At the auction in Nanpis, Qiao Lun saw the tycoon Battera, along with the professional Hunter Tsezguerra, who accompanied him.
Tsezguerra was a veteran Hunter. If his hair were removed, his ears lengthened, and his skin color changed, he would bear some resemblance to Dabura from Dragon Ball.
Except Dabura was far stronger than Tsezguerra.
According to the manga, Tsezguerra could jump 16.8 meters high, an effect achieved by concentrating all his Nen in his feet.
To ordinary people, that was already superhuman, but among Nen users, or rather, exceptionally gifted Nen users, it was only average.
After all, Gon and Killua could already jump higher during the Greed Island arc.
Tsezguerra's real strength lay outside combat. At least to Qiao Lun, his meticulous thinking and planning were what allowed him to establish himself in Greed Island and even come close to leading his team to the finish.
At this point, Tsezguerra was also one of the strongest Nen users Battera had recruited.
In particular, Tsezguerra was already more than halfway toward clearing the game. According to him, given some more time, he was confident he could clear Greed Island even without recruiting anyone new.
But Battera could not wait any longer.
His girlfriend, who was in a vegetative state, could die at any moment, so no matter how much money it cost, Battera had to obtain the items in the game as soon as possible.
Only then would there be a chance to cure his lover.
What Qiao Lun was considering was whether Round Deer's Reverse Cursed Technique could save Battera's girlfriend.
He was quite interested in seeing this pure love between a sixty-year-old geezer and a twenty-year-old girl.
Especially since the geezer was now preparing to regain his youth so he could stay with the girl for years to come.
If events followed the original story, Battera's girlfriend was certain to die. Battera would then lose heart. The reward for clearing the game would remain unchanged, but he would no longer need what the players obtained after clearing it.
Clearly, once his girlfriend died, he would lose the desire to keep living as well.
If Qiao Lun could cure Battera's girlfriend ahead of time here, he could certainly use that favor to demand more in return.
As for what he needed so much money for, Qiao Lun had an idea.
The idea came from the method Killua and Gon used to find undervalued antiques in Yorknew City: using "Gyo" to check whether objects had Nen on them.
Having come from the world of Jujutsu, Qiao Lun knew all too well how much a proper Cursed Tool could enhance a Jujutsu Sorcerer's strength.
This world had no Cursed Tools, but it did have quite a few objects imbued with Nen.
Most of these objects had no particular abilities, merely retaining what their creators had left behind, but some special creations did possess abilities.
If he could collect these things, could they improve his strength?
Moreover, having substantial funds behind him would give him more confidence when facing any situation in the future.
After all, this world was far too dangerous.
The place they currently inhabited was merely somewhere called Lake Mobius. Beyond it lay a far vaster world.
Just one Chimera Ant that had drifted over from the Dark Continent, rated only a B-level threat by the V5, could deal a near-devastating blow to the millions of people across the Mitene Union.
What if more beings like that invaded the bounds of Lake Mobius in the future?
Qiao Lun liked to prepare for trouble before it came, and he liked to keep his sense of security firmly in his own hands even more. That was why he had to improve his strength as quickly as possible.
Not just internally. External improvements were equally important.
There was another extremely important reason: ever since he had crossed over, a faint sense of danger had lingered in his heart.
He did not know where that sense of danger came from, but greater strength would give him more courage to face any threat.
When the auction ended, Qiao Lun took the initiative to approach Battera.
As a player employed by Battera, Tsezguerra was also serving as his bodyguard for the moment.
As Qiao Lun approached, Tsezguerra scrutinized him carefully. Judging by the feel of his Nen, Qiao Lun was not particularly strong.
Yet for some reason, when the other man looked at him, Tsezguerra felt as though he were facing a wild beast.
The feeling came and went quickly. When Qiao Lun looked away, he once again appeared to Tsezguerra as a young gentleman of noble birth.
His bearing, his manners, and even the perfectly measured smile on his face all made Tsezguerra feel he was facing a young nobleman.
"Sir, please wait a moment." Tsezguerra politely stopped Qiao Lun.
Battera, whose hair was already streaked with gray and whose face bore deep wrinkles, turned to look at Qiao Lun after a member of Tsezguerra's team informed him.
Battera gave a slight nod, and only then did Tsezguerra dutifully let him through.
Qiao Lun approached Battera with Feitan. "Hello, Mr. Battera. I'm Qiao Lun."
"Hello. Is there something you need?" The fact that Tsezguerra had let Qiao Lun through told Battera that this was no ordinary person.
Judging by his clothes, the man probably did not lack money, but Battera was certain he had never heard the name Qiao Lun. That left only one possibility: Qiao Lun was probably here for Greed Island as well.
Battera had met many such people during his days in Yorknew City.
"I'm here about Greed Island," Qiao Lun said, getting straight to the point.
An unsurprised look flashed through Battera's eyes, and he was about to turn to Tsezguerra and have him explain the test.
But Qiao Lun's next words turned Battera's smiling expression cold and scrutinizing.
"I may also be able to help your lover."
"It seems you did quite a bit of preparation before coming. Is this help you speak of related to your Nen Ability?" Battera did not look particularly surprised. Over the years, he had weathered far too many storms and met many people who claimed they could cure his lover.
But not one of them had actually succeeded. Even the world's most advanced medical team, which he had spent a fortune hiring, could only keep Nakamura Aya alive. They could not even wake her from her vegetative state.
"Yes." Qiao Lun nodded in acknowledgment.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you try." Battera gave an answer Qiao Lun had not anticipated. "I can't afford that risk."
Qiao Lun instantly understood what Battera meant, but that made things rather difficult.
And just as Battera had said he could not afford the risk, Qiao Lun could not be certain that Round Deer's Reverse Cursed Technique could actually cure her before using Round Deer to treat her.
"I was presumptuous," Qiao Lun apologized directly.
"It's all right." Battera returned to his kindly, composed manner.
But Qiao Lun could also see restraint in his aged eyes.
Tsezguerra stepped forward at the right moment. "Mr. Qiao Lun, regarding a place in Greed Island, you can come to Nanpis on the morning of the tenth. We'll hold a test here then. As long as you pass, you'll receive a place in Greed Island."