Upon hearing that the family's tamed dragon had died, Illumi fell silent.
That dragon was usually used by his father and grandfather, as it is a very convenient means of transportation.
However, compared to the dragon, Illumi preferred conventional transport, so he didn't have much attachment to the dragon.
Still, since Law had borrowed it from the family and ended up killing it, there had to be an explanation, even if it had nothing to do with Illumi himself.
For a moment, Illumi stared at Law with a hint of pity before saying, "Follow me. I'll take you to see Great-Grandfather."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked back the way he came.
Seeing this, Gotoh's eyes flashed with surprise. He restrained his Aura, then stepped back a few steps to make way.
In his view, Law looked only about sixteen years old, so how could he have any connection with Maha? If not for the fact that Law had entered through the front gates and pushed open the sixth Testing Gate, Gotoh would have already attacked him based on his flimsy-sounding claims alone.
Yet, shockingly, everything Law said turned out to be true. Not only did he know Maha, the oldest member of the family, but he had also borrowed the family's tamed dragon. Moreover, he somehow managed to get it killed.
Suppressing his complicated emotions, Gotoh lowered his head slightly and stood silently to the side.
Law ignored him and took a few quick steps to catch up with Illumi.
When Law and Illumi disappeared from sight, Gotoh raised his head and took out his phone, dialing Tsubone's number to report what had happened.
The call ended quickly. With Law's identity and purpose confirmed, the security alert initiated by the butler's division was lifted.
Gotoh put away his phone and remained in place, waiting for another butler to take over his post.
'If we had fought… what would my chances of winning have been?'
Gotoh asked himself this question in his heart, and soon came to a conclusion, 'There was a chance, but it's far less than fifty percent.'
Even so, no matter how slim the odds, he couldn't have backed down. It was his duty as a Zoldyck Family's butler to stand his ground.
…
Law and Illumi walked side by side along the forest trail leading to Kukuroo Mountain.
After walking for several minutes, Illumi kept his eyes fixed straight ahead without saying a word.
While they were merely walking, their speed was faster than a normal person's sprint.
The forest wasn't as dense as the Amaromi Forest or the jungles of Demon Island, but it was still far thicker than an ordinary woodland.
Even after walking for so long, they still couldn't see the silhouette of Kukuroo Mountain, as their view was completely blocked by the dense canopy above.
From time to time, Law glanced at Illumi's profile, but the other party seemed determined to remain silent until they reached Maha.
"That guy Hisoka… he's not dead, is he?" Law kept his gaze forward as he suddenly asked.
Illumi's eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly, and he tilted his head slightly to look at Law's profile.
From their respective perspectives, this was a completely random question, but once Law was factored into the equation, it wasn't hard for Illumi to connect it to the events at Heavens Arena.
Back then, he had used his Nen Needles to alter his appearance drastically… so much so that his disguised face bore no resemblance to his real one.
That day, he had even deliberately worn clothes he normally despised and made significant changes to his body shape.
Most importantly, it had been the first time he'd used his newly developed Nen Ability, so no matter how much he thought about it, he was certain Law couldn't have recognized him.
"Hisoka?" Illumi tilted his head slightly, his smooth black hair falling to the side of his face, and he asked seriously, "Who is that?"
"A pervert." Seeing Illumi play dumb, Law wasn't bothered and had a faint smile on his face.
"Oh."
Illumi nodded, then turned back to face the path ahead with calm expression.
"So, is that pervert dead or not?" Law pressed.
"I don't know any pervert named Hisoka, so I can't answer that." Illumi replied calmly.
They went back and forth, calling Hisoka a pervert left and right. Meanwhile, somewhere far away, Hisoka suddenly sneezed several times in a row.
"Is that so?" Law paused, then changed the subject, "What is the approximate price for your commission to kill someone?"
"The pricing depends on difficulty." Illumi answered swiftly.
Law nodded and asked, "Then how much would it cost to kill Hisoka?"
"Two billion." Illumi answered without hesitation.
"Ohhh~" Law drew out the syllable in sudden understanding, then stared at Illumi in silence.
"…"
Feeling Law's teasing gaze, Illumi's eyelids drooped slightly. He turned his head to meet Law's eyes with deadpan expression.
During his interactions with Hisoka, Illumi had privately assigned him a price. It wasn't so much a personal quirk as it was a professional habit ingrained in him as a Zoldyck Family's assassin.
Since he had already set a price long ago and he had also been honing his skills over the past few years so his business skills had become very proficient, when Law asked, he answered subconsciously.
As it turned out, he was deceived.
First, he claimed pricing was based on difficulty. Then, without thinking, he quoted a price for someone he supposedly didn't know. The truth was obvious.
"I suddenly remembered that among the people I know, there seems to be a person named Hisoka, and 2 billion is the price I assigned for him." Illumi tapped his temple with a finger, a look of suddenly remembering something emerged on his face.
Law smiled and said, "Since his head is priced two billion, then the Hisoka we're talking about must be the same person."
"Hmm, that's possible." Illumi nodded calmly and then asked, "Do you want him dead? Pay two billion, and I'll take the commission."
Law shrugged and said, "Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of money."
"Then there's nothing I can do." Illumi said regretfully, as if he was also regretting a lost business opportunity. In fact, he had no intention of taking that commission.
"By the way," Law suddenly smiled and asked, "Can your disguise ability be used on other people?"
Hearing Law's words, Illumi stopped suddenly.
'My Nen Ability was exposed?'
'Impossible.'
'The first time I used it was in the Heavens Arena. Apart from that time, I had never used it a second time in a formal occasion. So how did he know?'
Seeing Illumi stop abruptly, Law took a few more steps before pausing and turning back to look at him.
"I haven't tried it yet." Illumi looked up and stared at Law expressionlessly. When he raised his hand, there were several bead-headed needles between his fingers, then he said lightly, "Maybe it's possible. Do you want to test it?"
The atmosphere changed instantly, and a slight chill filled the air.
Illumi's voice carried no inflection, and his dark eyes were cold and indifferent. Although he did not reveal any killing intent, an unmistakable sense of danger permeated the air.
If Law agreed to 'test' it, there was no doubt Illumi would seize the chance to kill him.
'Without considering the consequences, this guy would actually do that.'
'Did I touch a nerve just by casually talking about the effect of his Nen Ability? I hadn't even mentioned the Heavens Arena's incident yet.'
Law was thinking this in his heart, but his face remained calm, and he smiled and said, "I've been afraid of needles since I was a kid. I'll pass."
"Hm."
Illumi silently put away the needles, and strode past Law without another word, continuing forward.
If Law had agreed to give it a try, he would take this opportunity to kill Law decisively. After all, Law had learned the effect of his Nen Ability by some unknown means.
'This person knows a lot.'
Illumi was certain of it. If possible, he decided it was best to minimize his interactions with Law from now on.
…
After walking quickly for another half an hour, the two finally emerged from the sea of trees and arrived at the foot of Kukuroo Mountain.
"No elevator?"
Looking at the foot of the mountain where there was no mechanical installations, Law was surprised.
Illumi was too lazy to explain. Instead, he leaped onto a protruding rock several meters high and, like a kangaroo, began bounding upward from foothold to foothold toward the summit.