At the ancient banquet held in the maze-like castle, the topic that couldn't be avoided was the colonial voyage to the Imaginary Continent.
Too many people connected to them were deeply involved in it.
Two members of the Hunter Association's Zodiacs—Germain and Ging—and Bisky, Netero's disciple, weren't part of the official Hunter Association expedition team.
But their relationships with the expedition members were already tangled and complicated.
Everyone was desperate to know the current situation of the Hunter Association's exploration team, but that was almost impossible.
Between the Six Continents and the refueling stations, there was still some chance of contact through small airships.
But once past the last refueling station, the seas became a complete communication dead zone.
No matter where the BW1 and its accompanying fleet were now, they had no way of immediately contacting human society.
The next time any information might come back would probably be when a return ship from the colonial fleet made its way back to the refueling station.
Once the 200,000-person colonization fleet managed to gain a foothold on the Imaginary Continent, the second wave of colonists would set out.
Of course, there were also smaller fleets and small airships delivering supplies in the meantime.
But compared to the scale of the main colonization fleet, those smaller missions wouldn't be remembered in future history books.
At the dinner table, people weren't only talking about the Hunter Association's expedition team. They were also discussing the stance of the Kakin Empire.
"Are they really trying to build a second Kakin Empire?" Bisky shook her head, her twin pigtails swaying. "Over 200,000 people, cut off from the Six Continents… What exactly is the royal family trying to do?"
Her words trailed off, and her wine-red eyes swept across the long table, locking eyes with Germain and Ging—two people who knew the inside story.
Don Freecss had once mentioned the ancient curse entity known as "Curse of Resentment" that perished in a divine war long ago.
And in Germain's dreams, the symbol of "Curse of Resentment" just so happened to be a key artifact used in the Kakin Empire's "Seed Urn Ceremony."
Could there be a connection between the two?
Bisky was hinting at this to both Germain and Ging.
The two men exchanged a glance. They had considered this possibility too.
But by the time they learned some of the truth about the "Gods of the Blood Moon" from Don, the colonial voyage had already begun. It was too late for them to do anything.
Germain took a few bites of food from his plate, then stood up quietly.
He told everyone at the long table that he was going out for a walk.
Everyone could tell that Germain wanted to be alone, so no one followed him.
He had always been this kind of person. At times like this, it was best to give him space.
Germain walked through the courtyard of the ancient maze-like castle.
The crescent moon hung high in the sky, its dim light casting a pale grey veil over everything.
As he wandered, he unknowingly arrived at the base of the towering spire.
After a moment of thought, he decided to go up and take a look.
Germain climbed the spiral stone stairs, passing through each level of the restored tower.
Soon, he reached the patterned floor of the top level.
A massive bronze bell hung not far from him.
He sat cross-legged on the floor, and gently touched the markings with his fingers.
A soft purple glow flowed like a stream into the center, and a lantern appeared.
Four small spirits hovered around—some sad, some joyful, others indifferent.
Without a clear command from Germain, none of them dared to approach. They just clung pitifully to the base of the lantern.
Germain once again tried using his "Lantern Sense." He had lost count of how many times he'd done this since gaining the ability.
Like a night watchman on patrol, he used the light of the lantern to scan every place he had once walked.
The projection began to flicker, and gradually became clear.
In the dungeon hall beneath the Limeiro Castle, Duon—currently on duty—was scratching his wild afro while arguing loudly with someone through a ring.
From the projection, the other figure appeared to be none other than Greed Island's strongest AI: Ickshonpe.
He just didn't know what they were arguing about—Germain couldn't hear a thing.
Dwun and Ickshonpe were in a heated quarrel, completely unaware that someone was watching them from high atop the tower in the ancient labyrinth.
Germain observed for a while, then switched to view another lantern zone.
The dried-up canyon, the muddy lands, the bottom of the spider valley, the ancient maze, the pale-grey desert, the swampy rainforest, the steep mountain range…
As long as it was a place he had once been to and lit a lantern at, he could use his long-range ability—"Lantern Perception."
Naturally, all the regular lantern points were within his range. Among the eleven special lanterns, only four were currently visible to him.
The other seven remained completely dark.
When Germain touched them, a line of knowledge would surface—
"A land you've never set foot in. Lanterns cannot be sensed from this side…"
Germain felt a tinge of regret.
If he could perceive the surroundings of those lanterns too, he might have gathered some early intel.
Information was always valuable.
After cycling through all the lanterns and scanning each one, just as he was about to stand up and leave, he suddenly noticed a flash of scarlet in one of the lantern projections.
It quickly grew more vivid—like a blade being drawn, catching the light with a cold gleam.
Such an anomaly was impossible for Germain to ignore.
His finger trembled slightly without warning—another instinctual sign.
A premonition of danger.
Germain didn't hesitate.
He reached out and touched the crimson light—quickly, new "knowledge" poured into his mind.
"Because of a strange storm and sudden chaos, a massive ship crashed into a jagged, reef-covered coastline."
"Vengeful spirits came ashore from the wreckage onto this unfamiliar land. The bloody massacre continues—the sealed Curse of Resentment is spreading."
"All of this was within expectations."
Then, Germain noticed something new.
Out of the eleven special lanterns, the sixth one had finally revealed its location—"Resentment Island."
The other five, naturally, referred to the "Ancient Labyrinth," "Ashen Desert," "Steep Mountain Range," "Rainforest Swamp," and "Bay."
Germain almost instinctively understood what "Resentment Island" truly referred to.
The Hypothetical Continent...
Even though this continent was larger than all six continents combined, from a world-scale perspective, it was still just an island.
It was highly likely that BW1 and the accompanying fleet had crashed on the coastline of this Hypothetical Continent, due to the storm and chaos—and it might be happening right now.
Something incredibly terrifying... was unfolding.
Germain's mind turned to the Hunter Association's exploration team—Chairman Netero, Morel, Kurapika, List... What were they facing at this very moment?
He didn't waste another second.
He walked straight to the bronze bell and, just like the crimson warning light, rang the bell that summoned everyone.
Dong—Dong—Dong—
The sound rippled outward like waves, carrying an undercurrent of unease.
At the banquet, everyone slowly rose to their feet.
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