September 1st, Yorknew City, evening.
The entire city was dyed in a spectrum of colors by neon lights.
Traffic wove through the streets like a web, and the crowds were shoulder to shoulder.
This was the world's largest annual auction market! The Yorknew Dream Auction! In just ten short days, the public auctions alone would see tens of trillions in capital flow!
It was also the day of the annual gathering for the mafia, where they congregated to participate in the Underground Auctions.
Promotional posters for the auctions scrolled across roadside billboards, featuring jewelry, antiques, artworks, and rare collectibles, each more expensive than the last.
The air was thick with the scent of money and desire.
In an unremarkable hotel room, the lights were dim and the curtains half-drawn, allowing the city lights from outside to filter in, casting mottled shadows on the wall.
Leorio was sprawled on the sofa, his tie skewed to one side and his shirt collar open.
He stared at the computer screen, which displayed the auction page for the 'Greed Island' game—starting price: 8.9 billion jenny.
He rubbed his temples and then his eyes, confirming he hadn't misread it.
"I say... you two only have five million?"
Gon sat on a chair, chin resting on his hands, legs swinging in mid-air, as he spoke cautiously.
"Uh... we originally had eight hundred million, but we lost it all..."
Leorio suddenly sat bolt upright, his expression shifting from exhaustion to shock, and then from shock to distortion.
His eyes bulged and his mouth hung open, as if someone were clutching his throat.
"Ah?! What did you say? Lost... lost it all?"
His voice exploded in the room, making the windowpanes vibrate slightly.
Gon shrank his neck, not daring to look at him.
Killua sat cross-legged on the windowsill, a lollipop in his mouth and one hand supporting his chin.
"Hmph, it's all Gon's fault!"
Killua took the lollipop out of his mouth and twirled it between his fingers.
"He said something about finding undiscovered treasures to buy and then flip for a profit, but in the end, we were scammed by an old man. We lost everything, only about ten million left."
Gon interjected indignantly.
"We were making money at the start!"
"Searching public websites for eight hours only to earn nine hundred and eighty-five bucks!"
Killua pointed at Gon and yelled, his voice even louder than Leorio's.
Gon countered.
"That's still better than being scammed!"
Killua gritted his teeth, the lollipop crunching in his hand.
"Afterward, the two of us were so frustrated that we split the ten million into two portions and acted separately to see who could earn more. The result is this—only five million left."
He paused, then added another line.
"It's all Gon's fault."
"How is it my fault!"
Gon jumped off the chair, stood on the floor with hands on his hips, his eyes wide and round.
The two were like fighting cocks, neither willing to back down.
Leorio watched the two of them speechlessly and sighed deeply, his voice full of exhaustion.
"You two big idiots! The starting price for Greed Island is 8.9 billion. Do you really understand what an 'auction' means?"
He pointed at the computer screen, his fingers trembling over the keyboard.
"This auction hosted by Southern Peace is top-tier in the industry! The entry deposit alone is terrifying! Even if that game really contains clues about Gon's father..."
He spread his hands, palms up, as if weighing something.
"With this pittance, you won't even get close to the entrance ticket!"
Gon and Killua exchanged a glance and fell silent simultaneously.
Killua stuffed the lollipop back into his mouth and said indistinctly,
"But on the Hunter website, its acquisition difficulty is marked as 'Easy'."
Leorio froze for a moment and turned to look at Killua.
"Really?"
Gon also perked up and added,
"The website says 'can be purchased as long as you have money'."
Leorio suddenly slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.
The laughter was so loud and sudden that it startled both Gon and Killua.
"That's right! Money is omnipotent!"
He stood up and paced back and forth in the room, gesturing in the air as if giving a stirring speech.
"As long as you have money, you can buy anything!"
Killua spat out the lollipop and twirled it in his hand.
"If we really can buy it easily, that means we're at a professional level, right?"
Killua analyzed calmly.
"But if it can be bought with money, it probably isn't much of a treasure, is it?"
He looked at Leorio.
Leorio stopped in his tracks and looked at Killua, the smile freezing on his face.
He opened his mouth to argue but didn't know what to say, finally just sighing and collapsing back onto the sofa.
Gon suddenly thought of something, his eyes lighting up.
"Right, Leorio, do you remember the examiner from the third phase of the Hunter Exam?"
Leorio nodded with a look of surprise.
"Yeah, I remember. His name was Leo. Why?"
Gon said excitedly,
"Mr. Leo is our Junior Martial Uncle!"
Leorio bounced up from the sofa.
"No way? Really?"
Gon nodded vigorously, his eyes shining.
Killua took his legs off the windowsill and leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets.
"That's right, that Leo is indeed our Junior Martial Uncle. Master Wing, who taught us Nen, is fellow disciples with Leo."
Leorio pushed up his glasses and leaned against the back of the sofa, remarking with emotion,
"Is that so? That's quite a coincidence! Although I don't know much about him, his strength is very formidable. It seems you two have good luck!"
Gon smiled and sat back in the chair.
"Mm-hm, Martial Uncle Leo taught us a lot and even had his disciple spar with us. He's a very good person!"
Leorio looked at Gon's innocent face and then at Killua's feigned coldness.
He shook his head, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.
"Fine, fine, having a powerful Junior Martial Uncle is better than nothing. But the problem now is money! 8.9 billion! What do you plan to do?"
Gon sat up from the bed and clenched his fists.
"Make money!"
Killua pulled another lollipop from his pocket, peeled off the wrapper, and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Duh."
Leorio sighed, reopened the computer, and began tapping on the keyboard.
"Let me check if there are any ways to make money lately..."
The room fell silent, save for the sound of typing and the faint noise of traffic from outside.
The light cast the shadows of the three onto the wall, overlapping with one another.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Yorknew City, in a luxury hotel suite.
The interior decoration was extremely luxurious—marble floors, crystal chandeliers, leather sofas, and gold-plated door handles.
The air was filled with a light scent of perfume and the aroma of high-end leather.
The Nostrade Family's lodging was one of the most expensive hotels in all of Yorknew City.
Guard Captain Dalzollene stood before a projection screen with a laser pointer in hand, several newly joined bodyguards standing behind him.
He was burly with a serious face, his voice deep and powerful.
"Good work, everyone! Your next mission is to accompany the Young Miss to the Underground Auction. Those collectibles the Young Miss has her eye on must be won!"
"Baise, Ivankov, Tocino—the three of you will stay outside for observation and security."
Dalzollene's laser pointer traced a red circle on the screen.
The first photo—a mummy preserved in a glass case, slender in build, wearing a crown, and well-preserved.
"The full-body mummy of Princess Kokko."
The second photo—a crumpled facial tissue framed in a picture frame, with an appraisal certificate attached next to it.
"A facial tissue used by the actor Son Rimacchi, must have a DNA appraisal certificate."
Dalzollene pressed the remote, and a third photo appeared on the screen.
It was a pair of eyeballs.
Immersed in a transparent liquid, they were suspended in an exquisite glass container.
The eyeballs were a deep red, a near-burning, intensely extreme scarlet.
Even in the photo, that pair of eyeballs seemed to glow.
"The eyeballs of the Kurta Clan, also known as the 'Scarlet Eyes'."
Kurapika stood among the crowd, hands hanging naturally, expressionless.
But the moment the words 'Scarlet Eyes' entered his ears, his heart skipped a beat.
His gaze fell upon the screen, upon that pair of burning red eyeballs.
His pupils contracted slightly, and his fingers unconsciously clenched.
Those eyes were far too familiar.
They were what he had dreamed of in countless nights, what he had seen on the corpses of his clansmen, and what he had sworn to reclaim.
His expression did not change at all.
His face remained calm, his breathing steady, and he didn't even knit his brows.
Melody, who was nearby, noticed Kurapika's heartbeat, but she said nothing.
Dalzollene continued introducing the details of the auction items and points of caution.
Kurapika stood there, his gaze never leaving the Scarlet Eyes.
Inside Kukuroo Mountain, Milluki was pounding on his keyboard, muttering to himself in exasperation.
"Damn it! What's going on? I've completely entered the program!"
Milluki slammed the desk in anger.
"Could it be... Killua lied to me? No, he's incapable of making a fake game, and he wouldn't be stupid enough to use a fake game to trade with me!"
Milluki thought frantically while stuffing himself with snacks.
I must figure it out! No matter what, I will uncover the secret!
Drenched in sweat, Milluki walked outside.
He dialed Sliva's number.
"Dad, I want to discuss something with you. I'll kill fifteen people for you, and you lend me fifteen billion."
Afterward, Milluki boarded a solo Airship and flew toward Yorknew City.