Chapter 33: The Egg of Light

September 2nd, 1:14 AM. Northern suburbs of Yorknew City.

Watching the red taillights fade into the darkness, Kurapika turned his gaze back to the case in Hesser’s hand. It was a tightly sealed metal box, held firmly in Hesser’s grasp.

"Senior, is this what you came for?" Kurapika asked, his curiosity piqued. For someone as lethargic as Hesser to venture into the suburbs in the dead of night to trade with a group of ominous-looking men in black, it certainly couldn't be anything ordinary.

*Snap!* Kurapika caught an old, tattered book tossed his way. He flipped it over and read the red title printed on the plain gray cover: *Lost Legendary Weapons*.

"Get in the car. Start reading from page 45."

Thanks to Kurapika’s status as a bodyguard for the Nostrade family, the two were able to re-enter the city without issue. The black sedan sped toward the southern district of Yorknew. Sitting in the passenger seat, Kurapika used the interior light to flip to page 45 and began to read.

***

[Light Eggs]—A peculiar divine artifact possessed by the Great Arcanist Kaiyuan 2,000 years ago. Kaiyuan was once a hero who protected the ancient Barot Empire, but he left the empire due to ideological differences, embarking on the legendary adventures celebrated by later generations (for details, see chapters 3 through 6 of the epic *Hymn*).

In a mysterious sea known as the [Deepest Black Sea], Kaiyuan and his elven companion, Elph, struggled to defeat the great sea monster Kraken, unearthing this legendary treasure from its skull.

There is much debate regarding the appearance of the [Light Eggs]. There are as many as twenty-seven different records of their form in poems, documents, and murals, but the most common depiction is that found in the *Hymn*.

They are described as four stone-fetus-shaped spheres, each about the size of a ten-year-old child's palm. The surfaces are engraved with different runes in the ancient Barot language, signifying [Radiance], [Holiness], [Purity], and [Mercy].

In the hands of the Great Arcanist Kaiyuan, this artifact possessed various miraculous properties: Kaiyuan once used them to heal the legs of his elven companion, Elph, after they had been devoured by the evil dragon Dadakanto; he purified the Emperor of Barot, who was plagued by terrible misfortune; he completely repelled the toxic fumes and black flames of the dragon; and he forcibly downgraded the Hundred-Eyed Demon into a Three-Eyed Demon.

Many folklorists and occult experts believe these four miracles correspond to the four ancient Barot runes engraved on the stone spheres. However, some insiders disagree, arguing that the runes represented emerging folk beliefs that contradicted the Winter King worshipped by the royal family, which ultimately led to the collapse of the Barot Empire.

***

Starting from the fifth chapter of the *Hymn*, Kaiyuan ceased using the [Light Eggs]. The artifact seemed to vanish from the epic entirely, and no document records the reason why.

***

"Senior, you don't mean to say that the things in this box are the [Light Eggs] mentioned in the book, do you?" Kurapika was startled, and the box in his arms suddenly felt immensely precious. If such an ultra-ancient relic from the age of myth still possessed supernatural power, its auction price would likely skyrocket to over a hundred billion!

"Relax. The items in the box no longer possess supernatural abilities. They are just ordinary collectibles—well, collectibles worth 14.2 billion," Hesser replied.

After the Phantom Troupe wiped out the pursuit force, Yorknew had returned to a semblance of calm—at least on the surface. Hesser navigated the black sedan through the noticeably emptier streets, drawing ever closer to their destination.

Ten minutes later, the two appeared in a concealed basement. This was one of the secret strongholds of the wealthy tycoon Battera in Yorknew, known only to him and a very select few trusted friends. It contained supplies, a small cache of weapons, and roughly several tens of millions of Jenny in cash.

Hesser walked to the center of the basement, placed the case on the floor, and opened it gently to reveal the contents.

Inside, nestled in custom compartments, were four shattered stone spheres. Their surfaces barely showed traces of mysterious runes, but the main bodies were mostly broken and ruined. It was evident they had been destroyed by immense external force. There was no trace of Nen leaking from them; they were merely ordinary ancient artifacts.

Besides the four spheres, there was a sheet of paper inside:

[April 3, 1990: The Ancient Barot Cultural Expansion Association, in conjunction with the Snow Country Foundation, formed an archaeological team and excavated a cluster of ruins buried deep beneath a mountain at the site of the ancient Barot Empire (now a protected area within the Republic of Padokea).]

[Based on the style of the burial goods and the murals inside the ruins, experts concluded that this site is connected to the mysterious disappearance of the Great Arcanist Kaiyuan, as recorded in the epic *Hymn*.]

[At the end of the ruins lay a sealed stone tomb. The sarcophagus inside contained no remains, only four shattered stone spheres scattered about.]

[Highly suspected to be the mythical weapon 'Light Eggs'.]

[At the Yorknew Auction on September 4, 1993, the tycoon Battera purchased this collection for the exorbitant price of 14.2 billion Jenny.]

***

[Expert appraisal: This collection possesses no supernatural abilities.]

After reading the note, Kurapika looked up at Hesser with concern. "Senior..."

It was clear that Hesser had gone to great lengths to acquire this ancient treasure, but since it had lost all its supernatural efficacy, would this affect his plans? Could it lead to setbacks or even the total failure of their operation to snipe the Phantom Troupe?

Hesser carefully pinched the four stone spheres from the box, placed them in front of himself one by one, and then sat cross-legged on the floor, hovering his hands over the spheres.

"Kurapika, I’m counting on you for what comes next."

"Huh?"

"I am going to use my Nen ability to recast these four spheres. Even I don't know how long it will take. It might cause a significant disturbance. Please act as my guardian and try to eliminate any factors that might interfere with me."

"...Understood."

Kurapika gently flicked his right hand, the five slender chains attached to his fingers clinking with a crisp, metallic sound. His expression was one of calm and resolve.

"As long as I am alive, no one will disturb you."

Hesser smiled slightly, closed his eyes, and began to lift the suppression on his Nen. The violent energy first stagnated, then erupted with a roar!

A terrifying and intense pillar of Nen shot into the sky, but because they were deep underground and shielded by the towering buildings above, it would be difficult for other Nen users to detect the source unless they were very close.

Under the scouring of the brilliant, flame-like Nen, the four stone spheres began to tremble continuously.

The recasting of the [Light Eggs] had begun.