Seeing her request, shouldn't she feel a sense of vanity, eagerly agreeing to take on the task? Especially after the effects of the "Fountain of Youth Rope," she now appeared vibrant and youthful. Moreover, her appearance was exactly what people of that age group would find appealing, right?
"I originally thought it would be easy to get close to them, that ruining the pure friendship between two kids would be the most interesting. But why—"
"Shall we start from over there?"
"Okay?"
Just as Biscuit Krueger was lost in her thoughts, Gon and Killua had already decided on their path and were about to part ways.
Biscuit Krueger: "?????? Wait a minute! I'll try my best not to cause you any trouble!! Wait! Wait... stop right there!! Ahem, I mean, please wait a moment??"
Within the Greed Island game, as Feitan and Phinks joined and began to take an interest in playing, the threads of fate were destined to take a different course. Yet, the encounters of Gon and Killua seemed to indicate they were back on their predetermined path. Fate, indeed, is an unpredictable thing.
At this moment, Morin, who was at the Hunter Association, could also feel a certain resonance with this sentiment.
"Yo, yo, yo, you've been having quite a good time lately, haven't you?"
In the chairman's office, Mr. Beans was brewing tea on the side, while Netero sat cross-legged at the desk, stroking his beard and laughing heartily.
"And you've managed to stir up quite a commotion."
After Mr. Beans finished brewing the tea, Netero personally picked up the teapot and poured tea into the two cups in front of him. There aren't many people in the world who can have the honor of Mr. Beans brewing tea and Chairman Netero serving it himself. Yet Morin happened to be one of those qualified.
"The events in Yorknew City didn't cause you any trouble, did they, Chairman?"
Morin lifted his teacup and toasted Netero.
"Trouble isn't quite the word, though it was a bit of a nuisance. But it's not a big deal."
Netero took a small sip of tea, smiling cheerfully.
Beside him, Beans gave Netero a resentful look. Sure, the chairman might not have had any trouble, but those issues were left to our office and the Zodiac Twelve to resolve. It's easy for you to say.
Mr. Beans was full of grievances but dared not voice them.
"The main issue was the large-scale unrest in Yorknew City, which greatly affected the residents' lives, leaving them in fear for quite some time. Moreover, the main players in this chaos were the Phantom Troupe, which only added to the turmoil."
Netero set down his teacup. "Letting such a vicious criminal group roam free and causing such a negative impact, yet the Hunter Association has not taken any significant action. The public opinion outside isn't exactly favorable, is it?"
"It's fine. With your skills and tactics, Chairman, I'm sure you won't be too bothered by this storm."
Morin chuckled. After all, the Kude Bandit Group also roamed free as S-class criminals, and the Hunter Association didn't take much action then, did they? Now that it's the Phantom Troupe, has anything changed? Clearly not.
Moreover, with Netero's rare serious demeanor, Morin knew that the old man definitely wanted to talk to him about something using this as a pretext. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to invite him to the Hunter Association under the guise of enjoying tea together.
Originally, he was having a great time with Baise in Yorknew City, but then Netero called him here under the pretense of having tea. Given Netero's usual style, he certainly wouldn't invite Morin for tea without a reason.
Hmm, the chairman might not care, but it's us who do the work.
Mr. Beans didn't know who to share his inner turmoil with.
"Ahem, actually, it's not just the pressure from public opinion."
Netero cleared his throat twice. However, before he could finish, Morin interjected:
"Is it pressure from the upper echelons of the V5?"
"Not that," responded Mr. Beans honestly. "V5 not only holds significant power on the surface but also has connections with the Mafia's Ten Dons in the shadows. The training of the Shadow Beasts under the Ten Dons also had resources provided by V5."
"Now that the Shadow Beasts are completely wiped out, and the Ten Dons themselves have met a swift end, V5 is focusing on integrating the mafia families of the underworld, so they haven't paid much attention to the current situation in Yorknew City."
Mr. Beans casually revealed secrets unknown to the outside world.
Hmm, now that the Ten Dons are dead, the underworld is leaderless, lacking a figurehead. If V5 doesn't seize this opportunity to bring the underworld forces under its control, that would be surprising.
It's important to remember that V5 is a major power, but it's a coalition of five kingdoms. They also have competition and mutual suspicion among themselves, and these five countries even had grudges in the past, with royal intermarriages.
Love and hate, intertwined and complex, a tangled mess. This sudden opportunity for a reshuffle has made each country eager to claim the biggest slice of the underworld pie.
---
Now, as they engage in overt and covert battles for their own interests, who has the time to care about anything else? Having been interrupted, Netero cast a sidelong glance at Beans, who quietly lowered his head. Just like a newbie who made a mistake, trembling slightly. But what Mr. Beans was truly thinking, only he knew.
"So that's the situation. Although V5 hasn't said much, the Hunter Association still needs to provide an explanation to the public." He maintained a businesslike demeanor.
"What kind of explanation?" Morin asked with a smile, "Are you planning to capture members of the Phantom Troupe as a warning to others? I'm right here. Did you invite me for tea just to trick me into being captured?"
"That's a bit extreme; it's not quite like that," Netero said, waving his hand while stroking his beard. "The main issue is that as a member of the Phantom Troupe, and being one of the 'world's top five Nen users' as personally evaluated by me, I do bear some responsibility for your actions."
"Sorry, old man, but our recent actions targeted only the Mafia's underground auction, not the Southern Peace Auction," Morin interrupted. "We opposed the Mafia, and the ones we fought and killed were members within the Mafia."
"Moreover, most of the battles took place in the suburbs, so the impact on ordinary residents should not have been significant," Morin laid it all out plainly. "If you intend to pursue this line of reasoning, I suggest you reconsider."
"Just say what you need to say directly," Morin said sincerely. "You're not one for beating around the bush; it's not your style. If Pariston were handling this, it might be different."
Netero's expression remained calm, showing no signs of embarrassment.
"Ahem, since we've reached this point in the conversation..." Netero began, "I do have a matter to discuss..."
Morin interrupted again, "Let's be clear, Chairman. If I find the matter troublesome or boring, I won't get involved. You should be prepared for that."
Netero: "Is it really okay for you to be so blatantly laid-back?!"
The term "laid-back" was something he had picked up from Morin.
"After all, you're the Chairman of the Hunter Association, and there are Vice-Chairmen, Office Directors, the Zodiac Twelve, Senior Hunters, Two-Star Hunters, One-Star Hunters, and many other capable hunters above me,"
Morin shrugged. "I'm just a newcomer who only got my Hunter License this year. How could I possibly slack off?"
Netero fixed his gaze on Morin, slowly uttering two words: "Heh heh."
Those two words conveyed a multitude of meanings.
"Alright, enough of that. Let's get to the main point," Netero said, shifting to a more formal posture.
"Recently, V5 has indeed been focusing on the underground forces, but that's only part of it. Given their vast scope, they certainly have other important matters to handle. Among them, the top priority is..." Netero slowly uttered a few words: "The Dark Continent."
V5's desire to explore the Dark Continent has never waned. Despite the dangers, the immense benefits hidden alongside those dangers drive V5 to continuously send wave after wave of people to venture there. However, after several devastating failures, V5 has learned its lesson.
Although they still harbor thoughts of exploring the Dark Continent, they plan to conduct a trial before setting foot there again, to see if the current Six Continents are prepared to handle the Dark Continent's threats.
"So, you want my help regarding V5 and the Dark Continent?" Morin easily grasped the implication in Netero's words.
"That's correct," the old man nodded gently. "Based on the intelligence I've received, V5 is once again eager to set their sights on the Dark Continent. However, this time, they haven't acted recklessly. They plan to assess the Six Continents' capacity to withstand the challenges."
"After the previous five expeditions, bringing back five types of calamities from the Dark Continent has already placed the Six Continents in a perilous situation. If they aren't properly prepared and bring back another disaster..."
"The entire Six Continents could fall into an irreparable state."
Morin played with the teacup in his hand. "So what do you want to know, old man?"
"I want to know what kind of preparations V5 is making for the Six Continents," the old man replied calmly. "If they go too far, the Six Continents might not withstand their meddling even before they bring back new disasters from the Dark Continent."
"With all the tools at your disposal, finding out about these preparations should be easy, right?" (here Netero is mainly talking about the chimera ants arc in the manga it's shown that Pariston have a connection to it.)
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