The Zoldyck Family's emphasis on family was already deeply ingrained in their bloodline.
Even if they expressed it in different ways, this bond of blood had silently shaped the trajectory of Killua's growth.
He had once enthusiastically told Gon during the Hunter Exam that after becoming a Pro Hunter, he would turn in his entire family for their bounties.
He had also coldly told his mother, Kikyo, "I'll kill you."
But in truth, Killua could be said to be the one in the Zoldyck Family who cared most about his family.
That was why when his family all regarded Alluka as a "monster," only Killua never wavered, always seeing her as his most important younger sister.
However, it was precisely this attachment to his family that became his softest, yet most fatal, flaw when he tried to take Alluka away.
If he had been a bit more resolute, leaving no room for compromise; then, no matter how seriously Silva and Zeno treated the matter, with the power of Nanika's wish-granting ability within Alluka, Killua would never have failed on the brink of success.
But what was done was done. No matter how much Killua regretted it, he couldn't change the reality that he and Alluka were now firmly under the family's control.
He could only wait for an opportunity, searching for a possible escape.
From now on, Dad and Grandpa and the others... they probably won't see Alluka as family anymore.
As the room was swept by a surging, powerful aura fluctuation, Killua's heart was a dead calm.
Back when Alluka first displayed her wish-granting ability and the risks that came with it, the family had unhesitatingly imprisoned her deep underground.
Despite that, Killua still believed that in their hearts, his family had reserved a sliver of warmth for Alluka.
The proof was that the family hadn't directly eliminated this source of danger.
And although they had decisively imprisoned Alluka, they had still maintained a warm environment for her.
But Killua should have understood long ago. From the moment his family stuck a needle in his head, they were essentially refuting his view of still seeing Alluka as family.
That's right.
Everyone in this family thought his viewpoint was wrong.
Now that they knew the secret of 'demands,' Alluka, in their eyes, would probably no longer be just a dangerous monster, but a versatile, all-powerful wishing tool to be exploited.
And that was the truth.
The moment Silva and the others witnessed Tsubone's arm being restored, Alluka's value in their eyes was completely rewritten.
She went from an uncontrollable threat to an extremely rare, all-powerful wishing tool.
An all-powerful wishing tool with no risks to speak of, and perhaps even no upper limit...
What in the world could be more enticing than this?
Even Zeno, who had always been known for his detached nature, couldn't help but have a glint of light flash in his eyes at this moment.
Killua believed that Nanika's ability probably had no upper limit.
But the rest of the Zoldyck Family didn't know that, so they needed to test the limits step by step.
Restoring Tsubone's arm was just the first step.
However, after using her immense power to restore Tsubone's arm, Nanika fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion.
This intense mental and physical fatigue also directly affected Alluka, causing her to lose consciousness on the spot and crumple toward the ground.
Tsubone, whose arm had just been restored, immediately reached out and caught her steadily.
Killua saw this, his heart tightening, but he kept his face a mask.
He knew clearly that Nanika's wish-granting ability might indeed have no upper limit, but if the content of the demand was too harsh, even without bearing the risk of death that could come from a 'request,' it would severely drain Nanika's and Alluka's spirits.
In other words, if he made a demand of Nanika that surpassed her limits, and Nanika was able to respond, she would likely fall into an incredibly long, perhaps even eternal, slumber after fulfilling the wish.
Right now, it was just restoring one of Tsubone's arms, so perhaps the slumber wouldn't be long.
But once the family started using him to make all sorts of overwhelming demands, he would have to consider in advance the situation and risks Nanika and Alluka would face.
He would, of course, do everything in his power to prevent that from happening.
I have to stay calm...
Killua forcefully suppressed the surging anxiety in his heart.
Tsubone held the deeply sleeping Alluka and looked at Silva and the others.
It seems she's exhausted her power.
She had just witnessed from up close the pitch-black, hollow face representing Nanika suddenly fade away, replaced by Alluka's sleepy expression, who was awake for only a moment before falling into a deep sleep.
This made her immediately understand that fulfilling a wish through a "demand," while directly circumventing the price of a 'request' that could cause many people to die on the spot, required a much larger expenditure of energy.
"Compared to the price of a 'request,' this is nothing."
Silva nodded at Tsubone, a trace of undisguised astonishment in his steady voice.
The moment he finished speaking, Milluki excitedly interjected, "Since there's no price to pay, then in the future, whether it's limited-edition figurines or the latest computers, won't it be easy to–"
Silva's cold, wolf-like gaze swept over, and Milluki's words died in his throat.
The excitement on his chubby face instantly froze, and he timidly lowered his head.
"I-I can just buy them with money..." he muttered under his breath.
The fat otaku just wanted to be the first to own the newest limited-edition figurines and top-of-the-line computers. What was so wrong with that!
Kikyo ignored the show-off Milluki and looked directly at Silva, the red electronic eye she wore emitting a faint fluctuation.
Silva could sense the meaning behind Kikyo's gaze and said calmly, "No need to rush. There are still some details to confirm."
Kikyo nodded silently.
What Silva was thinking about at that moment was confirming how long Alluka would need to sleep after completing this demand.
From now on, the duration of every slumber had to be accurately recorded.
Once enough data was accumulated, they could create a classification table corresponding to the difficulty of different demands and the length of the slumber.
If this power could even resurrect the dead, and as long as the slumber time was within an acceptable range, then... this was undoubtedly a unique ability in the world, the closest thing to a miracle.
It must be held firmly in the family's hands and utilized to the greatest extent possible.
A sharp glint flashed in Silva's eyes.
The Zoldyck Family was preparing to test the limits of the wishing machine, step by step.
Before long, they would try to use Nanika's power to bring a departed soul back to the world of the living.
—--
In the Kakin Empire, the national sacred treasure, under Beyond's impetus, was absorbing the life force of one sacrifice after another.
A regalia that also possessed the properties of wish-fulfillment, once it received the life force of tens of thousands of sacrifices, would also become a force not to be underestimated.
Morena, having returned from the cycle of life and death and obtained a new Chimera Ant body, lay dormant in the dark sewers of the Kukan'yu Kingdom, plotting to drag the world into the abyss using the "calamities" of the forbidden continent.
And Gyro, also reborn in the body of a Chimera Ant, after subjugating Squadron Leader Zarzan, began to extend his reach toward Meteor City.
His goal coincided with Morena's; he wanted to exact revenge on the entire world.
And Meteor City, this garbage dump abandoned by the world, was the most suitable breeding ground for cultivating evil.
With Zarzan's ability to transform living beings with her stinger, Gyro planned to convert the residents of Meteor City into a legion that feared no death, and to turn this place into a new den of vice.
Faced with the overwhelming power of Gyro, Zarzan, and the other Chimera Ants, Meteor City, having long lost the protection of the Phantom Troupe, was powerless to resist.
Realizing the situation was hopeless, the council of elders attempted to preserve a final shred of dignity through negotiation.
Such a weak course of action made it no wonder that Troupe members like Phinks had always held these old fossils in contempt.
However, faced with the proposal to negotiate, Gyro unexpectedly accepted.
"They're just a bunch of Kuzu. What right do they have to negotiate with us?"
Zarzan expressed her confusion.
Gyro simply replied calmly, "Violence alone cannot truly control everything. The King's end is clear proof. To swallow this garbage dump more quickly, a combination of hard and soft tactics is the shortcut."
Zarzan found this reasoning difficult to understand.
If it were up to her, she would just go around stabbing them one by one with her stinger.
As for how much value could be squeezed out of these humans, she couldn't be bothered to consider it.
After all, creatures like humans were as numerous as cockroaches; you could get as many as you wanted.
After accepting the Meteor City elders' negotiation proposal, Gyro did indeed use a combination of hard and soft tactics to quickly gain control of the entire city.
However, to achieve this goal, he agreed to a condition proposed by the elders.
Or rather, a code of conduct.
"We refuse nothing, but do not ever take anything from us."
Gyro's understanding of this was: an eye for an eye.
He deeply empathized with this, as he himself was such a person.
Based on this principle, he would have to, in the name of Meteor City, deal with those enemies who had not yet faced retribution.
And among these enemies, naturally, was Morrow, who had once beaten the council of elders so badly they dared not make another move.
All over the world.
The gears of fate were quietly turning.
What was certain was that the world was vast, never lacking in monstrous geniuses, nor in methods and sharp tools.
Morrow, completely unaware of all this, was fully engrossed in preparations for his journey to the Dark Continent.
After leaving Netero, he still didn't go directly to Swardani City. Instead, he used the Chimera's flight ability to first deliver the handbook Linne had given him to Menchi for research.
Upon learning the handbook's origin, Menchi was so excited she was almost at a loss for words.
Because in the world of Gourmet Hunters, Linne's status was as lofty as Netero's was in the hearts of martial artists.
After properly entrusting the handbook to Menchi, Morrow finally set off for Swardani City.
In just a few days.
He arrived before the Hunter Association Headquarters.
The turmoil of the previous election, the deaths of Pariston and Saiyu, seemed to have left few traces on this building.
And Morrow, the perpetrator, walked into the building with a peaceful state of mind and soon met Gel in one of the offices.
At Morrow's arrival, Gel immediately stood up to greet him with perfect etiquette.
However, just as she led Morrow to the sofa in the reception area and he sat down, she suddenly said, "Morrow, you really are audacious."
"Hm?"
Morrow, sitting on the sofa, asked back without a change in expression, "Audacious? Are you referring to the fact that I came to see you on my own initiative?"
"No need to put on an act in front of me."
Gel didn't prepare tea for Morrow.
Because she knew full well that after she said this, no matter his considerations, he would not possibly do something like drink tea.
"The one who killed Pariston and Saiyu, it was you, wasn't it."
"Gel, I don't quite understand what you mean."
Morrow's expression was as usual, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather. He said, "Regarding that matter, Kanzai did send some video footage. The perpetrator looked like a butcher, and it seems he killed Pariston over a debt dispute. In any case, it's regrettable."
"We fought side by side."
Gel had no intention of arguing. She just stared quietly into Morrow's eyes and, in her usual indifferent tone, stated the fact that they had participated in the Chimera Ant subjugation together.
This short sentence seemed not only to be describing the relationship between them but also to be conveying another message:
I have seen your true, powerful self.
Of course.
Confirming that Morrow was the perpetrator was something Gel had only gradually figured out after the fact.
And the fundamental reason she was so certain was that Morrow hadn't broken her arm at the time.
She didn't think Morrow had held back out of sentiment.
The main reason was that she believed Morrow probably never intended to completely hide his identity from the start.
So he didn't care about leaving behind a flaw in his disguise.
"Gel, that's not worth mentioning, and certainly not worth my time."
Morrow's reaction was so calm it was as if he were saying the two people who died were just insignificant beings.
"I came this time to invite you to join my team."
He nonchalantly brushed past the previous topic and directly extended an invitation to Gel.
Unexpectedly, Gel didn't press the matter of the murders.
She had only brought it up to verify the guess in her heart.
And Morrow's reaction, to her, was no different from an admission.
"Team?"
Gel looked at Morrow with a hint of curiosity.
Morrow nodded. "I'm preparing an exploration plan for the Dark Continent. If all goes well, we'll be setting off soon."
"Are you serious?"
Gel crossed her arms, her tone involuntarily becoming serious. "The Dark Continent is humanity's greatest taboo, a restricted area that must not be entered."
"Oh? How much do you know?" Morrow asked in return.
"Simply put, it's the world outside the world map."
Gel said, "I've heard that world has all sorts of different human-like species. Many of the currently regulated magical beasts also originate from there. But the reason it became a taboo is that whenever humans try to set foot there, it triggers natural disasters. This is recorded in many ancient books and ruins."
"Mm."
A faint smile crossed Morrow's face. He looked at her seriously and said, "You know so much about the 'taboo.' It seems you're not entirely uninterested."
Gel frowned slightly but didn't refute him.
Morrow immediately extended a hand to her, making a formal invitation. "Want to come along? If you're willing, you can treat this invitation as a commission and name your desired reward or conditions."
Gel was silent for a moment, then shook her head gently. "No need. I still owe you a favor."
"A favor?"
The first thing that came to Morrow's mind was not his help during the Chimera Ant subjugation, but the time he helped her remove the Post-Mortem Will of the snake-type Nen Beast.
"That time, I was just collecting payment and doing my job."
"But to me, that was a favor."
Gel's tone was still indifferent, yet it seemed to be mixed with another, hard-to-discern meaning.
Morrow was slightly taken aback, then began to laugh.