The ethereal song of birds echoed softly in the early morning, drifting from afar, like a beautiful melody that seemed out of place in this world.
At the entrance of the cave, everyone sat around a bonfire, now reduced to gray embers.
"That's how it happened," Bisky said, summarizing everything to Sheila in less than five minutes, explaining how they had ended up here and saved her. "Do you have any questions?"
Initially, the explanation was supposed to be given by Shizuku, who had a closer relationship with Sheila. However, Shizuku often spoke in a way that was hard to follow, using her own peculiar logic, which made everyone uneasy. In the end, Bisky volunteered to explain on her behalf.
Of course, there were certain details that couldn't be mentioned, especially those involving the Dark Continent, Beyond Netero, and anything related to Saiyu. Bisky skillfully left those parts out.
She had learned about Beyond Netero and Saiyu from Germain before.
When she discovered that Chairman Netero actually had a son, she was so shocked that she spammed a bunch of emojis in her text messages.
Even though Bisky was already in her fifties, she was probably just a child, or even a baby, when Beyond Netero returned from the Dark Continent.
After that, there was no news about him, and Netero never mentioned it, so naturally, she didn't know much about it either.
"I..." Sheila's expression turned melancholic when she heard that Uvogin and Nobunaga were also dead. She glanced cautiously at Kurapika, her heart conflicted. "I don't have any more questions."
She had been the first eyewitness to the massacre that year. There were no intact bodies left at the scene, making it impossible for her to determine who had survived and who hadn't.
The ground was littered with corpses, surrounded by buzzing flies, with blood and flesh scattered everywhere—adults, the elderly, teenagers, and children all lay there, lifeless.
She had once believed that the two boys who rescued her had met a tragic end, and for years, she carried guilt and sadness over it. But she never expected to see Kurapika alive in front of her now.
Sheila was relieved that Kurapika had survived, but she wasn't sure how to face him, so she stayed silent.
Bisky and Germain exchanged a look, signaling that Germain would take over the conversation.
Germain thought for a moment before agreeing. He placed his hands on his knees and looked directly at Sheila.
"Since you don't have any more questions, it's time for you to answer ours. Why are you here?" he asked.
Sheila raised her head, briefly glancing at the man who had killed several of her old friends, then lowered her eyes again.
Until this year, she didn't have a strong impression of Germain, even though he was also from Meteor City.
After all, Meteor City had a population of over 8 million, all crowded into a land area of more than 6,000 square kilometers. How could she possibly remember everyone?
Even now, she still couldn't recall much about him.
However, she understood that it was the "Phantom Troupe members" who had brought this upon themselves.
The atrocities they committed against Kurapika's clan alone warranted severe punishment, not to mention all their other crimes.
Sheila felt a mix of regret and sadness, but she was determined not to seek revenge for them, unwilling to start another cycle of hatred.
After hearing Germain's question, Sheila briefly glanced at the man dressed in black in front of her.
Germain's signature triangular black hat and the complete Crow Hunter black robe had fallen off a cliff during the fight. Now, he wore a simpler, slightly damaged black hunter robe from his battle with Uvogin.
Despite this, Germain didn't appear pitiful. In fact, after Sheila learned of his achievements and understood how formidable he was, she found him all the more intimidating.
Sheila timidly lowered her head after looking into Germain's deep, black eyes for a moment.
She had a feeling about him—this was someone who could tell if she was lying or hiding something. Sheila's intuition told her that.
After thinking for a while, Sheila decided to answer honestly.
"I'm actually here to find out the truth behind my good friend Sarasa's death."
Sarasa?
Everyone present was familiar with that name.
They had heard it mentioned many times from different sources. They also knew that Sarasa's death was the reason behind the creation of the "Phantom Troupe."
And now Sheila had come to the Kakin Empire to investigate the truth about Sarasa. Did that mean she had found some new clues?
"Besides that..." Sheila didn't directly address the unspoken questions in everyone's eyes.
She glanced carefully at Germain and Kurapika. "I've been thinking... if we can find those responsible and understand the reasons behind it, maybe the Phantom Troupe can change."
Everyone understood what she was getting at.
Even though they had their own opinions and might not fully agree with Sheila's view, no one interrupted her.
Germain was someone who respected others' ideas and had a way of subtly influencing situations, but he didn't need to do that with Sheila, so his expression remained calm.
Kurapika didn't comment either.
Realizing she wasn't going to be attacked, Sheila cleared her throat and relaxed a bit.
"Do you know the origin of Meteor City?" she suddenly asked.
She noticed she had wrapped herself in a blanket out of nervousness. She took it off and neatly folded it to the side. "Shizuku, do you know?"
Shizuku tilted her head, tapping the corner of her mouth with her fingers, as if she was thinking hard for a moment, then shook her head.
"Someone might have mentioned it to me before, but I didn't really pay attention, so I forgot about it."
"That's just like Shizuku," Sheila said with a gentle smile. She then turned to another person from Meteor City. "Germain, what about you?"
Germain took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I don't know a lot, but... about 1,500 years ago, Meteor City existed as a landfill."
"Since then, the six continents have always claimed that no one lives there. Of course, this is just a way of hiding the truth."
"Back then, many countries and regions exiled people they saw as 'inferior races' or 'undesirable groups' to Meteor City, stripping them of their social status."
"That's how most of the people of Meteor City came to be."
"Later, as the population grew, perceptions shifted slightly. Instead of just dumping people there, outsiders began to hunt and abduct people from Meteor City at will."
"After showing its strength through various actions, Meteor City managed to establish a cooperation agreement with the Mafia."
"They started sending young people with potential to join the Mafia, in exchange for the Mafia' protection and support for Meteor City."
"Then, the emergence of the Phantom Troupe changed the situation again. However, they were just one extreme faction and couldn't alter the overall state of Meteor City."
"That's everything I know."
Germain had pieced together this information from his memories, Leorio's descriptions, and Nobunaga's recollections.
This is why Germain feels that all the funding Shizuku and Sheila provide to Meteor City is just a drop in the ocean.
This is the collective malice of all six continents directed at Meteor City.
Even if Meteor City arms itself to the extent that everyone becomes a soldier, even if several more "Phantom Troupes" emerge, they will still be confined to a secluded world, living as people who do not truly exist.
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