After delivering the staff, Conrad wasted no time and immediately set out for the monument to speak with the old man and inform him that the task had been completed.
By the following morning, he had arrived at the monument. Since he already knew the route, the journey had not taken very long.
After reaching the monument, Conrad waited quietly. Roughly five minutes later, the old man emerged once again from the darkness of Nen.
"You've completed the task," he said.
Conrad nodded.
"Of course."
The old man let out a quiet breath.
"First, I will tell you why the Kurta Clan was destroyed."
"There was not a single reason. Nearly every cause was connected to the others."
Conrad smiled and raised his hand. Nen began to take shape. A few seconds later, a simple gray chair made entirely of aura appeared behind him. He sat down as if it were a real chair.
This was not a Nen ability.
It was simply the result of his mastery over Nen control. Creating simple objects and using them physically was no longer an ability for Conrad. It was merely a practical application of his expertise.
Once Conrad had taken his seat, the old man continued.
"1. The Dark Continent and the matter of the Guardians."
"2. The Scarlet Eyes."
"3. Meteor City, revenge, and the Phantom Troupe."
Conrad took a quiet breath and nodded before listening in silence.
"The fact that the Kurta Clan served as a group of Guardians was discovered by certain Nen users and Hunters. After that discovery, many Hunters and Nen users came to us, requesting our help in reaching the Dark Continent."
"At first, we helped them."
"But eventually things got out of control, and we decided to stop."
"That decision began to disturb both the Hunters seeking our assistance and the Hunter Association itself, along with the major nations."
"The Hunters we refused began threatening us. Instead of protecting us from those threats, the Association started carrying out minor attacks against us under the justification of restricting access to the Dark Continent."
"That is why members of the Kurta Clan were forbidden from leaving our territory before reaching maturity and fulfilling certain requirements."
"This was one of the primary reasons for our destruction, and perhaps the most important one."
Conrad nodded.
"Honestly, this isn't particularly surprising," he thought.
After everything he had learned from Nelera, he had already started suspecting something along these lines.
The old man continued.
"While these hostilities continued, certain powerful individuals became aware of the beauty of the Scarlet Eyes."
"They sent special military units and Nen users to acquire them. We managed to repel most of those attacks and eliminate many of the attackers."
"I don't know the exact name of the individual behind them, but I heard he was a prince."
Conrad's eyes sharpened, and he slowly nodded.
"Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou..."
The name immediately crossed his mind.
Conrad then looked at the old man.
"And the Phantom Troupe?"
"Were they connected to that prince as well?"
The old man shook his head.
"I don't know for certain."
"But I do know that everything changed after a high-ranking member of the Hunter Association spread the lie that the Kurta Clan had murdered a child."
"According to the story, that child came from Meteor City, the place where the Phantom Troupe originated."
"Because of that, the Phantom Troupe moved to take revenge."
"They truly attacked us."
"They carried out countless acts of torture. They were far stronger than us."
"After taking the eyes, they likely sold them for profit."
Conrad rested a hand on his chin and began thinking.
"Sheila..."
"The Hunter Association is uncomfortable with the Kurta Clan because they serve as a gateway to the Dark Continent, while the major nations and the V5 constantly pressure the Association."
"Hunters who fail to make use of the Kurta Clan begin to resent them."
"A powerful prince who believes he can have anything wants the Kurta Clan's eyes..."
"And while all of this is happening, Sheila, one of the Phantom Troupe's former friends, meets Kurapika and leaves her book behind in Kurta territory..."
"At some point, Chrollo and the others learn that Sheila has been killed and decide to exterminate the Kurta Clan."
Conrad took a deep breath and smiled.
"Someone within the Hunter Association sends Sheila on a mission and uses her connection to the Phantom Troupe, turning them into an unofficial massacre squad."
"In this way, no political fallout reaches the Association because the Phantom Troupe carries out the slaughter."
"Chrollo obtains the Scarlet Eyes and sells them to the prince."
"The prince gets what he wants."
"Chrollo gets his revenge."
"The Hunter Association gets rid of the Kurta Clan."
"Everyone benefits except the victims."
Conrad shook his head.
"What a rotten, bizarre, and filthy world this is."
At that moment, the old man spoke again.
"As far as I know, the Phantom Troupe eventually learned that we were innocent, and that realization created internal conflict among them."
"As I told you before, one of their members then altered their memories so they would no longer view themselves as guilty."
"In their memories, we are still the people who murdered their friend."
"Don't ask where I obtained this information."
"But I am certain it is true."