Clean, polite, poised, and instantly noticeable...
These were the first impressions that Light Nostrade formed of the man standing before him.
It was mainly because this man was such a stark contrast to the other Meteor City thugs who were either darting their eyes around with who-knew-what kind of malicious intent or spewing vile and vulgar language, acting like total ruffians.
The difference was so glaring that it allowed Light to quickly and clearly make his judgment.
And coincidentally, this judgment aligned perfectly with what he had interpreted from the prophecy poem he had seen earlier!
The prophecy poem never gives direct explanations; instead, it presents a poetic riddle. It's up to him to decipher the answers from the verses.
Light Nostrade had read many prophecy poems and knew the meanings of certain terms. For example, "eternal rest" generally signified "death," among others.
Because of this, he had initially doubted his interpretation of the prophecy, wondering if he had misunderstood, which led him to this desolate place.
But evidently, when this young man approached him, Light Nostrade realized that his daughter's prophecy was, once again, spot-on.
'As expected of such a powerful ability to foresee the future, I must secure this ability at all costs!'
Internally, Light marveled once more at the strength of the prophecy while his face softened slightly with a friendly expression.
"Ahem, that's correct."
He cleared his throat, his tone calm as he continued, "Our Nostrade family is currently a rising force within the underworld. To ensure our continued growth, we are looking to recruit a number of capable individuals."
"Of course, our family has very high standards, and we have stringent requirements for those we take in…"
Light Nostrade began to spin an elaborate tale, full of exaggerated and empty rhetoric.
Moarik listened, nodding occasionally.
Hmm, just as I expected.
The man before him was indeed the head of the Nostrade family, Light Nostrade, who would later become a prominent figure in the Yorknew City arc.
He was also the mafia boss whom Kurapika targeted and joined to track down the Phantom Troupe.
Light Nostrade originally was a minor leader under the Ritz family, a local mafia group. He later rose through the ranks thanks to his daughter Neon's innate prophecy ability, using her foresight to guide his actions and assist other mafia leaders, eventually climbing to a position just below the Ten Dons.
Because of this, he was often looked down upon by others in the mafia, but he didn't care at all. In fact, he believed that his success lay in mastering future intelligence, which made him dismissive of the taunts from other mafia members, viewing their jealousy as "ugly" and beneath him.
He appeared composed and full of confidence.
Light Nostrade was also an ambitious man with great aspirations; he would never pass up any opportunity to climb higher.
During the Yorknew City arc, upon learning that the Ten Dons' legendary Shadow Beasts had been completely wiped out and that the Ten Dons were planning to hire and form a team of professional assassins, he saw his opportunity.
Light Nostrade demanded that Kurapika, who had previously captured a member of the Phantom Troupe, join the effort to bolster his own reputation within the mafia.
He was a man who outwardly appeared kind and wise but was actually deeply ambitious and frail inside.
Light's overwhelming love for his daughter, Neon, stemmed entirely from his desire to exploit her ability to amass wealth, status, and power.
He believed that with unfettered access to accurate foresight, he could even control the world.
He even dreamed that reaching the Ten Dons' level was no longer just a fantasy.
However, when Neon lost her ability to predict the future after Chrollo stole her power, Light Nostrade fell into a deep despair.
His eyes filled with bloodshot tears, and he screamed hysterically, showing an ugly and desperate side of himself as he faced the collapse of everything he had built upon her prophetic powers.
Later, after Kurapika took control of the Nostrade family, Neon seemed to live quite happily, even attending the annual martial arts tournament at the Heaven's Arena.
She may have eventually experienced some unforeseen incident, leading to the disappearance of the power Chrollo had stolen.
But even then, she fared much better than Light Nostrade, who never appeared again.
As Moarik recalled various details about Light Nostrade's character, he formed a concise evaluation of the man:
Weak inside, with limited understanding and vision, lacking in both ability and scope, making him easy to control.
"This guy only had the capability to be a small-time local boss. It was solely due to Neon's prophecy that he rose to power. Without her, he's nothing and doesn't pose much of a threat."
That's what Moarik thought.
This was also why he sought out Light Nostrade and adjusted his subsequent plans.
The Nostrade family, which had yet to rise to prominence, was still an excellent place to join, even though he wasn't sure why Light Nostrade had come to this place.
But joining them was indeed a very good option.
Not only would the Nostrade family play a significant role in the upcoming Yorknew City arc, bringing with it plenty of potential rewards, but as a burgeoning mafia family, they had access to money, information, power, and more.
Given that he would have to deal with numerous challenges after leaving Meteor City, having his own organization, especially one with roots in the underworld, would make it much easier to navigate those challenges.
Sometimes, there's a big difference between a lone wolf and someone who has an organization backing them.
Moarik understood the value of having a strong foundation to rely on.
Especially since he knew exactly how the Nostrade family would evolve in the future.
He knew what the best choices were to benefit him the most.
And most importantly...
"This is the only place with loot boxes I can open."
Moarik 's gaze fell on the white-glowing loot box beside Light Nostrade, his resolve to proceed with this choice growing even stronger.