"Milluki, check the savings on this card."
"Okay, big brother!"
Saiki Kusuo stood obediently to the side. He knew the next question would be tough. Even though he had already thought of tens of thousands of ways to deal with it.
Like saying this job also needed him to go to the Dark Continent to get some herbs that could heal Chrollo's crippled legs.
But that didn't really make sense.
Silva also said, "Kusuo, we Zoldycks only take reasonable payments. If we raise prices because of the situation, it needs to be in moderation."
Silva: [This price is like me and my dad going on three dangerous missions.]
He has to add a reason why this job is worth that much!
[It's a little complicated to explain.] Saiki Kusuo began calmly making something up. [Chrollo wants me to find a Nen remover east of where Hatsu sent the job request. The first problem is there's little information, just that they can remove Nen. The second problem is I'm also a bodyguard during the job, protecting him while avoiding the extra conditions of his Nen being sealed.] Even though the extra conditions are just not being able to contact his group members.
[The biggest problem is taking him to the destination himself – the island from the game "Greed Island" in the real world.]
"Isn't Greed Island a game for Nen users? How can he go if his Nen is sealed?" Milluki asked, very confused.
"Are you going to use your teleport to bring him?" Illumi asked.
[Yeah. I have some experience with Greed Island, but anyone other than me would have a hard time bringing someone without Nen into Greed Island. There's a detection barrier outside the island. I have to teleport directly inside. I don't know the situation inside yet, but there's still a risk of being found out.]
[Another thing to consider is that the creator of Greed Island, Hatsu, is Ging from the Hunter Association. I'm not sure if this is disrespecting the Hunter Association's rights.]
"Greed Island has nothing to do with the Hunter Association. Plus, Kusuo, you have a Hunter license. If you did it with your own power, the Hunter Association won't care about crimes that aren't too serious." Illumi folded his arms. "But the managers of Greed Island are all elite Nen users. Looking at it that way, the risk is really high. Kusuo's teleport ability is actually rare. He's almost the only one who can do this job… Yeah, it's worth the money."
Some might wonder why Silva, the Zoldyck family head, was silent the whole time.
That's because even though Greed Island is for Nen users, it's low-level, and the game itself was designed mostly for fun.
Mature Nen users like Silva took a quick look at the info when Greed Island was being sold a lot back then, and knew it was just a small thing.
Now it suddenly came up in his sons' speech, and every son seemed to know all the details. He missed the info presentation part, and only had to listen to understand what it was.
A generation gap appeared.
Illumi thoughtfully noticed Silva's confusion, and pointed out Greed Island's value with money.
"Milluki, what's the latest auction price for Greed Island?"
"Thirty billion!" Milluki answered right away. "Damn it, I spent almost all my money and borrowed so much from Kusuo and big brother to buy it! It was so expensive!"
…
The family's eyes all fell on Milluki.
"W-What's wrong…"
"Milluki, you bought Greed Island for 30 billion?"
"Uh, I messed up and said it!"
The others: "…"
Why the Zoldyck family was silent.
Milluki's action was like a kid who earned money for the first time and immediately borrowed money to buy a game console for three times their net worth.
It was a bit wasteful, even if it was the kid's own money.
"I still got a good deal! You know, at the auction, it sold for as high as 60 billion! That rich guy tried to control Greed Island and raise the price! Buying this thing is a good investment!" Milluki turned his little brain to try to make things better.
"The entry level for the game is so high, it's not too much to charge a high price, right, Dad?" Illumi said.
"Can a Greed Island game console help you, Kusuo? You need to go to the location first, right? We can borrow Milluki's console."
[…It's okay, I don't need the console. Greed Island is a real island. I've been there before.]
Don't give me Greed Island, Illumi, Milluki is about to cry.
No one asked when he went. Everyone gathered to think about the price.
Finally, based on Greed Island's market price and value, along with the way to get into the game by escaping the guards, Silva approved Saiki Kusuo's price.
"Congratulations, Master Kusuo, on signing a big deal. Here's the paper contract. After signing, be sure to scan the digital contract and upload it. Also, here are the deposit transfer receipts." Tsubone immediately brought a brand new, more detailed contract. The payment items had many more lines. Saiki Kusuo glanced at it and saw: Party B provides a Greed Island field study map, a summary of Greed Island game rules.
There's no such thing. What if Chrollo really asks me for it? Do I have to make it up?
Well, usually you don't need to be so careful, but after all, it's a rare big deal. The business ethics of businesspeople make everyone careful.
Saiki Kusuo took the contract and was about to leave.
[I only know the location direction, Killua is in Greed Island.] "Dad, this job is a little too important for Kusuo. It would be good to have some help, right? I don't have any jobs right now." Illumi twirled a needle in his hand.
Saiki Kusuo was alert. Illumi, don't use me as an excuse to go after Killua!
"Ah, Kusuo, just continue your job. You can go collect the money." Illumi noticed Saiki Kusuo's look, waved goodbye, and turned to continue speaking to Silva. "Doesn't Milluki want to lose weight? That area is also good for training."
Illumi plans to bring Milluki to Greed Island to take a look, and also see Killua, who he hasn't seen in a while. If Saiki Kusuo needs it, he can ask them for help.
Brotherly love is touching.
Silva agreed.
Milluki stood next to them with his head down, his heart surging: [Ahhhh, this is a strategy game! I plan to go in and beat it alone! What am I supposed to do with big brother?! Who wants to work out and lose weight in a game!!!]
Under Milluki's silent wails, Saiki Kusuo also left the door.
Well, as long as he's not the main target.
Will part of the job be watched? It's okay, I guess.
[I should ask Hisoka to come and earn some Greed Island entrance fees.] Illumi thought.
Before Saiki Kusuo teleported, he thought, if Hisoka comes, he'll pity Milluki, who is traveling with Illumi.
Saiki Kusuo lifted his foot and teleported back to the entrance outside the forest.
Everything was normal… What's going on?
What kind of scene is this?
Saiki Kusuo looked at the overturned wheelchair not far away. Chrollo had one leg in a cast on the ground, and was using his knee to support his body. Next to him was Alluka, acting like a chick protecting a cunning fox, and Chrollo also held Alluka's shoulder, with a knife in his other hand where Alluka couldn't see it.
A chick was protecting a thief, and the thief could use the chick's life to protect himself.
Saiki Kusuo's eyes instinctively turned cold, and his Hatsu released some kind of presence.
It was a presence from a psychic, completely different from that of Nen users. He rarely released it to people, because it could easily leave a lifelong shadow on those with weak minds.
The crowd gathered around suddenly felt an ominous presence, and moved away one by one, unintentionally clearing a path.
When Saiki Kusuo approached the center, he found out that Chrollo was facing Kurapika.
Oh, I understand now. Saiki Kusuo slightly pulled back his power.
All three noticed Saiki Kusuo's arrival.
"Brother! Kurapika and Chrollo are fighting!" Alluka said.
No, that's not a fight, that's a blood feud. He deserves it.
"Mr. Saiki, Alluka is unguarded in that thief's hands," Kurapika said sternly.
I know. My foolish younger brother is protecting Chrollo… It's my fault.
Chrollo was silent, but politely moved the blade away a bit.
The current situation.
Kurapika wants to save Alluka.
Alluka wants to protect Chrollo.
Chrollo is using Alluka as a hostage to threaten Kurapika, to protect himself.
Saiki Kusuo: You three are stuck in a loop.
Can't let them play this far. Saiki Kusuo confidently walked into the middle.
[Chrollo, let go of Alluka. I promise you won't be hurt, and Kurapika won't attack you.]
Chrollo didn't pretend. He let go very easily, and immediately put away the knife.
Kurapika didn't embarrass Saiki Kusuo. After seeing that Alluka was okay, he also put away his attack stance.
Kurapika: "Don't let me see you again."
Chrollo: "Oh? You're going to take advantage of my weakness?"
Some people without power shouldn't be adding fuel to the fire, okay? Saiki Kusuo stood between the two, looking left and right.
"Take advantage of your weakness? Do I need to do that? You seem to have forgotten who brought you to this state."
"There's nothing to remember. I'm still doing well now, no different from before."
"So well that you need others to help you walk, and you should learn to be grateful when kind people help you, scum."
"What reasonable bossing."
Can't you two see that there are more and more bystanders?
Chrollo actually turned his head to thank: "Thank you for your help, Alluka. Can you help me push the wheelchair over?"
"Huh? Sure! You're welcome!" Alluka was completely unaware of the situation she had just been in, and ran to the side to lift up the overturned wheelchair.
Kurapika: …
"Mr. Kusuo, I want to remind you," Kurapika's eyes were fixed on every move Chrollo made. "Although this person's Nen is sealed and he can't cause any problems now, he's become used to committing crimes. I don't think he'll stop because of this."
Very true. He even stole a blind man's chess a few days ago. This habitual thief has no morals.
"If you can also realize this, it's best not to let Alluka get too close to him. Children are in the stage of forming their worldview."
It's hard to imagine what could change the values of a Zoldyck child other than someone as positive as Gon, but thank you for your advice. I'll pay attention.
With Alluka's help, Chrollo sat in his wheelchair. Kurapika sighed, and finally decided to leave.
He had decided long ago not to take their lives, but he still felt angry when he saw them.
"Ah! Kurapika, aren't you going to find the job target?" Alluka shouted.
Job target? Kurapika took out his phone, deleted the name of the person who hadn't replied to three messages, and blocked them.
Looking around the place, who else is in a wheelchair with injured legs besides Chrollo? Yes, he was angry just now also because of this discovery. He had prepared for so long, but he took a job from a scammer.
The thought of almost having to respect this kind of person makes him want to throw up.
Staying here any longer won't lead to anything. It's just a waste of time.
Kurapika shook his head, waved goodbye to Saiki Kusuo and Alluka, and turned to go into the crowd.
And Kuriri and Purora in the crowd followed closely behind.
A long time later, Chrollo would realize from the blocked contact information that the person who took the job was not Saiki Kusuo. Kurapika was the one who was attracted by the mafia identity and took the job.
Then he decided he wouldn't dare to hire people directly on the Hunter website again, especially without purposely hiding Hunter information and certificates.
Saiki Kusuo teleported Alluka and Chrollo to a place in the mountains, and began to explain the next plan.
[We're going to Greed Island together. No objections, right?]
Chrollo, who was drinking soy milk, paused. Alluka, who had never heard of Greed Island, was confused.
"What's that?" Alluka asked.
"A game for Nen users, especially good for beginners," Chrollo explained simply. "I guess you need to be able to use Hatsu to enter the game. I can't get in."
He doesn't have Nen anymore, but he knows that.
Chrollo spoke with certainty, but he was talking to Saiki Kusuo.
[Is not being able to get in a problem?]
Saiki Kusuo can teleport people, but bringing him, who can't use Nen, will obviously affect the progress of the job.
Facing Chrollo's confusion, Saiki Kusuo said: [Protecting you is also part of the job. It's a rare big deal. I need to be serious about it and give the client a high-quality service experience. It's better to be able to participate and supervise in person, right?]
Actually, it's because if he doesn't increase the difficulty, he'll be forced to lower the price with Silva.
"This money is getting unexpected value," Chrollo said, but he was obviously interested in Greed Island that was sold in Yorknew City back then. He valued the opportunity when it was in front of him. "When are you going to go?"
[The sooner the better.]
Alluka understood more or less.
"Are we going traveling to a place called Greed Island? Should we go to the hotel and get our suitcases?" Alluka raised her hand.
Ah, there's that too.
Finding someone shouldn't take too long, but the purpose of bringing Alluka is both travel and training, so it's best to bring the suitcases too.
He'll probably complete the job himself, and Alluka will be playing.
Then, the preparations before going can be more thorough.
[Let's leave later, tonight. It'll be a little less obvious.]
"Okay." Chrollo, who had been waiting for three months, didn't mind waiting a little longer.
Saiki Kusuo patted the wheelchair and Alluka's shoulder, and teleported directly to the hotel.
Chrollo stared at Saiki Kusuo's hand, which hadn't even touched him, but was just on the wheelchair, and sighed again: [Just touching an object is enough to teleport people. It's so convenient. It would be nice to steal it.]
The psychic can hear you.
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