"No problem!"
Ginta naturally nodded in agreement.
Not only did he give Luke a map, but he also gave him his contact information, so they could get in touch once he got a new phone.
In fact, even without a phone, just using those videophone inventions would be enough.
It allows communication with Ginta.
However, Luke mostly used those inventions to stay in contact with the people over in Meteor City.
As for friends outside, like Ginta, a phone was still the better choice.
It's a necessity that's gradually becoming available.
After another conversation with Ginta, Luke decided to leave on his own.
Well, Ging will stay here to study the Two-headed Wolf.
Ginta will also be taking the tall, lanky man, now hairless, back to the Hunter Association to report.
Although Ginta was reluctant to leave, Luke told him that all good things must come to an end.
This separation was for a better meeting next time.
And he had to focus on the mission first, not letting personal feelings interfere with official business.
Thus, Ginta, despite his reluctance, could only wave goodbye to Luke with tears in his eyes.
But before Luke left…
"Wait a moment."
Ging Freecss suddenly spoke, calling out to Luke.
"What?"
Luke turned around: "Don't tell me you can't bear to part with me?"
"That's absolutely impossible."
Ging Freecss shook his head decisively, though he hesitated for a moment.
He seemed to think that what he was about to say might be a bit too much.
Or perhaps... A bit too shameless.
"What's going on?"
Seeing Ging Freecss's expression, Luke was genuinely curious.
"Ahem."
Ging Freecss coughed lightly. "You can leave, but..."
Ging Freecss paused. "The food has to stay!"
He pointed at the opened shells of the black coconuts fruit nearby.
"I want to try some."
Luke: "...?"
Well, as it turned out, even Ging Freecss could be swayed by food when hungry.
In fact, after being awakened by the explosion, Ging Freecss naturally noticed the consumed black coconut fruits.
Or to be more precise, while he was thinking, his body had already received the information about this kind of food.
It was also transmitted to his brain, but it was suppressed by his thoughts about the Two-headed Wolf.
After waking up, the thought faded, and the instinct for food took over.
First of all, the food Luke brought out was indeed very fragrant, so fragrant that Ging Freecss, who had also not eaten for a long time, felt a little bit hungry and wanted to eat…
Secondly, that food... It was clearly conjured from Luke's Nen ability.
Food provided by Luke's Nen ability… Ging Freecss was genuinely curious.
Intrigued by the taste, but also by the origin of this food.
Especially when the Plant Re-modeler was injected right in front of him, and a black coconut fruit appeared in a matter of seconds.
It was both astonishing and baffling.
"So food can actually be produced like this?"
After opening the black coconut fruit, the overflowing food inside made Ging Freecss ponder again.
"It doesn't look like normal plant development at all, but... This is Luke's invention, isn't it?"
Ging Freecss, unfazed by the heat, scooped up a mouthful of the broth-soaked mapo tofu rice and shoved it into his mouth.
"Fragrant, numbing, spicy, crispy, fresh, and tender... Hmm, a completely different flavor from anything I've ever had..."
Ging Freecss nodded, then scooped up another mouthful and shoved it into his mouth.
"This tastes really good. It's probably a new cooking method... If those Gourmet Hunters knew about it, they'd probably be drooling too..."
Ging Freecss's eating suddenly paused.
He turned silently and saw Ginta, who was already looking at him with a fiery look.
Well, Ginta wasn't a foodie, but he was certainly a voracious eater.
"Don't look at me like that..."
Ging Freecss cautiously put away the food in his hand and leaned to the side.
"All this food is mine, don't even think about it."
He was extremely protective of his food. "No matter how many times you look at me like that, I won't give you a single bite."
Ginta: "Ahh!!"
Ginta sighed dejectedly. If Luke were still here, he definitely wouldn't have let him sit there drooling.
Whenever there was food, Luke always made sure he got his share.
Still, Ginta could understand.
For Ging Freecss to get such a meal from Luke, he must have made some kind of deal with him.
And now he was already sitting there eating mapo tofu rice.
Either way, Luke hadn't lost out.
"... Who knows when I'll see Luke again…"
Ginta gazed in the direction Luke had gone, already missing him.
Meanwhile, Luke had already set out on his way to Ironwood Mountain.
"This trip was definitely worth it!!"
Walking down the shaded path, Luke counted up the gains from his time in the Daragas Forest Wildlife Park and smiled.
First, he had befriended Ginta, one of the future Zodiac Twelves, and built a solid bond with him.
Second, he had met Ging Freecss, gaining entry into the circle of top professional hunters.
Both of these were extremely beneficial to his future explorations and journeys.
"Even though there was that little interlude with the Kute Gang of Thieves... And even if Ging Freecss and Ginta report the truth, drawing the Hunter Association and Chairman Netero's attention to me..."
"This is still within my tolerance, and Chairman Netero is, after all, one of the rare positive figures in the world."
"That mischievous old man is actually quite interesting and in most situations, he's pretty reasonable too."
"Compared to the gains from this trip to the Daragas Forest Wildlife Park, these are nothing."
"Not to mention that before leaving, I even negotiated a good deal because Ging Freecss wanted my invented food."
"Looking at it this way, no matter if others lost out or not, for me it was pure profit."
"And honestly, neither Ginta nor Ging Freecss lost anything either."
Ginta successfully completed his mission to protect the Two-headed Wolves, fended off poachers, and even managed to capture a poacher alive to bring back.
And Ging Freecss, with his help, gained a clearer approach to solving the Two-headed Wolves' reproduction problem, shortening the time it would normally take.
On top of that, he got acquainted with Luke, an inventor, and pulled him into his circle of friends.
In the future, whenever he needs, he can collaborate with Luke, gaining himself a reliable partner.
It could be said that both Ginta and Ging Freecss benefited greatly.
This was truly a win-win situation.
Not that nonsense, I win twice, kind of win-win.
60 more chapters on my Patreon/SweetestDeath
If we reach the top 50 in the Power Stone ranking, I'll post 10 chapters.
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