Cheadle placed both hands on the table and continued seriously.
"Here's the situation… Our Hunter Association suffered heavy losses during the BW1 chaos. Because of that, we want to invite new members to join us."
"In times of crisis, special measures are needed. We can't use the traditional examination system from the Six Continents on this New Continent, so we chose a quicker and more flexible approach."
"That means after thorough background checks by myself, Mizaistom, Sacho, and others, we directly invite candidates we believe are suitable to join the Hunter Association."
"Right now, there are only three names on this list — you, Kastro, and Meleoron."
"Kastro and Meleoron have already accepted. Although their paperwork isn't complete, they're already professional Hunters."
"What I want to ask you, Shizuku, is: Are you willing to join the Hunter Association and become a professional Hunter?"
Shizuku hadn't expected to bypass the Hunter Exam and become a professional Hunter directly.
She blinked her big eyes and instinctively looked at Germain and Bisky beside her.
But both Germain and Bisky shook their heads silently, letting her make the decision on her own.
Seeing that the two closest people wouldn't decide for her, she thought for a moment and then asked, "Hmm… I want to know, what benefits would I get if I join the Hunter Association?"
Cheadle first glanced at Chairman Netero and Mizaistom, exchanging looks with them before turning her gaze back to Shizuku.
"First, you will receive all the full rights of a professional Hunter. That's the most basic."
"Second, we will count your achievements from when you were still an amateur Hunter, allowing you to be promoted directly to a one-star Hunter, with all the rights that position entails."
"Third…"
At this point, Cheadle paused, her expression growing more serious and solemn.
"We know you have never given up investing in your hometown, Meteor City, and you are also aware that we currently have a secret cooperation with Meteor City."
"The origin of Meteor City lies in landfill sites, racial discrimination, skin color prejudice, and so on — eventually becoming a settlement for stateless, socially marginalized people."
"This area, comparable to a small country, is tightly bound, almost like being tied up in many layers… Loosening the bonds on Meteor City is an extremely difficult and lengthy process."
"After the Chimera Ant invasion, the old order of Meteor City collapsed, and a new order was established."
"Currently, the new leadership of Meteor City is mostly inclined to cooperate with us, though many issues still require negotiation."
"Your dual identity as a professional Hunter and a person from Meteor City, along with Sheila's, will make communication much smoother. The people of Meteor City will also be more willing to trust you."
"We will need your help in the future, and we promise to assist in 'unbinding' Meteor City — helping it gain recognition within the society of the Six Continents."
Mentioning Meteor City touched a nerve with Shizuku.
She was silent for a moment before asking, "How do you plan to 'unbind' Meteor City?"
"It's simple," Cheadle adjusted her thin-rimmed glasses. "We will help Meteor City integrate early into the future's big trends, making it an indispensable place in the days to come."
Shizuku shook her head in confusion.
Cheadle continued to explain further:
"The foreseeable future trend is that the Six Continents will keep investing in the New Continent, building towns, factories, and schools there..."
"The future of humanity is undoubtedly in the New Continent, in the Dark Continent..."
"But Meteor City's geographical location is such that it's almost completely disconnected from the New Continent."
"However, with Germain's teleportation lantern, the teleportation technology of Greed Island, and the coming Great Age of Exploration, all of this will change."
"As long as Meteor City is willing to integrate and become part of this, everything will be different."
"Of course, the beginning is always the hardest. Meteor City will face many obstacles from all sides of the Six Continents."
"But we believe, just like countless gold rushes in history, the population of the Six Continents will flood to the New Continent."
"The Six Continents will lack labor, and as people seek to earn more, they will recognize the advantages of Meteor City's lower labor costs."
"At that point, they will proactively come to invest in Meteor City — building highways to its doorstep and factories within it."
"For this, we need a stable governing order in Meteor City, a Meteor City that is gradually being rehabilitated, and a community of Meteor City people who are no longer blindly exclusionary."
"All of these must be planned ahead and require the support and understanding of the people of Meteor City."
"Perhaps half a century from now, we will see a completely different Meteor City. Shizuku, you can be the one to push this change forward and witness it happen."
The issue with Meteor City, in truth, boils down to the fact that the Six Continents do not see Meteor City's role in the global distribution of resources, nor do they view its people as a labor force.
The Six Continents mostly focused on fighting over the limited resources within their existing territories.
Naturally, no one wanted another power rising to the world stage, competing for a share.
Yet now, the grand vision of "exploring and developing the universe" was calling out to the Six Continents.
It was like suddenly standing at the forefront of the times, making your first big fortune—how many people would be satisfied and willing to go back to their old small-scale businesses?
When their focus shifts from the Six Continents to the New Continent, sooner or later, a large part of the industrial chain would be freed up, waiting for regions with lower costs to take over.
Meteor City was waiting for this shift in winds. When the time came, people from the Six Continents would speak up and untie the bindings for them.
The future that Cheadle painted for Meteor City was so beautiful that even Shizuku, with her limited understanding, could hardly imagine it.
But she could feel it—the pulse of hope breaking through the barren, crowded, and polluted land of Meteor City.
Shizuku had remained silent and kept her thoughts to herself, so Cheadle didn't know what she was thinking and instinctively turned to Germain.
Germain was both a native of Meteor City and a professional Hunter, but everyone knew he didn't feel a strong sense of belonging there.
His attitude toward Meteor City was largely influenced by Shizuku's stance, so when Cheadle's gaze landed on him, he only shook his head slightly.
Germain understood Shizuku well—she habitually blocked out external distractions when thinking, almost like a single-threaded process, unable to handle too many things at once.
With a little patience, she would come to a clear decision.
Sure enough, moments later, just as Cheadle was about to say something, Shizuku suddenly snapped out of her reverie.
"I think this can work," she said. "I'm willing to join the Hunter Association. Whether or not your promises come true, I want to do something about this."
"If you need my help, and Meteor City needs yours, then I choose to help you."
*******
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