With the owner of the mansion back,
the unimaginably lavish banquet officially began.
The handsome men and beautiful women sang and danced, completely unaware that danger was rapidly closing in on them.
At a command from the group on the mountain,
a vast crowd rushed toward the mansion below.
Machi pulled both hands back.
The people running down the mountain were all sliced in half at the waist by a thread so fine it was almost invisible, yet incredibly strong.
When Machi yanked her hands back again, those trying to flee uphill had their heads sliced off as well.
Seeing two-thirds of their companions wiped out in an instant,
especially when the five members of the Phantom Troupe began walking down the mountain,
the survivors knew
they had no hope of getting the Febola Stone this time.
Everyone believed the Febola Stone would fall into the Spider's hands.
Only the members of the Spider disagreed.
With Cordis in the picture,
there was no telling who would ultimately claim the Febola Stone.
Halfway through the banquet,
the wealthy merchant stepped onto the stage that had been set up beforehand.
Qiudaozi, who should have been guarding the Febola Stone in its room, was now standing below the stage, holding the iron box containing it.
Cordis stood beside Qiudaozi, gazing curiously at the iron box.
According to the old butler,
the merchant would soon open the iron box containing the Febola Stone and personally present it to his young lover in front of everyone.
He would also propose to his young lover tonight.
That worked out nicely. At least it would satisfy Cordis's curiosity.
The merchant went onstage with his arm around his young lover's slender waist, then signaled to those below with a glance.
Qiudaozi carried the box containing the Febola Stone onto the stage and set it on a stand made of gold.
The guests below were just as excited.
The legendary Febola Stone, formed only once every few hundred years, was an object of unsurpassed beauty that no one had seen, yet everyone desired.
At last, its veil of mystery was about to be lifted.
And those gathered below would witness it.
Everyone waited eagerly, so excited that they shouted.
They bore none of their usual resemblance to refined young lords and ladies.
The merchant raised a hand, signaling for the people below to quiet down.
Once the crowd had fallen silent, he picked up the microphone and began recounting how he and his young lover had met and fallen in love.
He went on for half an hour.
Meanwhile, Chrollo and the others watched everything from a corner.
Opening that iron box required the buyer's fingerprint, taken from a living, breathing person.
If it detected that the owner of the finger was dead, it would automatically activate its destruction mode.
The mechanisms inside the iron box would destroy the Febola Stone.
When the box was opened again, nothing but a pile of powder would remain.
That left the members of the Spider with no other option.
They could only wait quietly for the iron box to open.
After half an hour of his story,
the audience below, who had come to see the Febola Stone, had long since run out of patience.
But no one dared say anything.
Even the young lover in his arms was starting to look impatient.
Still, she played along, giving a few sobs now and then.
It helped maintain her innocent image of loving him for who he was, rather than for his money.
The merchant was probably the only person in the entire mansion genuinely caught up in his own sorrow.
When he wiped away his tears and finished his speech,
thunderous applause erupted below the stage. The merchant gave his young lover a proud look, then raised a hand.
He signaled for everyone to quiet down.
"Next, I will open the iron box and reveal the legendary Febola Stone to you all. And this stone will be set in my wedding ring!"
As he spoke, he reached toward the back of the iron box.
There was a huge red button on its back.
The merchant placed his finger on the button.
It scanned his fingerprint and confirmed that he was alive.
White mist spilled out of the box.
The iron box slowly began to open.
As the white mist gradually dispersed, a dazzling blue light shone out from within.
Even in this brightly lit room, the blue light before them remained dazzling and pure.
It reminded Cordis of the blue sky and ocean he loved most, yet could never have.
The iron box opened slowly.
A deep-blue gemstone no bigger than a thumb appeared before everyone.
Its color was at once so murky and so clear.
Despite its murky, deep-blue hue, it gave off a blue light of astonishing brilliance and clarity.
Countless tiny specks floated inside the deep-blue gemstone, reminding Cordis of the Milky Way he had once seen on television.
Those people had said this was what the Milky Way looked like.
Cordis hadn't believed them. He had never seen this so-called Milky Way, so naturally, he hadn't believed anything so beautiful could exist in this world.
But now he believed.
They really hadn't lied to him. The Milky Way really did look like this.
A thought surfaced in Cordis's mind.
I want it. It has to be mine.
But he also desperately needed money right now. Without money, he couldn't redeem his Hunter License.
The Hunter License or the Febola Stone...
After thinking it over for a while, Cordis resolutely chose the Febola Stone.
I can always redeem the Hunter License later. Besides, I don't particularly need it.
But only one Febola Stone appears in the world every few hundred years.
If I don't get this one,
I'll have to wait hundreds of years for the next.
Cordis bent slightly at the waist, ready to act at any moment.
Of course, the members of the Spider hiding outside the door weren't about to let his plan succeed.
Shalnark had hacked into the entire mansion's security and power systems long before.
When Chrollo saw Cordis getting ready to seize the stone,
he gave Shalnark a look, and Shalnark immediately shut off every light in the mansion.
Everyone was still spellbound by the Febola Stone's beauty when the sudden blackout caught them completely off guard.
Apart from the faint blue glow of the Febola Stone on the stand, there was no light at all.
Seeing this, Qiudaozi and Nedepu hurried onto the stage, shielding the Febola Stone and the merchant behind them.
"Mr. Cordis! Mr. Cordis, where are you?"
Qiudaozi called out anxiously.
Cordis was probably the strongest of the three of them.
Just moments ago, below the stage, Cordis had been standing right beside him.
Now, no matter how often he called, Cordis gave no response.
Has everyone been missing Gon and Killua?
Don't worry.
Once the Febola Stone arc is finished, we'll go find them.
The details about the Febola Stone are my own speculation, not part of the original canon.
What if you say it clashes with an existing setting?
Why the fuck should I care?
Before you continue