Germain didn't have time to worry about anything else. He asked, "Wing, where are Bisky and Shizuku?"
"Shizuku is out buying food," Wing replied, pointing to the back of the mansion. "Teacher Bisky is sorting materials in the research institute."
"I'll go find Bisky," Germain said immediately. "Wing, please take Kurapika to his room."
Wing nodded. "Okay, don't worry."
Germain left Kurapika behind and headed toward the back of the mansion. He walked through a flower-lined path to reach the research institute.
Bisky wasn't there at the moment. She visited a few times a month, but she wasn't present right now.
Bisky had her hair styled in the same blonde twin ponytails as when they first met. She sat on a tall swivel chair, focused on writing something.
Germain approached her.
"You're back," Bisky said without looking up. "You really stuck to May 4th. Even one day earlier isn't possible. You live up to your reputation."
"Congratulations on becoming the fastest 'one-star hunter' in history. At my age, I'm only a 'two-star hunter,' but maybe one day you'll surpass me."
Ignoring Bisky's complaints, Germain stood beside her and looked at the white paper she was working on. It was a rough sketch.
"Take a look. What do you think?" Bisky asked, putting down her pen and showing the sketch to Germain. "My idea is pretty good, right?"
Germain examined the sketch, which had several circles connected by lines, with a line of text next to each circle.
"Honestly," Germain said, spreading out the sketch on the table, "I can't understand what you wrote."
Even Bisky, who usually had thick skin, blushed a little.
She defended herself, "I was just drawing my ideas so I could understand them. My handwriting isn't usually like this."
Bisky pointed to one of the circles with her gloved hand and explained it to Germain.
"This is our current 'big house,' which is three stories high and meets our living needs. If necessary, we can build a new one next to it in the future."
"This is the 'Research Institute,' where Sanbica and future plant hunters can study the 'Botanical Weapon Brion' and other creatures we've brought back from the Dark Continent."
"This is the 'treatment room.' It's not built yet, but once it is, it will be mine and Sanbica's area. We'll use it to treat both physical and mental health issues."
"I plan to build a 'training room' here for your student Kurapika and Wing's student Zushi. It will allow them to practice indoors when the weather is bad—rain, snow, or clouds."
"We'll also build another 'storage room' to keep stock for the black market and other supplies."
"Finally, we will have a 'library.' Besides the research materials we've collected, we'll also document our experiences from trips to the Dark Continent."
Bisky said this with pride, her chin raised and eyebrows lifted.
"I've really thought this through, haven't I? Investing all our 'activity funds' here is definitely worth it."
To cover necessary public expenses, the members of the "StageCoach Group" recently set up the "StageCoach Activity Fund."
This fund is perfect for the project.
Germain looked at the extensive expenses on the sketch. Whether it was his "greedy nature" or just his personality, he felt a bit uneasy but eventually ignored it and handed the sketch back to Bisky.
"Show me the 'Botanical Weapon Brion.'"
Bisky responded with a nod, placed the sketch on a cluttered table, and led Germain around a stack of equipment. She curled her lips slightly.
"These are the new pieces of equipment I bought recently, all listed by Sanbica. Since she's not here, I plan to wait until she returns to install them."
Adjusting her large skirt, she approached an ordinary wall, reached out with her gloved hands, and began to feel around gently.
"Ah, here it is."
Bisky quickly found the hidden switch for the secret door, pressed it, and with a creak, the wall slid open to reveal a stone staircase leading downward.
The two of them entered one after the other, and the door closed behind them with another creak. The surroundings quickly turned pitch black, and they couldn't even see each other's faces.
"In just one month, we managed to create a secret door and a basement. Isn't that impressive?"
Bisky boasted in the darkness, laughing as she waited for Germain's reaction.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you afraid of the dark?"
Germain sighed. He wasn't very good at handling Bisky's antics.
Bisky enjoyed hearing Germain's helpless sigh and smiled to herself. She pressed another mechanism on the wall, and small light bulbs lit up above them, illuminating the staircase.
"Come on, it's right down here."
She lifted her skirt and carefully walked down, urging Germain to follow.
They reached the spacious basement, which was filled with several transparent cylinders next to a large machine.
The cylinders were filled with a mysterious liquid, and the "Botanical Weapon Brion" was soaking in it.
Inside the cylinders were the head and torso of the "Beheaded Antler Knight," the sphere of the "Botanical Weapon Brion," and other parts like the tentacle vines.
Bisky handed Germain a stack of white papers covered in neat handwriting.
"Look at this. It's Sanbica's research. Although she's not a plant hunter, she's figured out how to preserve the 'Botanical Weapon Brion' from what she's learned."
Germain flipped through the pages but struggled with the technical terms. He handed the papers back to Bisky and asked her to explain verbally.
"Sanbica thinks that the 'Botanical Weapon Brion' are similar to viruses—they need to infect and parasitize a living organism to reproduce."
"Even though the soul of the Beheaded Antler Knight may be gone, its body is still alive, controlled by the giant sphere, which acts like its 'brain.'"
"But eventually, the 'Beheaded Antler Knights' will die out completely and need a more vigorous 'host.' So they begin to move and search for one during their breeding period."
"At that time, the 'Botanical Weapon Brion' was near the entrance of the 'Ancient Labyrinth City.' It must have been attracted by our 'Nen' and attacked us."
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