"Okay, I understand."
The next day, Oboro hung up the phone. He'd received news that Gon and Killua had gone to the Kakin Empire to reunite with Kurapika. Another reason, naturally, was the auction for Greed Island.
"Interesting," he murmured, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.
In the original storyline, the Greed Island auction and everything involving the tycoon Battera took place in Yorknew City. Now it had been transferred to the Kakin Empire. On one hand, this was because of Kurapika, but on the other hand, Oboro had to consider Ging's involvement. With Ging's abilities, it would be easy to determine Gon's growth curve and figure out what Gon and Killua had obtained from Mito after returning to Whale Island. Ging would make his arrangements accordingly.
"Marilyn Inc.," Oboro mumbled to himself. As expected from the original narrative, it was this company that had commissioned Yorknew's auction house to conduct the auction and now it had been moved to the capital of Kakin.
This time of year August and September marked a grand event for all the major auction houses in Yorknew. The participants weren't limited to the Dons. Currently, the Fells family had already dominated the world's criminal organizations, and they still used the newly appointed Dons to routinely auction collections in Yorknew. This was also an opportunity to help the new Dons cement their status and reputation.
But the gaming equipment for Greed Island hadn't appeared as expected.
"Are you avoiding me? Or" Oboro's voice trailed off as he pondered the possibilities.
He and Biyang De had fought a major battle in Kakin, and this incident might not be hidden from Ging Freecss. Ging would also know about the relationship between Gon and himself. The growth levels of several characters, including Gon, had been deliberately altered by Ging.
"It's also possible it's to compete with Yang De," Oboro mused, turning the phone in his hand.
As of now, the person who knew his strength best was none other than Yang De. Because Oboro had just fought a major battle with Biyang De, Ging wanted to deepen his understanding of Oboro's methods, and Biyang De was the best entry point. In other words, it was possible that Ging himself was now in the Kakin Empire.
As for Kurapika, the Fells family had been monitoring him closely. Kurapika had joined a medium-sized mafia family in Kakin and gained the trust of the family head through his outstanding performance in just a few months. He hadn't made contact with the royal family yet, but judging from the current situation, it would happen soon.
The sponsor behind the auction hosted by the Kakin Royal Family was none other than Marilyn Corporation, the developer of Greed Island. Marilyn was one of Ging's partners. To attract significant attention to this auction, the company had put forward many valuable items. Many world-famous wealthy individuals had rushed there, with the momentum completely overshadowing the publicity of this year's Yorknew auction.
The mastermind behind all this was Ging.
Additionally, this served as an opportunity for several princes of the royal family to forge connections with important figures from around the world and strengthen their own factions. They would all make appearances.
The life and death of the most powerful eldest prince, Benjamin, now hung in uncertainty. In the eyes of the other princes, this presented a rare opportunity to seize advantage.
Through the auction, Oboro could interact with the royal family and uncover the truth about the Fells family's failure in the Kakin capital. And it was deliberately designed to create momentum and provide an environment for Gon to be tested and tempered.
"You won't join forces with Biyang De, will you? Instead of joining forces with him it's better to join forces with me" Oboro smiled to himself. Ging would never cooperate with someone like Biyang De. Even if approached, he would refuse any association with Biyang De. Ging's main objective would still be to understand Oboro's abilities.
"No, Captain! I can't hold on any longer" Anthony's desperate voice broke through Oboro's thoughts.
Anthony collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat, looking at the ghosts hovering around him with terror in his eyes. The burst of Nen energy he had maintained earlier had long since faded.
"With this level of ability you still want to go to the Dark Continent?" Oboro came to his senses and smiled wryly.
He was conducting special training for several of his team members.
"It's too difficult" Anthony glanced around and saw that except for Menchi, their other three teammates had already fallen to the ground, panting heavily.
Only Menchi persevered, maintaining her state of meditation. The woman was surrounded by numerous ghosts that kept roaring and screaming in her ears, creating an extreme impact on her mental state. Under such circumstances, it was remarkably difficult to maintain a smooth flow of Nen.
"Come on we don't have much time left," Oboro said as he slowly stood up and walked over to them. "Don't complain. At least the crises I've simulated are all foreseeable. When you truly reach the Dark Continent, the dangers you'll face will be much more hidden and won't be easily detected."
As for Kakin, Oboro didn't plan to pay it much attention. Let Ging and Biyang De cause whatever trouble they wanted. Now, he was just waiting for the Chimera Ant chapter to begin.
King Nasubi Hui Guo Rou did not contact the Fells family as expected. Oboro had truly underestimated his determination Unexpectedly, the king could even abandon the bloodline of his eldest prince.
Time passed, and soon it was time for the new Hunter Exam.
A large number of candidates gathered from all over the world. The Association management contacted Oboro and asked if he could serve as an examiner again. He declined.
Without his intervention this time, events would likely unfold as in the original timeline, with Killua being the only one who could become a Hunter in the end.
Gon and Killua had entered the game, Greed Island. Biscuit had gone with them. Whether the Greed Island auction was held in Yorknew or Kakin, Biscuit's presence was inevitable the old woman went there for the gems. It had nothing to do with the two protagonists. Yet they were bound to meet.
An interesting development was that during the auction, a conflict erupted between Kakin's fourth prince, Tserriednich, and the seventh prince, Luzurus. The dispute caused quite a stir in the capital and threatened to escalate into open warfare. Neither prince survived, but the mafia organizations backing them fought fiercely the Ei family supporting the fourth prince and the Cha family behind the seventh prince. Gon, Killua, and Leorio were all drawn into the conflict because the gang that Kurapika had joined was actually a subordinate force of the Cha family.
Previously, the Fells family had caused a reshuffle of underground forces worldwide, which had affected some gangs in Kakin, albeit not significantly. After the Fells family failed to successfully infiltrate royal power, the Kakin Empire swiftly and brutally eliminated all gang forces related to the Fells family throughout its territory. This created space for many local gangs to rise prominently with new operating freedom. Among them, the three families involved with the royal family became dominant.
Today, the three largest criminal organizations in the Kakin Empire were the Ei Family, the Xi Wu Family, and the Cha Family, representing the fourth prince, third prince, and seventh prince respectively.
From this perspective, Kurapika aimed to use his current position in the criminal underworld as a stepping stone to gain the attention of the Cha family, join the Seventh Prince's faction, and oppose the Fourth Prince to reclaim his clan's Scarlet Eyes.
He likely wouldn't become the Fourteenth Prince's bodyguard as in the original storyline.
Of course, Oboro didn't care much about these developments Ging's goal had been achieved. Gon definitely gained the expected growth from this affair. Although the internal strife and disputes in the royal family were eventually settled, it also marked the beginning of the Succession War.
Perhaps at that moment, Hui Guo Rou had already informed all the princes about the Succession War's Ceremony and Ging had successfully met with the eldest prince Benjamin.
Through his soul connection, Oboro had clearly sensed Ging appearing in the eldest prince's bedroom, claiming to be hired to save Benjamin.
Of course, in the end he failed.
However, knowing about Benjamin's injury also meant that Ging had learned about a portion of Oboro's abilities.
Soul manipulation!
"Although your soul has been divided, it is not fatal It is just draining your vitality bit by bit. The only way to recover quickly is to find the culprit!" This was what Ging had told Benjamin at the time.
But then he changed his approach: "I have a way to keep you alive, but even if you're cured, your physical condition will never be the same as before Soul, or energy, is also a part of life. Your basic flesh and spirit are still intact and can be slowly nourished and conditioned. The only problem is time. It is unimaginably difficult to nourish the soul again, and it will take a very long time"
By that point, the eldest prince had become so emaciated that he was just skin and bones, barely surviving by relying on large amounts of nutrient solution delivered intravenously. He didn't even have the strength to speak.
His eyes responded to Ging's answer. Benjamin knew about the Succession War By the time he might be cured, the War could have long concluded, with the throne belonging to someone else. What would be the point of him living? Besides, others might have died earlier
So, in the end, Ging left.
However, of all the specialists the Kakin royal family had consulted, Ging was the only one who claimed there was a way to cure Benjamin.
"Soul" Oboro still remembered the look in Ging's eyes when he glanced back at Benjamin before leaving the room.
Ging had seen it clearly This soul power originated from the Island of Heroes, and it bore a striking resemblance to a game character, Thresh! Oboro knew that Ging had already detected the existence of his hidden consciousness.
Ging seemed to be communicating with Benjamin, but in fact some of his words were directed at Oboro himself.
Ging had realized that Oboro was deeply developing the character and abilities of Thresh After all, he too was a veteran player of Hero Island.
But even if his secret had been discovered, Oboro wasn't overly concerned. The background information about Thresh remained hidden, and even if Ging could make some deductions, they wouldn't be complete.
Besides, it's just a hammer
Some things were already too late.
Oboro only had a general understanding of these events unfolding in the Kakin Empire and did not focus too heavily on them. His main priority remained his team members, subjecting Menchi and the others to hellish special training.
It was now January, and by early April, the hidden danger of the Chimera Ants would be exposed to the public.
That would be a very delicious feast for him.