At the Zoldyck family dinner, Killua purposely chose a seat far away from Silva, Zeno, and Milluki.
Naturally, Gon sat right beside him.
The two boys huddled close together, whispering to each other.
At the table were Germain and most of the Zoldyck family members—except for Maha, Kalluto, and Illumi.
Each of them had their own reasons for skipping the dinner.
As for the ones present—Silva, Zeno, Milluki—none of them paid much attention to Killua's little tantrum.
When it came to how Alluka was being handled, they didn't think there was anything wrong with locking her up.
To them, that was the safest choice—for the family, and for Alluka herself.
It wasn't that they were heartless. Alluka was still family, after all. But as the world's top assassin family, they were used to thinking with logic, not emotions.
Silva's face was as pale as ever, with cold, unreadable eyes half-hidden beneath his wispy silver bangs.
He picked up a slice of saucy beef with his silver fork, brought it to his mouth, and quietly asked:
"Germain, now that you've met Alluka, what do you think?"
Germain was seated right next to him, also eating the Zoldyck chef's carefully prepared dinner.
Their faces were both lit by the same crystal chandelier hanging above.
Today, not only did Germain finally get to meet the Zoldyck family's fourth child, Alluka— He also got access to the past experiment records from Milluki, Illumi, and even Kikyo.
Stacks of written reports and data on computer screens— All of it painted a terrifying picture of Alluka, and the power called "Wish and Whim" that came from Nanika.
"I did confirm one thing, at least," Germain replied softly.
"The thing residing in Alluka… it's not the same as the one in the Dark Continent."
Silva looked at Germain. "You mean... its ability has changed?"
Clearly, the Zoldyck family had already discussed this among themselves.
"Yes. Before, it directly took Mr. Zigg's limbs and blood—but it wasn't fatal. It just used those to reside inside him, reshaping his body."
"But now... it's developed all those rules around 'Wish and Whim'..." Silva set down his knife and fork, resting his fingers under his chin in thought.
"It might be because it exists in two different states," Germain said, cutting a piece of steak in half with his small knife. He pushed the left half aside.
"This is it in its free form, without a host body. In this state, 'Wish and Whim' isn't lethal. You won't even get the chance to say no—it just takes what it wants."
"But at least the host survives. Right now, it's more like a hermit crab looking for a shell to hide in."
Germain then pushed the right piece of meat aside as well.
"And this is it with a host body. It takes time to adjust, to gain control. Once that happens, the 'Wish and Whim' becomes deadly."
"No—more accurately, if you reject its whim four times, you'll die. Either squeezed into a rope-like twist, or flattened into a sheet."
"What they have in common is this: it's like being instantly wrung dry—every drop of liquid sucked out. And the method it uses is likely the 'Dark Space.'"
Grandpa Zigg had been more willing to talk to Silva lately, so Silva was already somewhat familiar with the 'Dark Space.'
With Germain's hint, Silva instantly thought of the description of the "Trinity Elixir" guarded by the Gaseous Lifeform Ai—
"It can become the base liquid of all other liquids…"
Is "Trinity Elixir" the original form of all liquids, or is it a result of extracting and combining the bodily fluids of various organisms?
Could the "Gaseous Lifeform – Ai" be the product of a sped-up and twisted process, something similar to how fossil fuels like oil are formed, which then created this "Trinity Elixir"?
Just then, a soft tap tap interrupted Germain and Silva's train of thought.
They looked up and saw Zeno sitting across the table.
He was holding a pair of chopsticks, tapping them lightly on the table with his head slightly bowed. He said, "It's dinner time. Let's eat first."
Germain and Silva exchanged a glance and decided to drop the topic. It wasn't the kind of conversation suited for a banquet anyway.
Still, Germain now had a gut feeling.
Maybe this whole thing about the "Gaseous Lifeform and Trinity Elixir" is even messier than what's recorded in the archives.
Chairman Netero, Mr. Zigg, and old lady Linne were the only known survivors of the disaster labeled "Gaseous Lifeform – Ai," and none of them left any official records behind.
There were only three officially documented survivors—and they were all Hunters hired by the Mimbo Republic.
But all of them suffered mental breakdowns and couldn't give much useful information.
Why did they go insane?
Could it be that the Gaseous Lifeform had also taken root inside their bodies, and fought for control over them—eventually driving them mad?
If so, where did the Gaseous Lifeform inside them go?
Could this be connected to why Nanika transferred from Zigg's body into Alluka's?
And maybe, just maybe, Nanika is a unique form of the Gaseous Lifeform herself.
Kikyo gently dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin. The red dot of her mechanical eye locked onto Germain, making him feel like a sniper had just taken aim at him.
"I heard that after wiping out Gyro and the Phantom Troupe's forces, you've been supporting four people from Meteor City to become Elders, and even funding Meteor City's rebuilding?"
She was born in Meteor City, and that made her a tough, unyielding woman.
You could tell just by looking—four out of her five children inherited her jet-black hair.
If Silva hadn't beaten her over and over again when they were young, completely breaking her pride, she never would've agreed to marry into the Zoldyck family.
Now, as the matriarch of the Zoldycks, she never rushed to offer aid to Meteor City. She knew how to keep her distance.
Still, it's not a coincidence that people like Canary, also from Meteor City, ended up working as butlers and servants in the Zoldyck household. She definitely had a hand in that.
"Yes," Germain nodded. There was nothing to deny. "Meteor City is in ruins now. Most people are dead or injured. They really do need help from the outside."
Kikyo scoffed.
"What's the point of rebuilding that place? It was always a pile of garbage. Whether it's ruins or not doesn't change anything."
"As for the dead? They'll be replaced soon enough. There's never a shortage of criminals, drifters, and refugees who've lost everything."
"Meteor City folks are like cockroaches—stubborn and impossible to kill. It won't take long before they're swarming again, and everything starts all over…"
Kikyo stabbed a cherry tomato with her fork with precise accuracy.
She spoke in a cold, indifferent tone, then popped the tomato into her mouth.
Germain couldn't quite tell whether her words about Meteor City were filled with contempt or praise.
The next day, Germain didn't immediately leave the Zoldyck estate.
Instead, he stayed there for several days.
During that time, he was able to see Alluka almost every day.
At first, Silva would accompany him during the visits.
But after a while, for some unknown reason, it was Milluki who started showing up instead.
Later, Germain found out that the chubby boy had been trying to find a way to get on his good side.
He just didn't know how to start the conversation.
Of course, Killua was there too.
He spent a lot of time playing games with Alluka during those days.
But as soon as the visiting time was over, the three of them had to leave.
Alluka was once again left alone behind the layers of sealed gates.
Well—maybe not completely alone.
Nanika was there with her, and the two could still communicate.
But even so, being kept in isolation for most of the day…
For someone Alluka's age, that was just too sad.
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