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Ronin might not enjoy wanton slaughter, but when it came to being a battle junkie, he considered himself no less obsessed than Hisoka!
So, if they were going to fight, why not do it at Heaven's Arena?
Not only could he bask in the cheers of the crowd, but he could also turn himself into bait once again. Even if he didn't manage to hook the big fish that was the Phantom Troupe, winning matches would generate revenue. Millia would surely appreciate that choice.
Hisoka's eyes lit up with extraordinary brightness, though a strange feeling rose in his heart. Did I... just become a ripe fruit ready for picking?
"Sounds good. When?" Regardless of the feeling, Hisoka had absolutely no reason to refuse.
"Do you qualify?" Ronin asked.
Hisoka shook his head.
He knew about Heaven's Arena, but he had been too busy joining the Phantom Troupe to actually go there and climb the ranks.
"Then let's make it October 1st. I have some things to handle here first," Ronin set the date.
Normally, he just needed to return to Heaven's Arena before December to participate in a match.
But now that Hisoka had issued a challenge, he'd begrudgingly find the time to complete his fifth match at the arena with him!
Although Hisoka wanted to fight Ronin right then and there, after weighing his options, he agreed to the proposal. After all, he had a mission with Illumi in mid-September.
"Deal! I'll fight my way to the 200th floor before October 1st. I hope you won't stand me up."
"I won't."
"By the way, do you know where Chrollo went?" A hint of malicious amusement appeared on Hisoka's face.
Ronin stopped looking at him. "Compared to Chrollo, I'm more interested in how much you know about Meteor City. Do you know anyone there?"
Although he had Owl as a manual "portable storage," Ronin hadn't given up on Shizuku.
Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't even plan on killing her.
She hadn't participated in the Kurta Clan massacre, nor had she joined the Phantom Troupe yet. If he could recruit her, she would make an excellent assistant for whatever he planned in the future.
And if he found her early, could he use her as bait to ambush the Troupe?
Even if she couldn't be used as bait, Ronin simply enjoyed the feeling of snatching something away from them.
Hisoka was surprised by Ronin's counter-question.
"I don't have any ties to Meteor City," Hisoka said. "But I've been there a few times. What do you want to know?"
"I'm looking for someone. If you can provide me with intel, I don't mind postponing our fight, or even letting you have the first crack at Chrollo." Ronin offered his terms.
"Who?" This time, Hisoka was genuinely interested.
"Shizuku Murasaki," Ronin said.
Hisoka thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head after a long pause. "Never heard of her. But I can ask around for you."
"Okay."
"Is she important?" Hisoka asked curiously.
"Eh, she's alright." Ronin didn't elaborate.
"Are you really not curious about where Chrollo went?" Hisoka didn't dwell on Shizuku; there were plenty of people in Meteor City.
But investigating a specific person from Meteor City wasn't hard, as long as you found the right partner.
And he just happened to know a "know-it-all" from Meteor City.
Asking them to help look for her wouldn't be difficult. Whether he would tell Ronin once she was found, however, was another matter entirely.
"Not curious." Ronin shrugged. "Besides, with you being so eager to tell me, the answer is practically slapped on my face. Where else could it be but the Kurta village?"
"And you're just going to let him go there?" Hisoka was surprised.
"Yeah." Ronin nodded. "Knowing now is too late. Instead of chasing him, I'd rather wait for him to come find me."
"You're making me want to kill a Spider just to see what happens." Unable to get a satisfactory reaction, Hisoka felt a bit bored.
"Kill one then. It's not like any of them are saints," Ronin egged him on.
Hisoka smiled without answering, but judging by his expression, he seemed to be genuinely considering it.
---
The auction ended.
Neon participated in the bidding, but she only won some items Ronin had no interest in.
Hisoka left before the auction concluded.
Ronin didn't know if Hisoka could track down Shizuku, but even if he couldn't, Ronin lost nothing.
Exiting the auction house, the first person Ronin saw was the billionaire Battera, surrounded by media.
Ronin had no intention of approaching him yet; now wasn't the time. Besides, Kurapika had already found out where Battera lived. If they wanted to ask him about entering Greed Island, they could visit his castle anytime.
Withdrawing his gaze from Battera, Ronin spotted a tall, slender man with an elven bearing walking toward him.
"We meet again, Ronin." Muir greeted him.
"Captain Muir. Let's walk." Ronin pointed toward a café on the street corner.
They sat facing each other, while Neon busied herself with the trinkets she had just acquired.
The waiter brought coffee.
After adding two sugar cubes, Ronin rubbed the side of his cup, waiting for Muir to speak first.
"I'd like to invite you to join the Rock Mercenary Group temporarily for a mission." Muir got straight to the point.
"What kind of mission?" Ronin didn't reject him outright.
The Rock Mercenary Group was powerful, and maintaining a good relationship with them had no downsides for Ronin.
Plus, both sides had been satisfied with their last two collaborations.
"A ruin exploration mission. I think you'll be interested." As he spoke, Muir took out a file and handed it to Ronin.
Ronin took the file with some curiosity. The first photo that caught his eye when he opened it made him raise his eyebrows in surprise.
The photo showed some clothing. Clothing Ronin was very familiar with, because both he and Kurapika owned similar sets.
It was the traditional garb of the Kurta Clan.
A poncho-like garment that slipped over the head, blue-based with simple patterns outlined in golden yellow lines.
Kurapika usually wore this outer piece over a white-based casual outfit, finished with flat shoes.
"Is this related to the Kurta Clan?" Ronin asked as he flipped through the file.
"Uncertain, but the clothing is strikingly similar to the traditional attire of the Kurta," Muir said.
The ruins were located on the Azian Continent, not in the Kakin Empire, but in a small neighboring country called the Etri Kingdom.
The Mahavi Ruins were a site discovered in the Etri Kingdom only recently. A year ago, a fully equipped exploration team had entered the ruins, but instead of news about discovered treasures, they came back fleeing for their lives.
The ruins were infested with magical beasts—terrifying monsters with rock-like brown bodies and two emerald-green arms.
Six months ago, the monsters began leaving the ruins and attacking nearby villages.
The King ordered the National Guard to seal off the Mahavi Ruins and begin purging the monsters that escaped.
But the monsters' bodies were incredibly hard; ordinary bullets could barely scratch them. After paying a heavy price to barely hold the containment line, the Etri Kingdom issued a mission request to the Hunter Association.