April 7th, beneath the depths of Limeiro Castle, at the hidden teleportation site.
Shizuku stood beside Granny Linne, Dwun, and Ickshonpe, going through the final checklist of supplies.
There shouldn't be any issues, but they were double-checking just in case.
Killua, Gon, Leorio, Hanzo, and Pokkle wandered the area curiously.
It wasn't until yesterday that they learned Germain wouldn't be taking them by sea, but through a far more unusual "route."
After swearing them to secrecy, Germain revealed the shortcut involving a "teleportation lantern."
Having frequently traveled back and forth between Greed Island and various parts of the Six Continents, Killua and the others accepted the idea of teleportation without much resistance.
Although something about this ability felt strange—beyond the norm—they didn't question Germain further, nor did they dig deeper.
That's the power of reputation. When someone is known and trusted, people follow without hesitation.
Today was the day of their teleportation journey to the New Continent.
Early in the morning, Killua and the rest had already bid farewell to Alluka.
Pretending to depart by sea, they quietly made their way back to the castle's underground chamber.
Even as they paced around the stone hall, glancing here and there, their minds were elsewhere.
What exactly was this teleportation lantern?
While they eagerly awaited the moment, the one holding the lantern remained calm, flipping through intelligence reports gathered from Greed Island regarding every corner of the Six Continents.
First up—news from the Hunter Association.
After Chairman Netero and all Twelve Zodiacs departed for the New Continent, the responsibility of running the association fell entirely onto Beans, the association's secretary.
He was endlessly busy, yet with the support of many Hunters, he successfully organized the annual Hunter Exam this January.
Only one person passed the exam this year—none other than Zushi, who was now challenging for the position of Floor Master in the Heavens Arena.
Of course, Wing was also at the Heavens Arena.
Wherever master and disciple went, they were always together—inseparable like shadow and flame.
In January, Kite and Izunabi returned with news from the Dark Continent.
They brought back word from Chairman Netero and the others.
Beans gave his full support and negotiated with the V6 nations, ultimately securing the dispatch of a reinforcement fleet in February.
Additionally, Kite had kept his promise.
Through Kite and Izunabi, Beans was informed and began deepening collaboration with Meteor City.
Beans carried through with it.
Whether it was out of duty or out of a sincere wish to help Meteor City turn over a new leaf, he was willing to do whatever it took.
As a result, he was swamped with work—running back and forth like a wheel in constant motion.
More than once, he had sought help from Greed Island to manage various affairs.
The support from both Greed Island and the Hunter Association gave Beans the confidence to make independent decisions.
Then came the issue with the V6—specifically, the Kakin Empire.
The empire was flooded with rumors, and illegitimate children vying for succession were as numerous as the stars.
Still, the imperial parliament had managed to maintain control over the overall situation.
Everything now hinged on the arrival of the reinforcement fleet in the Dark Continent.
Only then could the true state of affairs be confirmed.
As for the other V6 nations, those that had tried to exploit the chaos had mostly backed off. The situation had not escalated further.
"All right."
At that moment, Dwun walked over with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"We've gone over everything one last time. All the preparations are in order."
Only then did Germain stand up.
"Then I'll take them and head out."
"Yeah."
Dwun suddenly leaned in closer.
After glancing toward where Shizuku stood in the distance—and confirming she wasn't looking their way—he slipped a small box into Germain's hand.
"We really pushed it, but we finally managed to finish the 'Greedy Dragon Crystal.'
"You know, Biscuit's eye for gemstones is as terrifyingly sharp as ever."
Germain had no doubts about Biscuit's judgment.
Nor did he doubt the design talents of Dwun, Ickshonpe, and the other game creators.
He opened the small box for a quick look, then closed it and tucked it away.
"Thank you."
"No need to thank us."
Dwun patted Germain on the arm.
Germain gathered everyone who was about to depart for the New Continent.
He asked calmly, "Does anyone have anything left behind? Or someone you forgot to say goodbye to?"
Killua was the first to shake his head.
He had already said goodbye to Alluka.
"I've already said goodbye to Aunt Mito," Gon added. "I told her I was going to look for Ging. At first, she wasn't too happy… but in the end, she packed me lots of things and told me to be careful."
Normally, Gon and Aunt Mito communicated through letters.
But this time, things were urgent. There wasn't time to write and wait for a reply.
So, he had teleported directly to the area near Whale Island, took a boat back home, and explained everything to Aunt Mito in person — and also, to properly bid her farewell.
"I'm all set too," Leorio said. "Even though I didn't say it directly, my teacher guessed right away that it was you, Mr. Germain, who's taking us away. She was really supportive."
He pulled out a folded letter from his coat and gave it a small wave.
"She even wrote me a letter of introduction — said I should find 'Dog' Cheadle when the time comes."
Germain nodded.
"You'll learn a lot from Cheadle. Also, 'Snake' Gel and the Virus Hunter Sanbica will be there as well. Make the most of it."
Leorio gave a firm nod, his face growing serious.
A subtle pressure crept in, making him feel a bit nervous, but more than anything, he was filled with anticipation and excitement.
Hanzo and Pokkle had already said their goodbyes to the people close to them.
With that, everyone was ready.
Germain stepped forward and summoned the Teleport Lanterns.
Four grotesque little imps sprang out without warning, startling the group.
Germain and Shizuku had previously used three lanterns to teleport from the coastal fortress back to Greed Island.
So now, he had ten left.
The number of people needing to teleport to the coastal fortress was seven — Germain, Shizuku, Killua, Gon, Leorio, Hanzo, and Pokkle.
They would need three trips — which meant nine lanterns would be used.
His once-comfortable supply was about to run dry.
Germain didn't waste time explaining in detail.
He simply told Killua and Gon to each take the hand of a courier imp.
He, Shizuku, and the two boys would go first.
After that, he would return alone to bring Leorio, Hanzo, and Pokkle on the next trip.
Buzz——
Leorio, Hanzo, and Pokkle stared in shock as four living people vanished before their eyes, swallowed by the glowing light of the teleportation lantern and the distortion of space.
They were completely caught off guard.
In contrast, Granny Linne, Dwun, and Ickshonpe looked entirely unfazed—this was nothing new to them.
Moments later, another spatial ripple twisted the air.
Germain appeared in front of them, as if he had never left.
It had taken only a few seconds.
He instructed the remaining three to follow the same process—grabbing the messenger imp's hand.
Then, just like that, he vanished again, bringing them along through the same teleportation.
Silence fell over the underground halls of Limeiro Castle.
Suddenly, Ickshonpe spoke.
"Dwun, our teleportation system can't achieve that kind of seamless transfer. We always need multiple relay points with pauses in between…"
"What's on your mind?" Dwun asked, intrigued.
"We could mask those pauses by designing the game like it's loading a map. That way, players would feel like they're jumping directly from one point to a whole new continent."
Dwun took a long drag from his cigarette, letting the smoke swirl around him before answering.
"Hahaha… I like it. Let's go with that."
Then he added, voice low but firm.
"Greed Island will be the greatest game ever made—nothing of its scale has ever existed before."
"And when it reaches its final chapter… when the last map is unlocked…"
"It will be the Dark Continent."
"We're all waiting for that day."
*******
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/c/Unique_Writer