White smoke curled up from the sea of trees. By the lakeside, Law had built a simple stone oven using rocks, with fruitwood as fuel.
On a grassy patch near the lake, Alluka chased after a butterfly, running back and forth.
Killua crouched beside the stone oven, watching as Law took ingredients out of his backpack… two fish, each weighing about ten pounds. Their bodies were covered in golden scales, their heads flat with two whiskers, and a bead-like growth at the end of their tails.
"What kind of fish is this?"
Killua tilted his head, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Lobol fish. They live in the high-altitude Lobol Lake, and their numbers are scarce nowadays. They're considered the pinnacle of freshwater fish ingredients." Law removed the Aura covering the fish. To preserve their freshness, he had kept them wrapped in Aura throughout the journey.
Killua nodded, though not entirely understanding, and said, "So they must be super tasty!"
"You got that right." Law ruffled his hair and began preparing the Lobol fish. With a few swift motions, he scaled and gutted them, the process so smooth it looked like magic, making Killua's eyes widen in amazement.
After handling the fish, Law took out pre-prepared lotus leaves and several bottles of seasonings from his backpack.
He placed one fish on a lotus leaf and skewered the other on a wooden stick. Then, he sprinkled seasonings over both fish, using his hands to massage the flavors deep into the meat. Though it looked like a simple rub, it was actually his Nen Ability ensuring the seasonings fully penetrated the flesh.
There were two fires… one was the low-heat oven, while the other was a pit with intense flames.
Law had brought three Lobol fish. He planned to smoke one, cook another in the style of 'beggar's chicken', and save the last one for Maha.
While fielding Killua's endless stream of questions, he worked on the fish.
The oven was used for smoking the fish, requiring only careful control of the heat.
For the pit, he first burned a sufficient amount of firewood, then wrapped the fish in lotus leaves before coating it with mud. The thickness of the mud had to be just right… not too much, not too little. Once the firewood had burned down enough, he placed the mud-coated fish inside and buried it under the soil.
Once everything was ready, Law collected the golden fish scales he had removed earlier.
"The scales smell fishy. Aren't you throwing them away?" Killua asked.
"Lobol fish's scales can be used as medicine. Don't underestimate this small handful… it could sell for two million Jenny." Law explained.
Killua's eyes widened and he asked, "Then how much would this whole fish sell for?"
"Thirty million." Law said it casually.
That was actually a conservative estimate. Many of the world's wealthy elite pursued rare delicacies, and for a scarce ingredient like the Lobol fish, even doubling the price wouldn't be surprising.
Hearing this, Killua blinked and asked, "How many chocolate balls could that buy?"
"A lot."
Law gave a vague answer. The current Killua, acting like an inquisitive child, was quite different from his demeanor during the first phase of the Hunter Exam.
"Brother, look!"
Just then, Alluka came running over, proudly presenting a butterfly she had caught.
"Alluka is so amazing." Killua praised, making Alluka beam with joy.
Law glanced at the two before shifting his gaze toward a spot in the forest. There, Illumi stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a tree. He wasn't completely hiding his presence… enough to evade Killua's notice, but not Law's.
He was doing it deliberately, letting Law know he was watching. It was a warning, plain and simple.
After a while, a rich aroma filled the air.
Killua and Alluka stopped chasing butterflies and crouched by the oven, drooling over the slightly charred grilled fish.
Law took the smoked fish off the oven, placed it on a lotus leaf, and handed it to Killua and Alluka.
"Law, aren't you eating?"
Killua held the lotus leaf, his mouth practically watering.
"Well, you guys eat it." Law said with a smile.
"Then let's dig in!"
Killua's face lit up with excitement as he carefully picked out a piece of fish meat, checking for bones before handing it to Alluka.
The two of them swallowed their first bites.
"So good!"
Their eyes sparkled with stars as they exclaimed in delight. Once they confirmed there weren't many bones, they began devouring the fish ravenously.
Law knew these two little ones had impressive appetites, which was why he had prepared two whole fish for them.
The fish buried in the pit wasn't ready to be dug up yet, so Law stood and walked toward the spot where Illumi was hiding.
Illumi noticed Law's approach but didn't move from his position.
Law passed by a large tree, glancing sideways at Illumi leaning against the trunk, "Not coming over for a bite?"
"No." Illumi turned his head and looked at Law coldly.
"Too bad. That's Lobol fish, you know." Law pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket, took one out, and placed it between his lips. With a light flick of his finger, he lit it.
Illumi watched as Law exhaled smoke and said lightly: "The smell of smoke will make it impossible for you to ever hide properly."
"Hmm, that's a fair point." Law nodded, raising the cigarette case, "Would you like one? It's tea-flavored. All-natural, non-addictive, no side effects… and great for focus."
Illumi said nothing, simply staring at him impassively.
"Guess professional assassins don't smoke, huh?" Law chuckled and put the case away.
"How long are you staying this time?" Illumi asked.
Law exhaled a puff of smoke, thought for a moment, and said, "About a month. There are some issues I need Milluki to handle."
"If possible, I'd prefer you leave tomorrow." Illumi's expression remained blank as he said, "The farther you stay from Killua, the better."
"Okay, let's talk about that after you beat me." Law tilted his head back, watching the swaying branches in the wind.
Illumi's eyelids lifted slightly, his lips pressing together in silence.
If he could win, he wouldn't be wasting words. Half a year ago, during their last fight, he hadn't been able to gauge Law's true strength… and even now, he still had no chance of victory.
Seeing Illumi stay quiet, Law smirked slightly and said, "Milluki's hacking skills aren't quite there yet. If you want me gone faster, you could try pushing him harder. The sooner the problem's solved, the sooner I'll leave."
Illumi was silent for a moment, knowing this was unrealistic. Instead, he said coldly: "A debt debt left unpaid for six years. I'm surprised you can still stay here so comfortably."
That debt was for the dead tamed dragon. According to Maha's demand, an identical dragon had to be returned.
Law had passed the task to Ging, but Ging had been dragging his feet… probably too busy to bother with hunting a dragon.
As a result, six years had passed with no dragon returned to the Zoldyck Family. Fortunately, Maha hadn't set a deadline, and since Law always brought high-quality ingredients whenever he visited, Maha hadn't pressed the issue.
Out of the entire Zoldyck Family, only Illumi would bring this up… if only to needle Law a little.
"Haha, with such an adorable little Killua around, how could I ever want to leave?"
Law, completely unfazed, tossed out the remark before quickly making his escape, leaving Illumi's face as dark as a storm cloud.
After two months, Law was once again staying at the Zoldyck Family's Estate.
He headed to Milluki's room, pushing open the door to reveal a space filled with the unmistakable aura of an otaku's den.
Hearing the noise, Milluki turned toward the door… only to see Law grinning at him, "Hey there."
"Why are you here again?!"
Milluki was so startled he fell right out of his chair, his plump rear hitting the floor with a heavy thud.
"Look how excited you are. Don't worry, it's nothing big this time… I just need you to track down a few pests." Law stepped inside, walking toward a shelf lined with figurines.
Milluki scrambled to his feet, glaring at Law, and said angrily: "Last time, and the time before that, you also said 'a few', but it turned out to be sixty! You nearly worked me to death!"
Law glanced at Milluki, who had gained several pounds of weight, and said with a smile, "Think of it as a weight-loss opportunity."
"…"