Millia worked fast. On the third day after Ronin won his match, she brought him some good news.
When Ronin walked into Millia's office, he noticed a middle-aged man he hadn't seen before.
The man's name was Vansen. He was responsible for contacting the sellers of the Scarlet Eyes on Ronin's behalf and served as the main negotiator for this operation. Ironically, Ronin—the actual buyer—would be disguised as an assistant.
Vansen was a smart man. He showed not the slightest curiosity about things he wasn't supposed to ask.
"The seller is Wesli, a politician from the Ochima Federation," Vansen explained as they accompanied Ronin to the airship terminal. "His asking price is 1.8 billion Jenny—about double the market rate. At any lower price, he wouldn't be willing to sell in the short term. The Scarlet Eyes have just become a limited commodity, and their value as collectibles is climbing rapidly."
The destination for their trip was the Ochima Federation, one of the V5.
The V5 was essentially this world's version of the United Nations, formed by the five most powerful countries and overseeing a variety of special organizations.
Just the ones Ronin knew about included the Hunter Association, the Maritime Bureau, the Dangerous Species Isolation Authority, and the World Environmental Health Organization.
After disembarking from the airship, Ronin didn't feel anything particularly special about the Ochima Federation. If anything, it was just cleaner than the places he'd visited before.
The meeting location was a private club.
For security reasons, Ronin wore a hat and glasses. Unless someone knew him extremely well, it would be hard to recognize him at a glance.
The transaction went extremely smoothly. The moment the Scarlet Eyes were brought out, Ronin felt a burning heat surge around his own eyes.
They were genuine.
Suppressing his excitement, Ronin gave Vansen a subtle nod.
Once the 1.8 billion Jenny was transferred, the Scarlet Eyes were sealed into a case and handed over to Ronin.
The entire process was seamless. After the deal was completed, Wesli even volunteered some additional information.
"Back then, someone unloaded a large batch of Scarlet Eyes—more than twenty pairs. Nearly half of them were bought by a mysterious individual. Among them was the finest pair of all: a set of scarlet eyes still preserved inside a head.
"That single piece alone sold for an astronomical ten billion Jenny. Sadly, I never got to see it myself, but I heard that compared to those eyes, all other Scarlet Eyes looked dull. They were said to surpass even the Seven Great Beauties," Wesli said as he lit a cigarette, his chubby face filled with regret.
"I'd bet those people were the ones who wiped out the entire Kurta Clan. Honestly, what a waste. It was just a village of a little over a hundred people—why not keep them alive and farm them?
"Those bandits really had no brains, only knowing how to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs."
Wesli spoke with disdain and regret, but to Ronin, the meaning behind his words was nothing short of monstrous.
As for the most beautiful pair of eyes Wesli mentioned, Ronin could guess their origin—they likely belonged to Kurapika's friend, Pairo.
In the memories of Ronin's previous self, there were many impressions of Pairo.
He was a clever, warm, and sunny boy, though physically frail and with poor eyesight.
It was said that his condition came from lingering injuries he'd suffered while saving Kurapika years ago. When the Kurta Clan was massacred, Kurapika wasn't in the village—he had gone out to find a doctor for Pairo.
Ronin also knew the identity of the person who bought nearly half of the Scarlet Eyes that Wesli mentioned.
It was Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou, the Fourth Prince of Kakin.
And at this point in time, Tserriednich didn't even know what Nen was.
If Ronin infiltrated Kakin now, would he have a chance to steal Tserriednich's collection?
That could be more than a dozen pairs of Scarlet Eyes.
With that many Scarlet Eyes, Ronin felt he could push his Sharingan all the way to the Rinnegan.
With the Rinnegan's power and fully unlocked S-rank ninjutsu, Ronin believed that—even if he couldn't exactly run rampant—there would be very few people who could truly threaten him within the Lake Mobius region.
Still, this wasn't something he could rush.
After all, Tserriednich was a high-ranking prince of Kakin.
Even if he didn't personally use Nen yet, his subordinates almost certainly included Nen users. On top of that, Kakin itself carried a sense of mystery. Acting recklessly could easily lead to unforeseen consequences.
This would require long-term planning.
"If you come across any more information about Scarlet Eyes, or if you obtain more yourself, please contact me," Vansen said as he stood to take his leave.
Despite his strong dislike for Wesli, Ronin had no intention of dealing with him.
For one thing, Wesli had solid connections and channels, which might prove useful later when Ronin continued collecting Scarlet Eyes.
More importantly, there was an ability user in the room who exerted immense pressure on Ronin.
The man looked as though he had no chin at all. He wore an inverted V-shaped hairstyle and revealed only a single eye.
That one eye had been locked onto Ronin from the moment he entered the room. It felt as though, if Ronin made even the slightest move against Wesli, this man would strike instantly and kill him.
Ronin recognized him immediately.
He didn't know the man's name, but he knew he was a professional Hunter—and one of the members selected for Beyond Netero's expedition to the Dark Continent.
Being chosen by Beyond Netero, the son of Hunter Association Chairman Isaac Netero, was proof enough of this man's strength.
He felt dangerous to Ronin—very much like the pressure Nobunaga had given him back at the airship terminal.
Wesli really was cautious.
"Of course," Wesli replied with a sincere smile. He had bought the Scarlet Eyes for only 1.2 billion Jenny, and now resold them for a clean profit of 600 million. In his eyes, Vansen was nothing short of a golden goose.
He was already plotting how to pry more Scarlet Eyes out of his "friends."
After leaving the club, Ronin didn't rush to return. Instead, he checked into a five-star hotel.
He needed to absorb the Scarlet Eyes as soon as possible—to avoid any complications and to rapidly increase his own strength.
He had a growing sense of crisis. Uvogin would definitely come looking for him.
Especially with the overwhelming publicity Millia was pushing. And besides Uvogin, there was someone else who would absolutely seek him out the moment they heard his name.
Kurapika.
Lying on the hotel bed, Ronin took the Scarlet Eyes out of the case. Nen spread from his hands, enveloping the bottle that contained them.
Just like the first time, as the Scarlet Eyes inside the bottle melted away, a warm surge flowed toward Ronin's eyes.