Still standing in the Clan Head's office, Amir, the Clan Head, takes the knife and inspects it with interest.
"Interesting," Amir says. "A Ben's Knife, right? I even own two myself—they were gifts from people trying to curry favor. They are rather well-known. Do these contain residual Aura?"
"Yes," Auren replies. "You might seem unimpressed. The third reason I collect them is that items with residual Aura are somewhat protected from the passage of time. They don't degrade. For example, this knife will never rust if not placed in extreme environments. They're also far more durable, so this knife is already a lethal weapon. There's another reason: when you use Shu—a technique of imbuing one's Aura into an object—the effect is stronger if the item has residual Aura."
He continues his explanation, not holding back, "It means this knife is already a dangerous weapon, regardless of who wields it. However, in the hands of a Nen user, it reveals its true potential. However, frankly speaking, this is just a slightly better knife that gets another small boost in the hands of a Nen user. It doesn't make much of a difference to be totally honest."
That's the half-truth. A Ben's Knife is a terrible weapon. If my memories are not deceiving me, even Chrollo, who is not particularly strong in a direct one-on-one battle, especially when Enhancement is involved, managed to cut Silva, who has one of the strongest bodies in this world. They are rare treasures.
"That's... a little underwhelming," Amir says bluntly. "I've never been much of a collector myself. My father loved items like these. Just take a look around this office—everything here was amassed by him. He spent a fortune on these treasures. Still, your hobby has its merits as there are at least some benefits involved in the things you seek."
Amir opens a drawer in an old walnut-colored cabinet and retrieves two knives. He hands all three knives to Auren.
"So these are your Ben's Knives," Auren notes, inspecting them. "They look intriguing. Every knife is a piece of art and vastly different from an ordinary knife."
One of the knives has the shape of a shark's tail, with two sharp, pointed edges, angled to the side—the other resembles a meat cleaver. Both are Mid-Era knives with numbers between one hundred and two hundred.
"Keep them," Amir says, seeing Auren's interest in them. "I can see you appreciate these. Jasoof, show Auren around the storage room. The room with our collectibles holds items we didn't bother selling—so they're not very valuable. Choose anything you like. I only ask that you remember your promise about the Nen technique."
"I'm grateful," Auren replies, putting away the knives. "However... you can't expose the source. If it ever leaks, I'll have no choice but to take desperate measures." He meets Amir's gaze steadily. "This is a matter of life and death."
"I understand the risks and the consequences," Amir responds firmly. "I would never risk letting our secrets escape. It stays within the family, you have my word."
"Good," Auren nods. "I'm glad you are so well informed. If a way to learn Nen becomes public, hundreds of hunters and soldiers will appear here. Or worse... You might get sent a little rose as a present. The association will do anything to stop that from happening, and the V5 will fully back them."
"I realize that," Amir says. "It will be handled with the utmost care, and it will be impossible to trace it back to you."
"That is acceptable. We have a deal!" Auren states.
"Perfect," Jasoof says, clearly satisfied. "Now that the business is over, let me show you our storage rooms..."
"I'll accompany you," Amir adds. "I'm curious whether there truly are hidden treasures in our dusty warehouse."
... I might have to steal a few items if I truly find something special. This man is quite calculating and suspicious.
They leave the office, and immediately, a few servants approach Amir.
"Follow me!" Amir commands the two male servants, then glares at the maids behind them. "Gather more servants. I need large bags for our guest—get as many as you can!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" one servant calls out.
Your Majesty? Whatever...
Escorted by an ever-growing line of servants, Jasoof, Amir, and Auren head toward the basement, the stairs quickly changing from marble to old, even dirty stone in the basement.
Down below, the atmosphere starkly contrasts the mansion's upper floors. It's old, worn, and undecorated, with only a few dim lights providing clues that it's not a completely abandoned part of the mansion.
After walking some distance, they reach an old wooden door, which turns out to be unlocked.
"The door isn't locked?" Auren asks, surprised as Jasoof opens it.
"We have cameras on the upper floors... and nobody sane would steal from us," Jasoof explains. "That would be a fatal mistake—everyone knows it. Besides, anything of value we could convert into money has already been taken. Whatever remains is either unsellable or only worth a few million Jenny at most—hardly worth our attention and certainly not worth the risk to our reputation."
"It's been years since I've ventured down here... if things weren't so dire, I'd redecorate this floor," Amir comments as he looks around, looking a little ashamed.
So things are looking bad? I knew the Glam Clan was struggling a little, but I didn't expect it to be that bad. He is probably exaggerating a little, but it's still a surprise. They are desperate for hunters to take their missions, but their rewards are rather mediocre. That explains a lot.
Once inside the storage room, Auren sees a huge hall, easily large enough to house a dinner party for dozens of people. Mountains of random items flood the entire room: old clothes, hats, books, paintings, watches, clocks, some furniture, lighters, and even things like fishing rods, golf clubs, or tennis rackets. However, much to Auren's displeasure, items like rings, necklaces, or earrings are absent, likely having been sold long ago.
"These things are whatever our debtors valued and ended up in our possession one way or another. Some things were won in bets, some were... forcefully collected. As you can see, while they are without a doubt valuable, these items take a lot of effort to sell. We don't want to sully our reputation by appearing as second‑hand dealers. We only sold the really expensive pieces and the ones we could move anonymously, like jewelry," Jasoof explains.
"Well, I don't think you need to be ashamed to sell your unnecessary junk, but I understand the problem. Reputation is important, after all," Auren says, stepping further into the room.
"I don't want to be rude... but this might take a while." Auren says, activating Gyo. "I'll start in one corner and inspect everything this room has to offer. I'm not an expert, so I'll limit myself to things that carry Aura—if anything like that is even here."
"The items are not sorted. Go ahead," Jasoof says, standing aside and watching as Auren begins his search.
I never thought the day would turn into this—but what can you do? This is a good opportunity, after all. Might as well enjoy it and give it my best. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.
Auren finally begins, sifting through the miscellaneous piles around him.
It only takes him two minutes to find an old golf club that displays a visible amount of Aura. Auren, even without much knowledge of golf, can somehow identify it as a heavy, old-style driver—thanks to the memories he absorbed on that fateful day years ago.
Jasoof and Amir, standing a little distance away, ask, "Found something already? Is that a golf club?"
"Yes," Auren replies. "It has a tiny bit of Aura. It isn't worth much, but Aura is Aura. I don't discriminate."
It's not for my own personal collection—though they don't need to know that. I can use this to trade with other collectors. Pariston got me into that particular club, so it's better if I bring something besides just money. Everyone there already has wealth. If I bring items to exchange, it boosts my reputation and makes me seem more than an upstart. I'm sure there's a market for items like these.
The servants walk forward and offer him a bag. Auren places the axe he is still carrying and the club inside, freeing his hands again.
He continues scanning the items and soon finds a handwritten book that shows a hint of Aura. He glances at the title: "1606 Season log." Auren briefly flips through it—initially confused—until he realizes what he has in his hands. It's a book about wine, specifically viticulture—the process of growing wine, specifically the experience of one particular wine-grower."
It's nearly four hundred years old.
Well, might as well take it.
The next noteworthy item Auren discovers is a somewhat sparking golden lighter. With interest, he flicks the wheel, watching a few strong, beautiful sparks flash before the lighter produces a bright orange flame.
Still working? Not bad. I like this lighter.
Auren inspects the lighter more closely, even opening it up, only to see that it doesn't contain any lighter fluid or oil, and the inside is completely dry.
Huh? So how is it burning? No, it should be almost empty. It just looks dry.
Auren smells the parts, but doesn't smell anything, except metal.
Really?
Focusing on the lighter, Auren flicks the wheel again, concentrating on it. After a few minutes, he spots the tiny amount of residual Aura on the lighter beginning to decrease.
I see... it uses residual Aura as fuel? That's interesting. Does that count as Post‑Mortem Nen? It's certainly intriguing. It looks a little used, so if my guess is right, the lighter will recover if it's left alone. A lighter that runs on Aura—definitely interesting. I'll keep it for myself, at least for now. According to my guess, it could probably hold out at least a couple of hours—that's impressive.
Auren keeps searching and quickly finds more and more items: an old puppet, an even older handmade plush bear, and a small yet sharp hatchet, which pleases him—exactly what he's after. He also picks up a pair of small paintings with a faint trace of Aura.
He spots a pair of smooth black leather gloves containing Aura as well.
Overall, Auren finds twenty‑seven objects in around two hours, finishing his inspection at last.
He decides to keep the lighter, the hatchet, the pair of gloves, and also a sharp broadspear, an old metal breastplate, a thick red robe, a hat made out of some kind of hide, and a sparkling silver rapier for his personal collection. He gladly takes the other nineteen objects—including the golf club, the puppet, the plush bear, the paintings, and the rest of the random items he found as well—intending to trade them with various other collectors in exchange for different items more to his liking.
Auren, with enough items to fill four large bags, returns to Jasoof and Amir.
"Already done?" Amir asks.
"Yes," Auren replies. "These are the items I'm interested in," he says, pointing to the servants who are carrying his spoils in numerous bags.
"A promise is a promise," Amir says. "Take them all."
"That's a little surprising," Auren admits honestly. "I'll remember your generosity."
"No problem," Amir replies. "Please contact Jasoof when you manage to acquire the Nen technique. You'll be paid generously—you can trust me."
It looks like I hit the jackpot today!
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