In the dim attic of Zigg Zoldyck's house, an unusually large group had gathered.
They stared silently at the items before them, like bats returning quietly to their cave.
"This is the Herb for All-illnesses."
"This is the Alchemical Plant Metallion."
"And this is the Unmanned Rock."
Germain had brought three types of what could only be called hope.
The Herb for All-illnesses and the Alchemical Plant Metallion were soaked in a special solution to keep them from wilting.
The Unmanned Rock was covered in a fine powder to keep it dry.
Zigg, who had lost his left arm and right leg and now sat confined to a wheelchair, let out a low laugh, revealing a few remaining teeth.
"Looks like you really pulled it off again. Isaac Netero trusted you for a reason."
Maha walked slowly around the clear container holding the Herb for All-illnesses, his hands clasped behind his back.
His bald head and deeply wrinkled face relaxed slightly into a gentle smile, giving him the look of a kindly old man.
"Netero had brought us the processed version before—extracts, injections, or powder—but this is the first time I've seen the real thing."
"Hard to believe such a plain-looking plant holds so much healing power."
Zeno, with his signature silver hair still wild and spiking toward the ceiling, gently twirled his shrimp-like beard between his fingers.
But his attention was completely focused on the "Alchemical Plant: Metallion."
"A treasure alchemists dream of but can never obtain… Germain, I heard it allows a Nen user to bypass their category limitations. Is that true?"
"Not exactly," Germain replied.
Dressed in a pitch-black robe, he stood like a vampire lord from a gothic castle.
"Our Nen still follows category restrictions. But with the help of enchanted tools, we can perform Transmutation-type abilities — turning Nen into specific elements."
Zeno nodded, understanding. He began to pace slowly around the container marked "Hope," just like how his grandfather Maha used to do.
Silva, however, showed little emotion.
Because of his tall frame, he had to bend down to inspect the "Hope" inside the container. He stayed like that for a while, then finally stood up again.
"Germain, can I test one of the 'Hope' samples? Like... the 'Unmanned Rock,' for example?"
"Go ahead," Germain said calmly. "This gift is for the Zoldyck family. How you use it is entirely up to you."
So Silva picked out one "Unmanned Rock" from the dry powder and placed it into water.
According to their tests, if the stone stayed too long outside its incubation environment, it would never hatch — permanently becoming a type of mineral.
Everyone quietly watched as the small, bead-sized stone released beautiful sparks of electricity into the water.
The next moment, Silva casually reached in and scooped up the still-sparking stone with his bare hand.
Then, without a hint of concern, he wiped the water off the stone with his fingers.
Once dry, the "Unmanned Rock" stopped discharging. Silva placed it back into the powder for storage.
Throughout the entire process, Silva's face never changed. The onlookers didn't react either. They just silently watched his movements.
For members of the Zoldyck family, taking electric shocks was a part of daily life — just like eating or breathing.
The electricity from a mere "Unmanned Rock" felt more like electrotherapy for Silva — something that relaxed him.
"How much electricity can it produce?" Silva asked.
"Each stone is different," Germain replied. "But on average, around 20,000 kilowatts per day."
"And that's not even its limit."
"I can feel it."
Silva said this after personally touching the electric current emitted by the "Unmanned Rock."
At that moment, he recalled the Nen ability Killua had shown them an hour ago — a Transmutation-type: Electricity.
Although Killua could convert his Nen into lightning, he still needed to "recharge" from time to time, as part of his Vows and Limitations.
Maybe only after reaching a higher level — like the one Feitan from the Phantom Troupe had before his death — would Killua no longer need to recharge.
Could such a convenient coincidence really exist in this world?
Killua, at his current stage, needed to recharge to maintain long-lasting combat ability.
And the "Unmanned Rock" just happened to be the perfect power bank for him.
Silva looked at the stone and couldn't help but be moved.
"Looks like it's time I fulfilled my promise," Zigg said with a smile.
"The last time Germain came, I told him that if he could bring back the 'Unmanned Rock,' I'd let him see Alluka."
Zigg had already mentioned this to Maha, Zeno, and Silva after Germain left — though back then, no one gave a clear response.
Now that he brought it up again, Maha and Zeno still stayed silent.
But their silence was essentially a form of agreement.
They just didn't spell it out. Instead, all three turned to look at Silva.
Even though they were the elders of the Zoldyck family, they never used their seniority to pressure anyone. They knew well that the current head of the family was Silva.
The three elders understood their role — they couldn't have it both ways. If they still wanted to hold power, they shouldn't have stepped down in the first place.
A perfect example of the opposite mindset would be Chairman Netero.
Netero is already quite old, yet he still hasn't trained a successor for the Hunter Association.
Even if he has someone in mind, he hasn't handed over any real power.
On the surface, Chairman Netero may seem carefree and unruly, but in truth, he is more responsible and dedicated than Maha, Zigg, or Zeno.
He's given everything for the Association—working until death. But… that's not necessarily a good thing.
Still, something changed in him this past year.
Maybe… he finally saw a bit of "hope."
Silva could feel everyone's eyes on him.
He stayed calm, thinking for a moment.
Then his sharp gaze pierced through the strands of silver hair falling over his forehead and landed on Germain.
"What do you want from approaching Alluka?"
"I want to learn more about the 'Gaseous Lifeform – Ai,'" Germain replied.
"Then I'll decide whether my next focus will be them… or the 'The Twin-Tailed Snake Hellbell.'"
Silva shook his head—he clearly misunderstood Germain's intention.
"You probably already understand the basics of Alluka's ability and the price that comes with it. I won't allow you to use her 'wishes' to reach your goal. That's far too dangerous."
"I understand," Germain said. "I won't make any 'wishes' to Alluka, nor will I let anyone else make one for me."
"I just want to meet her, to get a sense of who she is. You can monitor the whole thing, set any restrictions you want—I'll accept them all."
Then Germain looked toward Zigg, who sat quietly in his wheelchair.
"If needed, I'm even willing to sign a 'Blood Oath Contract.'"
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