Over the past two days, Netero had been observing and listening carefully to Germain, and it didn't take long for him to conclude that Bisky's assessment was mostly accurate.
"Just as you'd expect from a 'Stone Hunter', she's found another uncut jade, hidden deep beneath the mud. With some careful shaping, this one might have a bright future in some field," he said, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
But even with this favorable assessment, Netero felt uneasy, as if a familiar scent was emanating from Germain—a scent that didn't belong in this place.
Netero had ventured to the Dark Continent twice and returned alive, an achievement that was already legendary. His expeditions had filled others with awe.
But how could this be?
Nearly all the information and access to the Dark Continent was tightly controlled by the V5 powers. Even the Hunter Association had to respect their rules, with strict prohibitions on sharing details about the continent.
His son and "Gold" had tried to return there but couldn't get past the V5—and Netero himself didn't allow it. It's far too early for the younger generation of hunters to venture to the Dark Continent again. It would not only result in heavy casualties, but it might also unleash catastrophic "disasters."
So the question was, how could Germain, working alone, achieve what others with far greater resources could not?
On the afternoon of January 10, Germain took a public airship that slowly ascended from Sofa Municipal Airport, hovering above the city's retro architecture.
Having handed over his hunter's license, the cost of his journey was significantly reduced.
After several hours of flight, the airship landed at SW City Airport after nightfall. With a worn backpack slung over his shoulder and dressed in a gray and black hunter's outfit, Germain stepped out of the airport to the sound of the PA system and onto a street lined with taxis.
He knocked on the window of one of the cabs, and the driver—a tall man with hairy arms—immediately got out with a broad smile.
The driver opened the rear door for him and asked, "Where to, sir?"
"Opera Hotel," Germain replied. He'd already chosen his next destination while on the airship.
"The taxi pulled up in front of the Opera House Hotel twenty minutes after Germain had made the call, just as the driver promised.
Germain paid the fare, stepped out into the cold evening breeze, and gazed up at the hotel's impressive facade.
Although the hotel was named after the nearby opera house, it wasn't actually an opera house itself. It stood tall and illuminated, with several young bellhops in sharp uniforms standing at the entrance to greet guests. They welcomed Germain as he walked over the red carpet into the lobby.
Fifteen minutes later, Germain was in his room, gazing out through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the glittering lights of the city and the opera house below. The room was soundproofed, so he couldn't hear the music from the opera house, but he could feel its presence.
After a pleasant dinner, Germain sent a text message to Bisky.
'Have you eaten?'
'Can you send me the link to the Hunter-only website?'
Even if you pass the Hunter Exam and earn a Hunter License, the Hunter Association doesn't just hand you the website address. You have to find it on your own. Since Germain didn't know many people in the Association, Bisky was the first person he thought to ask.
It took a while before Bisky replied.
'Hey, hey, hey, don't think just because you sent me a casual greeting, it's an actual conversation. That's pretty lazy of you. (helpless emoji)'
'So, you passed the Hunter Exam and got your license? That was fast! (surprised emoji) I thought it would take at least a week.'
'By the way, I've just received the color-changing stone that Wing sent me. I like it a lot, but I'd be even happier if you told me where it came from. (wink emoji)'
Bisky's hint was clear."
Germain is not one to fuss over details, and he typically doesn't concern himself with things he finds tedious. But this time is different—he needs something from Bisky.
"I can't tell you the source," Germain said, rejecting her question. Instead, he offered a different deal. "I will try to get another 'stone' and exchange it for the hunter's website address."
Getting a "stone" isn't too difficult. His plan was already set to head to the Dark Continent again, so it fit right in with his schedule.
"Sounds good," Bisky replied, agreeing without hesitation. She seemed to have expected that Germain wouldn't reveal his source. "I'll send you the link."
A few seconds later, the URL appeared on Germain's device, along with two messages from Bisky.
"I heard from Chairman Netero that you want to become Beast Hunter. The beast... I think I know where the 'stone' might have come from..."
"If you come across other types of 'stones', let me know right away. My offer will be worth your while. Don't forget!"
Germain texted back, "Got it," and ended the chat.
The next day, he went to an internet cafe in KSW City, used one of the public computers, and logged onto the website that Bisky had sent him.
The website's homepage was designed to look like a bar, with the person providing information posed as a bartender in the picture.
There are two ways to log into the Hunter-exclusive website: one is through a conventional internet connection, and the other is a fully immersive experience that makes you feel like you're actually in the virtual environment, like a bar setting displayed on the site.
Germain opted for the standard web-based login.
He began by searching for information related to the "Dark Continent," but only found general knowledge that was widely known.
Details about things like "gatekeepers," "leaders," "calamities," and similar topics were locked behind more significant barriers. This kind of specialized information wasn't accessible no matter how much money one was willing to spend.
Next, he searched terms like "V5," "Hunter Association," "Underworld Syndicates," "Kakin Empire," and "Zoldyck Family."
These searches returned more information than what he'd found about the "Dark Continent," but the deeper he looked, the more it became clear that certain knowledge required hefty fees or additional qualifications.
Germain then looked up "Phantom Troupe."
He was surprised to find that even though he knew quite a bit about them, the site's information was even more vague than what he had. The names, descriptions, and abilities of the group members were all left intentionally ambiguous.
Even Germain himself was merely labeled as a "suspected member of the Phantom Troupe," which was enough to make him a target for bounty hunters.
As he ate potato chips with his left hand and clicked through the website with his right, he noticed the bounty for any credible information on the Phantom Troupe. The reward was so high that he was briefly tempted to post his own details online.
Finally, Germain began to search for other hunters or collectors involved in various fields.
Topics like medicine, pharmacology, biology, botany, gemstones, food, viruses, and others were among the broad array of interests.
Germain didn't reach out to anyone yet, but he carefully noted down the names for future reference.
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