Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Outside the alley, one corpse leaned against the wall, and inside, fifteen bodies lay scattered. There are no obvious signs of a struggle, and all had died from deep slashes across their necks.

Compared to Master Zeras lying outside, the pile of bodies inside the alley was far more thought-provoking.

The Third Prince paced back and forth in the alley twice before glancing toward the dead end at the back, a trace of wariness flashing in his eyes.

"To simultaneously slit the throats of fifteen people in such a narrow alley, ensuring a one-hit kill… even the greatest swordsman across the three great nations couldn't accomplish such a feat."

"Was it Nen…?"

The Third Prince slowly raised his head, staring at the light filtering in from above the alley.

Inside the alley, he stood alone, so no one heard his murmur.

Outside, the crowd of onlookers grew larger, all drawn by the news of Master Zeras's death. However, those who arrived later could only see the body covered in white cloth by the wall, unable to witness Zeras's final expression.

Among the crowd, Millia, who is draped in her hooded robe, quietly slipped away. She understood now why that boy had deliberately shattered the clothesline on the rooftop.

Grateful to have escaped unscathed, she had no intention of lingering in this dangerous place any longer.

After all, she had once been part of the group that profited from Vulture Street. And with Master Zeras being far from a nobody, if the Elba Kingdom's military insisted on investigating thoroughly, things wouldn't hold up under scrutiny.

Even if she truly had nothing to do with Zeras's death, once caught, given the Third Prince's ruthless methods, she knew she'd be subjected to brutal interrogation regardless of her innocence.

With that in mind, Millia began preparing to leave.

…

Sabro's house, the room on the third floor.

There were only two things in the wooden box. Law picked up the yellowed book, walked to the small round window, and browsed the contents of the diary under the sunlight.

This was the diary left behind by Salin, Sabro's younger sister. The book was somewhat thick, with no specific year marked, but judging by its yellowed pages, it had to be at least several decades old.

The first page's contents immediately gripped Law, compelling him to read further:

July 18, Sunny.

I'm going to the Forbidden Zone of the Kandhia Desert!

There was only a short sentence. It was unclear how old Sarin had been when she wrote this.

July 19, Sunny.

Got beaten up by my big brother over this.

I'm so pissed. Just because he was born three years earlier than me?

Hmph, just you wait!

July 20, Sunny.

Starting today, I'm seriously saving up money!

Even if it means I can't eat Uncle Limpy's bug hotpot anymore, so be it!

…But maybe once a month wouldn't hurt my savings plan. That hotpot is just too delicious!

Law looked at the tear stains on this page, which should have been left by Sabro.

July 21, Sunny.

Today, Deiy told me he wants to explore the Desert Forbidden Zone. I was shocked and asked him why.

He said: "Lots of people die there, so there must be lots of treasures too."

I don't know if that counts as treasure hunting, but I don't like that mindset.

July 22, Sunny.

Damn it.

Law paused at this page. Only a single word was written, and the handwriting was unusually forceful. He had no idea what had happened.

Flipping to the next page, the entries mostly consisted of trivial daily matters, occasionally mentioning Vulture Street and antiques, with entries becoming sparse… sometimes days or even weeks apart.

It wasn't until June 15 of the following year that the plan to enter the Desert Forbidden Zone was officially set in motion.

June 15, Sunny.

Finally got my hands on a map today! I must not let Big Brother find out, or all my efforts will go to waste!

But going to the Desert Forbidden Zone requires a lot of preparations, and the money I've saved is nowhere near enough.

I've decided… from today onward, my 'Great Savings Plan' will be upgraded to the 'Great Money-Making Plan'!

…

From that day on, the diary entries shifted to Salin's daily ventures into Vulture Street. Starting with being scammed repeatedly, it took her a full two years before she finally turned a small profit.

This experience not only taught Salin the tricks of the trade but also sharpened her social skills through interactions with all sorts of people. Not to mention, her extensive exposure to antiques greatly broadened her knowledge.

Salin never seemed to see herself as just a woman. She wanted to surpass men in everything, including her journey to the Desert Forbidden Zone. At the time, she was the only woman who dared to venture there.

As time passed, Salin became increasingly well-known in Vulture Street, building a reputation for herself. Many people sought her out specifically to appraise their antiques, and her income soared, leaving Sabro in the dust.

The very house Law was standing in had been bought by Salin.

Through appraisal fees and shrewd deals, Salin amassed more and more wealth, and was getting closer and closer to her goal. However, a new problem arose.

It can't be said that Salin's desire to go to the Desert Forbidden Zone was purely impulse. She had meticulously planned and patiently prepared for it.

She spent nearly four years gathering everything she needed, except for the most crucial element: the ability to protect herself… in other words, strength.

Without sufficient power, she wouldn't even make it past the sand bandits, let alone survive the Desert Forbidden Zone.

Therefore, Salin did not impulsively choose to set off when she was ready. It is worth mentioning that since she was beaten up by Sabro at the beginning, Salin has trained relentlessly every single day.

Then, after another year passed… Linne arrived.

Law finished reading the thick diary, but there wasn't much concrete information about the Desert Forbidden Zone. There was only one line of words written on the last page of the diary:

"Big Brother, I'm off!"

The day before she wrote that entry, Salin had defeated Sabro in a fight. By then, both of them had learned Nen from Linne and developed their own Nen Abilities.

Sabro had tried to stop her, but Salin was no ordinary woman, so he was beaten up by her. This diary seemed to have been left behind specifically for Sabro.

Closing the diary, Law found that Salin was very interesting. He almost wished he could've met her… though that might be impossible now.

He put down the diary and picked up the antique that looked like a pocket watch. It was very light, and the bronze metal case was covered in fine scratches.

When he flipped it open, to Law's surprise, he saw a compass.

With a slight move of his mind, Law absorbed the Nen on the compass, and then opened the other wooden boxes.

Unlike the wooden box containing the diary and compass, the other two wooden boxes were filled with things, all antiques.

Law picked up a few antiques at random, all of which were low-quality fakes.

After checking for a while, Law found that the two boxes of antiques were all worthless fakes. They should have been bought by Salin when she first entered Vulture Street.

Even though her reputation had accumulated, she never thought of disposing of these antiques, but instead kept them as mementos.

Compared to the so-called 'Master' Zeras, whom he met not long ago, the difference them was like heaven and earth.

Through this diary, Law had gained a rough understanding of the kind of person Salin was… and he couldn't help but admire her.

Law carefully packed everything back into place, placed them neatly in the corner, and cleared the bed.

And so, the days passed…