Four figures darted through the dense branches like swift swallows, the only sound around them the rush of wind.
Germain, Ging, Bisky, and Shizuku moved almost flawlessly through the forest, each following their own separate path, weaving through the trees without crossing one another.
"Chairman Netero and the others are ahead," Germain said, his black cloak billowing as he pointed forward. "They've noticed us approaching as well."
Ging nodded. "I see them... Following the direction they gave and tracking the Hunter Association's double X marks they left behind, we finally found them."
He took off his felt hat and tied his spiky hair back with a brown-yellow headband, making him look at least five or six years younger.
Bisky, who had her blonde hair tied into a bun, stayed quiet but couldn't hide her joy. It had been a long time since she last saw Chairman Netero.
Shizuku followed silently at the back of the group.
Germain relayed Palm's intelligence to the fortress's core members through the control center, then decided to set out immediately to find Chairman Netero and his team.
The four of them were the most well-coordinated group Germain had assembled.
As for Ging, Bisky, and Shizuku's duties inside the fortress, Cheadle and the others were handling those responsibilities.
To truly solve the "disaster" that was happening on this continent, they knew they had to eliminate the "root of the disaster."
Germain thought about these things.
Chairman Netero and the others probably thought of the same, so most likely, they were chasing after the "source of the disaster."
Finding them would mean finding the root of everything.
Soon, an ant nest made of piled-up earth, shaped like a stone cone, came into view. Under the shadow of the nest stood six figures.
Chairman Netero, Mizaistom, Morel, Botobai Gigante, Kanzai, and Ginta—they were all watching the group of four rushing forward.
Morel was quite excited. He put down his large pipe and waved his arms. When they got closer, he was the first to step forward to greet them.
"How did you end up here?" he asked, surprised and happy.
He really didn't expect that Germain's group would all appear here—either at the Ancient Labyrinth Outpost or on Greed Island!
Before this, Chairman Netero and the others thought Germain and his team would only come to support them at least six months later.
But they couldn't wait for six months.
Seeing Germain and the others here was a huge surprise.
Chairman Netero and the others stepped forward, curious about Morel's question.
Germain didn't waste time. He briefly explained the matter of the "special teleport lantern and the crimson light."
Since everyone here was a core member, there was no need to hide anything.
Chairman Netero quietly listened without commenting. Instead, he looked like a grandfather seeing his granddaughter and reached out to pat Bisky's head. But Bisky quickly pushed his hand away.
"Don't mess up my hairstyle," Bisky snapped, glaring at Chairman Netero.
She was just glad to see him safe. She didn't show any extra enthusiasm.
Netero chuckled warmly. "It's been so long since we last met. You won't even let me show some concern? That really hurts my feelings."
Bisky put her hands on her hips. "Come on, I know you too well. You just want to take the chance to mess up my hair!"
The other twelve members ignored their conversation. They were all deep in thought about the information Germain had provided.
"It seems the explosion last night originated from that 'circular formation,'" Morel said, stroking his square chin.
"When BW1 sailed to the refueling station, we learned the Kakin royal family had brought the corpse of the fourth prince, Tserriednich, who had died earlier, onto the yacht."
"Although the Kakin royal family's actions were strange, they weren't obligated to explain anything to us, so we put that matter aside for now."
Morel gave Germain, Ging, Bisky, and Shizuku meaningful looks without directly stating that the fourth prince's death was related to them.
None of them showed any change in expression.
Germain stayed calm. Ging had nothing to do with the assassination of the fourth prince. Bisky was known for lying. Shizuku had a blank face.
It was difficult for Morel to see any sign of doubt or unease from them.
"According to Germain's description, the outer ring of the 'circular formation' was made up of thirteen mechanical chambers, with a single mechanical chamber at the center."
"If the Kakin royal family brought Tserriednich's body onto the ship and stored it inside one of the mechanical chambers, then King Nasubi's intention becomes very clear."
"Those mechanical chambers are meant to store the bodies of Kakin royal family members who have the right to inherit the throne."
Kanzai looked puzzled.
"But the Kakin royal family only has thirteen princes, right?" He looked down and started counting on his fingers. "So why are there fourteen mechanical chambers?"
Mizaistom took over from Morel and continued to speculate.
"That's because the core of the 'Seed Urn' ceremony works like this."
"The prince who wins the succession battle stands in the center, while the bodies of the losers are stored in the mechanical chambers around the edges."
Kanzai's eyes widened as he said, "Hmm… no, no… You always laugh at my math, but now it seems you made a rookie mistake!"
"There are only twelve princes who participate in the succession battle. The Fourth Prince died long ago and never took part."
"Besides, even if you count him, that's just thirteen!"
Germain, Morel, and Mizaistom exchanged looks, sharing a sense of mutual understanding.
"No, it's fourteen."
"Even though the Fourth Prince did not participate in the succession battle, his body was also placed in the ceremony."
"This means that even if he died early, he is still considered a 'loser' of this succession battle."
"The fourteenth person, besides them, is King Nasubi. King Nasubi is the winner of the previous succession battle, so he is counted among them."
"It's very likely that the end of the succession battle is when the last surviving candidate prince replaces King Nasubi, who then dies."
"I think what happened last night was that after the victory celebration ended, King Nasubi and the new king came to the 'circle' and completed the final step of the ceremony."
The bodies of King Nasubi and his twelve princes were all stored inside the mechanical chamber.
The new heir to King Kakin, positioned at the very center, either willingly or unwillingly triggered the ceremony.
Then, the "Circle Formation" exploded, and the power of the ritual began to spread from the yacht to the entire BW1 vessel.
Anyone who had long contact with the Kakin royal bloodline and had killed for them might mutate into monsters because of this.
Thus, the great chaos began.
Everyone listening nodded in understanding.
Chairman Netero smiled and said, "Those 'Parasitic Guardian Spirits' born from the Seed Urn Ceremony—if their hosts are the king and princes, then what exactly is parasitizing them?"
"I've come to realize that it must be the grudges and resentments of all the Kakin royal family members throughout history, including the 'second-tier' heirs."
"They nourished that Seed Urn, and the urn, in turn, allowed these resentments to inhabit the current heir princes as 'Guardian Spirits.'"
"In other words, in every succession battle of the Kakin royal family, the survivors become kings, while the resentments of the dead are stored in the Seed Urn."
"When the new round of succession begins, these resentments parasitize the princes they favor the most, protecting them as much as possible, so that the possessed prince can become king."
After the new king is born, the old king's mission comes to an end.
The old king must give up his position to the new king, becoming just another part of the resentment trapped inside the Seed Urn.
This cycle has repeated countless times...
But this time, the succession battle is a little different from all the ones before.
Chairman Netero squinted his eyes and looked toward the strange castle beneath the distant mountains.
Then he turned to Germain and Morel.
"Do you still remember last year's Chimera Ant extermination mission?"
"Of course," Morel answered.
Germain nodded as well.
Netero said, "Let's imagine a situation where the Chimera Ant King Meruem didn't settle in the Republic of East Gorteau, but instead wandered everywhere, growing stronger by devouring humans."
"In that case, trying to catch and kill him would be extremely difficult."
"You could say that, aside from Germain's involvement, it was also Meruem's arrogance and ignorance that led to his death."
"A cunning and ever-growing Chimera Ant King would undoubtedly become a nightmare of despair for all six continents."
"By then, even the 'Poor Man's Rose' or even stronger weapons might not work against him."
"We have been chasing that powerful aura without rest all this way, precisely to stop 'another possibility of Meruem' from happening."
"Now is probably the best time to deal with the monster born from that ceremony."
"It keeps creating monsters, causing slaughter, letting those monsters feed on resentment, and then absorbing the resentment left behind by the dead monsters..."
"This process is most likely aimed at gaining even greater power. It is evolving... and we don't have much time left."
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