"Really, what difference is there between the Kurta Clan and us in Meteor City?"
"Meteor City is a place abandoned by the entire world."
"The Kurta Clan lived in seclusion, outside of human society. But even among your people, there were those like us—those with fates no different from Sarasa's."
"His fate and ours were the same, wasn't it?"
"If he's promised not to raise a hand against us, then what's the harm in telling him the truth about what happened back then? That old bastard… I've been sick of him for a long time anyway."
"As for Kakin and the Minbo Republic, that's not our concern."
Feitan's expression was cold. "If we kill him now, we won't have to deal with any problems later."
"Me? Worried?" Feitan gave a mocking laugh. "Sounds like you're suggesting I'm not a match for him."
"How could that be? Just a Kurta survivor… how could someone like that possibly be a threat to me?"
After a short pause, Feitan added, "Since you're the one who is willing to pick a fight for him, then when he really does make a move against the Phantom Troupe, he's yours to deal with. I won't interfere."
Franklin shrugged. "Whatever."
Kurapika stared down at the list in his hands, as if committing each name to memory.
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The Processing Valley.
When they arrived, the scene wasn't quite what Ron had expected.
It was a massive canyon, but it didn't give off a gloomy or oppressive atmosphere—instead, it was full of birdsong and blooming flowers, completely out of place within Meteor City.
The contrast was striking.
"So this is the Processing Valley?"
The group exited the vehicle. Ron glanced at Machi. She nodded.
"Processing Valley is where special corpses are handled. Meteor City has existed for a long time, and over the years, it's accumulated a massive number of… special bodies. The ground beneath us is all made up of them."
"Because of how nutrient-rich it is, the plants here grow extremely well."
Ron's expression shifted slightly. There weren't many things left in the world that could shake him, but realizing there was no soil here—only layers upon layers of corpses—caught him off guard.
Misty immediately leapt back out of the valley.
Nina and Ponzu also looked visibly uncomfortable.
No one feared corpses, but walking directly on a mountain of them wasn't something anyone liked.
Chrollo looked at Ron. "Ron, I'm afraid you'll need to come in with us."
"I can retrieve the Dark Sonata score directly, but as for the other portion of information related to it, I can't pass that along—it has to be conveyed by the elder herself."
Ron nodded. "That's fine."
He turned to Ponzu, Shizuku, and Nina. "You three wait here."
The three of them didn't have enough combat strength to help if things went wrong.
"Phinks, you wait outside too," Ron added.
Before he could finish, Chrollo interrupted. "We've been to the Processing Valley before. There's no danger."
A group of four headed into the canyon—Ron, Chrollo, Machi, and Misty.
The alone time Hisoka had always dreamed of having with Chrollo, Ron had now obtained with ease. But both Machi and Misty were considered part of Ron's group, so it wasn't quite the same.
Birdsong echoed through the canyon, the scenery lush and vibrant—far more beautiful than many of the places Ron had visited in this world. But when he reminded himself that all of this had been nourished by corpses, the beauty vanished.
Up ahead, a village came into view—roughly a dozen scattered wooden huts. Some had tightly shut doors and windows, while others had people sitting out front.
Ron glanced around. All of them gave off a strange, unsettling aura.
Chrollo led the group to an elderly woman.
The old woman opened her eyes and gave Chrollo a look.
"Little Chrollo, it's been a while."
Chrollo smiled. "I've grown up, and there's more on my plate now. I can't always live like I did as a child. But Elder Catherine, how's your health lately?"
"Not great," she replied, "but I should be able to hang on for a few more decades."
Her gaze shifted to the rest of the group.
"Yes," Chrollo replied. "We ran into some trouble during our operations outside. Ron helped us a lot. As payment, I plan to give him the Dark Sonata. And the related information."
Catherine narrowed her eyes slightly. "You do realize what the Dark Sonata actually means, don't you?"
Chrollo nodded. "I do."
"I wasn't asking you."
Ron spoke. "The Dark Sonata is said to be a musical score written by the Demon King, but in reality, it's more likely a product of nen. Whether it's the performer or the listener, both are deeply affected by it—death, mutation… it's an extremely dangerous thing."
Catherine asked, "Since you know how dangerous it is, why do you still want it?"
"Because it's what I'm owed." Ron's tone didn't waver. "As for why I'm interested in the Dark Sonata, or what I plan to do with it once I have it… I don't see why I need to explain that."
He turned to Chrollo. "You're going to honor your promise, right?"
Ron didn't know what kind of relationship Catherine had with Chrollo. He didn't know who truly held the Sonata. And he didn't know what Catherine intended to do. That was why he chose not to say more.
Her attitude rubbed him the wrong way.
Chrollo looked at her and said calmly, "Elder Catherine, I was the one who obtained the Dark Sonata. I have the right to decide what to do with it. I already promised Ron he would receive it."
Catherine gave them both a long, hard look.
"I hope you won't come to regret this."
With that, she turned and entered her cabin. Moments later, she returned with a box in her hands.
"The Dark Sonata score is inside this."
She handed it to Chrollo, who passed it to Ron.
Ron opened the box and looked inside. A sheet of old parchment lay within—worn and fragile.
But the nen aura radiating from it was unmistakable.
This was the Dark Sonata.
The energy it gave off reminded Ron slightly of Melody's aura—but much more intense.