On July 3rd, at the agreed time of 7 p.m., the day had been filled with rain, but it finally stopped. The roads were still a bit slippery, so the driver drove cautiously to avoid the tires skidding and disturbing the young lady in the back seat.
Neon sat humming a soft tune, swaying her head happily like an excited little girl going on a trip.
Her maid, Eliza, was much calmer. She sat beside Neon, smiling as she watched her, with her hands resting gently on her kimono-covered thighs. Her demeanor gave her the air of being Neon's older sister.
Though they were master and servant, Neon and Eliza had spent many years together, sharing almost every moment, so their bond was quite close.
In the passenger seat sat Dalzollene, occasionally glancing out the window at the passing streets, and other times using the rearview mirror to check on the young lady in the back. While Neon could relax, Dalzollene, as the head of security, had to stay alert.
Luckily, the five black Nostrade family cars drove through the main road of the Left City in the Twin Cities without any issues and arrived at the banks of the Theodore River.
The night breeze was cool, and the river's surface reflected the crescent moon hanging in the sky along with the streetlights on the banks, scattering faint lights across the water.
As soon as Neon stepped out of the car, she stretched, inhaled the fresh air, and closed her eyes in satisfaction. Though they'd only been in the car for about twenty minutes, she already felt stifled.
"Miss," Eliza gently reminded her, "Someone is approaching."
Neon turned her head and saw a short figure coming towards the riverbank, carrying a large bottle in his arms and looking nervous.
This was clearly the seller of the Scarlet Eyes.
As the man approached, he was stopped by the Nostrade family guards. He shrank back in fear, not daring to make a move.
"Search him thoroughly. Don't miss anything."
The man in the black robe, Linssen, nodded silently and walked over to the short man. He extended his hands from his long sleeves and began to search the man's body meticulously.
He understood what Captain Dalzollene meant. If it were just a regular body search, any guard here could handle it. But the reason Captain Dalzollene instructed him to act was to check if the short man was a Nen user, something only a fellow Nen user could properly detect.
Dalzollene, Linssen, and the ape-like Shachimono were some of the few Nen users in the Nostrade family. They knew how dangerous Nen could be, much more than the ordinary guards.
Even if the short man didn't have much combat strength, he could still assassinate Miss Neon by using some special Nen abilities the moment he got close to her.
Captain Dalzollene had to stay alert.
If something like that happened, it would be a serious failure on the part of the guards.
After carefully examining the man, Linssen turned around, shook his head, and said, "His aura nodes aren't open. He doesn't seem to be a Nen user."
"Then let's keep our distance while we do this," Dalzollene said cautiously. "Linssen, check if the Scarlet Eyes are real."
Neon raised her hands excitedly and shouted, "Let me see! I'm an expert when it comes to human body collections!"
If Eliza, the maid, hadn't held her back, Neon would've rushed over to the short man and his Scarlet Eyes.
Dalzollene frowned, adding with a sigh, "Linssen, bring it over to Miss Neon for inspection."
Linssen nodded and grabbed the cloth-wrapped bottle from the seller.
The seller looked nervous but didn't dare try to take it back.
Linssen unwrapped the cloth, inspected the bottle for a moment, knocked on it a few times, and after making sure there were no tricks or hidden devices, he brought it over.
He raised the bottle of liquid in front of Miss Neon.
Neon stepped closer, her hands touching the cold glass as she stared into the pair of crimson eyes floating in the solution.
"It's them!" Neon cried out in excitement. "These have to be the Scarlet Eyes! I can even see the anger and sorrow of the person before their tragic death, preserved like amber!"
"What a tragic beauty! No wonder they're called 'one of the seven most beautiful things in the world!' Ahhh, amazing! I finally have them!"
Neon turned toward the short man in the distance, her curiosity piqued. "Who are you? How did you get the Scarlet Eyes? I've searched everywhere but couldn't find even a single pair!"
The short man mumbled something under his breath, but no one could hear him clearly.
A nearby guard shoved him, shouting, "Didn't you hear the question our young lady just asked you?"
The short man was pushed to the ground, trembling for a moment. Then he raised his voice, stammering, "I... I'm a cram school teacher…"
"A cram school teacher?" Neon repeated, surprised. "How did a cram school teacher like you end up with the Scarlet Eyes?"
"It... it was an accident..." The short man said, lowering his head. "There was a car crash... The people in the car were dead... The Scarlet Eyes were with one of them... I... I just..."
"Then why are you trying to sell them now?" Neon asked.
"I... I need money..." the short man sobbed. "The cram school... it shut down suddenly... I owe a lot of money to the casino... It's a loan shark..."
Neon didn't need to hear more. As the daughter of the Nostrade family, she had seen plenty of similar situations, where thieves would rob each other. The details weren't important.
She felt disappointed, though. She had hoped this cram school teacher had some kind of special connection or secret way of getting the Scarlet Eyes. But now, it seemed like it was just dumb luck. She'd have to find more Scarlet Eyes herself.
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