you. Didn't you like it?"
"This..."
Neon was conflicted. On one hand, she had no resistance to the heart Luo Ning was offering. On the other hand, his words intrigued her. The same kind? But his sudden appearance also made her wary, wondering if he had ulterior motives.
Ultimately, curiosity and her desire for the heart won over her fear of danger. As she took the heart, Neon realized that if he wanted to take her by force, she wouldn't have the power to resist anyway. The fact that he was willing to give her a gift and invite her for a talk showed plenty of sincerity.
After Neon agreed, the two didn't linger in the museum. In a nearby cafe, Luo Ning looked out the window and could still see the janitor, who thought he was hidden well.
"What is your ability?" Neon asked curiously. She had a good impression of him, though she currently only knew his name.
"I can make water increase." As Luo Ning spoke, he placed his hands on a coffee cup. In the next second, under Neon's astonished gaze, the coffee began to overflow from the cup.
Neon no longer doubted him. She took a pen and paper out of her backpack.
"Write your full name, date of birth, and blood type on the paper," Neon said, pushing the items toward Luo Ning.
Luo Ning quickly wrote down everything she requested. The moment Neon took the pencil back, she began to spin it. A hideous-looking Nen beast appeared on her right hand. The Nen aura covered her up to her upper arm, while the rest of her body remained that of an ordinary person.
In the next second, Neon's hand began to fly across the paper.
"It's finished," Neon said, stopping shortly after. "My special ability is fortune-telling. They say it's very accurate."
"They say?" Luo Ning reached out to take the paper and asked curiously.
"Yes. The first time I discovered this power, I was just playing around with a classmate at school. She told me later that everything I wrote came true," Neon said seriously. "However, the outcome for her wasn't good, so she said my fortune-telling was a curse. I haven't done it for anyone else since then. But since the pen can write by itself, I know it must be a strange superpower. By the way, my method is a bit special. The content consists of four or five quatrains. They predict what will happen each week of this month. Right now, there is only one poem... eh?"
Luo Ning looked at the contents of the paper and fell into deep thought.
"The important crimson will be missing,
The fate toyed with begins from a gaze.
The scarlet color follows your footsteps,
Adding at last a new trophy for the Spider."
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