Time flowed by amidst these many events, and in the blink of an eye, it was now 1994.
In this year, a certain silver-haired boy, who had already climbed numerous floors of Heavens Arena, developed an impressive dart-throwing technique out of boredom.
In this year, an extreme Nen user who specialized in explosive, destructive Nen teamed up with two companions to enter the game Greed Island in pursuit of a 50-billion-jenny bounty.
In this year, an incident that was originally supposed to take place between January and September—a world-shaking massacre—ultimately did not happen due to the flap of certain wings.
"I found some traces of the Kurta Clan's settlement from members who had left, but I don't really have the desire to go there."
A familiar chuckle echoed over the phone—Chrollo Lucilfer's voice.
"Because I don't think there's anything there that I want."
"Is that so?"
Morin walked along the bustling city streets, holding the phone.
Traffic lights, billboards, cars, buses—everything about a modern metropolis was present.
A reminder that this was still a world infused with modern technology.
"Alright, I got it. I'll see if I can find what you're looking for."
"Thanks."
With that, Chrollo hung up.
"…So fate really has changed."
Morin stopped in place, quietly looking at the phone in his hand before chuckling softly.
Chrollo had just called him to inform him about an object that seemed to be related to the Dark Continent, asking Morin to help pinpoint its exact location.
During the conversation, Morin had casually asked about the Kurta Clan's situation.
The result?
Chrollo had absolutely no interest in them anymore.
And with that, the Phantom Troupe's planned massacre of the Kurta Clan was erased from history.
"…Perhaps, this is the best outcome for both sides?"
Ever since Chrollo became obsessed with information related to the Dark Continent, he had barely organized any group activities.
Aside from that initial time when he led the raid on the Mosbia Palace, the Troupe hadn't done anything significant.
In the following years, their members had maintained various private connections:
Uvogin and Nobunaga would occasionally challenge Morin to arm-wrestling matches.
Shalnark would send flirty, teasing messages from time to time.
Phinks once asked Morin for tips on playing mahjong.
And after finally managing to beat Feitan, he immediately activated his trash-talk mode, mocking Feitan with reckless abandon.
As a result, Feitan, too proud to seek Morin's help over such an embarrassing loss, flew into a rage and activated his Nen ability.
Phinks was nearly hospitalized.
Of course, Feitan himself didn't come out unscathed either…
Franklin and Bonolenov were the quietest ones, often seen hanging around with Kortopi.
Well, at least before Kortopi started spending too much time around Shalnark.
Thanks to Shalnark's mix of blatant and subtle flirtation, Kortopi had seen far too many unsettling sights while being around him.
In the end, he quietly withdrew, choosing to tag along with Franklin instead.
Together, the three of them started traveling the world.
Sometimes, their travels would unexpectedly bring them to Morin's location, and they'd share drinks and conversation.
As for Machi and Pakunoda…
No need to explain. Those who understand, understand.
Morin had "taken care" of them the most.
Even though Chrollo wasn't calling them together, the Troupe members still had plenty of private interactions.
They frequently reached out to each other when they needed help or had a goal to accomplish.
The more they helped each other, the stronger their bonds became.
"…I wonder what the next Troupe mission will be about, and when it'll happen."
This thought crossed Morin's mind before he turned around—
"Stop slacking off. Keep up."
Behind him, a petite woman followed, her head lowered.
Her lips were painted pink, her face was sensual and alluring, yet at this moment, she wore a pitiful, aggrieved expression.
She had voluminous pink hair, with two locks on either side resembling banana leaves, even though they were tied with yellow ribbons.
Yet, two strands still dangled over her shoulders.
She had an expression that could make most men lose their self-control.
Unfortunately for her, Morin was heartless.
"Your mental manipulation and subtle psychological suggestion techniques are useless against me."
Morin remained unmoved.
"If you wanted to trick me into giving you something, you should've been prepared to pay the price."
"…It wasn't a trick…"
The girl whispered, her voice soft and delicate.
Tears welled up in her eyes as if she were on the verge of crying.
"I just thought your item was beautiful and wanted to buy it… I—I really didn't know it was worth so much!"
Her fingers clutched at the fabric of her clothing, her voice trembling with suppressed sobs.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have dared to disturb you…"
Morin simply stared at her, completely unaffected, with no intention of letting her go or comforting her.
"You're saying… you didn't know its value?"
He raised his hand, revealing a crown—one that once belonged to the royal family of Mosbia.
A priceless treasure, passed down for generations, made from materials known as some of the seven most beautiful substances in the world.
Thanks to Restoration Ray Lamp, Morin had fully restored the crown, returning it from a near-wrecked state to its dazzling, world-class splendor.
"Just by looking at it… shouldn't you already realize its extraordinary worth?"
Here's your translation with Hunter x Hunter references intact:
Morin almost laughed out of frustration.
"Any normal person can tell this thing is worth a fortune, and you're telling me you had no idea it was that valuable?! "
He pointed at himself. "Do I look that easy to fool?"
"Did you really take me for a gullible idiot? Or have you been playing dumb for so long that you actually became stupid?"
"Either way, you're not going anywhere. But hey, you're welcome to try."
Morin's leisurely tone made the girl's body stiffen for a moment.
"And if you're thinking of shouting something like 'pervert,' 'creep,' or 'help' in the middle of the street to draw attention and cause a commotion so you can slip away…" Morin's gaze flicked to her slightly shifting eyes. "I'd advise against it."
Because you'll be dead before you can even get a word out.
Morin "kindly" warned her.
The girl's face twitched, and finally, she let out a long sigh, dropping the act.
"What do I have to do for you to let me go?"
"Let you go?"
Morin glanced at her, chuckled, then turned away. "Are you dreaming?"
"Tch!"
The pink-haired woman scowled in irritation.
But she knew there was no way she could escape from Morin's grasp. All she could feel was a deep sense of regret and frustration.
"How did I screw up this time?"
She silently lamented.
"This time, I really fell flat on my face…"
Defeated, she hung her head and wordlessly followed behind Morin.
Meanwhile, a playful glint flashed in Morin's eyes.
"Who would've thought I'd randomly run into such a 'familiar' face while strolling around?"
Morin had come to this city after hearing that its craftsmen were the best, particularly when it came to jewelry and intricate ornaments—some of the finest in the world.
After using Repair Light Condensed Beam in Greed Island to restore the crown, he figured he might as well refine it further, making it even more beautiful.
More importantly, he wanted to see if there was a way to split it into two without damaging the original material—so that both Machi and Pakunoda could have a piece.
Cough.
So, after finding the most reputable and well-known store in town, he took out the crown and asked the shop owner if it could be further refined.
At that moment, someone had just walked into the store and saw it.
The very same woman now trailing behind Morin, secretly fuming—Leroute.
The moment Leroute laid eyes on the crown, they sparkled with greed.
She immediately put on her best innocent, sweet-girl act, trying to get close to Morin and see if she could swindle the crown away.
And the result?
She ended up face-planting straight into Morin's trap.
Even setting aside Morin's razor-sharp insight, he had already recognized her face from the original timeline—he knew exactly what kind of person she was.
Since she tried to deceive him and steal his crown, it was only natural that she be detained and have her freedom restricted.
Leroute was originally one of the examiners in the 287th Hunter Exam.
Calling her an "examiner" was honestly too generous.
She was actually just one of the long-term prisoners forced to participate in the five-on-five battles in the third phase of the exam's Trick Tower.
She had been sentenced to 112 years of forced labor for crimes including trafficking rare creatures and violating gambling laws, which landed her in Trick Tower.
Her original profession? A psychiatrist and master of psychology—specializing in mental manipulation.
If she had encountered someone else, she might have succeeded.
After all, as a psychological expert, she was highly skilled at reading men, playing with their emotions, and making them willingly open their wallets for her.
In other words, she was essentially the "Three-Sentence Mastermind Who Can Make Men Spend 1.8 Million Jenny On Her"—except in this case, she was sentenced to 122 years in prison instead.
Makes you wonder how the self-proclaimed "dating coaches" from Morin's past life would fare.
Later, Leroute was recruited as one of the obstacles in the third phase of the Hunter Exam.
She gambled against Leorio, starting with bets on life-or-death scenarios and whether someone would faint. Although Leorio lost, his gamble ultimately settled Kurapika's previous match.
Then, Leroute took advantage of Leorio's weakness—his perversion—by betting on her gender. Leorio bet she was a man and lost but was granted the chance to verify for himself.
Finally, in a rock-paper-scissors match, she once again used psychological manipulation to strip Leorio of his remaining points.
As a result, not only did Leorio lose the game, but he also lost an additional 50 hours of their time.
This earned the prisoners a 50-year reduction in their sentences.
So, 122 years minus 50… still leaves 72 long years to go.
If she was lucky enough to live that long, maybe she'd see the sun again one day.
But right now, she hadn't been arrested or sentenced yet.
That said, considering her current predicament—where her freedom was just as restricted—it wasn't much different.
At the very least, while walking alongside Morin, she didn't dare to entertain any more reckless thoughts.
"…Where exactly are you taking me?"
Read advanced chapters at:
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