Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Chairman Netero paced slowly in front of the long table, the sound of his wooden clogs echoing through the quiet room.
Every few steps, he would lift the wide sleeves of his robe, take up a calligraphy brush, dip it lightly in ink, and stroke it across a long scroll laid out before him.
Before long, a full piece of elegant calligraphy took shape.
He set the brush back in its stand, rubbed his palms together as if warming them, and glanced up with a calm smile.
"So, you're telling me the father and son have acknowledged each other?"
"More or less," Germain replied lazily, bent over to peer into the large aquarium beside him.
Bright fish with shimmering scales darted back and forth, their species unrecognizable but their beauty undeniable.
"Ging is taking Gon with him tomorrow. They're going to investigate some ruins."
"Oh ho ho…"
Netero chuckled in that distinct, hearty way of his. Stroking his long beard, he added with amusement, "That's just like Ging."
Germain tapped the glass twice—clink, clink.
Startled by the sound, the fish flicked their tails and quickly swam to hide behind the tiny artificial mountain nestled inside the tank.
"Gon didn't object," Germain continued. "But his companions—Killua, Leorio, Hanzo, and Pokkle—all stood up for him."
"Good friends," Netero said with a nod, his expression softening. He let out a quiet laugh. "So, how did Ging respond?"
Germain turned around, arms crossed, and said casually, "He said more or less what you just did. 'Great friends.' 'It's thanks to you all that Gon has become who he is today.' Stuff like that."
"Typical Ging," Netero smirked. "He knew exactly how to flatter them—and those kids liked flattery."
"Exactly. And since Gon himself didn't seem to mind, even leaned toward Ging's side, the situation didn't escalate."
Netero gave a slow, thoughtful nod.
"Mm. And where are they now?"
"They went to find Kurapika first," Germain replied. "He's close with the group, after all. Ging thought it was right for them to meet."
"And I asked Kurapika to take Leorio to see Cheadle, Sanbica, and the others."
"Leorio? Oh, I remember now—he's the disciple from that doctor at Fanlin Medical University... Sure. Let him continue his training under Cheadle and Sanbica. A solid choice. The New Continent needs people with all kinds of talent."
"What about Shizuku and List?"
"They went to the warehouse to find Cluck. They're sorting and repacking the supplies we brought."
"I see, I see."
Chairman Netero nodded as he slowly rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out a small wooden box, placing it gently on the table.
He opened the box, took out a carved seal, dipped it into red ink, and stamped it neatly on a sheet of calligraphy he'd written earlier.
The seal bore his name—"Isaac."
"Germain, come have a look. What do you think of my writing?" Netero asked, casually putting the seal away. "Not bad, right?"
There was a hint of pride in his voice.
Germain walked around the long table and saw a sheet of paper laid out flat, the characters bold and free-spirited. Four large words stood out—"Man Has Integrity."
"Looks good." Germain replied. He didn't know much about calligraphy, but he could still appreciate the basics of form and balance. More importantly, he didn't want to ruin the old man's good mood.
"Haha! Then I'll give it to you. Hang it on the wall, how about that?"
"No need, thank you." Germain politely declined.
Netero hadn't expected him to reject it so quickly, especially after complimenting it. He muttered a bit under his breath, clearly annoyed.
Germain listened patiently as the old man grumbled for a while—something about how young people these days didn't appreciate the elderly, and how others would kill to receive a gift from him.
After venting for a bit, Chairman Netero finally shifted to the main topic.
"List must've already told you about the V6 reinforcements taking over the fortress, right?"
"He did. I also heard the fortress is now divided into two zones."
"That's just a nicer way to put it. In reality, the so-called 'Hunter Association Zone' only takes up a quarter of the fortress. The rest belongs to the 'V6 Zone.'"
"I noticed that. When List guided us to see Ging, he deliberately avoided certain areas. Those must mark the edge of the Hunter Association's territory."
Chairman Netero stood with his hands behind his back in front of the window.
From there, he could see outside the fortress—rows upon rows of heavily armed V6 soldiers, marching in perfect formation.
"We've already secretly shown the higher-ups the Herb for All-illnesses and the Greedy Dragon Crystal as our discoveries."
Chairman Netero turned around, his robe swaying with the motion, and continued, "Our prepared explanation is that you obtained them not long ago and brought them back with you."
"Do you think they'll believe that?"
"The existence of the Herb for All-illnesses and the Greedy Dragon Crystal, and the fact that no Disaster occurred—those are the best possible evidence."
Chairman Netero paused, then added, "The team credited with retrieving the Hope consists of you, Bisky, Morel, and Shizuku."
"We've done Ging a disservice in this matter. He should have had his name recorded here. I've spoken to him. He doesn't care much for empty fame and understands the Hunter Association's decision given the current situation. Still, we'll find a way to make it up to him and set the record straight in time."
"The V6 has already spoken with Bisky and Morel to understand the situation. As for you and Shizuku, we've all agreed to say that you were carrying out a mission deep within the Dark Continent."
"Later, you and Shizuku should meet up with Bisky and Morel to go over your statements. I expect that once the V6 reinforcement representatives find out you've returned, they'll want to talk with you soon."
Chairman Netero then briefly went over a few more important details, and Germain took careful notes of everything.
After a while, Netero shifted to a more relaxed tone and brought up another topic.
"Killua and Gon are still young after all. They need time and real-world experience—that's what they're lacking most."
"So, comparatively, the members brought back by Kite and Izunavi were all selected and gathered as combat-ready forces."
Netero pulled out a thick stack of documents and laid them on the long table, flipping them open for Germain to see.
The files contained information on all the members Kite and Izunavi had brought back.
Germain began leafing through them. Most of the faces and names were unfamiliar to him.
Occasionally, though, one or two would spark a memory deep in his mind.
Basho—his spiky hairstyle was reminiscent of Knuckle's. He, too, was a Conjuration-type Nen user.
He and Hanzo came from the same country, both adept at materializing the imagery found in haikus.
Baise wore his long hair tied in a high, flowing bundle.
She was a Manipulator-type Nen user.
Her Nen ability functioned similarly to Morena's—it required kissing someone as a trigger.
Once she kissed someone, that person would quickly fall under her control, becoming her puppet.
In the original timeline, Basho, Baise, Kurapika, Melody, and others had all once served as bodyguards for the Nostrade Mafia family.
Their duty had been to protect Neon, the family's spoiled heiress and a collector of human body parts.
Later, their fates diverged.
Basho and Melody followed Kurapika and eventually came to control the entire Nostrade family.
Baise, however, died at the hands of Shizuku's "Blinky" vacuum.
Who would've thought—after all the twists and turns, this group of people still ended up together again?
Only now, the people they worked with—and their roles—had completely changed.
*******
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/c/Unique_Writer