At that moment, the Greed Island game cartridge was brought onto the auction stage.
The auctioneer worked the crowd, emphasizing the rarity of Greed Island and the difficulty of acquiring a cartridge.
"Now, let's begin the bidding!" he declared.
"Starting price: 8 billion Jenny!"
That figure alone immediately eliminated most attendees.
Even getting into the auction hall had required proof of significant capital—but among those present, many still couldn't seriously participate in this bidding.
Kurapika felt a complicated tangle of emotions.
The price for Greed Island was astonishing—far higher than even the Scarlet Eyes.
Kurapika didn't want his people's eyes reduced to mere auction goods, passed from buyer to buyer. Yet seeing that they fetched such low prices left him bitter all the same.
It made him feel that his clan's lives had been cheapened.
Thirty-some pairs of Scarlet Eyes—each going for just a few billion Jenny, maybe a little more at most. Greed Island, by contrast, was commanding a fortune.
"Ten billion!"
"Twelve billion!"
The bidding surged higher and higher.
Once the price exceeded 15 billion Jenny, only a few bidders remained.
Among them was Battera's agent and Milluki.
"Just two left. Looks promising," Leorio commented.
"This auction has more than one Greed Island cartridge available," Milluki noted, nodding in agreement. "He's probably planning to back off and bid for the next one."
Killua and Gon both smiled, optimistic.
Gon was filled with hope that once he entered the game, he'd learn something about Ging Freecss. While Killua was simply happy for his friend.
That was what everyone assumed.
But the situation soon took a strange turn.
No matter what price Milluki called out, Battera's agent refused to back down—continually raising the bid.
"What's with this guy?" Milluki muttered, frowning deeply. "Why insist on competing for this one?"
"There are more cartridges! Why not go for the next?"
Milluki cast a sharp glance toward Battera's agent, but the man remained completely unbothered.
Though he was a Hunter and Nen user, Battera's agent and his team weren't especially strong by Nen standards. However, in the small pool of serious bidders for Greed Island, they stood out.
Quickly, the price crossed 20 billion Jenny.
Milluki scowled and folded.
"Fine!" he growled. "You can have this one. I'll bid for the next."
Battera's agent secured the console at over 20 billion Jenny.
The second console was immediately brought out.
"Starting price: 8 billion Jenny! Bidding begins now!"
Again, the bids climbed rapidly.
As before, after 15 billion Jenny, almost everyone dropped out.
"20 billion Jenny!" Milluki declared, then glared toward Battera's agent.
But once again, the man showed no hesitation—he continued to bid.
"What's this guy's problem?" Milluki snapped, exasperated. "Even if he wants two cartridges, this is just malicious. The auction house is the only one benefitting from this madness!"
"Does he have too much money to burn?"
Milluki persisted a little longer this time, pushing up to 25 billion Jenny.
But Battera's agent kept going.
Milluki finally gave up again.
"I don't believe he can buy every single one," he muttered darkly. "There's no way he has that much money."
But when the third Greed Island console was brought up, Milluki's expression changed.
Battera's agent really did seem determined to buy them all.
When Milluki realized that, a hint of panic crept into his face.
"No… this can't be happening…," he murmured.
"I scraped together 30 billion Jenny for this."
"I've spent so much time here in Yorknew."
"I can't go home empty-handed!"
His hands clenched tightly. "Fine! This time, I'll fight to the bitter end!"
But even when Milluki shouted out an exorbitant bid, Battera's agent immediately countered—without pause.
"31 billion Jenny!" the auctioneer announced, his voice bright with excitement. The incredible price surprised even him.
Milluki's eyes burned red as he turned to Killua and the others. "How much money do you guys have?"
"Just a few million Jenny…," Killua said honestly.
"Useless! Totally useless."
Milluki snatched up his phone and began frantically dialing.
First: Silva—no answer.
Then: Zeno—also no answer.
Next: Illumi—his phone was off.
Finally, he dialed Ron—only to get a "line busy" tone.
"31 billion Jenny!" the auctioneer called again.
And with that, Battera's agent claimed the third console.
The remaining cartridges followed the same pattern.
Milluki wanted to keep bidding, but he simply didn't have the funds.
Battera's agent had deep pockets—and a clear determination to acquire every last one.
Before long, all of the Greed Island cartridges had been auctioned off.
Battera's agent had won them all.
Milluki hadn't won a single one.
His mood sank into a foul gloom.
The entire purpose of this trip—to secure Greed Island—had failed.
He left his precious figurines for nothing!
"Big Brother, what now?" Killua asked, clearly irritated.
Gon's face was filled with disappointment.
Leorio muttered complaints under his breath.
Kurapika, meanwhile, was numb.
The price for a single Greed Island cartridge far exceeded the combined auction value of all thirty-some Scarlet Eyes—the entire remains of his massacred clan.
"The whole Kurta Clan… worth less than a game cartridge?" he thought bitterly.
A faint, bitter smile crept across his lips.
And then that bitterness turned to burning anger.
"The Phantom Troupe…!"
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