"Now arriving at Saba City. Passengers, please—"
As the airship slowly docked at the airport, Kevin stepped off. He looked at the familiar airport, reaching up to take off his sunglasses. "Back to this damn place again."
This place used to be his "home," but now Kevin had no lingering affection for it. The reason he came here at this time was naturally to handle some business. Kevin walked down the airship and headed toward the exit.
Outside the exit, someone was already waiting for him. White Tree leaned against a green camouflage jeep, and seeing Kevin walking out of the exit from afar, he immediately stretched out his hand and waved vigorously.
Kevin walked through the crowd toward White Tree. "Long time no see, Kevin." The two embraced warmly.
"It's only been about half a year." Kevin replied with a smile. "Let's go, get in the car first."
White Tree said, opening the car door for Kevin. The jeep started, left the airport, and headed out of the city. Along the way, the car passed through winding forest paths and finally entered a military controlled area.
Looking at the scene outside the car window, Kevin couldn't help but frown. "It's been half a year, and the problem hasn't been resolved yet?" When he left last time, the defenses here weren't this strict, but now it had completely become a military controlled area, completely different from before. This indicated that the matter had not been resolved and might even have worsened.
That's right—his return to the Lost Meller Wetland this time wasn't to do anything within the wetland itself, but mainly to find Begetto.
Hearing Kevin's question, a rare hint of melancholy appeared on the usually optimistic White Tree's face. He sighed softly. "No, the problem is worse than when you left."
"Worse?" Kevin was puzzled. It was just an ordinary biological disaster. Though some conspiracy seemed hidden behind it, Begetto was a one-star Professional Hunter after all. Simply resolving the disaster problem in the current area shouldn't be difficult. As long as the monster causing trouble was found and eliminated, wouldn't the matter be resolved? Begetto led a professional team, and he wasn't the only Nen user—White Tree and Shant were also Nen users.
"How should I put it—it's hard to explain clearly in a short time. A lot has happened in the past six months. This incident isn't just a localized problem in our Forest Park; it involves a wide range. You'll understand when you see Boss."
Seeing White Tree look like he didn't know where to start, Kevin nodded, no longer pressing the issue, and turned to look at the scenery outside the car window. Along the way, there were more and more patrol cars. These weren't the common special police patrol cars seen in the city, but real military vehicles. Many of the originally dense trees on both sides of the road had been cut down, widening the roads.
Compared to when he left, the defenses here were significantly strengthened, and many areas had new barrier nets erected.
The car drove through the forest road, turned a few corners, and suddenly a clear view opened up before them. It was the experimental base where Kevin had stayed for a while before. The experimental base was now several times larger than before, and a temporary small airship airport had even been newly opened next to the parking lot originally used for vehicles. Two or three small militarized airships could be seen on the airport, and one was steadily hovering in the sky, observing something.
Two soldiers stopped the car. White Tree naturally took out his pass and handed it over. One soldier nodded, then looked at Kevin.
"He is Boss's guest. He is Mr. Begetto's guest."
"Even so, we still need to check and register." The soldier said directly, without budging.
Kevin readily took out his hunter license and handed it over. The soldier took the license, scanned it, confirmed it was correct, returned the license, saluted them, and signaled they could pass.
At this point, White Tree exclaimed in surprise. "You've already become a Professional Hunter?"
Kevin nodded. "Didn't I say before that I would participate in this year's Hunter Exam?"
"Of course I remember, but isn't this your first time taking the exam? The pass rate for first-time candidates is very low. I really didn't expect you to pass on your first try—that's amazing!" As he spoke, a look of envy was clearly visible on White Tree's face.
Looking at him like this, Kevin asked somewhat puzzled, "With your strength, passing the Hunter Exam shouldn't be difficult, right?"
These words made White Tree look at him strangely. "Just by looking at your expression, I know the exam questions you encountered this time were definitely not difficult, right? No—not that they weren't difficult, but that they were very suitable for you."
Hearing White Tree's words, Kevin immediately understood what he meant.
At this time, White Tree also murmured to himself: "I participated before, but only took the exam once. To be honest, I was eliminated in the second round." Speaking of this, a look of indignation immediately appeared on his face, as if he was still bothered by it.
"In the second exam, they actually made us sculpt with large stones. At that time, I was already a Nen user, so sculpting stones was certainly not difficult for me, but the examiner actually said that the stone I sculpted was too ugly to look at. And he said he couldn't stand someone like me with no aesthetic sense, and eliminated me for that reason." As he spoke, White Tree seemed to want Kevin to judge whether that was fair.
After hearing this, Kevin couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he hadn't encountered such an outrageous exam question. However, there was nothing to be done about it—the discretion of each examiner was simply too great. As long as there were no particularly serious problems, Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Association, would not intervene.
There certainly weren't many people who could truly sculpt, and the number with this skill in that exam was few and far between. Furthermore, this was the second exam, which would definitely eliminate a large number of people, but there would also definitely be many who passed. Thinking this way, for White Tree, a Nen user, not passing the exam might really be because his sculpting was simply too ugly.
"I even specifically brought my sculpture back at the time, wanting Begetto and Shant to help me judge." White Tree continued speaking while driving.
"And then? What did they say?" Kevin's curiosity was piqued.
White Tree shrugged helplessly. "They didn't say anything. I admit it was a bit ugly, but the exam question itself was very strange, right?"
Kevin nodded. But he was more curious about what that ugly sculpture looked like, so he asked, "Then where is that sculpture? With your personality, you must have kept it, right?" After all, in a sense, that sculpture did have some collection value—of course, only for White Tree himself.
"Oh, you mean that sculpture? It was thrown away by two new interns at the experimental base at the time. They said that thing affected the success rate of their experiments. It was clearly their own problem. The world is just too malicious toward my work."
"That's a shame. I can't witness your masterpiece."
"You guy, are you trying to mock me too?"
The two drove the car into the parking lot, chatting and laughing like this. It was then that Kevin realized that although security was stricter than when he left, the researchers in the experimental base had all returned, and the number seemed even greater than before. Looking closely, it seemed the entire experimental base had been expanded, with many new buildings added. There were also various supporting buildings he hadn't seen before. In just half a year, this place had completely transformed.
Begetto walked out of the building and, seeing Kevin, smiled and hugged him. "Long time no see." He greeted Kevin, gave White Tree a few instructions, and then pulled Kevin away. The two went to a reception room.
"I heard you've become a Professional Hunter. Congratulations." Hearing this, Kevin just smiled slightly.
"Just good luck—I didn't encounter any difficult questions."
Begetto smiled knowingly, then his expression turned serious. "Then, what brings you here this time? Or are you looking to transition from intern to full-time research member?" He made a joke. Of course, he knew Kevin wouldn't join his team. However, he really didn't know the specific reason Kevin came to see him—Kevin hadn't explained in detail on the phone.
Kevin smiled, said nothing more, and took out a small box from his pocket, handing it to Begetto.
Begetto took the box and opened it to find two different cards inside, one gold and one black. The common feature was a red, irregularly shaped stone symbol in the center.
"This symbol..." Begetto noticed it first. "Red Stone Pharmaceuticals, right? It seems quite famous in the news lately." After realizing this, Begetto looked at Kevin. "So, this company is your property?"
Kevin hadn't expected that to be the first thing the other party focused on, so he nodded slightly. He brought the conversation back on track. "You should know that my Nen ability can create various potions with peculiar effects."
Begetto nodded—of course he remembered. At the time, Kevin had even 'borrowed' some materials from him. Regarding Kevin's miraculous potions, Begetto had once asked if others could use them. After all, upon seeing such a Nen ability, the first thought was its auxiliary function—that was perfectly normal.
However, the answer he received was that these potions had side effects. To be honest, this was quite surprising. At least, in Begetto's view at the time, the design of this Nen ability seemed somewhat substandard.
"After leaving here, I came up with some methods, spent some time and effort, and managed to remove the side effects." With Kevin's explanation, Begetto suddenly understood and nodded.
"So these are Member cards?"
"That's right, but one is a Member card, and the other is a Supplier cooperation card."
"What's the difference between these two cards?" Judging by Begetto's tone, it seemed he guessed that both cards weren't for him, but rather that he was meant to choose one.
Kevin directly handed Begetto two forms: one was a Supplier cooperation agreement, and the other listed the effects, prices, and purchase qualifications for various potions. Begetto began reading them carefully.
Honestly, Kevin naturally hoped Begetto would choose the Supplier cooperation card because the latter indeed had the potential and qualifications in that regard. After all, Kevin had stayed here for a month and even entered Begetto's material warehouse. There were quite a few materials in the warehouse that aroused his desire, and for Begetto, these were just some small collections he didn't care much about. Most were items casually placed inside.
As a Conservation Hunter, Begetto spent almost all his time outdoors, traversing various nature reserves or dangerous restricted areas. He didn't conserve every endangered species. As a Hunter who had long roamed the wilderness, he deeply understood the law of the jungle. For wild beasts and monsters that had attacked humans or were highly aggressive, he would hunt them down without mercy.
His profession and work areas were destined to provide Kevin with a sufficient source of materials.
At this moment, Begetto finished reading the documents in his hands. He barely thought before nodding and directly picking up the black card. "I don't seem to have a reason to refuse." He looked at Kevin and said with a smile.
Kevin also showed a bright smile, extended his hand, and the two shook hands firmly. "Pleasure working with you."
"Can I buy your amazing little potions now?" Begetto asked with a smile.
Kevin nodded. "Of course you can. And I guessed you might have purchasing needs on the spot, so I specifically brought some with me." Saying that, he moved the briefcase, which had been placed next to him, onto the table and opened it. The briefcase was filled with potions packed tightly together. Potions of various colors emitted a soft glow under the light, swirling gently, looking like a dream.
"Let me see—exactly twenty bottles. This must be my purchase limit for the year." Begetto looked at the neatly arranged potions in the briefcase and the labels on them, finding many were exactly what he wanted to purchase after reading the form.
Kevin directly pushed the briefcase toward Begetto and said with a smile, "Accurately anticipating customer needs is one of the essential qualities of a boss like me."
Begetto didn't stand on ceremony, directly closed the case and took it, indicating he wanted all of them. This was something Kevin hadn't expected—the other party actually wanted all, maxing out the limit.
"I'll transfer the money later via the website mentioned here. What I want to exchange using currency now are the special potions marked on the form as only exchangeable by Suppliers—the [Repair Potion], 50 currency units, right?"
Kevin hadn't expected the first person to exchange currency for potions would be Begetto, and that he would want them on the spot. However, he had to admit Begetto indeed had the capability; his private warehouse had enough materials.
"Alright, you really are a big customer. I'll have the potions airlifted over, but your annual limit only allows you to exchange for two bottles."
Begetto nodded. "Then I'll take two bottles. You can just go to my warehouse and take the equivalent materials when the time comes. I believe the things inside will definitely be enough for you. You've definitely been eyeing them for a long time, haven't you?"
Hearing this, Kevin smiled and chuckled. "Not at all, not at all. Don't make me sound like that. This is a proper transaction, isn't it?"
After chatting for a while, Begetto leaned back in his chair, took a sip of tea, looked at Kevin, and asked, "Alright, let's talk business. You came all this way—it can't just be to sign a Supplier contract with me and promote your products, right?" Given the special nature of the potions, Begetto would definitely become Kevin's customer, and they had each other's contact information. This kind of thing could be entirely communicated over the phone, but when Kevin said he was coming earlier, he hadn't explained the purpose of his trip in detail, and Begetto hadn't asked too much at the time. But looking at it now, it definitely wasn't just a simple matter.
"I can't hide it from you. My real purpose for coming here is to see your true collection. You definitely have that kind of private secret treasure trove, right?"
"Not the kind of private warehouse where you just pile up miscellaneous items, but a place where you store your cherished possessions."
Hearing this, Begetto couldn't help but frown, looking at Kevin with a serious expression. "Since you know, you should understand what the things in the [Treasure Trove] mean to me."
Of course, he had such a treasure trove. It contained some of his favorite specimens and items with great collection value. Not every item was necessarily priceless, but to him, each one had unique significance. Simply put, there was no possibility of trading these items—or rather, the possibility wasn't high, depending on what the item was.
"Of course I understand. I'm definitely not here to take what you love. I just want to take a look, get to know them, and if possible, it would be best if I could touch them."
"Touch them?" Begetto was startled for a moment, then he reacted. He recalled some of Kevin's actions from half a year ago and connected them to the material identification method mentioned in the contract they had just signed. He also inferred some of the conditions of Kevin's Nen ability from this.
"I see—you want to confirm if there are any high-quality materials you want in my treasure trove, right? Your purpose sounds very clear, and you're sure the materials you want are in my treasure trove. So, where did you get this information about the materials?" Begetto asked. The other party definitely knew he possessed a certain material Kevin needed.
Kevin smiled. That's right—his main purpose for coming this time was precisely for this.
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