"I'll pay, and you can set the price." Germain said sincerely. "Please, Bisky."
Shizuku blinked, her eyes widening as she put her hands behind her back and tilted her head, deep in thought.
"Hmm... I'd rather not ask Little Bisky for a massage; she'd probably get embarrassed to ask for money, and I'd feel bad about it."
"Hey, Shizuku! You just said what you were thinking!" Bisky jumped up from the bench and pointed at her.
"And I won't be embarrassed! In fact, I insist that you pay me in full!"
Shizuku quickly covered her mouth as if to stop herself from saying anything else.
"It's too late! I heard you loud and clear!" Bisky crossed her arms, looking a bit annoyed. She then turned to Germain. "Do you really want me to set the price?"
Germain nodded. "Of course, I'm asking you to do this."
Bisky paused to think for a moment, then sighed. "Germain, do you know how many of the world's richest people are hunters?"
Germain replied, "It seems like more than half of them are hunters." He immediately understood what she was implying, but continued to follow her lead.
"That's just the obvious data. There are plenty of eccentric hunters who hide their wealth. Understand? As a Double Star Hunter, I don't need your money."
"I'm helping you because I think you're interesting, and it's the same with Shizuku..."
As Bisky was chatting, Shizuku interrupted, asking a question.
"Hey, you're a veteran Double Star Hunter. How old are you, exactly?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Bisky paused and replied, "Oh, about that... I actually have a curse that keeps me from aging, so I'm forever stuck at twelve or thirteen." She poked her cheeks with both index fingers, smiling cutely.
Germain, who was sitting nearby, watched silently, clearly aware that Bisky was just joking around. Shizuku, however, seemed a bit taken aback. He looked at Shizuku and asked, "So last night when you saw Bisky, a young girl, using 'Hatsu', that didn't surprise you?"
Bisky smirked and nodded. "Yeah. I'm indeed a little girl." She was clearly enjoying the confusion she was causing.
Shizuku raised an eyebrow, turning to Germain for confirmation. Germain shrugged. "Ah. Wait. When I thought about it, it made sense. It's because of our environment."
Shizuku looked at Germain, and he continued, "It's not unusual for kids our age to start using Nen when they're twelve or thirteen, especially those from places like Meteor City. But it's also true that not every kid has the same chance."
Bisky's smile faded as she listened to the conversation. She knew that Shizuku's nonchalance wasn't because it was common for kids from Meteor City to use Nen—it was because those who couldn't develop their Nen often had a much harder time surviving.
Both Germain and Shizuku were exceptional kids from Meteor City, and that's why they were here. They had proven themselves strong in a world that was brutal to the weak.
Bisky thought for a moment, then shared her thoughts. "My 'price' for hiring me might not be Jenny, but that's because I don't lack it. There's something else here that I'm after, the secret that Germain is hiding."
Bisky grinned, and her expression was both mischievous and serious. "Let's just say there's a big secret hidden. And if I'm right, which I usually am, Germain should come from ...."
Bisky still couldn't complete her sentence. Just as she was about to, Shizuku cut in: "Germain, didn't you tell Bisky about the 'Dark Continent'?"
"No," Germain replied, pointing to Bisky. "She's a disciple of Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Association. If I told her about it too quickly, given her connections, it could cause complications."
"Also, one more thing, Shizuku. The subject of the 'Dark Continent' must remain a secret. It's considered 'taboo.' Right now, only the three of us know about it."
"If we need to bring more people onto our team in the future, I'll explain the situation to them," Germain added.
Shizuku nodded, indicating that she understood. "Got it. I thought you were friends. I assumed Bisky had known about this for a while, and I was the one who was behind on this info. I didn't realize it was the other way around."
Germain turned to look at Bisky, but she was staring at him with a complex expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's not a matter of 'what's wrong.' You told Shizuku, but you didn't tell me? No, wait—now's not the time to worry about that," Bisky replied, tapping her forehead with her finger, looking troubled.
"Even though I had a feeling, it really is the 'Dark Continent' that the old man always warned us not to go to... What am I going to do? What am I going to do with you?" Bisky asked, clearly concerned.
"I've never been able to find any information on the 'Color Changing Stone' that you sent me on the 'Hunters Only' website. You keep refusing to tell me where you got it, which makes me suspicious," she continued.
"If it was something from the Six Continents, even if it was from a 'forbidden zone,' you wouldn't need to keep this quiet. So why are you being so secretive?"
Bisky sat back, crossing her arms and staring intently at Germain. There was something about his demeanor that made her suspicious.
It wasn't just his words but the subtle shifts in his body language. It all pointed toward the same thing: the "Dark Continent."
"But I can't wrap my head around it," she said, leaning forward. "How did you enter the 'Dark Continent' without the 'Hunter Association' or 'V5' noticing? And there's just not enough time for it."
Netero's expedition to the "Dark Continent" had taken place in secrecy, slipping past the V5's surveillance. But it was impossible to complete such a journey within a matter of days.
Bisky had been keeping tabs on Germain's whereabouts, and as far as she knew, he hadn't left the Six Continents.
"How did you do it?" she asked, the puzzle pieces refusing to fit.
"To go to the 'Dark Continent,' you need four things," Germain replied, avoiding a direct answer. "'Permission,' 'Means,' 'Qualification,' and 'Contract.'"
He paused, then continued, "Of these, I only possess one: 'Means.' It's not something I can easily explain. You and Shizuku would understand better if you saw it for yourselves."
"Four days from now, we'll be ready. Come with me to the 'Dark Continent,' and everything will become clear."
Bisky was taken aback. This was a suspicious and audacious proposal. She hesitated, caught in a tug-of-war between reason and instinct.
Germain didn't seem like the type to lie easily. His gaze was steady, unwavering. There would be no point in concocting a lie that could be so easily exposed. But was this really a "means"?
Germain was a man of many secrets, hidden and potentially dangerous. Bisky found herself at a crossroads.
Should she heed Netero's advice and stay far away from the "Dark Continent" without official permission, or should she follow her hunter instincts and explore this vast, mysterious new world?
Ultimately, the most critical of the four requirements to reach the "Dark Continent" was "Means."
"Permission," "Qualification," and "Contract" could be resolved later. It was the essence of "asking forgiveness rather than permission."
If the results were significant enough, the other three requirements would fall into place.
This was the decision Bisky faced, a choice that had tested hunters throughout history. Her choice would shape her destiny, and possibly the destiny of others.
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