Kurt sent Illumi's frog photo to Killua and updated him about Moro.
A reply came quickly—a pixelated laughing emoji followed by a string of exclamation marks.
Seeing the reply, Kurt instantly imagined Killua laughing with glee and couldn't help but smile too.
Even though teasing big brother Illumi wasn't the most proper thing to do, he had never seen him look so comically ridiculous before. It was impossible not to laugh.
Besides, just being able to make Killua happy—it was enough.
Kurt set his phone aside. But after the brief smile faded, he inevitably thought about his mother's outrageous 50 billion fee. A worried frown crossed his face.
Moro noticed and chuckled. "I'm the client. Why do you look more worried than me?"
"If we don't pay the deposit on time…" Kurt said with concern, "the commission won't be valid."
Without a formal contract, it meant he'd have to return to Kukuroo Mountain.
He had thought his 30 billion fund would cover them for a while—but his mother had gone to such extremes that even his account had been locked down.
"Don't stress. I'll handle the money," Moro said lightly. Then, smoothly changing the subject, he added, "Come on, let's go get some Zawood Town pancakes."
Kurt's eyes lit up at the mention of pancakes.
Moro watched his reaction, amused.
No matter how mature Kurt acted, he was still a kid at heart. A stubborn, overly self-disciplined, emotionally burdensome kid.
Moro respected that about him, but he hoped the journey ahead—before they assassinated Feitan—would be something Kurt could enjoy and embrace with a lighter heart.
They spent the day wandering through Zawood Town until evening before heading to the airport.
As night fell, a blimp lifted off, heading toward Yorknew City.
Inside the cabin, Moro sat at a computer, browsing info about well-known criminals.
But even just researching names gave him little useful intel.
"The Hunter website really spoils you," he muttered.
It reminded him how valuable the Hunter License could be, and he resolved to participate in this year's exam no matter what.
Kurt brought him some tea and glanced at the screen, suggesting, "I can ask my second brother for help."
"No need," Moro replied with a laugh.
He wasn't about to give Milluki a chance to exploit him for intel.
Instead, he explained, "I have my own sources. Just thought I'd try saving some money by checking around first."
Kurt nodded and sat beside him, eyes fixed on the screen.
Once they had the list, they could finally start earning money.
For Kurt, this plan was ideal: earn money, gain battle experience, and grow stronger.
He was determined not to be a burden.
Eventually, Moro closed the laptop and sighed. "Too much useless info. A waste of time."
Time to rely on the pros.
He called Argo.
The call connected quickly. "Well, this is a rare surprise," came Argo's teasing voice.
"I need a list of the top 100 most wanted criminals. Names, photos, basic info," Moro said directly.
"Got it. Give me an hour."
"Take your time, but make it detailed. Especially the photos."
"No problem."
Then Argo paused. "Wait, are you short on cash?"
"Yeah."
Argo sucked in a breath. "Didn't you just win the Martial Arts Olympics? What about those prizes? Each one could go for over a hundred billion!"
"Haven't sold them yet."
"I knew it. No way you're actually broke," she said with a laugh. "I'll send the list soon."
Moro hung up, catching Kurt eavesdropping with his head tilted slightly.
Kurt coolly commented, "An hour, huh? That's kind of slow."
"Could be worse," Moro replied. "I spent all this time looking and got nothing. Sometimes it's better to let the pros handle things."
Kurt nodded. "Once we get the list, we can start hunting. Let's earn that 50 billion fast."
"We don't need that much," Moro corrected him. "We'll sell the two remaining treasures first. The deposit's the only concern for now."
Kurt relaxed visibly.
As long as they met the deposit deadline, they'd be fine. The rest could come later.
Still, the most important goal remained: finding the man Moro had to kill.
An hour later, Argo sent the list.
The Phantom Troupe appeared in the top ten.
To Moro's surprise, they were only ranked fourth in total bounty.
He clicked on Feitan's profile. Thanks to Argo's prior intel gathering, she had photos of the whole Troupe—unlike the top three criminal groups, whose files lacked many images.
"What about him?" Kurt asked, looking at Feitan's photo.
"That's the guy I have to kill," Moro said, his tone dark.
Kurt's expression turned serious. He memorized Feitan's face.
Phantom Troupe…
Kurt's eyes narrowed as he recalled something. "Dad mentioned them last year. It was the first time he warned us not to cross a certain group."
"Yeah…" Moro remembered that too.
"But," Kurt added quickly, "he only warned us. It wasn't an order."
That was all Moro needed to hear.
In the Zoldyck family, warnings and orders were very different. If it had been an order, not even Illumi would disobey it.
"So when do we kill Feitan?" Kurt asked.
"Not yet. And not 'we'—just me. You only need to help me find him."
Moro smiled. He could feel Kurt's eagerness—driven by a desire to help, to grow stronger, and to fulfill his role.
But hunting Feitan wasn't a game. With Kurt's current strength, a single encounter would be fatal.
Kurt hid his disappointment but didn't argue.
"You helping me find him is already a huge help," Moro said. "Now let's pick our first target."
He scrolled past the top group entries, focusing instead on criminals ranked around 50th—most with bounties near 2 billion.
After reviewing their files, he settled on one:
Bazelle Hernandez – The Butcher.
Ranked 52nd.
Bounty: 1.98 billion.
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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen