Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The same age, the same black hair and black eyes, the same obsession with books which created their Nen Abilities, the same smile...

But Chrollo had a faint smile, while Law had a bright and cheerful smile.

The two looked at each other silently, and the conversation paused for a moment.

For Chrollo, this first brief interaction sparked immense curiosity about Law. For Law, however, the impression was less favorable, which is mainly to Chrollo's initial question that still lingered in his mind.

Machi looked at the two of them from the side, somewhat confused, and couldn't help but feel that Chrollo was acting a bit unusual today.

"Pardon me, but how old are you?" Law suddenly asked.

It was a casual and innocuous question.

"12 years old, how about you?" Chrollo's smile never changed from beginning to end.

"Ah, 13 years old, it seems I'm one year older than you." Law rubbed the back of his head and smiled even more vibrant. In truth, he had no clue how old this body was. He probably could only know by testing the bone age.

But no matter how old he is, as long as he is one year older than Chrollo, it will be enough.

This is the advantage of asking others' age first. Even if the other person says they are a hundred years old, you can say you are a hundred and one years old.

Chrollo nodded slightly and smiled: "No wonder, your hands do seem larger than mine."

As he said that, Chrollo raised Bandit's Secret and extended it toward Law, then continued, "In fact, they look about the same size as the handprint on this book. Why don't you try to put your hand on it and see, maybe it will fit perfectly."

"Haha."

Law burst into laughter, then looked at Chrollo with a look that said 'you sure got me good', but in fact, he was already anxious.

He knew that Chrollo's book could steal other people's Nen Abilities, and putting the target's palm on the book with the bloody handprint was one of the conditions. The other two conditions, if Law remembered correctly, were to use the ability for Chrollo to see, and the last one was to answer Chrollo's questions about the ability.

All three conditions had to be met within an hour for the ability to be stolen and the person whose ability is stolen will lose their Nen Ability.

"This handprint is obviously bigger than my hand." Law turned to look at Machi and said, "Right, Machi?"

Machi glanced at the bloody handprint on the book, then looked at Law's hand, nodded, and said, "It's definitely larger by a good margin."

"Really? I thought it would fit perfectly." Chrollo said as he scratched his head sheepishly.

Machi narrowed her eyes slightly, 'Sure enough, Chrollo was a little strange today.'

"Here, let me show you." Law maintained a bright smile, then took the initiative to stretch out his hand to cover the handprint on Chrollo's book, and said seriously: "See? Clearly bigger."

"Hmm, you're right. It is bigger." A hint of surprise flashed in Chrollo's eyes. He retracted the book and casually asked, "By the way, what is the ability of your book?"

'As expected of the future leader of the Phantom Troupe, he was already thinking about stealing my ability as soon as we met...'

'Answering that question would complete the last condition. If I answer it, my Nen Ability will be stolen.'

"I'm not sure either. After all, yesterday was the first time I ever used Nen." Law shrugged and dispelled the God Hand.

He deliberately covered the handprint with his palm just to tease Chrollo. As long as he doesn't answer questions about his Nen Ability within an hour, the conditions would remain incomplete.

As for whether Chrollo would find his behavior odd, Law didn't care. After all, Chrollo is only twelve years old now, far from the future mastermind he would become ten years later. He is nothing to be afraid of.

Law has full confidence that he would grow stronger than Chrollo and any member of the Phantom Troupe.

So, what is there to worry about? Even if Pakunoda discovered his memories someday, it won't matter as long as he has enough strength.

Hearing Law's reply, Chrollo smiled faintly and also dispelled his Bandit's Secret.

Since there was still an hour until the end of the condition, Chrollo was not in a hurry and instead looked at the Hand of Ominous Signs at Law's feet.

'He didn't insist on asking more questions, probably because he wanted to suddenly insert questions about my Nen Ability into the conversation later. This guy sure is unpleasant." Law followed Chrollo's gaze to the Hand of Ominous Signs at his feet, and mused silently to himself.

"Can I see that wooden hand?" Chrollo asked.

"Of course." Law replied easily.

Chrollo nodded and stepped forward. He squatted down, and prepared to pick up the Hand of Ominous Signs.

"You might want to use the thread to lift it." Law reminded kindly. After all, the color on the Hand of Ominous Signs was formed after being rubbed with countless bones and flesh. Just thinking about it made him feel sick.

"It's okay, it's just bloodstains."

Chrollo was slightly surprised. He knew the meaning of Law's reminder, but he still picked up the Hand of Ominous Signs and held it in front of his eyes to observe it carefully.

"Do you know what kind of wood this is?" Hearing the mention of bloodstains, Law raised his eyebrows slightly, thinking that Chrollo already had some knowledge about the Hand of Ominous Signs.

"Yeah."

Chrollo nodded, then turned the Hand of Ominous Signs over and over, and answered, "This is the Hand of Ominous Signs of the Lilite Tribe. It is an object of faith passed down through generations of the tribe. The material it's made of comes from a rare tree that only grows in swampy mud. If I'm not mistaken, it's called the White Clay Tree."

"This White Clay Tree is pure white, almost snow-like, and exudes a unique fragrance that attracts swamp worms. Because of this, the tree is extremely rare. Even more so if it's to be used in making a Hand of Ominous Signs, as there's a strict condition involved."

At this point, Chrollo suddenly looked up and raised his index finger towards Machi and Law.

"What condition?" Machi asked curiously.

Law curled his lips. He didn't expect Chrollo to know so much.

"The trunk of the White Clay Tree is filled with sweet sap. When the When the tree reaches a hundred years of age, it starts to form a smaller tree within itself. The material for crafting the Hand of Ominous Signs comes from this inner tree."

"The older the tree, the more fragrant its sap becomes, which in turn attracts more swamp worms. That's why White Clay Trees that are over a hundred years old are exceedingly rare, as they're usually devoured by the worms before they can reach that age."

"The Hand of Ominous Signs of the Lilite Tribe is made from these hundred-year-old White Clay Trees. It was originally snow-white, but this particular one has been stained red with blood, and most likely the inside has also turned deep red."

"By the way, the sap of the White Clay Tree is considered a delicacy with a B-level acquisition difficulty. Many of the world's wealthiest individuals have hired Gourmet Hunters to obtain the sap of the procure it to in order to satisfy their appetites, but only a very few succeed."

As Chrollo described the Hand of Ominous Signs in detail, he meticulously examined its surface. After he was almost done, he looked at the broken fingers and a trace of regret appeared on his face.

"You certainly know a lot." Law remarked with genuine admiration. He also knew that this was the Hand of Ominous Signs of the Lilite tribe when the white smoke text appeared, but it was not as detailed as what Chrollo said.

And if what Chrollo said was true, then Law was extremely interested in obtaining the B-level difficulty White Clay Tree's sap. After all, he was a foodie.

"I read a lot, and I happened to come across a book about the Hand of Ominous Signs." Chrollo said with a smile.

"Is this piece of wood valuable?" Machi, who had been listening attentively, finally voiced her main concern. She was only interested in the value of the Hand of Ominous Signs.

"The Lilite Tribe disappeared three hundred years ago. So genuine Hand of Ominous Signs is very rare and is considered a treasure in the eyes of collectors. However, this one has three fingers broken, so its value has dropped significantly. Generally speaking, someone should be willing to buy it at 20% of the market price."

Chrollo's slender fingers gently stroked the textured surface of the Hand of Ominous Signs and said seriously, "But this Hand of Ominous Signs is a little special. Even if it is offered at 50% of the market price, there will still be people who want it."

"Why?" Machi asked curiously, though what she really wanted to know was its actual price.

"Because of its age." Chrollo said.

Machi looked at the silent Law and asked in surprise: "Is it because it's 900 years old?"

Chrollo was quite surprised to hear what Machi said. He followed Machi's gaze to look at Law and a look of realization appeared on his face.

After all, Law was the one who revealed the origin of the Hand of Ominous Signs, so it shouldn't be surprising that he knows how to identify the year.

"To be precise, it's 920 years old." At this time, the silent Law suddenly spoke.

When Chrollo heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up with a genuine sparkle of admiration: "You must really enjoy reading."

"Same to you." Law replied with a cheerful grin, showing off a bit. In truth, his bookish reputation was just a convenient bluff.