The V5 were certainly very anxious.
Every person in charge who had access to the Dark Continent could never have anticipated the Kakin Empire's earth-shattering declaration.
It was a reckless and extremely irresponsible declaration, stirring an unprecedented earthquake among the populace.
In a dimly lit meeting room on the underground fifth floor of the International Permit Agencies, the sound of a forceful table slam suddenly echoed.
"No restrictions? Anyone can go to the Dark Continent? The Kakin Empire is too arrogant!"
In the conference room was a U-shaped table with fifteen people seated.
In front of the U-shaped table was a rather large projection screen displaying a 'True' world map.
Beside the screen stood a bespectacled, refined young man. Before him was a lectern with pages of detailed reports.
The one who slammed the table was a middle-aged man in a suit with a red, bulbous nose. His eyes were wide open, radiating undisguised anger.
The others, including the young man at the lectern, looked at him calmly.
Those seated here all held high national positions, possessed considerable ability, and came from different countries.
The reason they could gather here in such a short time was that they all held important positions within the International Permit Agencies, each with their own responsibilities.
Among the fifteen present, there were representatives of the will of the prime ministers of the five great nations. In other words, this small meeting was not simple.
And the immediate demand sent to the Kakin Empire was merely a test.
"We are here to find solutions, not for meaningless commentary," Someone looked at the red-nosed man and said indifferently.
The red-nosed man glanced at that person and calmed down immediately. "I didn't mean to interrupt the meeting. Please continue."
No one said anything more.
The refined young man in front of the lectern seized the opportunity to continue the interrupted presentation.
His tone was calm and forceful, his words clear and logical.
But the content he presented was already known facts for those present.
However, everyone patiently waited for the young man to finish.
Afterward, a white-haired man with a forehead full of wrinkles said, "What we want to hear isn't content that might only slightly reduce the total number of volunteers. We want effective methods to officially stop the Kakin Empire's stubborn course."
The young man nodded slightly. "I understand. Please look at the United States of Saherta's basic treaties regarding threats between nations. Articles seven to nine clearly prohibit taking a proactive stance towards dangerous organisms and even unknown threats."
"In situations where the danger level is judged to potentially threaten national security, the United States of Saherta allows other nations to intervene or stop it using compulsory means, including military action."
A man with a crew cut lightly tapped the table with his pen tip. "We know all this, including your earlier remarks."
The person beside him took over, saying calmly, "The Kakin Empire is the same, of course. And things have already escalated this much. Negotiation alone is no longer enough to make the Kakin Empire back down."
The refined young man paused, then said calmly, "My presentation was indeed too roundabout. For that, I apologize to everyone present. Actually, I wanted to confirm whether you all already realize that conventional means currently available are extremely limited."
"And the only means clearly lean towards military action."
A middle-aged woman with dark skin said, "So, state your idea."
The young man glanced at the middle-aged woman. He knew the solution these people wanted wasn't violent means like military intervention. In short, they wanted to resolve this with the smallest cost.
Nations always demanded that.
However, he was already confident about the correct answer.
Standing here at less than thirty years old relied on genuine talent.
The young man looked around at everyone and said calmly, "To resolve the current predicament peacefully, the Kakin Empire must be incorporated into the V5."
Hearing this, the looks in everyone's eyes toward him changed slightly, masked by the dim indoor light.
No one raised questions, waiting in silence for the young man's following explanation.
"Reconstruct the international organization named V6. Behind the scenes, the other five nations will assist the Kakin Empire's passage operations. And we absolutely must not show an attitude of reluctantly absorbing them."
"Instead, we must show the Kakin Empire a composed stance that we have been waiting for the final representative from the Six Continents to be fully prepared for departure."
"This way, the Kakin King's name will be recorded in history as a new continent pioneer. But correspondingly, the Kakin Empire must sign a written agreement with the other five nations to equally share all obtained benefits."
"How to specifically allocate needs negotiation under the premise that V6 can be formally established."
Everyone fell silent. Afterward, the young man didn't speak further. The meeting room fell completely quiet.
After a moment, among everyone, only the red-nosed man, who had shown an extreme reaction earlier, didn't express an opinion. Instead, he raised another unresolved issue: "We all know the survival rate for exploring the Dark Continent is only 0.04%. So ordinary people participating in Dark Continent exploration are essentially going to their deaths."
"If we implement your method, the consequence of countless people dying on the exploration path would also need to be borne by the V5."
The young man looked at the red-nosed man and calmly stated the follow-up plan: "Near the Far Ocean Boundary, in Uncharted Waters, there are many uninhabited islands capable of accommodating large numbers of immigrants. At that time, simply define them as the Dark Continent and have the volunteers land on those islands."
"As for the actual passage, to avoid the potential risks Calamities possess, as long as the Kakin Empire is willing to accept the condition that passage participants must undergo strict selection, we can leave it to them to handle themselves."
"After all, we've all encountered setbacks regarding Dark Continent passage. The consensus on not risking ourselves anymore is very firm. This point absolutely cannot be compromised."
'I see...'
The red-nosed man nodded slightly.
According to the young man's method, that area wasn't within the Dark Waters' region. Dumping the unaware populace there could fundamentally resolve this alternative gold rush stirred up by the Kakin Empire.
But...
He looked at the young man again, but someone else beat him to raising another question: "Do you think the Kakin Empire, upon agreeing to merge, will accept this condition?"
"Give them sufficient freedom, and they'll have no reason to refuse," The young man said.
"Then there's another problem. Under the premise of sufficient freedom, we must keep a close watch, right?"
The young man looked at the speaker and replied, "Currently, we have already issued a commission to the Hunter Association to apprehend Beyond. Once apprehended, we will request the Hunter Association to further persuade Beyond. If the Hunter Association can make Beyond agree to this condition, the problem will be easily resolved."
"What if the Hunter Association fails?"
"If the Hunter Association is also incompetent, and direct negotiations with the Kakin King also fail, then we can only dispatch the Permission Office's troops to participate in the passage, serving a monitoring role."
After hearing the young man's presentation, everyone present showed thoughtful expressions.
'Sorting out the pros and cons, then... V6?'
…
In the Hunter Association's corridor, Cheadle stopped Law.
"Law, why refuse?"
Cheadle looked at Law's back, frowning slightly.
The reason for her words wasn't a failed confession, of course. It was because Law refused to participate in the operation to apprehend Beyond at the meeting's end, and Netero tacitly approved this.
In Cheadle's view, Law and Ging were the most crucial talents for such operations. With their help, at least half the risks of going to the Dark Continent could be reduced.
However, not only did Law refuse, but Ging also couldn't board the Zodiac's ship. She understood the reason for Ging, but she didn't understand Law's reason.
Law turned to look at Cheadle and said seriously, "I have no reason to answer that question. Actually, if the old man hadn't made that decision, I would have quite hoped to travel with you."
After saying that, he left without hesitation.
Actually, he felt regret.
One of his original intentions for joining the Zodiacs was to recruit the strong members into his team.
Frontline combatants like Botobai, Gel who could provide real-time antivenom serum, Pyon who translated ancient texts, Cheadle with medical skills, Saccho who could relieve teammates' stress.
These were all rare talents. Unfortunately, they would only board Netero's ship.
Cheadle stared blankly at Law's departing figure, unable to utter another word.
She couldn't comprehend it, especially the trace of regret Law left behind when he turned around.
'I really couldn't understand.'
'What were Law and the Chairman thinking?'
Cheadle herself probably didn't realize that, at some point, she had developed a psychological dependence on Law.