The Scarlet Eyes had another name in the nearby cities: "the Devil's Apostles."
That might also be why the clan didn't like going out—people in this world were always quick to treat anyone different from them as an outsider.
Even if that difference had no impact on others at all, the moment something bad happened, people would link that bad thing to those "outsiders."
Ronin didn't care too much about that. What he wasn't sure about was whether Uvogin would chase him relentlessly.
After all, once Troupe members were done with their tasks, their time was their own.
And with those two attacks, Ronin had thoroughly offended Uvogin. So the best move was to get as far away from this area as possible.
Also, Ronin didn't know whether Shalnark had already obtained a Hunter license at this point, but the guy clearly had solid hacking skills—so Ronin should hide his identity.
The most basic step was swapping out these ethnic clothes that screamed "Kurta Clan."
As for where to go next…
Ronin patted the money on him, damp from the rain.
Go make money.
Whether he wanted to buy Scarlet Eyes or gather information, he needed cash.
September was when the Yorknew auction would be held. That was the best way to acquire Scarlet Eyes—through the underground channels, just like Kurapika.
After all, collecting human organs was a hobby that skewed pretty dark, so those trades were mostly done in underground markets.
And Yorknew was probably the best marketplace of them all.
Ronin also remembered that at the 1999 auction, a pair of Scarlet Eyes was sold—but because of malicious bidding, the red-eyed Kurapika ended up buying that pair for 2.9 billion jenny.
In the world of Hunter x Hunter, jenny had purchasing power similar to the Japanese yen.
2.9 billion wasn't a small number.
The first way Ronin could think of to earn money was to head to Heavens Arena and make his first bank there.
For someone who had Nen, that wouldn't be hard.
At the very least, reaching the 200th floor wouldn't be difficult. And as long as he could fight his way to the 190th floor, he could earn 200 million jenny.
Ronin didn't know how much you earned by going up to the 200th floor, but it should be more than 200 million. However, past the 200th floor, there were no longer prize bonuses—it became fighting for honor.
According to the original manga, once you were above floor 200, if you became a "Floor Master," you not only gained fame but could live without worry—so there should be other income streams tied to that status.
Ronin planned to earn what he needed there first, then shift to Yorknew.
As for whether to seek out Kurapika, Ronin had no such plan for now.
He wasn't the original owner anymore. And he wasn't collecting Scarlet Eyes to return them to the clan—he was absorbing them.
He honestly couldn't guess how Kurapika would react to that.
Especially since Ronin still wasn't sure about Uvogin's stance. Going to Kurapika rashly could easily bring danger onto Kurapika's head.
So it was better to wait.
Once he had enough money and had dealt with the Uvogin problem, it wouldn't be too late to contact Kurapika.
With his next steps mapped out, Ronin began his wilderness survival trek through the forest.
Meanwhile, Uvogin and Kortopi arrived at the spot where Ronin had discarded the sticker.
"He's smart," Kortopi said as he picked up the sticker, making a judgment about Ronin. "This doesn't look like a newbie Nen user. It looks like someone who's been exposed to Nen for a long time—someone who's thought deeply about it."
"His strength really does seem like he's only recently learned Nen," Uvogin said, replaying the fight in his head. "But fighting him was weird. He seemed to be in Zetsu almost all the time—even when he was attacking."
"Using Zetsu as the price to gain a more unpredictable ability?" Kortopi said. He'd already heard Uvogin's description of the fight.
"His fighting style feels kind of… ninja-like," Uvogin said, putting his impression into words. "Clones, substitutions—and every time he used a move, he'd put his hands in front of him and form these strange seals."
"A strange Specialist ability," Kortopi said, interpreting it his way. "But overall, it leans toward Conjuration and Transmutation."
Whether clones or substitutions—those were Conjuration-type abilities.
But to conjure a clone, even one that popped with a poke, should still cost a lot, shouldn't it?
After all, developing that kind of ability in such a short time after awakening Nen practically guaranteed he'd used the double-edged sword of Vows and Limitations.
"What a pity," Uvogin commented, as if he'd thought of the same thing. "If I weren't hounding him, he might've had a much broader future."
He said "pity," but his expression wasn't pitying at all—if anything, he looked faintly pleased.
"Are you still going to keep chasing?" Kortopi looked toward the dense forest ahead.
Without the sticker to guide them, finding Ronin now wouldn't be easy.
"Sounds like there's nothing else for me to do next, right?" Uvogin rubbed his chin. He wasn't planning to let it go so easily.
Feitan's mockery was still fresh in his mind.
He was going to retrieve both pairs of eyes that had slipped away—no matter what.
"Mm." Kortopi didn't stop him. In fact, he conjured a phone and handed it to Uvogin. "This will last you twenty-four hours. That runaway should be named Ronin, right? If he enters a city, maybe you can contact Shalnark and have him help you find the kid."
"Thanks." Uvogin accepted the phone. "Looks like he's not going to Nancha. Then he can only be heading to Yanshui City."
"Good hunting." Kortopi waved.
And the moment he waved, Uvogin shot off like a wild horse unleashed.
At his speed, he might even reach Yanshui City before Ronin did—but that wasn't Kortopi's problem anymore.
Ronin's direction really was Yanshui City.
Because it was one of only two cities near the village.
Judging by the direction the Troupe had entered from, they likely came from the Nancha side.
So Ronin gambled that when they left, they'd probably also go through Nancha—after all, Yanshui City was farther.
Riding a chocobo to Nancha took six hours, but to Yanshui City took ten.
Neither city was big. The Troupe had no reason to pick the far one over the near one.
That meant even if Uvogin really came after him, in Ronin's view, at most it would be a duo searching for him in Yanshui City.
That duo would most likely be Uvogin and Shalnark, or Uvogin and Kortopi.
Just like in Yorknew, when Shalnark helped Uvogin search for the Chain User. As for Nobunaga—Uvogin's frequent partner—he was a combatant, and would likely stay with Chrollo to protect the batch of Scarlet Eyes.
Ronin even suspected that Uvogin would probably escort the "cargo" first, finish the job, and only then—during his free time—decide whether to hunt Ronin again.
So by choosing Yanshui City, Ronin believed there was about a fifty percent chance he'd shake the pursuit and gain time to develop.
And even in the worst-case scenario, he'd only be facing a combination like Uvogin plus Shalnark, or Uvogin plus Kortopi—support types rather than pure fighters.
As long as he understood their abilities, Ronin believed he still had a chance.
~~~
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