Komugi still doesn't know the cruel truth about the Chimera Ants' invasion of the Republic of East Gorteau. She has always believed that Meruem was the supreme commander of the nation.
After regaining her sight, she even asked about the whereabouts of her "supreme commander and chess partner."
At first, everyone was puzzled as to why the supreme commander of East Gorteau would be interested in playing a game like Gungi.
However, as Komugi described him, some unsettling details quickly made everyone realize she was talking about Meruem.
Komugi, still unaware of the truth, was told a well-intentioned lie by the others.
They said the Republic of East Gorteau had undergone another coup. The "commander" and his subordinates were killed, with hundreds of thousands of people caught in the chaos and brutally massacred.
Komugi's family also perished in this sudden war.
The entire nation fell apart as a result.
They added that the minister who attempted to seize power, Bizeff, had been arrested and was under investigation for horrific war crimes.
When Komugi learned about the "commander's" death during the coup, she was heartbroken for a long time.
She seemed convinced that she would never again find a chess partner like him. Her health deteriorated as she grew thinner and weaker.
As for her family, she was sad, but her grief wasn't as deep as it was for the "commander."
This was because her family hadn't treated her well. She had always been lonely—until she met the "commander."
Cheadle suggested that Komugi should start doing something to help with her recovery, though there weren't many suitable jobs for her within the Hunter Association.
The truth was, aside from playing Gungi, Komugi had no other skills at all.
Later, it was Germain who proposed taking Komugi to Greed Island.
Cheadle thought Germain was acting out of pity, but in reality, Germain had a different idea:
He wanted Komugi to become an NPC in Greed Island.
Greed Island isn't just a large real-life battle game. It's a comprehensive experience, so having the No. 1 of Gungi join doesn't feel out of place.
Germain had already anticipated a scene where someone in the future would reach Komugi during a mission and rack their brains trying to figure out how to pass her challenge.
Because of this, Cheadle readily agreed, which is why Komugi was brought along.
With this, the team following Germain to Greed Island gained another member.
After Palm, Komugi, and the Chimera Ants boarded the airship, Cheadle, who was standing beside Germain, suddenly spoke.
"Do you think Chairman Netero did it on purpose?"
Germain turned to look at her.
The dog-woman adjusted her glasses, smiling as if she had seen through everything.
"The Chimera Ants couldn't openly attend the celebration banquet. Bringing them to the Hunter Association headquarters was completely unnecessary."
"But the Chairman still did it… He wanted the Chimera Ants to personally experience this constant sense of being outsiders."
"Even if they're heroes or part of the surrendered faction, they can never fully integrate into human society. They have to accept this reality and continue to live with it."
"If they want a better life and more freedom, they'll need status. And to gain status, they need achievements."
"To earn achievements, they must cooperate with professional Hunters."
"If they're going to follow a professional Hunter to earn achievements, why not choose one they already know, someone strong enough to protect them?"
"If Chairman Netero hadn't taken this step, the only ones willing to leave with you today would probably be Palm, Meleoron, and Komugi."
Cheadle let out a light hum.
She noticed that Morel and the others, after bidding farewell to the people on the airship, were walking in their direction, so she hurriedly ended the conversation.
"When I have time, I'll visit Greed Island."
"I know that island belongs to Ging's assets, but somehow it ended up in your hands. Now even Chairman Netero is involved."
"There must be something strange on that island."
At this moment, Morel, Knov, and others arrived. She smiled and stopped talking.
Germain glanced at her but didn't offer any explanation.
Morel, Knov, Knuckle, and Shoot had come to speak with Germain, saying they hoped he would take care of Palm, Meruem, Ikalgo, and others.
Germain naturally agreed.
In fact, Morel, Knov, and the others had also planned to go to the Greed Island, after all, it was quite famous in the professional hunter circle.
However, the Hunter Association needed to summarize and review the experience from the Chimera Ant Extermination Mission, so they had to stay behind to help.
After all, as long as the Chimera Ants aren't completely wiped out, such invasions will keep happening.
The experience from the Chimera Ant Extermination Team is invaluable, especially since no one knows if the next "Ant King" will be more terrifying than Meruem.
It's still unknown whether the evolution of the Chimera Ants really reached its limit with Meruem or not.
If the two core members of the Extermination Team, Germain and Netero, step down, then these tedious tasks will fall on Morel, Knov, and the others.
However, they all promised that after some time, once the experience review was completed and Shoot fully recovered, they would head to Greed Island to visit.
Afterward, Germain said goodbye to everyone and boarded the airship.
The airship slowly took off, and the figures of those seeing them off grew smaller in the window view, like ants, until they could no longer be seen.
On December 6th, a shuttle-like airship with "XX" and "H" markings approached the airspace of Greed Island.
The twin sisters, Eta and Elena, who had received the news in advance, relayed the message to the other administrators.
Soon after, it was confirmed that the airship carried Germain and others, so air traffic control was lifted.
The airship slowly descended into the wilderness near the Limeiro Castle.
Granny Linne, Shizuku, Dwun, List, Razor, Sanbica, Buhara, and Abengane were all waiting.
Half of the people on the airship were veterans from the Chimera Ant hunting operation, and Germain, being the de facto core figure of Greed Island, it was no surprise to see such a display.
When Palm stepped off the airship, she was surprised to find that, except for Shizuku, Razor, and Abengane, most of the faces welcoming them were familiar ones from the professional hunter community.
She had heard Granny Linne was rehired to Greed Island, and it was completely normal for Dwun and List to be here working as well.
But what were Sanbica and Buhara doing here?
One was a virus hunter, the other a gourmet hunter. What were they doing here?
Also, Buhara and Menchi were always a highly coordinated team, rarely seen apart—so why was Buhara here without Menchi?
Everything seemed so strange.
Abengane was also a professional hunter, but Palm hadn't interacted with him much, so she didn't immediately recognize him.
Palm realized that Greed Island was deeper and more complicated than she had imagined, but she didn't ask too many questions, deciding to quietly observe for a while.
The newly restored vision of Komugi looked at the unfamiliar faces, feeling the breeze of Greed Island, somewhat lost as she greeted her future.
From now on, is this where I'll make a living by playing Gungi?
Meruem, Ikalgo, Welfinn, and Hina, curious, were looking around the island and noticed that the scenery was even better than they had imagined.
Perhaps, life here in the future won't be so burdensome.
They all, to some extent, had hope and anticipation.
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