Collectors of unique items often share a common psychological trait.
Driven by strong personal preferences, they seek recognition and admiration from like-minded peers within their circles.
Thus, their desire to share and showcase far exceeds that of ordinary collectors.
They pursue not only the rarity of their collections but also the symbolic status these items hold within their community.
As for human organ collections, Scarlet Eyes, renowned as one of the Seven Beauties, are undoubtedly among the finest in their category.
Therefore, collectors passionate about human organs would not easily part with Scarlet Eyes unless absolutely necessary.
Yet this year's Yorknew Auction features two pairs of Scarlet Eyes...
Morrow's first thought was that coming here was the right decision, but he immediately had to face the reality of insufficient funds.
With only 1.4 billion in available funds, bidding for even one pair of Scarlet Eyes would be problematic, let alone two.
Beside him, unlike Morrow who was troubled by financial concerns, Kurapika was filled with rage, his reddened eyes fixed intently on the photo of the Scarlet Eyes in the auction catalog.
When his gaze fell upon the cold description beside the Scarlet Eyes detailing the Kurta Clan's genocide, his clenched fists tightened further, causing his chains to rattle audibly.
Despite specialized emotional control training, whenever he thought about his clansmen's eyes being displayed as commodities before countless buyers, Kurapika ultimately found it difficult to suppress his fury.
He couldn't help but wonder. Who did these two pairs of eyes belong to? Could they be his parents? Might they be Pairo's?
Merely entertaining such thoughts tormented Kurapika's heart.
Hearing the clanking chains, Morrow closed the auction catalog, reached past Kurapika, and handed it to Menchi on the other side of the back seat.
Menchi took the catalog and immediately began flipping through it, hoping to find photos of Chef's Scarlet Knives.
Withdrawing his hand, Morrow glanced at Kurapika's tightly interlocked fingers and casually patted his shoulder.
The gesture made Kurapika start slightly, gradually regaining his composure as he slowly calmed down.
Looking at his profile, Morrow said calmly, "Anger won't solve anything. The eyes are scheduled for auction on the evening of the 5th. Before then, we need to raise at least 5 billion."
"5 billion... with only four days..."
Kurapika took a deep breath, frowning slightly as he murmured, "Once we reach Yorknew, I'll go to a bank to mortgage my Hunter License and see how much I can borrow."
"You can only get 100 million that way, barely a drop in the bucket."
Morrow shook his head, giving the direct answer.
Unlike selling a Hunter License outright, mortgaging it to a bank would indeed yield only 100 million.
So Kurapika's suggestion held little practical value.
Hearing Morrow's words, Kurapika's frown deepened. The anger in his heart gradually subsided, replaced by an urgent need for money.
As early as last year, he had realized that on this path to reclaim his clansmen's eyes, money was just as crucial as strength.
Without sufficient financial resources, he could only repeat last year's scenario, watching helplessly as others outbid him for the Scarlet Eyes. But even understanding the importance of money, the real question was how to obtain a large sum of funds.
Morrow glanced at Kurapika and could clearly see a trace of anxiety on the other's face.
He remained silent, thinking of the original Kurapika who, in order to retrieve his clansmen's eyes, earned money by opening a casino and then used financial transactions to try and redeem the eyes.
However, during the process of redeeming the eyes, he would always encounter holders unwilling to trade.
At such times, Kurapika could only resort to threats, deception, coercion, and other means.
It could be said... during that phase, every time Kurapika recovered a pair of his clansmen's eyes, he would lose something in return.
As memories intertwined, Morrow propped his cheek with his hand, tilting his head to gaze at the desolate scenery speeding past outside the car window.
From the moment he accepted Kurapika's lingering Nen and touched those 'memories,' he had already decided to help Kurapika retrieve all the Scarlet Eyes.
But on this path to reclaiming the eyes, he wouldn't shoulder all the difficulties for Kurapika; he hoped Kurapika could grow and improve through the process.
Even if this journey would be filled with hardships and pain...
So, upon sensing Kurapika's anxiety, Morrow showed no reaction.
If it were Kalluto feeling anxious now, he might carefully soothe Kalluto's emotions like caring for a child.
But Kurapika was not a child.
Therefore, what Morrow should do was not to coddle Kurapika, but to accompany him.
He didn't want to see Kurapika gradually erode that pure goodness within his heart in the pursuit of his clansmen's eyes.
He hoped even more... that one day in the future, Kurapika could truly lay down his burdens and experience the world's beauty, unobscured by hatred, in the most peaceful and free state.
"Money... is actually the minor issue."
Morrow stared at the dust stirred up by the airflow outside the car window.
Whether it was bidding for Scarlet Eyes at the Yorknew Auction or purchasing them from other holders... these were basically matters that could be resolved with money.
The real trouble was the Scarlet Eyes in the possession of the Fourth Prince of the Kakin Empire, Tserriednich.
To retrieve the Scarlet Eyes from this beast in human skin, money alone would never suffice.
It would inevitably require methods like seizure or theft.
But behind this beast stood a superpower comparable to the V5, and it was vaguely connected to Beyond's meticulously laid plans, thirty years in the making.
Morrow didn't know much about Beyond.
What was certain was that Beyond, as Chairman Netero's son, had a style of conduct vastly different from Netero's.
Setting aside strength, if the two were placed side by side, Morrow actually found Chairman Netero easier to deal with.
In any case, to seize the Scarlet Eyes from Tserriednich, one had to be mentally prepared to bear enormous risks.
No use thinking about this now.
Morrow slowly halted his train of thought.
With 36 pairs of Scarlet Eyes still in existence worldwide, Tserriednich could be left for last.
Right now, the focus should be on securing the two pairs at the auction.
—--
Yorknew, Hotel Beitacle.
Inside a suite.
Morena sat upright in an office chair, holding a phone to her ear.
A man's voice was coming through the phone.
"I want the Nosa serial killer's partial remains and two pairs of Scarlet Eyes. Money is no object. I must see them by the 10th."
"Understood."
Morena replied calmly.
Click.
The call ended.
Morena gently placed the phone on her desk, her eyes dark and unreadable.
The man who had just given her the order was none other than the Fourth Prince of Kakin.