Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The night brought a cool breeze, dividing Meteor City into distinct zones of quiet and activity. Bars, the city's rare entertainments, were brightly lit, while the residential areas lay in silence, shrouded in darkness.

Chrollo led the way without saying a word, and Law followed silently. They are taking the same route as last time.

The two turned from the main street into the narrow alleys, and under the dim light, they turned several corners and soon arrived at the Elder's house.

There were still two guards standing inside the rusty iron gate. Perhaps because they had been informed in advance, this time, they did not ask about their purpose, but directly opened the iron gate and let Chrollo and Law in.

The two walked across the courtyard, open the door and go straight into the house.

In the duplex living room, there were not as many people as last time. This time, there were only three people, the Elder and his two aides.

Seeing Chrollo and Law entering, the Elder held the top of his cane with both hands and said in a hoarse voice, "Sit down."

Chrollo and Law sat on the sofa without hesitation.

"Law, I have a mission for you."

The Elder looked at Law and went straight to the point.

Law knew what was going on, but he still followed the Elder's words and asked calmly, "What mission?"

"As a bodyguard, you will protect the safety of an employer for half a month." The Elder did not mention the Yorknew Auction, but only briefly explained the content of the task.

"A bodyguard?" Law feigned confusion.

"Be at the East District's exit at 8 AM the day after tomorrow. A car will come to pick you up and someone will explain the details to you. So, just keep silent and listen." The Elder had no intention of explaining in detail. He looked at Law with an indifferent look and said calmly, "You won't be alone. Four others will accompany you."

Law lifted his gaze slightly, his face calm.

"In addition to protecting the employer, your mission is to help me identify the authenticity of a collection."

"This collection will be brought to you for appraisal at the end of the mission."

Some people... were endlessly greedy.

They want to gain a lot, but are not willing to give too much.

The employers from the Mafia buy antiques from the Yorknew Auction and need to pay the Elder with the most valuable collectible as a reward. However, all valuable antiques are divided into real and fake, as there are a lot of skilled forgers in this world.

These forgers are highly skilled and can always replicate valuable antiques, and the remuneration they receive is far lower than the price of hiring a master appraiser.

The Elder had received several counterfeits from the employers before, so he took this matter very seriously.

Of course, the items at the Yorknew Auction could not be fake, but if they were switched during the payment, those subordinates who knew nothing about appraisal would not be able to detect it at all.

Therefore, talents like Law are exactly what the Elder needs.

"I know you have questions, but save them. Someone will explain everything the day after tomorrow."

"After this mission is completed, I will pay you 5 million Jenny. You can refuse if you want, but I cannot guarantee that after the day after tomorrow, a few people will disappear from West District."

When the Elder was narrating this, he emphasized that Law should remain silent, so Law listened silently. After the Elder roughly explained the content of the mission, he made a threat at the end.

Several people will disappear from West District, not just one.

In other words, even Machi and the others were included in the Elder's threat.

"I understand." Law didn't say much. A hint of coldness flashed in the depths of his eyes, but his expression remained calm.

Seeing Law being so calm and not talking much, the Elder nodded with satisfaction and said lightly: "You can go now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chrollo stood up silently. Seeing this, Law also stood up immediately.

"Remember, 8 AM the day after tomorrow."

As the two stood up, the Elder gave a reminder.

Law nodded slightly and followed Chrollo out of the house.

After watching the two people leave, the Elder looked at the closed door and fell into silence.

Behind him, Kuri and Vogt stood like statues, their expressions blank and even their breathing subdued to near silence. (T/N: Kuri is Cook's twin brother, while Vogt is the Elder's other aide.)

After more than ten minutes, the Elder suddenly asked, "Who is the employer?"

"Barney Garfield." Kuli answered.

"It's him!" The Elder suddenly looked up and couldn't help but let out a low, hoarse chuckle.

Kuri's eyes flickered, and he asked in a low voice, "Do you have any orders, Elder?"

"I can sense your eagerness." The Elder turned his head slightly and looked at the bowing Kuri.

Kuri has always been responsible for contacting employers, while Vogt is responsible for selecting personnel.

However, because Law is special, the Elder himself had intervened in the decision.

After hearing the Elder's reminder, Kuri did not dare to respond and chose to remain silent.

"What's the reason?" The Elder retracted his gaze and asked.

Kuri immediately answered, "Barney Garfield's trusted subordinates were killed in a conflict with enemies recently. And now the Yorknew Auction is about to begin, so maybe that's why they came to us."

"Heh…"

Upon hearing this, the Elder let out a cold, raspy laugh.

"This time, you two will go as well."

At this moment, cold greed emerged in the Elder's dry eyes.

"Yes."

Kuri was delighted when he heard this, and Vogt was slightly surprised, but he also responded affirmatively.

The Elder said coldly, "I want all the collections that Barney Garfield bought from the Yorknew Auction. You know what to do."

"Understood."

Kuri responded quickly, and then asked cautiously: "Then... should I continue to endure it?"

"You just need to bring back all the collections. I don't care about anything else." The Elder stood up suddenly.

Kuri suppressed his inner ecstasy and then bowed as he replied, "Understood."

The Elder walked towards the stairs holding his cane, preparing to go to the second floor to rest.

Kuri and Vogt stood still and watched the Elder go up to the second floor before they looked away.

"Who is Barney Garfield? How could he make the Elder make such a decision?" Vogt lowered his voice and asked.

Kuli smiled coldly and said, "A Mafia who made his fortune with drugs. He has a penchant for collecting human organs and rare treasures. Since he's controlling a region's entire drug production, he's made plenty of enemies. The Elder made this decision because Barney Garfield is rich and powerful, and he will definitely buy plenty of items at the Yorknew Auction."

"The Elder are interested in these collections. As for the honoring the contract... do you think the Elder cares about that?"

Vogt suddenly realized what was going on. In short, this was an opportunity that the Elder could not miss.

"Only two of us returned from this mission. You can replace the previously selected personnel if you want." Kuri said in a cold tone.

"Understood." Vogt sneered, naturally understanding what Kuri meant.

"Do me a favor, Vogt." Kuli stretched out his hand, then slowly clenched it.

Vogt said, "It's Law, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Kuri looked at him and nodded.

"Fine, consider it a favor."

Vogt agreed.

.....

Steady footsteps were heard in the silent and dim alley.

Rats and cockroaches scurried around in the shadows, fleeing from the sound of approaching steps.

"Can you bear it?" Law, who is walking behind Chrollo, suddenly asked out of the blue.

Chrollo didn't look back and continued walking forward.

"Necessary restraint paves the way for the next step."