Chapter 104: Negotiation...

It was unclear how much time had passed before Omokage slowly regained consciousness.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a blurred figure standing in front of him.

He himself was lying on a cold, hard ground.

Not far off was Illumi Zoldyck, standing with one hand on his hip, expressionless.

"Heh… lucky for you, you ended up winning."

Omokage glared at Illumi, still sounding defiant.

"Oh? Aren't your eyes already restored?"

Illumi narrowed his own eyes and sneered, "I did give you a chance to display your full power. Seems you just couldn't manage it."

"You—!"

Omokage's face turned livid.

He had given his own eyes to his younger sister, Retz.

Ordinarily, he was without eyes. Once his eyes returned to his main body, his strength naturally increased.

When fighting Illumi, since he had regained his eyes, he should have been at full power.

Illumi, in a position of guaranteed victory, simply wanted to see exactly how strong Omokage's powers were when fully unleashed.

Truth be told, he was a bit intrigued by Omokage's Nen—though only mildly.

Illumi could guess Xiang Nan's reason for wanting to speak with Omokage.

After all, Xiang Nan was from the Republic of Padokea.

In front of the Zoldyck family, that country had few real secrets.

"He's the one who wanted to see you…"

Illumi casually pointed at Xiang Nan, standing near them.

Certainly, Omokage could not see Xiang Nan's face clearly.

He also had no idea that Illumi was on Xiang Nan's payroll.

"From Nameless Town?"

Omokage murmured these words.

Evidently, he, too, had encountered people from Nameless Town before.

He had even taken the eyes of one such person and added them to his collection.

Just not here—he kept them in his "Doll House" in Seha City, where he displayed his 'creations,' all works of 'art.'

"Let me introduce myself: My name is Xiang Nan, a high-ranking officer in the Republic of Padokea's military.

The reason I wanted to find you: first, you're a former member of the Phantom Troupe. Second, your Nen abilities are somewhat special, and I quite admire them."

So said the puppet Illumi was controlling, serving as Xiang Nan's 'interpreter.'

"I apologize that our meeting came about in this manner…but I still wish to extend an invitation. I'd like you to join the military organization under my command."

At that, Illumi's puppet repeated the message.

"Hah."

Hearing that, Omokage let out a laugh full of mockery.

For him…join a government group?

This Nameless Town member was overestimating himself, wasn't he?

He didn't think the concept of working with an official government was any good. Sure, a national institution would have immense power and resources, but Omokage had once joined the Phantom Troupe—albeit to collect members as his 'dolls.' That already showed he hated being controlled. Even in the Troupe, the members weren't absolutely obedient to Chrollo. And if he joined the official ranks, he'd definitely be subject to restrictions, like not being allowed to harm society, etc.

That was just awful.

"Hahahahaha…"

First he stifled a chuckle, then his laughter grew louder, eventually verging on mania.

After laughing, he turned to Illumi and asked, "Is this guy missing a few screws?"

Illumi said nothing.

Because Xiang Nan's payment wasn't fully transferred yet.

Through the puppet that conveyed Xiang Nan's words, ignoring Omokage's attitude, Xiang Nan continued:

"I can guess what you're thinking. As the person in charge, I can make you two promises. One…if you join us, the government won't interfere with your freedom, including your little hobby of collecting eyes. Two…within certain bounds, we can use our military resources to lend you some help, including if you happen to have conflicts with the Troupe in the future.

"The institution I lead is specifically for training Nen users for the nation… Currently—"

Xiang Nan explained slowly.

Omokage's demeanor was hostile; even with Xiang Nan's promises, Omokage showed zero interest.

Xiang Nan divulged some information about "Pandora's Box" in front of Illumi because he was aware that it was futile to hide. The Zoldyck family could investigate him easily, and Illumi could figure out who Xiang Nan was at any time. Indeed, the Zoldycks had connections not only in the Republic of Padokea, but with V5 as well…

They had excellent ways to gather intel.

…

Time passed; the sky above the graveyard turned crimson with sunset.

Xiang Nan had finished speaking, but Omokage hadn't given any response.

"Illumi…"

Xiang Nan inhaled a breath and called out.

"You want me to kill him, right?"

Illumi confirmed.

"During the conversation, you must have said something to him?"

Xiang Nan pressed.

"… …"

Illumi fell silent.

"You manipulated the puppet to convey only my conversation with him, without including your own remarks. If it was purely for the sake of getting extra pay, I could just pay you… but that means I'll never hire you again."

"…You found out. I thought I could fool you. Doesn't that power you guys have blocked our mutual perception?"

"So you guessed I figured it out?"

Illumi frankly admitted.

Indeed, Illumi had spoken quietly to Omokage.

He didn't say much, only two points:

First: He'd never heard of this so-called 'Pandora's Box' group.

Second: Xiang Nan's official status might be huge, but his personal strength wasn't that impressive.

From Omokage's perspective, that basically meant there was no interest in cooperating. He believed that some so-called new state-run group in the Republic of Padokea was worthless, not worth his time. Even if refusal meant he might die, he was not afraid of death. "Tragedy" was precisely his best artistic flavor.

"I think it's best if you accept him. He claims to command this Pandora's Box. I don't know that group, but his status…I do know a bit about. He's truly one of the top few in Padokea's military. 'The Phantom Troupe is no match for him…' If you help him, maybe you can make more dolls."

Illumi now pretended to persuade Omokage.

"…"

Omokage stared silently. He could sense Xiang Nan's sincerity. Indeed, Xiang Nan had spent a fortune hiring Illumi, plus wasted so much time. For someone of Xiang Nan's position, that was rare.

Moreover, though he didn't fear death, letting his 'art' end here was a pity. His gaze flickered with a twisted glimmer. Suddenly he smiled:

"Fine. No problem. I'll accept."

"Oh, he's agreed," Illumi used the puppet to pass along the message.

"Great. Let me be clear, from today on, as a Pandora's Box member, you can ignore all official orders. You have absolute freedom, except you must obey me. That's the only condition."

Xiang Nan told Omokage this, then turned around with Manman, ready to leave.

He gestured to Illumi to release the captive. Payment would come later.

With a flick of the wrist, Illumi recalled the needles stuck in Omokage's limbs.

Done. He too was about to go.

But before he left, Illumi's gaze flicked at Omokage, who now regained movement. Illumi paused slightly…

Then his figure vanished into the distance.

Being part of the entire conversation, Illumi was fully aware of Omokage's every emotion. He could tell that the ex-Troupe member's acceptance was definitely harboring hidden motives. After all, cooperating with a national big shot, or some big shot, might be "playing with fire," especially with Omokage's personality—once a Troupe member.

Yet from the brief interactions Illumi had with Xiang Nan, he also knew Xiang Nan was incredibly shrewd. If Xiang Nan was deliberately ignoring the possible danger, it could only mean one thing:

Xiang Nan…was toying with Omokage.

The funny part was that Omokage hadn't realized. The real one in danger might be himself.

Walking along the path away from the cemetery, Illumi pocketed his phone. Payment from Xiang Nan had arrived.

Right then, another call came in.

Illumi hesitated, then accepted it.

"Hisoka… hey."

Illumi responded naturally on the phone.

"Nothing… I just randomly asked around."

"Mm…some client brought him up."

"Client info… I can't disclose, oh…"

"Ah…if you guess who it is yourself, that's not me telling you then."

"No, he's alive."

Continuing the call, Illumi gradually disappeared into the distance.

~~~

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