As Father Lisores had said, Meteor City lacked everything except people.
Meteor City had a population of ten million.
Naturally, such a place would produce many extraordinary individuals.
Luke agreed with Father Lisores.
Only those who truly grew and developed could be considered true geniuses; the rest were merely failures who perished along the way.
"As for what I said about betrayal…"
Father Lisores's voice faded away, leaving behind his final words: "This place is already a place of abandonment; what more can be betrayed?"
Instantly, the room fell silent again.
"A place of abandonment, huh…"
Luke gazed silently in the direction Father Lisores had left.
He faintly heard a countdown.
"Five, four, three, two…"
If Luke guessed correctly, the videotape had been fixed, and Chrollo was counting down with the children, preparing for the re-screening.
Well, to say nothing else, Chrollo had shown extraordinary charisma from a young age.
"Investment, huh?"
Luke muttered to himself.
Then, he slowly smiled.
"Looks like I'll have to visit the church more often from now on."
…
Luke couldn't be 100% certain whether Father Lisores's talk of investment was genuine.
But based on the timeline and Father Lisores's support for Chrollo, he had truly been exceptionally kind to Chrollo.
He helped Chrollo organize this special cartoon screening for the children, and that was just the beginning.
Father Lisores even went to the elder council to recommend Chrollo.
And after Sarasa died, he went to the Kirimori Valley to find Renko to stitch Sarasa's body back together.
Next came the formation of the Phantom Troupe.
Chrollo, true to his expectations, led his troupe of outlaws to become a formidable force in Meteor City.
Things then progressed as Father Lisores had hoped.
Meteor City remained relatively undisturbed by outside interference, maintaining its stable environment.
Even when faced with external threats, such as the Chimera Ant invasion, the Phantom Troupe would return to help clear the situation.
With Chrollo's involvement, the Council of Elders also established connections with external criminal organizations.
These organizations provided the elders with valuable resources and materials in exchange for access to the talent pool within Meteor City.
In short, with Chrollo's help, the city was gradually developing in a positive direction, and that was all Father Lisores needed.
"In the future, Chrollo, with Father Lisores's support, could become a world-class criminal."
"Then I can also temporarily use Father Lisores's support to complete my initial development…"
Well, the fact that Chrollo's future was a compelling example was a major factor in Luke's decision.
Of course, the most important reason was that Father Lisores had already discovered his existence and recognized his abilities.
If Luke wanted to do anything, he would likely find it difficult to escape Father Lisores's influence within Meteor City. Besides, he needed the electricity there to continuously strengthen himself.
Therefore, it was better to join Father Lisores's side and act opportunistically, adapting to the situation.
"This is probably the best choice for me right now."
With this thought in mind, Luke returned to his original position.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the venue was completely hyped up.
On stage, Chrollo and others were fully enjoying themselves, using the microphone for some impromptu voice dubbing.
"Wahahaha, what a pity, Clean-Up Rangers…"
It had to be said, Chrollo possessed a natural talent for being a villain.
When he was dubbing the villain character in the cartoon, he himself also portrayed a truly villainous persona.
Not in a grotesque or terrifying way, nor with any maniacal laughter.
He simply naturally exuded the image of a villain.
One could tell at a glance that this guy was playing a bad guy!
This kind of expressive acting stunned the children below, including Uvogin and Phinks.
This truly captivating performance was truly impressive.
"It would be even better if we could record it."
Even Luke, watching this scene, couldn't help but smile, then shook his head slightly, feeling a bit regretful.
If this expressive acting of Chrollo could be preserved, it would be truly valuable footage.
Strictly speaking, it could even become part of his embarrassing history.
"Huh, Luke, you're back?!"
Uvogin, Nobunaga, and the others hadn't noticed when Luke left, nor when he returned.
Hearing Luke's comment, they turned around.
"Were you in the restroom just now…? By the way, what do you think of Chrollo's performance?"
Luke looked up, watching Chrollo on stage, and nodded softly: "He's very into it."