Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The assassination of Master Zeras became a long-standing topic of conversation among the residents of Elba. Since the money on Master Zeras had gone missing, the case was classified as a robbery-homicide.

The matter was handled by the Third Prince, who acted swiftly and decisively. To downplay the incident, he disregarded evidence entirely and within two days pinned the crime on five murderers. Their tongues were cut out, their tendons severed, and they were publicly executed, thereby closing the case.

Those five murderers were actually accomplices of Master Zeras. One of them was the one who bought the Pot of Greed, and they were also the five people who Black Cat had stolen the antiques from.

The Third Prince had conducted a thorough investigation, following the clues linked to these five individuals, and unexpectedly learned about Master Zeras's recent activities from their confessions.

Perhaps feeling that continuing the investigation would be a waste of time and effort, the Third Prince simply used these five as scapegoats.

He closed the case quickly, employing exceptionally brutal methods, but even so, he couldn't change the fact that Zeras had been assassinated in Elba.

In the end, he still had to bear the blame for lax security and was reprimanded by the king.

As for this matter, Law paid no attention to it at all, nor did he pursue Kuro's unauthorized killing. After all, the other party had already drawn their weapons, making it clear that the situation wouldn't have been resolved peacefully.

In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed since Law and the others' arrival in Elba.

Through the diary, Law learned about Salin and the Desert Forbidden Zone, but he refrained from rashly asking Sabro or Linne about it.

He felt it would be inappropriate to bring up topics related to the deceased.

Since Buhara had devoured all the hotpots in Sabro's shop on their first day, he spent most of his time helping Sabro run the shop.

During the day, Sabro, who is now freed up, became a professional tour guide. He took Linne and Law around the Elba City every day. They sampled local delicacies and visited shops specializing in various spices.

In the past, Law had to rely on the White Smoke Font to identify the origins of objects, but after thoroughly studying all of Linne's books, he could now recognize the background of many things at a glance without needing the White Smoke Font.

The reason why Linne took Law to get in touch with various spices was to purchase them and also to test Law's knowledge, and the result was naturally satisfactory.

When they returned to the shop, the plump auntie who lived nearby was standing at the entrance chatting with Buhara. Her enthusiasm seemed brighter than the sun in the sky.

Because business at Sabro's shop was so slow, Buhara couldn't find an excuse to leave and was stuck listening to the auntie's endless chatter.

Seeing Law and the others finally return, Buhara sighed in relief. He shook off the clingy auntie, and rushed over to Law, eagerly asking, "What did you bring today?"

"Roasted lizard legs."

Law handed over a large package wrapped in parchment. Buhara excitedly took it and immediately tore it open to start eating.

Sabro walked up to the plump auntie and lazily remarked, "You old cow, stop dreaming about munching on tender grass."

"Scram!"

The auntie shot him an annoyed glare, picked up her packed insect hotpot, and walked away.

Sabro watched her retreating figure and sighed quietly to himself. He knew the only reason the auntie clung to Buhara was because Buhara's simple-minded demeanor reminded her of her foolish son, who had ventured into the Forbidden Zone and never returned.

Linne slowly made her way into the shop and climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Law walked over, picked up a bright red scorpion, and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, he said, "You guys go inside, I'll look after the shop."

Sabro nodded and rushed into the store quickly, likely to find Linne. Buhara also felt that it was too hot outside, so he dashed inside with his freshly opened lizard legs, leaving Law alone at the shop entrance.

Sabro's shop was located in a residential area, some distance from the bustling streets, which explained the low foot traffic and his poor business.

However, his insect hotpots were among the best in all of Elba.

The building had been purchased by Salin, and Sabro had converted the first floor into a shop specializing in insect hotpots, probably because Salin loved to eat insect hotpots.

'These past few days, not a single artifact entangled with Nen has appeared on Vulture Street. It seems that the production rate of antiques in the desert is not very good. It's probably due to the high danger level.' Law mused, propping his chin on his hand as he gazed at the ground outside.

Ever since he tasted the sweetness of success on Vulture Street that day, he would take time to go there almost every day.

However, aside from that first fruitful trip, it was difficult to see antiques carrying Nen afterwards, which meant that no new antiques had been unearthed.

During the free time, in addition to going to Vulture Street, Law also went to many bars to inquire about the Desert Forbidden Zone, but the locals seemed to regard this subject as a taboo. Not only did they keep silent about it, they also warned Law not to be too curious.

This phenomenon is different from what is described in Salin's diary. Perhaps, it is because decades have passed and some things and attitudes have changed.

At night, with the full moon hanging high in the sky, the Elba City fell into a quiet atmosphere. Almost everyone fell asleep, and only the soldiers in charge of public security were still at their posts and patrolling the streets.

Under the cover of darkness, two figures, one tall and one short, darted swiftly through the alleys, easily avoiding the sentries.

Those two figures were none other than Law and Linne.

They arrived at the base of the outer city wall, where Law used his Nen ability to create an opening. Then, they slipped out of Elba and headed into the desert beyond.

About two kilometers from the city, Law and Linne came to a stop near a boulder roughly six or seven meters tall.

During the day, Linne took Law to experience spices and local delicacies. And at night, she taught him Nen Techniques and the skills of her school.

Though they weren't formally master and disciple, Linne thoroughly fulfilled her responsibilities as a master, which was a stroke of luck for Law.

"Netero's Hatsu is the pinnacle of stillness transforming into motion. Before unleashing his Nen, his Aura is as still as stagnant water. But the moment he activates it, it becomes as swift as lightning… impossible to guard against."

Linne stood on the sand and raised her hand. Her Aura clung to her arm like a slumbering tiger, utterly motionless. Then, as the last syllable left her lips, she suddenly threw a punch, and there was a sudden sharp sound erupting from the displaced air!

The punch was blindingly fast, and the previously calm Aura surged forth in perfect synchronization with her fist, which is a phenomenon that required extreme precision.

"You can do it too?"

Law looked at Linne's demonstration and asked.

"Could you see my punch clearly just now?" Linne asked back.

"Yes." Law nodded.

"Netero's fists are several times faster than mine." Linne said lightly.

Her implication was clear: she was far from reaching Netero's level.

And there was one thing she didn't explicitly state… speed was one thing, but matching Aura Flow to keep up with the speed of the punch was the true challenge.

Law already knew the extent of Netero's strength, but he could only pretend not to know.

Linne raised three fingers and continued, "The number of people in this world who can reach Netero's level doesn't exceed this count. I can't do it. That realm isn't something achieved through mere training… Talent is also extremely important."

After a pause, she stared at Law, who was listening attentively, "But I believe you'll be able to reach it someday."

'Realm' wasn't the entirety of strength, it was something honed over long years of experience.

But exceptions always existed, as there will always be geniuses in this world that are difficult to describe in words. Like Ging...

Hearing Linne's words, Law was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected such high praise from Linne.

Before Law could respond, Linne suddenly placed her palm against the boulder. There was no visible fluctuation in her Aura, yet the stone abruptly caved in, forming a depression twice the size of her hand.

"Netero is speed. I am slowness. Which will you choose?"

"Can I choose both?"

Law looked at the deep pit formed by the concentrated force at one point.