Chapter 92: The Legend of the Artifacts
Muherr was a professional mercenary.
But behind him stood the Vice Chairman of the Hunter Association and one of the Zodiacs: Pariston Hill.
Ronin's existence had entered Pariston's radar the moment he contacted Usamen (Adley) using his Hunter credentials.
When ancient clothing resembling Kurta traditional garb was found in a ruin, Pariston immediately contacted Muherr.
He outsourced the mission to the Rock Mercenaries.
This kind of high-casualty, scorched-earth operation was the mercenary group's specialty. Furthermore, Muherr's decision to recruit Ronin was influenced by Ronin's recent displays of overwhelming power.
Under normal circumstances, not even Pariston could force Muherr to invite an outsider into the core of his mercenary operations.
But if Ronin proved himself during the ruin exploration, Pariston might consider inviting him into the "special team" he was assembling.
Whether Ronin would be interested in that invitation remained to be seen.
Muherr finished his explanation and sipped his coffee, waiting for Ronin's decision.
After a long silence, Ronin set the dossier down.
He was curious about Magical Beasts. In the Hunter x Hunter world, Magical Beasts were intelligent, communicative creatures or monsters.
The monsters crawling out of these ruins looked formidable, but Ronin didn't sense any Nen from the descriptions.
If they weren't Nen users, they weren't a threat to him.
More importantly, the discovery of Kurta-style clothing was the ultimate bait. If Kurapika heard this, he would demand they go.
Ronin closed the folder. "You've offered a mission that's impossible to refuse."
Muherr smiled. "Your demonstrated power is extreme. You'll be a vital asset for this contract."
"Aren't you worried my 'power' might destroy the ruins?" Ronin asked jokingly.
"If you're not worried about breaking the loot, I'm not either. Our contract is simple: Exterminate the Magical Beasts. Whether the ruins survive is secondary. The Kingdom of Aitli doesn't really care about preservation," Muherr smirked. "For a small nation like that, discovering a high-rank ruin is often more of a curse than a blessing."
"When do we leave?" Ronin asked.
He had loose ends to tie up in Yorknew and couldn't leave immediately.
"I'll head out as soon as possible. You can join us later," Muherr conceded. "I'll keep you updated on the situation. Just don't refuse when I send the signal."
"And the payout?"
"The base fee is low—only 500 Million Jenny. But the catch is the loot rights. If you find treasures in the ruins, you can keep them. You just have to pay the Kingdom of Aitli a 20% 'tax' on the appraised value," Muherr said generously. "Simply put, Aitli can't afford a proper mercenary fee, so they're offering the ruins as collateral, but they still want a cut of the profit."
"That changes things. Arriving early might be much more profitable than arriving late," Ronin raised an eyebrow.
Muherr nodded. "Equivalent exchange. The more effort you put in, the more you take home. So? coming with me?"
"I'll pass for now. If it's not urgent, I'll be free by mid-October or November," Ronin calculated.
Regardless of the ruins, collecting the Scarlet Eyes was the priority. If there was no rush, he preferred to finish his duel with Hisoka first.
As for Chrollo? Ronin pushed him to the back of his mind. He couldn't put his life on hold waiting for the Spider to strike.
"Fine," Muherr said easily. "The ruins are massive. Clearing them won't be a weekend job. It'll be a war of attrition."
With the business concluded, Muherr departed in a hurry.
September 10th.
The Yorknew frenzy began to fade. The celebratory atmosphere of the auction vanished, replaced by the city's usual rhythm.
Using his Mafia credentials, Kurapika finally tracked down a private collector with a pair of Scarlet Eyes.
Over the next ten days, the trio traveled between cities. By the end of the run, Ronin had acquired three more pairs of eyes.
Everything was going smoothly.
The authority of a Ten Don was the ultimate skeleton key. The speed of their collection was far ahead of schedule.
But as soon as that thought crossed Ronin's mind, the situation changed.
The fourth lead they followed ended in a bloodbath. When they arrived at the collector's mansion, the man was already dead.
The collection had been looted. And in a conspicuous spot, the perpetrators had left their mark.
The Phantom Troupe.
From that moment on, all info on Scarlet Eye holders dried up. Whether Kurapika used the Mafia network or his borrowed Hunter access, the results were a dead end.
It was as if someone had scrubbed the intel from the face of the earth.
"I don't think this is the Troupe's doing," Ronin said, frowning.
"It isn't," Kurapika agreed, appearing unphased. "When the value of an item is artificially inflated, the number of hunters increases."
"What do you mean?"
"Your unique eyes, plus the rumors I deliberately leaked about the Scarlet Eyes... it's all driven the market value into the stratosphere. There are pros and cons to this strategy," Kurapika explained.
"The pro: the chance of a collector destroying the eyes is now zero. They're too valuable. The con: the eyes have become one of the 'Seven Most Beautiful Colors' on steroids. More people want them now. And some of those people are Nen users."
"What rumors did you spread, exactly?" Ronin asked.
"Have you heard of Artifacts?" Kurapika asked.
Ronin's expression shifted. He thought of the three Artifacts of the Kakin Empire: the Seed-Sowing Jar, the Zen Buddhist Statue, and the Sword of Omen.
That was the first time the manga introduced the concept.
How did Kurapika know about them?
"I see you've heard the term," Kurapika noted. "Legend says Artifacts grant the user unimaginable power or fulfill a wish. Rumor has it the Kurta Clan, the 'Devil's Apostles,' were the guardians of an Artifact called The Mandate (Tenmei)."
"The rumor I spread says the Phantom Troupe didn't just want the eyes for money. They wanted to use the eyes as a sacrifice to activate the Mandate and make a wish."
"The twist? They didn't find the Artifact in the village. It was lost long ago."
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