"I have always been unwavering in my belief about this. So, the previous V5 wasn't aware of Morin's situation until the incident with Jed, which finally drew their attention to Morin, right?"
Netero stroked his beard and glanced at Pariston again. "And what role are you playing in all of this?"
"Me?" Pariston's smile remained unchanged, even growing warmer. "I'm just an enthusiastic person who can lend a hand when needed."
"Lend a hand?" Netero gave him a sidelong glance, chuckled twice, and then walked away on stilts. Mr. Beans followed closely, like a little shadow.
"In my view, you don't seem like someone who lends a hand. Rather, you seem more like someone who tears bridges down," Netero's leisurely voice drifted from afar, leaving Pariston alone in the conference room, his smile gradually fading. After a moment of silence, he pulled out his phone.
"Hello, is this Beyond?"
As soon as the call connected, Beyond's hearty laughter came through the phone to Pariston's ear. "What's up, Pariston?" Beyond laughed, "Is V5 planning to formally approach Morin?"
Clearly, if Pariston knew about V5's interest in Morin, Beyond was naturally aware too.
"No, I just finished a Zodiacs meeting." Pariston shook his head. "During the meeting, I guided the conversation a little. There was an effect, but not a significant one."
"As long as there's some effect, that's fine." Beyond smacked his lips. "No matter what, we must prevent V5 from contacting Morin, especially from establishing any cooperative relationship."
"If we could even worsen their relationship, that would be ideal."
"I understand," Pariston replied softly. As Netero said, Pariston never intended to lend a hand; he was focused on tearing bridges down. Fundamentally, he didn't want V5 and Morin to come together.
His remarks in the previous meeting were merely to provoke opposition from the Zodiacs. If they felt uncomfortable, disrupting the cooperation would be great. Unfortunately, several people saw through his intentions.
Netero, of course, understood everything from the start. With age comes wisdom, and nothing could escape him. Cheadle Yorkshire and Mizaistom kept silent, clearly suspecting something. Ginta and Saccho remained indifferent, unconcerned with the matter.
Only Kanzai, Cluck, and Ginta fell into the trap, getting provoked. As for Kastro, he walked his own path, not caring about Pariston's motives. As long as it didn't cross his boundaries or disrespect Morin, he couldn't care less about Pariston's actions.
"That's good!" Beyond's voice on the other end of the phone was quite serious. "Remember, V5 must not establish any cooperation agreement with Morin. Even the slightest possibility must be nipped in the bud! This is crucial for our plan!"
"I understand." Pariston could comprehend Beyond's level of concern. He had heard about Beyond's previous invitation to Morin, which was declined. Honestly, with the tools Morin possesses, he is undoubtedly the best partner for venturing into the Dark Continent. Without a doubt.
The various types of tools Morin has are like a universal aid. The Dark Continent is rife with bizarre disasters, and having a partner who is like a treasure trove of tools would provide the utmost security and assurance for the entire team!
Not to mention, Morin is one of the world's top five Nen users, with formidable strength beyond words. Even without his tool abilities, his impressive strength alone is enough for Beyond to eagerly seek him out.
Especially recently, Pariston heard that Beyond's efforts to invite others were not going smoothly. Some individuals he deemed suitable for the Dark Continent were snatched away by others. This cast a shadow over Beyond's team's preparations for the Dark Continent.
Beyond had often lamented how great it would be if Morin could join his team. One rabbit could equal five divisions... ahem, getting off track. Morin alone could match five Nen user battalions, if not more.
---
During the battle at the Heaven's Arena, Beyond truly witnessed firsthand the power and effectiveness of Morin's tools. Seeing is believing, and Beyond genuinely hoped to collaborate with Morin on an expedition, but unfortunately...
After feeling a bit regretful, Beyond didn't let this emotion distract him. One thing was certain: if he couldn't form a partnership with Morin, he definitely couldn't allow anyone else to team up with him either. Especially not V5, such a colossal organization managing the world. If they were to intersect with Morin, it wouldn't bode well for him, or even for the world.
Moreover, it was a critical juncture. "V5 has already made some preparations for the upcoming Dark Continent expedition, and we, on the Kakin side, will add fuel to the fire," Beyond said seriously. "Now that things have reached this point, we can't afford any more surprises."
"Whether the Dark Continent enters the global spotlight depends entirely on this time."
"Understood."
Their conversation began quickly and ended just as swiftly. However, the message they intended to convey was clear. The established theme was singular:
V5 must not have any contact with Morin! With Pariston in the Hunter Association stirring the pot, it should be relatively simple... right?
Meanwhile, in a place far from the Hunter Association:
"V5 is interested in me and my tools?" Morin, receiving a call from Kastro, showed little reaction, merely nodding slightly. "Alright, I understand."
"Yeah."
Though puzzled by Morin's calm reaction, Kastro didn't probe further and honestly hung up the phone. He had just relayed everything that happened in the meeting to Morin. However, Morin seemed largely indifferent, as if he didn't care at all.
Or perhaps... it was as if he already knew these things would happen.
"Someone had already informed me about it before you," Morin glanced at Kastro's communication, smiled, and put away his phone. Earlier, at the embarkation hall, he used his tools to control those high officials. Any internal movements within V5, even if he couldn't access core secrets, he could quickly learn about situations like this.
"They want my tools? Well, let's see if they have what it takes."
Naturally, Morin wasn't too concerned about it. Not to mention the fact that there are insiders within the enemy, just regarding the tools themselves.
With the "Lucky Poker," the world is mine!
No matter what kind of underhanded schemes or secretive tactics come his way, Morin has plenty of ways to counter them. As for direct confrontation—
He's not boasting, but there's practically no one left who can take him head-on. Perhaps the future-born Ant King might pose a slight threat to him.
Speaking of the Ant King, it seems the Queen Ant in the NGL Autonomous Region is gradually recovering. Morin took out the "Observation Lens" to check on the situation. He had no intention of stopping the Queen Ant's actions.
The NGL Autonomous Region is a hotbed of crime, with numerous criminal activities already making the land notorious. Even though there are still some ordinary families living on farms, Morin can't be bothered. It's not as if he orchestrated these events or pushed them forward; he has no responsibility or obligation to intervene.
On the contrary, Morin believes that allowing the Chimera Ants to wreak havoc in NGL could be beneficial. If they devour Boss Gyro and his cronies, it might be a boon for the country's residents and the world. At least drugs and arms won't be flowing out of this country anymore. The residents won't have to toil in the fields so arduously.
Once the country is overrun by ants, V5 will have a legitimate reason to take control, adding to their power. They could even subtly guide the ants to the neighboring East Gorteau Republic to continue their destruction, thus allowing V5 to reap more benefits, which aligns with V5's initial plans.
If it were a peaceful country being ravaged by ants, it would indeed be disgraceful. However, when it comes to NGL and East Gorteau, it's a different story. Both countries are notorious, each worse than the other. Otherwise, the ants wouldn't have grown so quickly.
Through the "Observation Lens," Morin clearly saw what was happening in NGL. At this point, the Queen Ant in the NGL Autonomous Region had regained her strength after ample food and nutrition supply.
New novel is out guys, HxH: The Inventor you can check it on my profile it's the same author as this one.