HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

"This casino's cash reserves only amount to two billion?" Cyr said as he broke open the vault door. He glanced at the pile of cash stored inside and sounded less than impressed.

It wasn't a small amount, but he had expected more.

"Because of frequent robberies, the major mafia establishments no longer stockpile large amounts of cash," Maro explained.

When some criminals ran out of money, the first thing they thought of was robbery. While most were weak and easily dealt with, a small number of stronger individuals had successfully made off with significant cash reserves.

"What a pity…" Cyr said casually.

He had hoped this would be enough to gather the money he needed to buy Inverted Spear of Heaven.

Two billion Jenny was small, no wonder the casino had tried to stop him from leaving. His winnings exceeded their total cash reserves.

And that was likely compounded by the other gamblers who had followed his bets and also won big…

"Honestly, it's not like I told them to copy me," Cyr muttered, pouting slightly in annoyance.

He had been ready to cash out and leave, but the casino had tried to keep him there. Truly…

A path to their own destruction.

Not to mention, with so many previous robberies, the casino had clearly been prepared for situations like this.

"If you need money, there are plenty of other places to get it…" Maro suggested hesitantly, his voice quiet.

There were still quite a few places, similar to this casino, that would have significant cash reserves.

In this world, the mafia held immense power. Much like the Hunter Association, they had their own Mafia Association.

Their influence was vast. Their strength? Not always impressive, but their wealth? Absolutely substantial.

"Are you suggesting robbery?" Cyr glanced at him.

Maro, despite his timid exterior, seemed to have a mindset very much in line with the mafia lifestyle.

But unfortunately…

"I have no interest in robbery," Cyr said, shaking his head.

"Resorting to robbery just because you lack money is a very low-level move."

To put it simply, it was unrefined. The kind of thing a nameless cannon fodder villain would do in an anime.

Even if there was a tragic or complex reason behind it, when revealed, it would only make the person seem pitiful and pathetic. No matter how striking their background, they'd remain a mere supporting character.

And Cyr? He had no reason to stoop to something like robbery.

He simply wanted to buy the cursed tool to play with—at most, it was just a matter of buying it sooner or later. It wasn't a situation where he couldn't survive without money.

As a pure egoist, robbery wouldn't bring him any joy or interest.

"Don't compare me to a robber." While stuffing cash into SC's mouth, he spoke slowly and deliberately.

And as for the money from the casino? He clearly earned it with his skills. Speaking of which, that Dorinck family still owed him compensation for emotional distress.

As a proper guest, he had nearly been shot to death by them. By any logic, that was the host's fault, right?

"...I apologize, sir." Maro deeply felt that his earlier thoughts had insulted Cyr and couldn't help but apologize in shame.

How could he have ever thought that Cyr would resort to robbery?!

"Where is the Dorinck family? I'm wondering if I should go over there first and silence them…" After stuffing all the cash into the curse's mouth, Cyr murmured thoughtfully.

"Can they summon the Shadow Beasts?" Cyr asked with a tone of curiosity.

The Shadow Beasts... oh, that combat unit under the Ten Dons.

"The Dorinck family can't do it. Only the Ten Dons or the top ten mafia bosses behind them can mobilize the Shadow Beasts." Maro shook his head calmly, his lowered gaze falling on the ice blade in his palm.

His golden, chin-length hair almost blended into the golden walls behind him, even stained with the same splatters of blood.

He had just... killed someone.

With a blade of ice he had formed, he effortlessly killed several people.

The blood hadn't even had time to drip before freezing into red crystals, refracting the light from the chandelier above.

It wasn't as difficult to accept as he had imagined. On the contrary, it was surprisingly... easy.

"Aren't the Ten Dons the heads of the mafia?" Cyr asked, puzzled.

When it came to the mafia in the Hunter world, all he remembered were the Ten Dons. With such prominence, they weren't the leaders?

"The Ten Dons are merely representatives they elected. The real leaders are others behind the scenes," Maro said as the ice blade in his hand turned to water and then to steam, vanishing without a trace. Only a faintly damp air lingered briefly before dispersing.

Ah... no wonder it had been so easy to kill them, and no one pursued the matter afterward.

It made sense. After all, showing up in person at Yorknew to meet with a bunch of mid-tier and small-time mafia bosses over an auction would indeed seem beneath them.

In the original story, weren't there a few people who avoided attending the auction thanks to that prophecy from... what was her name again? Neon? They narrowly escaped death because of it.

Maybe the mafia has other prophetic talents on their side too.

"Then he'll definitely try to get revenge on me, right? Like issuing a mafia bounty or hit order?" The white-haired, blue-eyed boy speculated aloud, though his face was filled with eager anticipation.

He looked forward to a mafia bounty.

It sounded so... cool.

Like becoming a celebrity overnight.

But thinking about how the Dorinck family couldn't even summon the Shadow Beasts, it seemed unlikely they could issue a proper mafia bounty either.

Sure enough, Maro confirmed Cyr's guess.

"It's most likely just going to be a personal bounty issued by the Dorinck family..."

The relationships within the mafia weren't particularly harmonious. Unless they all got humiliated together, it was rare for others to stick their necks out for the Dorink family.

"They might hire assassins or enlist other Hunters instead," Maro analyzed, his gaze lowered.

Considering the Dorinck family's personality and their current rage, it was highly likely they'd turn to the Zoldyck family.

After all, the Zoldycks were known for their efficiency and a near-perfect completion rate.

"Assassins... the Zoldycks? Oh, I was actually planning to visit their place sometime," Cyr said casually, walking out as he spoke.

The Zoldyck family's base! And their famous "Gate of Hell"! Something that stylish—it's only natural to want to check it out, right?

"The Zoldyck family seems to have a tradition: children with white hair and blue eyes become the family heads..." Cyr paused mid-step, looking at his reflection in the golden wall. A grin spread across his face.

"White hair and blue eyes?" Maro quickly looked up at the boy.

The man he had chosen to follow had hair like frost and snow and piercing blue eyes.

But unlike ordinary blue eyes, Cyr's were far more stunning—an intense, deep blue that seemed to hold drifting clouds and an infinite stretch of sky.

"What if I go to the Zoldycks, claim to be their long-lost child, and say I'm actually one of them? Do you think they'll believe me?" Cyr asked with an amused gleam in his eye, clenching his fists in mock excitement.

"I'm going to play at being the Zoldyck family head!" His previously bored expression vanished, replaced by a strange mix of excitement and mischief.

Me, with my white hair and blue eyes, Killua's long-lost twin. Pay up! Hand over the position of family head!

And then, I can hold Killua's head and say, "My foolish little brother, the Zoldyck family is in good hands with me. Go play somewhere else."

"...Whatever you wish to do, my lord, you will surely succeed," Maro said after a brief silence, resolutely affirming Cyr's idea.

Blood relations? That didn't matter at all.

If Cyr was willing to acknowledge himself as a Zoldyck, the Zoldyck family should feel honored!

°°°

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