Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Beneath the golden sands of the Kandhia Desert lie ruins beyond the count of historical records, countless treasures buried in darkness, untouched by daylight.

There are two types of people who take risks and come to the desert for profit: one is the merchants who buys low and sells high, and the other is the adventurer who is looking for fortune.

The former arrive with wagonloads of goods to sell at inflated prices in the oasis nations, then purchase antiques or local specialties cheaply before returning to flip them for massive profits on both ends.

The latter form small teams to explore the perilous desert, hoping to unearth ruins filled with treasures, or at least score a lucky find in Vulture Street.

Whether large merchant caravans or small adventuring parties, all must face not only the desert's inherent dangers but also the threat of sand bandits. A single misstep could cost them their lives.

However, money has a way of luring those unafraid of death.

Most of the people in Vulture Street are outsiders, including merchants, fortune-seekers, even travelers hoping to stumble upon luck.

At this time, on the stage that looked like an auction stand, the old man in the hooded robe called Zeras continued to calmly comment on the Pot of Greed, and finally came to a conclusion: it was a high-quality fake!

The wheat-skinned woman in short-sleeved shirt and hot pants, who seemed unbothered by the scorching sun, appeared to be the host. Upon hearing the old man's verdict, she turned to the middle-aged man with a look of pity.

"Sir, your family heirloom is not genuine. As per our agreement, regardless of whether you are satisfied with the appraisal result or not, you must pay Master Zeras an appraisal fee of 500,000 Jenny."

The middle-aged man lowered his head slightly and said in despair: "I don't have that kind of money."

"Master Zeras did say that while this pot is a fake, its craftsmanship is quite unique. If you sell it now, it's worth at least 1,000,000 Jenny. You can take advantage of the crowds and auction the pot on the spot. As long as the price exceeds one million, you can not only pay the appraisal fee, but also get 500,000 Jenny."

The wheat-skinned woman showed a sunny smile.

The middle-aged man's spirit seemed utterly drained. But when he heard the wheat-skinned woman's suggestion, he had no other choice. Besides, 500,000 Jenny was not a small amount of money, so he agreed to put the Pot of Greed up for auction.

Seeing the middle-aged man agree, the wheat-skinned woman's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible joy, and she said to the people below the stage: "Everyone, as you've heard, while this Pot of Greed is a counterfeit, Master Zeras has given it a favorable evaluation, proving it still holds significant value."

"With the consent of the original owner, we will now auction this Pot of Greed! The starting bid is 500,000 Jenny, with increments no less than 10,000. Highest bidder takes it!"

The wheat-skinned woman's voice was loud but not shrill. She didn't need any auxiliary equipment such as a microphone, and everyone present could still hear what she said clearly.

As soon as the wheat-skinned woman finished speaking, murmurs spread through the crowd, yet no one immediately placed a bid. After all, it was a fake, and despite Zepile's praise, its value had undeniably plummeted.

After a pause, someone finally raised his hand and shouted, "510,000!"

The wheat-skinned woman glanced at the man quickly and shouted, "This gentleman bids 510,000! Any higher offers?"

After confirming twice, someone in the crowd hesitantly called out 520,000. The interval between the two bids was a bit long, which showed the reluctance of the person who called out the price.

When the middle-aged man saw the lukewarm response from the audience, he suddenly grew anxious. His family heirloom, which he had believed to be genuine, turned out to be a fake. That would have been fine, as Master Zeras had at least given an appraisal price of one million.

If sold successfully, after paying the appraisal fee, he could still walk away with 500,000.

But now, with such little enthusiasm for bidding, the man began to panic.

Subsequently, sporadic bids came in, pushing the price up to 600,000 over the next few minutes.

Among the crowd, Law remained a calm observer, studying the people on stage and the bidders, sensing something was off.

He tugged at the sleeve of a middle-aged man from before, pretending to be an ignorant newbie, and asked, "Hey, mister, who's this Master Zeras? He seems really famous and impressive."

The man glanced at Law with disdain and said, "What is a little brat like you doing here?"

"Just here to broaden my horizons!" Law blinked innocently, looking as harmless as a puppy.

The man replied impatiently: "Master Zeras is a top-tier appraiser renowned across the three great oasis nations. There's nothing he can't identify, but his appraisal fee is very expensive."

"This is a place for adults, not some brat. Get lost."

At this time, the price of the Pot of Greed had reached 650,000, and the auctioneer was already on her second confirmation. One more call, and it would be sold at the price of 650,000.

On the other hand, the person who had bid previously seemed to have lost interest in continuing.

When Law saw the Pot of Greed was about to be sold, he suddenly raised his hand and shouted, "One million!"

The jump from 650,000 to a million instantly drew the attention of everyone present. Many people here were not short of this little money, and they just wanted to see who was so rich that they were willing to spend such a sum to buy a fake.

The man who had scolded Law and told him to scram took a step back in disbelief, staring at Law with a look of 'What the hell is wrong with this world?', as if the slap he'd intended for Law had instead landed on his own face.

Ignoring the man and the surrounding stares, Law turned his gaze to the stage.

Master Zeras sat on a chair, paying no attention to the auction, while the wheat-skinned woman in charge of hosting gave Law a deep look. As for the middle-aged man with the Pot of Greed, his eyes lit up with excitement.

If Law had not called out the price, the final price might have been set at 650,000. But after Law called out this price, it depended on whether the previous bidder would counter.

To raise the bid for a fake directly to a million struck the crowd as incomprehensible.

The reason Law was determined to win was simple, as the Pot of Greed was wrapped in Nen. With that reason, even if the price reached ten million, he would still go for it.

What ordinary people couldn't see was the source of their confusion.

Furthermore, based on Law's experience of coming into contact with antiques, any antique that is entangled with Nen has a very high chance of being authentic, and whether Master Zeras's confident assessment was accurate remained to be verified.

Unfortunately, the White Smoke Font only provided precise evaluations, including the price, when he physically touched the object.

After placing his bid, Law kept his eyes on the wheat-skinned woman's reaction. When he saw her quickly move her gaze away before looking back, Law immediately understood.

Assuming the Pot of Greed is genuine, the theatrics on the auction stage became all the more intriguing.

The person who had previously offered a price of 650,000 raised the price again, to 1.01 million.

Law didn't immediately counter the bid. Instead, he met the woman's gaze and flashed a meaningful smile.

The wheat-skinned woman was slightly startled. Although her mental strength had been trained to the point of being unshakable, she inexplicably felt a sense of unease at this time, as if someone was about to wreck the show.

She suppressed the inexplicable emotions in her heart and smiled at Law: "Sir, would you like to continue?"

"Of course, 1.02 million." Law said slowly.