On the morning of May 4, 2001, Chairman Netero walked briskly down the quiet, empty corridor.
His long sleeves fluttered behind him, making him look almost like some ancient immortal.
As he muttered about being woken so early—sleep was precious at his age—he silently prayed that the situation wasn't as dire as he imagined.
Pushing open the heavy doors, Netero stepped into a bright, spacious hall.
There, seated at a long table, were six elderly men, all shifting uneasily in their seats.
In terms of age, Netero could easily have been their grandfather.
Yet in appearance, it was he who seemed full of vitality, while they looked as if their lives were already nearing their end.
Representatives from the United States of Saherta, the Federation of Ochima, the Mimbo Republic, the Kukan'yu Kingdom, the Kakin Empire, and the Begerossé Union—the entire V6 leadership—were all present.
The Kakin Empire had already undergone a change of monarch.
This time, the throne had not passed to someone bearing the "Hui Guo Rou" surname, but to another ancient noble lineage—an outcome of careful negotiations.
Even so, real authority still lay firmly in the hands of the Prime Minister, and not with the new king.
As such, in most circumstances, the Prime Minister was regarded as the true leader of Kakin.
The old men looked utterly exhausted, weighed down by fear and long travel.
Terror still lingered on their faces.
Only upon seeing Netero did a faint glimmer of hope return to their eyes.
One by one, they scrambled to their feet, stumbling and abandoning any sense of dignity as they rushed toward him.
One of them cried out:
"Netero, you have to stop him! You must persuade him—he's completely lost his mind!"
Another added in desperation:
"He's captured me three times, and each time he released me afterward… I can't take it anymore! Why hasn't anyone been able to stop him?"
A third voice, shrill and trembling, rose above the others:
"I was only interested in the technology behind Greed Island! I did nothing myself—everything was the doing of those people I sent! He can't treat me like this!"
"And this place—what is it? Is this the New Continent? Damn it, how did he do it? How did he bring me here from the Six Continents?!"
Netero finally raised his hand, silencing their frantic outbursts.
With a sigh, he casually scratched at his ear with his little finger.
He really wanted to stay uninvolved, to keep his distance from the matter.
Unfortunately, this time, it truly had everything to do with him.
"One month ago, we used Greed Island's technology to send Steiner and his group back to the Six Continents. You should have seen him and heard what he had to say, right?"
"Half a month ago, he once again used Greed Island's technology to contact you directly. But you never gave him any serious response, did you?"
"I know what you're all thinking. You regard Steiner as nothing more than a delusional fanatic. You dismiss his words as lies, and you choose to ignore the evidence laid plainly before you."
"But avoidance won't change reality. If you refuse to seek him out, then he will come seeking you. That much is inevitable."
The six elders' eyes gradually dimmed.
One sank into his chair, another crouched on the floor, while another leaned weakly against the wall.
Their faces had all drained of color.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from outside the hall.
A figure in a black cloak entered, the fabric swaying with the morning breeze—revealing the face of Germain.
The six elders recoiled as though they had seen a ghost.
If not for their status as leaders of their respective nations, they might have screamed outright like frightened children.
"Apologies," Germain said, his words directed at Chairman Netero.
He walked to the window, raised a hand, and closed it.
The wind instantly died down.
"Sorry for waking you so early."
"I knew it," Chairman Netero sighed as he approached, "when you disappeared for a week, I figured you were up to no good. Why couldn't you have waited a little longer?"
Germain blinked, his sharp eyes turning toward the six elders.
"I've already waited a month. Yes, I'm impatient, but honestly, I don't want to waste any more time on this kind of matter."
"I see," Netero nodded, then cast a brief glance back at the six elders before returning his gaze to Germain.
"Give me some time. I'll make them understand the reality of the situation."
"Mm. I'll leave that to you. But you'd better hurry. The Six Continents should already be in chaos by now. Once the negotiations are done, we'll send them back."
Germain's final words were directed at the six elders.
Once he finished, he walked calmly out of the hall.
In the days that followed, a wave of new policies emerged regarding the Hunter Association, the New Continent, Greed Island, Meteor City, and beyond.
They sprung up like bamboo shoots after the rain, leaving many people utterly shocked.
But more people quickly realized where the true wind was blowing—toward the "Seventh Continent," the New Continent beyond the six great lands.
More and more investors began to recognize its importance.
And the strange and wondrous treasures brought back from the New Continent truly revealed a future unlike anything the world had ever seen before.
They swarmed toward it like ants in a line, one after another.
A new era had begun.
On May 27th, Shizuku gave birth to a baby girl.
With Germain by her side, the entire process was smooth and almost completely painless.
Many familiar faces came to offer their congratulations—some from the New Continent, some from Greed Island, and even some from the Ancient Labyrinth.
Of course, Chairman Netero, Granny Linne, Bisky, Ging, and Morel were among them.
At present, the fully public method of traveling between the three regions was by sea routes.
A semi-public method existed through Greed Island's teleportation technology.
But only the core members knew of Germain's personal teleportation ability.
It was through Germain's lantern teleportation that Granny Linne finally returned to the New Continent, a place she hadn't set foot on in decades.
She had thought her body would never allow her to come here again, and yet now she had the chance.
Germain no longer needed to consume idle lanterns to carry people back and forth through the teleportation points, a convenience that greatly benefited professional Hunters.
In particular, "Chicken—Botanical Hunter" Cluck.
She had already begun cultivating the legendary "Herb for All-illnesses" inside the Ancient Labyrinth, relying on Germain to ferry her back and forth between the two lands.
As for Morel, Knov, and their disciples, their work was far more grueling.
They had to maintain an entire sea route, spending much of their time at sea.
But the results were undeniable.
Thanks to their careful planning, the journey from the Six Continents to the New Continent had already been reduced to just a month and a half.
In short, every aspect of the world was changing with time.
Even Queen Oito had changed.
Strictly speaking, she was no longer a queen.
But everyone still called her that, and she herself had even brought her family from the Six Continents to settle permanently in the New Continent.
Looking at it this way, it was likely she would never return to the Kakin Empire again.
So, calling her "Queen" here hardly mattered anymore.
She had recently established a relief organization in the New Continent, dedicated to helping the poor and those burdened with illness.
It earned her a great deal of reputation and respect.
When Germain and Shizuku's child was born, she naturally came to offer her congratulations.
First, she warmly congratulated Germain and Shizuku.
Then, she leaned over to cradle the swaddled baby girl in her arms, gazing at her again and again.
"What an adorable child."
Queen Oito's eyes softened with affection, as though she were looking at her own daughter.
Most newborns were too young for their beauty to show.
But Germain and Shizuku's baby was different—at a glance, you could already see she was beautiful.
"Have you given her a name yet?" Oito asked.
"We have."
Shizuku sat upright on the bed, her wide eyes blinking as she answered.
Her complexion was healthy and rosy, showing no trace of having given birth less than an hour ago.
She turned her gaze toward Germain, her demeanor gradually taking on the gentle air of a mother.
"What is it?"
"Sharna."
"Sharna…"
Queen Oito repeated the name softly.
She whispered it once more with gentle affection—
And at that moment, the baby girl, who had been fast asleep, curled her lips ever so slightly.
It looked just like a smile.
Truly unbelievable.
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