Conditions X Malena X Life Stone

A Luo looked at Chrollo's retreating back in puzzlement.

Even if he had taken a liking to Blondie's Nen Ability, wasn't going to all that trouble to bring him back to the base a bit excessive for Chrollo?

When he had stolen Indoor Fish from someone before, Chrollo had simply handled it on the spot.

Blondie hardly looked like a tough nut to crack.

With Feitan's skills, forcing him to cooperate with the Boss and surrender his ability right then and there would have been easy.

Why insist on bringing him back, then shut himself in the next room to torment him for an entire day?

Besides Blondie's Nen Ability, what secrets were Feitan and Chrollo trying to dig out of him?

All sorts of possibilities flashed through A Luo's mind.

From the look of things, this jewelry heist hadn't been just a celebration of Shizuku joining the Phantom Troupe.

Perhaps Chrollo had another objective.

Or perhaps he had intended to kill two birds with one stone from the start?

Based on those guesses, A Luo had assumed Chrollo and the others wouldn't stay in Meteor City for long.

Especially with Hisoka around.

That battle maniac, who always loved stirring up trouble and hunting down people to duel, would probably grow sick of the dull days in Meteor City within a few days.

Instead, the group stayed in Meteor City for over a month.

After they had squeezed every secret out of Blondie, the Spiders had hidden him away somewhere long ago.

At any rate, now that the Boss had stolen his Nen Ability, he had at least kept his life.

Unlike her!

Lately, A Luo kept feeling that the way Chrollo looked at her was a little unnerving, as though he were figuring out how to sell her off.

Just when A Luo finally couldn't take it anymore, Chrollo at last put her out of her suspense.

"A Luo, do you remember that mysterious Life Stone that destroyed your family?"

Lola's expression changed.

"Why bring that up all of a sudden?"

Chrollo buried his face in his hands and sighed deeply, then slicked all his hair straight back.

"We haven't stopped looking for that mysterious stone this past year. A few months ago, we happened to receive reliable information that someone among the Treasure Festival's guards knew where the Life Stone was."

A Luo thought of Blondie, whom Chrollo had gone out of his way to bring back to Meteor City.

"So you got the information you wanted?"

Chrollo found his black coat and put it on. The inverted cross on his forehead looked sinister and terrifying in the candlelight.

"It really does save time and effort to talk to someone as smart as you, A Luo. The intelligence Shalnark uncovered corroborates Buta's story."

As though preparing for an important performance, the man gave his classic villain ensemble one final check and nodded in satisfaction.

"Now we're setting off to find that Life Stone. A Luo, would you like to come with us?"

Honestly, A Luo didn't quite understand what Chrollo meant.

In the year or so since she had been captured by the Phantom Troupe, when had she ever had the freedom to decide whether to go somewhere?

Seeing the little girl staring blankly at him without speaking, Chrollo reached out and pinched her chubby cheek.

Over the past few months, the girl had grown taller, and her little face had filled out as well.

Clearly, her excellent cooking had kept her well fed.

And not just her. Machi and Pakunoda's appetites had grown too, and even their complexions looked much healthier.

"Consider it a reward for all the effort you've put into cooking lately. This time, I'll give you the freedom to choose."

For some reason, A Luo suddenly remembered Fan'en Reno's warning before his death.

The Life Stone wasn't a treasure at all. It was something sinister!

If I don't go with the Spider this time, could I find a chance to leave this place?

She wasn't the same person she had been a year ago.

She had awakened her Nen and spent more than a year training.

As she was now, she could definitely get out of Meteor City under her own power!

"Boss, if I don't go with you, does that mean you'll let me move around freely?"

The girl's darting eyes were as clear as the sky, and every little thought she had was written all over her face.

Move around freely?

More like make a run for it!

Chrollo suddenly leaned close to A Luo and said evenly in a low voice:

"You can leave if you want... Little A Luo, as long as you tell me every secret you've been hiding, I promise I won't stop you from going anywhere. If I'm in a good mood, I might even personally escort you to the dungeon where your mother is locked up!"

A Luo: "..."

What did Chrollo just say?

A dungeon where Malena was locked up?

"You know where my mom is?"

The little girl's eyes flew wide. She grabbed Chrollo's arm and demanded an answer.

With a slight movement, Chrollo shook off A Luo's little hand.

"Is that so difficult? We know your mother is the eldest daughter of the Corleone Family. Your uncle hired people to carry out that attack, so naturally, your mother would have ended up in his hands. Once we followed the trail to your uncle, finding your mother wasn't particularly difficult."

A Luo looked at Chrollo.

"Out with it, Boss! What exactly do you want me to do?"

If he had merely meant to offer her a choice out of kindness, or even give her freedom, Chrollo wouldn't have needed to say so much.

He had even revealed information about Malena. Clearly, he had an agenda of his own.

He looked admiringly at the little girl before him.

It was hard to imagine that A Luo wasn't even twelve yet. A child so young already had such a keen grasp of the situation and other people's thoughts, and she even possessed a decent Nen Ability.

Given enough time to grow, who knew what kind of monster the little girl before him might become!

"I have two tasks. As long as you agree to help me complete either one, A Luo, I can set you free and even throw in the information about Malena. What do you think? Considering how well we've all gotten along lately, this is special treatment just for you!"

Chrollo spoke with a smile.

A Luo looked wary.

But in the end, she was still too young and had no choice at all.

Faced with the overbearing Spider, all A Luo seemed able to do for now was nod.

"Tell me! What do you want me to help you do?"

Chrollo said:

"The first task is to reveal every secret you're hiding. The other is to come with us to find the Life Stone and help me obtain it. A Luo, you decide which one you'll choose!"

A Luo: "..."

Reveal the secrets she was hiding? Absolutely not!

Even if she told him the truth, there was no telling whether the Spider before her would believe it.

And even if he did, wouldn't that end up harming a lot of people? First among them was Kurapika, who was destined to become the Spiders' enemy. It might even change the course of the entire world.

"As long as I help you complete one of those tasks, you'll let me go? And you'll even tell me where my mother is?"

Chrollo nodded.

A Luo steeled herself, raised her head, and declared firmly:

"Fine! I'll help you get the Life Stone. Just remember what you promised me, and don't go back on your word."