"Gyro seems to be a lackey of those big guys, relying on them to get some scraps."
Luke said bluntly: "It's even possible that the money Gyro received had to pass through the hands of those big guys before it reached him."
After all, for someone who rose from nothing to become a king, without power or influence of his own, to gain such status, authority, and wealth, he had to pay a price.
Making money wasn't shameful, but the methods... It's another story.
Luke even suspected that the very existence of the NGL Autonomous Region was the result of those world elites secretly supporting Gyro behind the scenes.
After all, only those capable of shaping global structures were the true big players.
Compared to them, that energetic old man in Yorknew City, who merely controlled a single corner, wasn't much of a figure at all; he could only wield power within his own limited domain.
And it was worth mentioning that even the mayor of Yorknew City was appointed with the backing of the mafia.
So those high-ranking officials... Well, you can imagine what that means.
As for why Gyro eventually met such a tragic end, either the higher-ups decided their mad dog had grown too unruly and was hard to tame.
So they took advantage of the Chimera Ant incident to dispose of him, or perhaps the ants simply needed an ideal breeding ground, and the NGL Autonomous Region just happened to be perfect for it.
Gyro was merely the unlucky one chosen.
Whether he lived or died no longer mattered, because even if he perished and the NGL Autonomous Region was destroyed, so what?
The same influential people who once supported him to the throne could easily choose another puppet and create a second NGL Autonomous Region if they wished.
In their eyes, it was all just a casual game of chess.
[You make a good point.]
Ickshonpe shrugged. [But that's beyond what I could possibly know.]
[Besides, I have no interest in this matter.]
"Me too..."
Luke clapped his hands. "What others do is their own business."
"I'd better take care of myself first."
As he spoke, his digital avatar in the network world began to blur.
"The ship bound for Dolle Harbor has arrived."
"I'll withdraw first..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Luke vanished.
Ickshonpe didn't seem surprised and continued calmly, minding his own business.
Well, ever since he established the Hunter Chat Site with Luke's advice, he's made the network world a thriving place.
The entire network world is also developing rapidly.
Ickshonpe is now ambitiously preparing to establish a formal chat platform.
It will be able to accommodate netizens from all over the world and allow them to participate.
By that time, perhaps the network world will truly unleash its power!
And Luke, as the pioneer who came up with the idea and created this chat room platform, already had this authority.
So, with a simple wave of his hand, Ickshonpe granted Luke the ability to freely enter and exit this network world, anytime or anywhere.
Of course, what appeared there wasn't his real body but a virtual projection.
But even so, it greatly facilitated communication between Luke and Ickshonpe.
"Let's discuss world order and politics later..."
In the real world.
Luke stood by the seashore and slowly opened his eyes.
"The most important thing now is to get my hunter's license."
Gazing at the Hunter Association's exclusive transport ship slowly approaching in the distance, a smile gradually appeared at the corner of his mouth.
...
"What fine weather today!"
On the deck of the passenger ship, a middle-aged man wearing a captain's hat sighed as he pulled out a pipe from his pocket.
"Fine weather like this is rare to come across."
The captain, with a red nose, took a puff from his pipe, then fetched a lighter and lit it.
The smoke from the pipe gradually obscured the captain's eyes.
Looking ahead at the bow of the ship that braves the wind and waves, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions.
"We've been doing this job for many years, old friend..."
The red-nosed captain began to mutter to himself: "You'll have to work hard again this year."
"I just wonder if there will be any applicants as outstanding as in previous years."
At the mention of this, the red-nosed captain was fired up again: "If only we could discover another Ging Freecss among this year's applicants."
"I never thought a child only twelve years old could achieve such remarkable success."
"Although I thought at that time that his future achievements might be extraordinary, I never imagined he would be so outstanding..."
At the thought of this, the red-nosed captain puffed out his belly: "After all, I was the one who personally ferried him to Dolle Harbor, and I had a good feeling about him from the start!!"
He was immensely proud of that choice, especially now that Ging Freecss had made such a name for himself.
As one of the Hunter Association's pre-examiners, his job was to screen out unqualified applicants before the official exam even began.
And several years ago, it was this same red-nosed captain who had sent that boy from Whale Island off to his destiny.
It was aboard his passenger ship that many began their journey, step by step, toward becoming excellent hunters.
You could say he played a certain role, had a certain influence, in Ging Freecss's growth and path.
It was no small contribution, and the red-nosed captain took great pride in it.
"You seem to really enjoy your work?"
Suddenly, a voice spoke beside him.
"Of course!"
The red-nosed captain blurted out without hesitation.
"Being able to help outstanding young people embark on the path to becoming professional hunters is my greatest joy."
"Just thinking about those future hunters, shining brightly out there in the world, all of them sent off by us, makes me feel so proud and satisfied that I can drink a few extra glasses of rum every day!"
He rambled on with his pipe puffing nonstop between sentences.
But soon, he realized something, and he paused smoking.
"Huh?!"
He lifted his head and looked at the young man standing beside him with interest.
The red-nosed captain: "..."
The red-nosed captain quickly went over the situation in his mind.
His crew, of course, he knew them all.
And every applicant aboard who had come to take the hunter exam, he remembered each of them clearly.
After all, if he couldn't even manage that, how could he possibly serve as the pre-examiner for the Hunter Exam?
Yet he was certain, this young man wasn't one of them.
"I'm a new applicant who just boarded."
Luke said with a smile.
"I just happen to be curious about things related to professional hunters."
A new applicant…
The red-nosed captain fell silent.
He didn't remember his passenger ship docking anywhere recently.
Who knew where this man had come from?
Still…
"What do you want to hear about?"
The red-nosed captain tapped the ash from his pipe while watching Luke warily.
"Nothing much, just some things about Ging Freecss."
Luke smiled lightly. "I'm quite curious about him."
"Ging Freecss..."
The red-nosed captain muttered the name. "So you've heard of him too?"
"I've not only heard of him, I have met him."
Luke smiled. "We ran into each other at the Daragas Forest Wildlife Park. He should still be researching the breeding plan for the Two-headed Wolf."
"Two-headed Wolf? Isn't he a Ruins Hunter? He's already branching into other fields now?"
The red-nosed captain chuckled.
"Well, that really does sound like something Ging would do."
Then he looked back at Luke. "Young man, what's your name?"
"My name's Luke and I'm an inventor."
He introduced himself simply. "And I'm currently working toward becoming a professional hunter."
"You're not a professional hunter yet, so you're planning on getting a hunter's license, right?"
The red-nosed captain smacked his lips, then suddenly asked: "I remember that the Daragas Forest Wildlife Park is off-limits to anyone except those with a hunter's license."
"Since you don't have a license, then..."
"Someone brought me in."
Luke said plainly. "That's also why I'm taking the hunter exam. Most of the restricted places in this world can only be entered with a hunter's license."
"Someone brought you in..."
The red-nosed captain gave Luke a deep look.
Anyone who could lead others into the wildlife park was undoubtedly a professional hunter. He hadn't even obtained his hunter's license, yet he'd already befriended so many professional hunters.
He even claimed to know Ging Freecss. Although the red-nosed captain was fundamentally skeptical of Luke's claims, Luke's natural and casual demeanor made him lean more towards the truth.
And…
"It seems there's no need to ask him about his purpose for taking the exam."
The red-nosed captain thought.
Well, Luke had already stated his purpose for taking the exam. He wanted to use the privileges of a hunter's license to enter the many forbidden areas around the world.
Simply put, he wanted the privileges that came with a hunter's license.
This didn't seem out of place to the red-nosed captain.
After all, when Ging Freecss boarded the boat for the hunter exam, his expressions were similar to those of the young man before him.
"I want to get a hunter's license and see the scenery of this world."
Different words, but the meaning expressed was almost identical.
But judging by the two men's states upon boarding the ship...
"One was high-spirited yearning for the future, while the other..."
The red-nosed captain looked at Luke seriously again: "He's simply taking the test as a formality, to get his hunter's license."
"Does he already have the strength to freely travel this world?"
"Well, if he didn't have such strength, he wouldn't be recognized by Ging, or wouldn't even know Ging..."
The red-nosed captain pondered to himself.
There's no denying Luke's strength.
Whether it was silently approaching him, catching him off guard as he approached, or simply standing right in front of him, the red-nosed captain felt this person was extremely dangerous.
"Either way, it showed that this young man was no pushover."
"He truly has the qualifications and ability to obtain a hunter's license."
As a pre-examiner for the hunter exam, the red-nosed captain naturally knew what these qualifications and abilities represented.
He couldn't help but chuckle softly: "This is getting interesting."
With a shark now in the pond, this year's hunter exam is sure to be extra lively.
"So, can you tell me a little about Ging Freecss?"
Luke asked the red-nosed captain while smiling.
"Hmm? Oh, Ging? By the way, why do you want to know so much about Ging?"
The red-nosed captain, having regained his composure, asked curiously.
"Of course, to learn about his deeds in his youth."
Luke said matter-of-factly: "And then to draw inspiration from them."
Learn from him? As in... set him as an example?
It seemed that Ging, after making such a name for himself out there, had also become a model for others, someone so many people wanted to learn from and emulate.
The red-nosed captain was just about to nod approvingly, but then he heard what Luke said next: "And after compiling all of those things together..."
Luke's lips curled into a mischievous grin.
"I will have a complete record of Ging Freecss's dark history."
"So the next time we meet, I'll be able to tease him about it properly."
The red-nosed captain: "...?"
He fell silent again.
He wasn't thinking of anything in particular, just suddenly wondering whether he'd been staying on this passenger ship for too long.
Had the times changed so much that he could no longer keep up with modern thinking?
Was this... How are things done now?
"If there's a lot to tell about Ging Freecss, or if you don't know where to begin, captain..."
Luke, noticing his hesitation, didn't hold back.
Instead, he reached behind him and pulled out... A bag of peanuts.
"How about we sit down and talk over a drink?"
"After all, you've got stories, and I've got the booze..."
The red-nosed captain: "..."
"It's forbidden to drink while on duty."
He coughed twice and spoke sternly: "Especially when we're at sea."
"As captain, I'm responsible for the sailors and the applicants aboard this ship."
The red-nosed captain's tone was full of righteous conviction and ironclad principle.
Anyone listening might've thought he was a strictly disciplined man.
But in truth…