To make it to the Yorknew Auction on September 1st, Morrow contacted Menchi in advance, asking her to bring Chimera and meet him at Kukuroo Mountain.
Unexpectedly, their timing was perfect.
Morrow looked up and saw Chimera diving down from the sky.
After not seeing it for a while, its body had grown even more robust. It seemed the food in Jappon was truly excellent.
"Roar!"
Chimera had a pair of sharp black beaks, but when they opened and closed, they emitted a deep, powerful roar.
It seemed to sense Morrow's aura. Its neck, covered in red fuzz and resembling that of a long-necked dinosaur, quickly lowered, its massive bird head eagerly stretching toward the ground as if trying to land before its limbs.
Morrow observed the approaching Chimera. Its Flesh Wings, like bat wings, looked quite imposing when spread, and its scaled limbs had grown thicker and more powerful.
However, he knew that Chimera's most aggressive feature was still its tail with a spiral mouthpart.
Chimera folded its Flesh Wings, and the air current stirred up by its landing whipped up the surrounding sand and dust.
As soon as it landed, it eagerly pressed its massive bird head toward Morrow.
Yet, it was extremely intelligent.
Seeing Morrow's hands pressed against the stone gate, currently in a state of exertion, it forcibly suppressed the urge to nuzzle against him, instead fixing its crimson beastly eyes intently on its nearby master.
At the same time, it noticed the large white wolf not far inside the stone gate, trembling as it lay on the ground.
It naturally regarded Mike as food.
So even though it wasn't looking directly at Mike, the bud-like fleshy tumor at the end of its tail had quietly opened, revealing densely packed spiral teeth, locking onto Mike from a distance as if ready to devour it at any moment.
Mike was currently terrified.
This was a primal instinctual reaction from the depths of its being.
Even though it had been trained into a cold, ruthless killing machine that only followed rules, under the bloodline pressure emitted by Chimera, it was like a weak animal encountering a natural predator, completely paralyzed, without even the most basic will to resist.
This was Chimera's absolute dominance in the ecological hierarchy.
After all, magical beasts like these were inherently extremely rare and powerful.
It was just unknown what position a magical beast of Chimera's caliber would occupy in the Dark Continent once it reached maturity.
Morrow glanced through the gate crack at Mike, who was too frightened to move, then simply withdrew his hands, allowing the heavy Testing Gate to slowly close.
This action, in a way, saved Mike from the predicament.
As the thick stone gate closed, Chimera, not necessarily intent on eating Mike, slowly retracted the spiral mouthpart on its tail, then affectionately nuzzled its massive bird head against Morrow.
Kurapika and Kalluto had seen Chimera in Jappon before and knew of its particular closeness to Morrow, so they weren't surprised.
Killua, however, was initially startled by Chimera, but after calming down, he couldn't help but widen his eyes as he examined the bizarre creature before him.
Unlike the magical beast raised in his home, Chimera clearly carried an innate predatory aura. Merely standing there, it gave off a strong visual impact.
No wonder Mike had been scared to such an extent. While Killua was lost in thought, he saw how docile the Chimera was in front of Morrow and couldn't help but think that Morrow was truly an extraordinary person.
There was another person in the area who also thought Morrow was incredible.
That was Zebro, who was so frightened he had collapsed on the ground.
He had originally believed that the Zoldyck Family, who could tame creatures like Mike, was the most powerful existence in his understanding.
Never did he imagine that there could be such a terrifying creature like the Chimera in the world that defied common sense, and that someone could tame such a creature to such a docile state.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he probably wouldn't have believed such a thing existed even if he were beaten to death.
Morrow raised his hand and gently stroked the red fur on top of the Chimera's head.
The Chimera narrowed its eyes, enjoying Morrow's touch.
Seeing this, Kalluto temporarily set aside the sadness of soon parting with Morrow, carefully stood on tiptoe, and imitating Morrow, reached out to gently stroke the fur on top of the Chimera's head.
Feeling the soft texture at his fingertips, Kalluto's lips curved into a slight smile.
The Chimera understood human nature and had already recognized Kalluto's companion relationship with Morrow back in Jappon.
So it just slightly moved its eyes to glance at Kalluto, not resisting his closeness.
"Tch."
At that moment, Menchi gracefully jumped down from the Chimera's back.
Crossing her arms, she watched as the usually fierce and violent Chimera once again acted as docile as a kitten in front of Morrow, and couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"There are only two days left until the auction starts. If there's nothing else, we should get moving quickly."
Menchi urged impatiently.
Time-wise, it was indeed quite urgent.
And there was also the possibility that the items they wanted might be added to the auction lineup at the last minute.
So it was best to arrive in Yorknew before the auction began to avoid missing what they wanted.
Morrow nodded toward Menchi, then looked at Kalluto beside him and asked, "Should we have the Chimera take you up the mountain? That would be faster."
"No need."
Kalluto shook his head, his hair swaying in the wind, and said softly, "You're in a hurry, so you should get going quickly."
"Alright, then we'll be off."
Morrow smiled, nimbly jumping onto the Chimera's back, then called for Kurapika and Menchi to come up as well.
Kalluto looked up at Morrow, who had already mounted the Chimera, and the reluctance in his heart gradually spread across his face.
Just as he was about to ask when Morrow would come again, before he could speak, Killua beat him to it.
"Morrow, when will you come back to visit?"
Killua asked with anticipation in his eyes.
Hearing this, Morrow subtly glanced at Kalluto, who also showed expectation.
Before dealing with the matter concerning Illumi, he probably wouldn't easily come back to Kukuroo Mountain.
He even thought that if Illumi found out he had spent the day playing with Killua and Kalluto in Chiselwood Town, and that he had given Killua an expectation he shouldn't have...
Given Illumi's personality, he would likely become even more crazed.
"I'll come again after I finish what I need to do."
Of course, Morrow couldn't voice his true thoughts, only giving an ambiguous promise.
Although Killua didn't know what matters Morrow needed to attend to or when he would have free time, getting the response that he 'would come again' was enough for him.
A moment later.
The Chimera spread its massive membranous flesh wings, carrying Morrow and the others into the sky, quickly disappearing from Kalluto and Killua's line of sight.
Kalluto stared at the now empty sky, a wave of loss washing over him.
Killua, with his hands behind his head, suddenly asked, "Kalluto, do you know what Morrow is busy with? Will it take a long time?"
"Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?"
Kalluto collected his thoughts and turned to stare at Killua's profile.
Killua felt slightly embarrassed under Kalluto's gaze but maintained his composure perfectly, calmly explaining, "I'm just curious, that's all."
"Oh, Morrow is helping Kurapika retrieve his clansmen's eyes. I heard it's very time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring a lot of money too. It'll be hard to complete in the short term."
Kalluto lowered his eyelids.
Regarding the retrieval of the Scarlet Eyes, Kalluto actually wanted to help as well, but due to the situation with Illumi, he was somewhat constrained.
"Eyes?"
Killua showed a puzzled expression.
Kalluto said softly, "Brother, don't ask anymore. This is considered Kurapika's private matter, and it's not convenient for me to say more."
"Alright then."
Though curious, Killua didn't press Kalluto further.
He could always find a way to investigate on his own.
"Ah!"
Killua suddenly exclaimed.
Kalluto looked curiously at his brother who seemed to have changed.
Killua slapped his hands in frustration. "I forgot to exchange contact information with Morrow and Kurapika."
As he spoke, he looked at Kalluto, his eyes shining with hope.
"Kalluto..."
"No."
"Huh? I haven't even said anything yet!"
"Just no."
"...!"
—--
The destruction of the Phantom Troupe allowed Kurapika to fulfill one wish.
His other obsession was to retrieve his clansmen's eyes.
He didn't know how far this path would take him, nor how much time and effort it would consume.
But he would walk it uncomplainingly and without regret.
Morning of September 1st.
Thanks to its astonishing endurance and flight speed far surpassing that of an airship, the Chimera finally delivered Morrow's group to the Yorknew area just before the auction began.
However, the Chimera ultimately wasn't suitable for appearing in human cities, so it had to land in the Gordeau Desert on the outskirts of Yorknew City.
Though called a desert, the Gordeau Desert was actually a desolate rocky area with sparse vegetation.
There was little sand here; instead, jagged rock formations were everywhere.
In the wilderness far from the road, iconic towering crimson rock pillars stood scattered like giant monuments.
Morrow had the Chimera temporarily stay atop one of the tallest red pillar mountains, then proceeded along the road toward Yorknew City with Menchi and Kurapika.
Auctions were usually held in the evening, and it was still only 10 AM.
So there was plenty of time.
The more troublesome issue might be funds.
To settle the payment for the Zoldyck commission, Morrow now only had a few hundred million Jenny left, and he still owed Kanzai over ten billion.
As for Kurapika, he had just obtained his Hunter License this year and had been training with Biscuit for nearly half a year afterward.
So not only had he not earned any money, but his living expenses during that period had been covered by Biscuit.
Menchi's financial situation was somewhat better, with just over one billion to her name.
She had originally been quite wealthy.
But to help Morrow find a weapon that could serve as a replacement for the Poultry Scarlet Knife, she had invested considerable money into intelligence channels. Even though she had been working part-time in Jappon to earn money, she only had about one billion in the end.
The three of them pooled their money together, totaling just over 1.4 billion.
In the Bull Market, this amount would be enough to casually stock up on goods from various street stalls.
But at the Southernpiece Auction House, where the entry fee alone is 12 million, 1.4 billion would likely only be enough to bid on two collectibles.
Not to mention the possible appearance of Scarlet Eyes or the Nen-imbued objects Morrow wanted.
However, if Menchi's desired Chef's Scarlet Knifes were to be auctioned, they could probably be secured for under one billion.
"There's still plenty of time. Before the auction starts tonight, we can split up and sweep the Bull Market for goods. As long as we find items infused with aura, we can usually make a decent profit."
Morrow's gaze followed the road toward the distant city skyline.
Although funds were severely lacking, he wasn't particularly anxious.
If Nen-imbued objects appeared at the auction, he would bid if possible; if not, it didn't matter.
What he truly valued were objects carrying Post-Mortem Will.
For such collectibles exuding ominous aura, he could simply follow last year's approach, posing as a folk Exorcist to freely absorb a portion of Tree Rings energy.
Speaking of removing Post-Mortem Will, Morrow could now consider making money from it.
He had previously looked into information about Exorcists, but even on the Pro Hunter-exclusive website, details about Exorcism requests were scarce.
Come to think of it, it made sense...
Most people needing Exorcism were unwilling to expose their plight on the fast-flowing information highway of the internet.
And most Exorcists possessing the power of Exorcism preferred to keep a low profile.
Moreover, in this professional field, refraining from easily displaying the Exorcism process in front of outsiders had almost become an industry standard.
That's why in the original story, even with intelligence experts like Shalnark in the Troupe and a highly practical Hunter License in hand, it was still difficult to find an Exorcist capable of removing Chrollo's chains conjuration.
In the end, it was only through Kite's ability that they finally found an Exorcist.
Morrow had initially had reservations too, but now that his strength had reached level 70,
In terms of raw power alone, he could already be considered among the top-tier experts, so there was no need to worry about potential risks anymore.
Thinking this, Morrow took out his phone and directly sent a message to Argo, whom he hadn't contacted in a long time, asking him to post information on major websites about accepting Exorcism requests.
Of course, Morrow wasn't only targeting Hunters for business.
As long as the price was right, he was also willing to pose as a folk Exorcist and help ordinary people with tasks like spirit cleansing.
"Morrow, what are you doing?"
As they walked, Menchi glanced at the phone Morrow had just put away and asked curiously.
Morrow replied, "I plan to make money through 'Exorcism.' I just asked a friend to help post information about accepting Exorcism requests."
He paused briefly before adding, "Also, once we reach Yorknew, find a computer right away and help me post an ad on the Hunter website."
"No problem, but..."
Menchi asked, "When do you plan to get a license?"
"If I have time, maybe this year."
Morrow answered casually.
Kurapika remained silent, but he knew why Morrow needed to earn money quickly.
Not only to repay Kanzai but also to help him retrieve his clansmen's eyes.
Since Scarlet Eyes are treated as collectibles, if one doesn't resort to forceful seizure, the only normal approach is to purchase them at a high price.
"Let's speed up. We don't have much time."
Morrow wanted to reach the Bull Market quickly and immediately quickened his pace.
Menchi and Kurapika followed closely behind.
On the adjacent lane, cars passed by one after another.
On the road behind them, in one of several black cars.
Tsezguerra sat in the passenger seat and immediately noticed Morrow's back, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.
At the same time.
Somewhere in the world, a slovenly man intensely browsing the internet suddenly came across information related to 'removing Post-Mortem Will.'
"Oh?"
The man named Ging immediately became intrigued.
-----------
Bonus chapter @750 and next one @850