Walking down the long corridor leading to the underground secret room where Alluka was imprisoned, Hiro couldn't help but marvel at Sliva's trust and favoritism towards him.
When Alluka was imprisoned, Hiro was the first to confront Sliva, stating, "I understand, but I don't agree."
Hiro expressed that he would definitely find a better way to handle the situation in the future, allowing Alluka to regain her freedom.
To Hiro's surprise, Sliva showed no dissatisfaction upon hearing this; he even expressed anticipation.
Even when Hiro requested to personally deliver meals to Alluka every day, Sliva readily agreed.
He even actively cooperated, intentionally avoiding eating at the family's restaurant, allowing Hiro to use the opportunity of delivering his meal to secretly bring food to the secret room where Alluka was confined.
All these facts indicated that Hiro held a significant place in Sliva's heart.
The reason, obviously, was the outstanding talent and ability Hiro had displayed since childhood, leading Sliva to designate him as the future heir of the Zoldyck family.
"Killua, thanks to your older brother, the pressure on you in this life is much lighter than in the original story."
Undoubtedly, due to Hiro's appearance, Killua's position in Sliva's heart had significantly decreased compared to the original story, but the pressure he bore was greatly reduced.
To be honest, in Hiro's opinion, Killua's actual talent should be similar to his own.
After all, in the original story, Killua was also considered a top genius, one in tens of millions.
However, he had an extra lifetime of assassin experience, and he could continuously grow through the baptism of the Assassination Space.
Sliva was unaware of these additional boosts; in his eyes, they were all attributed to Hiro's talent.
Therefore, in Sliva's eyes, his own talent was superior to Killua's.
However, he had shown great maturity at a young age, basically handling everything himself.
This left Sliva feeling unneeded, so he turned to "educating" Killua, just like in the original story.
After all, Sliva wasn't foolish; Killua's talent was also top-tier in the history of the Zoldyck family.
To maximize the family's interests, it was very reasonable for Sliva to shift his energy to Killua.
But since he had a more outstanding son leading the way,
When Killua showed rebellion and defied Sliva's educational methods,
Sliva's desire to make Killua return to his assassin nature would certainly not be as strong as in the original story.
This was also why he believed Killua's pressure was lighter than in the original story.
Although the current Killua was still highly anticipated by the family,
He no longer needed to shoulder the entire future of the family.
For Killua, who actually yearned more to adventure with friends, this was definitely a good thing.
...
The secret room where Alluka was imprisoned was locked by five massive doors; the first four doors required a password to open.
And the only people in the family who knew the passwords, besides Sliva, were Hiro.
This not only highlighted Hiro's status as the eldest brother of the younger generation but also because before Alluka was confined, her "begging difficulty level" had been confirmed to revert to level 1.
Even if Nanika truly made a request, Hiro could easily satisfy her; if she wanted to make a wish, he could just make simple wishes like Killua did in the original story, such as being lifted high.
Therefore, Sliva was very at ease with Hiro delivering meals to Alluka.
When Hiro twisted the switch on the door and opened the last large door, a soft, cute figure dressed like a shrine maiden was already standing at the entrance.
"Big Brother, you're here!"
The one at the door was Hiro's fifth younger sibling Alluka.
Like Kalluto, Alluka looked completely like a cute girl.
"Hurry up and get the food out, I can't wait!"
Alluka hugged Hiro's arm, swaying back and forth, acting spoiled.
"Alright, alright, right away."
Hiro dotingly patted Alluka's head, and with a flick of his hand, the table was filled with delicious food.
Alluka's meals were clearly more abundant than those of others in the restaurant.
"This is your exclusive treat, Alluka; even your brother Killua's meals aren't as good as yours."
"Wow, thank you, Big Brother, I'm going to eat!"
"Mmm, this big shrimp is so delicious!"
While Alluka ate, Hiro helped her tidy up the various toys scattered on the floor and then placed the latest manga on the bookshelf.
Hiro did this because he was afraid Alluka would get bored and wanted to give her something to pass the time.
The layout of the secret room was also different from the original story.
Under Hiro's arrangements, the decor here was more warm and lovely, and all kinds of living facilities were complete, with the latest models of TVs and game consoles.
Of course, tools that could contact the outside world, like mobile phones and computers, were not present; Hiro would strictly ensure this without Sliva's reminder.
In short, to make Alluka's life better, Hiro had done his best within his capabilities.
Alluka's life in the secret room these past few years could be said to be much more comfortable than in the original story.
After Alluka finished eating, she pestered Hiro to play video games with her, and only after spending two hours with Alluka did Hiro bid farewell and leave.
"Big Brother, you don't need to worry about me; I'm doing very well."
"You must take good care of Brother Killua and Little Brother Kalluto, especially Brother Killua; he's quite mischievous."
Hiro patted Alluka's little head again and said with a smile:
"Don't worry, there's nothing to worry about with those two; as long as you're happy every day, Alluka, they'll be very happy."
Hiro didn't tell Alluka that Killua had temporarily forgotten her; he only said that Sliva only allowed him to come alone.
"Alluka, Big Brother will definitely take you out in the future, I swear."
"Mmm! I believe you! I love Big Brother Hiro the most!"
"Huh? Last time you said you loved Brother Killua the most, and the time before that, you also said you loved Little Brother Kalluto the most."
"Ah, this… you're so annoying!"
...
Hiro returned to his bedroom, bathed and changed, then sat in front of the computer, browsing various forums about secret realms and treasures, checking for any noteworthy news lately.
Hiro did this not only to satisfy his curiosity but also to find a way to rescue Alluka.
However, after a while, Hiro didn't find any useful information. He did receive an invitation in his email to an art exhibition in Bala Lil.
The city of Bala Lil, located in central the Minbo Republic, did not appear in the original story and was a world-renowned city of culture and art.
After Hiro acquired the divine painting skill, he naturally didn't waste it. When inspiration struck, he would occasionally post his works online, always causing a huge stir.
Just from selling paintings, he had already earned over 1 billion jenny. If he hadn't put too little effort into managing it and only found an agent to help him, he would have earned much more.
Compared to Hiro's identity as an assassin, his identity as a world-renowned painter was clearly known to more people.
"Holding an exhibition? No interest."
Painting was just a spice in life; there was no need to waste too much time on it.
"By the way, Illumi went out yesterday for a mission, and it seems he went to Bala Lil."
Without thinking too much, Hiro threw the invitation into the trash bin. As he was about to go to bed, his phone rang.
"Illumi?"
Speak of the devil.
Hiro answered the phone, and Illumi's cold voice came through.
"Big Brother, there's a slight problem with my mission here. I'd like to hear your thoughts. Is it convenient for you to come to Bala Lil tomorrow?"
"Of course, if my little brother is in trouble, I, your big brother, am duty-bound."
"It's not quite 'in trouble,' just a small issue. I'd like to consult Big Brother's opinion."
"Oh, then I don't really need to make a trip, do I? Can't you just tell me about a small issue over the phone?"
"..."
Illumi on the other end of the phone fell silent.
"Haha, you stubborn little brother, you just can't lose face. Send me the address, and I'll come find you tomorrow."
Hiro laughed; Illumi was still too narcissistic and competitive.
Even though Hiro was his most admired older brother, he wouldn't easily admit defeat; he basically wouldn't trouble Hiro with anything he could accomplish himself.
In the original story, as the eldest brother of the younger generation of the Zoldyck family, Illumi was very strong and a ruthless character who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Even though he was a younger brother in this life, his personality wouldn't easily change.
"Okay, see you tomorrow, Big Brother."
After ending the call, Hiro retrieved the invitation from the trash bin.
"What a coincidence."
"Since I'm going to Bala Lil, I might as well make some money while I'm there."
"Helping my brother and earning money at the same time, perfect."