In the Hunter x Hunter world, Saba City...
"Looks like they've been busy exploring ruins and gathering artifacts," Daniel mused as he strolled through his mansion in Saba City after dealing with the Mephisto situation and attending to other matters. He had sent messages to Ada and Robin, informing them of his arrival. Meanwhile, he took his time inspecting the various new objects decorating the mansion—clearly ancient relics from their recent expeditions.
Although Daniel appreciated the historical value of these artifacts, he didn't have much of an eye for such things. Coming from an ordinary background, he lacked the refined taste required to truly admire them. After a brief look around, he lost interest.
In this regard, Daniel was similar to Tony Stark. Though Stark might purchase fine art as a display of wealth or for status, Daniel saw no need for such extravagance. While he had more than enough wealth, he preferred to avoid unnecessary expenses.
"Wow, so many new gourmet foods!" Daniel exclaimed as he entered the back storage area of the mansion. This warehouse was custom-built, combining Nen and divine techniques to create a massive, temperature-controlled space to preserve the freshness of his high-quality ingredients.
In terms of culinary arts, the Hunter x Hunter world surpassed the One Piece world in some areas. Though One Piece had notable chefs like Zeff, Sanji, and the red-haired chef Carmen, who competed with Sanji, they couldn't compare to the professional Gourmet Hunters of the Hunter world. The One Piece world's advantage was in its exotic ingredients, but the technology and expertise of the Hunter world outshone it in terms of preparation and refinement.
Daniel had always been generous when it came to food, especially now that he was wealthy. He frequently spent large sums on acquiring the finest delicacies from across the world.
"Looks like it's time to schedule an appointment with Menchi, the Gourmet Hunter," Daniel mused. Menchi, a prodigy in her field, was renowned for her culinary skills and Nen-based cooking abilities. Though Daniel could handle the ingredients himself, his expertise couldn't compare to a professional like Menchi.
The status of Gourmet Hunters in the Hunter x Hunter world was highly prestigious, especially among the general populace. A meal prepared by a top-tier Gourmet Hunter could easily cost a billion Jenny, and it wasn't uncommon for people to pay such exorbitant sums. Beyond the taste, these meals often had beneficial properties, such as extending one's lifespan.
For ordinary people, eating a meal prepared by a Gourmet Hunter was almost impossible without extensive connections. Even in the Marvel world, Tony Stark could hire Michelin-star chefs whenever he pleased. However, in the Hunter world, wealth alone wasn't enough to secure a reservation. For many Gourmet Hunters, booking a meal could require a wait of several years.
"Mmm, not bad," Daniel muttered after tasting a dish he'd prepared himself. "With this level of skill, I could definitely open a Michelin three-star restaurant."
Of course, that would only be true in the Marvel world, where culinary standards were different. In the Hunter world, restaurants were rated according to their owners' hunter rankings, with two stars being the highest for restaurants owned by Nen users. As of now, no Gourmet Hunter had ever reached the prestigious three-star rank due to the association's stringent requirements.
To reach the three-star level, a hunter must have made several historical discoveries or accomplished world-changing feats, which naturally limited the number of top-tier Gourmet Hunters.
"Ah, the Dark Continent…" After finishing his meal, Daniel sat down and pulled out his tablet to review the latest information about the Hunter world's infamous Dark Continent. His tablet had become one of his most valuable possessions, containing all the data from the various worlds he had explored, including information on Nen, magic, martial arts, and more.
If someone were to stumble upon Daniel's tablet, it would undoubtedly serve as a treasure trove of knowledge, akin to the ultimate cheat device. But realistically, it wouldn't matter if he lost it—without Daniel's unique coding and security measures, including divine and Nen-based locks, no one would be able to access the information inside.
Daniel's primary goal in returning to the Hunter world, aside from visiting Ada, was to explore the Dark Continent. The five "Great Calamities" and the mysterious resources of the continent were of particular interest to him. While some, like the Unmanned Rock, were less useful to him given the technologies he already possessed—such as the Arc Reactor, the Peacekeeper Energy System, and divine power—others held tremendous potential.
The Unmanned Rock, while a game-changer for most nations as an infinite energy source, was redundant for Daniel. However, if he brought it to a world like Qin's Moon, it could revolutionize the kingdom's power infrastructure for decades.
On the other hand, items like the Nitro Rice (a miraculous longevity resource), the Panacea (a herb that could cure any disease), the Three-Star Liquor (which could replicate any liquid), and the Metalion (a plant with alchemical properties) were invaluable to him. For instance, using the Three-Star Liquor, Daniel could bypass traditional alchemy to create endless elixirs of immortality or medicine.
Until now, Daniel had refrained from venturing into the Dark Continent due to the risks involved. But he now felt prepared to make a cautious exploration. His aim was not to conquer the entire continent but to acquire the most valuable resources and return safely.
"What's this about the Kakin Empire? Looks like things are heating up." As Daniel continued his research, a piece of news caught his eye—Kakin Empire and the Dark Continent were trending topics all over the internet.
Curious, Daniel delved deeper and uncovered the source of the hype: Nasubi Hui Guo Rou, the current king of Kakin, had publicly announced the existence of the Dark Continent and claimed that his nation had built a colossal ship—the Black Whale—to explore it. Furthermore, Kakin was openly recruiting people from around the world to join the expedition.
All over the internet, people were discussing this unprecedented event. Young adventurers, thrill-seekers, and those yearning for a fresh start were captivated by the idea of exploring the Dark Continent, spurred on by Kakin's carefully crafted narrative.
In Kakin's portrayal, the Dark Continent was an untouched land of boundless opportunity, just waiting for anyone bold enough to claim a piece. And as expected, waves of eager young people were flooding into Kakin, ready to seize their fortune.
"He's only telling them the good parts. What's Nasubi's endgame?" Daniel pondered. The Kakin King's propaganda conveniently left out the horrors lurking in the Dark Continent—the Great Calamities, capable of wiping out entire expeditions without breaking a sweat.
The Black Whale had a capacity of 200,000 passengers, but even two million or twenty million people would be powerless against the forces of the Dark Continent. Each of the five Great Calamities could easily eradicate such numbers if left unchecked.
Nasubi Hui Guo Rou's plan involved sending waves of settlers into the Dark Continent. The first ship, the Black Whale, would depart soon, with more to follow every three months. His goal was to transport a billion people to the new land within five years.
"V5 must be in a panic right now," Daniel thought. By openly revealing the Dark Continent, Nasubi had forced the hand of V5, the world's governing alliance. Even if they tried to warn people of the continent's dangers, the tide of public opinion was now unstoppable. People were already questioning why V5 had kept this information secret for so long.
In this situation, even if V5 wanted to wage war against Kakin, they couldn't. Not only would the global community oppose it, but Kakin also possessed military power and, most importantly, the "Poor Man's Rose"—a devastating weapon that could rival anything V5 might throw at them.
Moreover, with the details of the Dark Continent out in the open, any conflict between V5 and Kakin would immediately be viewed as an attempt by V5 to hoard the continent's wealth for themselves. Even if V5 wanted to use the Hunter Association to eliminate Nasubi, the backlash would be swift.
Just as Daniel was deep in thought, his phone rang. It was Ada.
"You're here," Ada said as soon as Daniel picked up.
"Yeah, by the way, what's going on with the Kakin Empire?"
"It's Beyond Netero. He's using this as a way to bypass V5's restrictions," Ada explained. She quickly filled Daniel in on the details.
V5 had imposed strict requirements on expeditions to the Dark Continent, so much so that only a few individuals like Ging Freecss had managed to meet even one of the conditions. Although Ging could have secretly ventured to the Dark Continent, he had made a promise to Netero. Likewise, Netero's son, Beyond Netero, was bound by similar constraints.
Netero had placed a restriction on Beyond, preventing him from going to the Dark Continent while Netero was alive. This restriction was not merely verbal but tied to a powerful Nen vow. Whether Ging had also made such a vow remained uncertain, but Beyond definitely had.
As a result, Beyond sought to find a loophole. If he couldn't go to the Dark Continent in secret, he would go openly, backed by the full force of the Kakin Empire. He had spent decades helping Nasubi Hui Guo Rou transform Kakin from a
mere kingdom into a global superpower.
"Beyond's plan to sidestep the restrictions is pretty bold. Instead of sneaking to the Dark Continent, he's going in full view of the world," Ada continued. "But at this rate, V5 will become V6. They're planning to create a fake version of the Dark Continent for public consumption while using the real journey to hunt down Beyond."
V5 was now forced to cooperate with Kakin. They couldn't stop the tide, so they had to go along with it.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]