Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 229 (Patreon)

Chapter 229: Convergence

Chairman Netero was late, arriving an hour and a half tardy.

He entered the room holding a cup of cold drink, sipping through a straw as he walked towards the main seat.

"You all arrived quite early."

Netero glanced at Ging, who was dozing off on the floor, then calmly walked to a chair and sat down.

"Arrived quite early?"

The look in everyone's eyes as they stared at Chairman Netero was filled with resentment.

"What?" Netero feigned ignorance, puzzled.

"It's not that we came early, but that you were almost two hours late," Ginta said weakly.

Netero's eyes widened in surprise, then he glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "Bean told me the meeting was scheduled for twelve, and it's only eleven forty now, right?"

"Chairman!?" Bean was flabbergasted, the blame was unjustly thrown at him.

"Slurp."

Netero, pretending not to see Bean's expression, finished his drink and said seriously, "Well, since everyone is here, let's start the meeting."

Without giving others a chance to complain, Netero deflected the blame onto Bean and then casually turned the page.

Bean and the members of the Zodiac sighed lightly, as they were somewhat used to such occurrences.

"This audit process..."

Netero stroked his beard, then suddenly clapped his hands, having thought of something.

"Ging." He called out Ging's name.

Hearing Netero's call, Ging groggily opened his eyes and said, "Oh, is it time already?"

"Yes, the audit needs to start immediately," Netero stated.

"Okay." Ging rubbed his eyes, then placed his hands on his knees and looked up at the people in front of the conference table.

"You only need to answer one question," Netero said.

"What question?" Ging replied.

Here we go again...

The members of the Zodiac felt helpless, as the audit turned out to be just one question; why even gather them.

"What motivates you to be a member of the Zodiac?" Netero asked.

Ging didn't think before answering directly, "Abusing private power."

Such a response, given without hesitation, shocked the members of the Zodiac at the conference table.

"I see." Netero nodded, enlightened, then said, "Well, from now on, you are the Pig of the Zodiac."

A response filled with potential criticism that could be drowned in spit, and yet it was enough to pass?

The Zodiac members were momentarily at a loss for words, and Bean felt very despondent.

"Should we issue some sort of badge representing membership?" Ging stood up and asked.

"The Zodiac doesn't have such things," Netero looked at him.

Ging scratched his head and said, "So, we're done here?"

Netero nodded.

"Then can I go now?" Ging continued.

Netero smiled warmly, "Unless you want to stay and play a game of volleyball with me."

"I'm quite busy, see you."

Ging turned and walked briskly, waving his hand as he opened the office door and left.

Thus, Ging became a member of the Zodiac.

"Chairman, is this really okay?" Bean meekly voiced a familiar sentiment.

"Yes!" Netero, as if suddenly realizing, patted his head and looked around at the people present, apologetically saying, "I forgot to let you all pose a question."

"That's not even the point!" everyone said in unison.

The meeting to audit the new member ended, and the members of the Zodiac each went their separate ways, while Geru was asked to stay by Netero.

Being singled out to stay, Geru felt strange, but Netero just asked her a few questions.

After a while, Geru left the conference room, her brow slightly furrowed, all the questions were related to Luo, and she answered them all without any concealment.

Walking down the corridor, turning left at the corner, she saw Pariston Hill with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall waiting for her.

Seeing Pariston, Geru's furrowed brow relaxed, and she asked expressionlessly, "Something the matter?"

"Just curious," Pariston smiled.

"Oh, then keep being curious."

Geru, without any desire to inquire further, briskly walked past Pariston.

Watching her leave so abruptly, Pariston's expression remained unchanged as he watched her go.

March 12th, clear weather, a long queue formed outside Heavens Arena, easily numbering two to three thousand participants registering today.

Heavens Arena, standing for many years, serves over four thousand contestants daily, so the process of receiving and registering participants is extremely efficient.

Despite the swift registration, the number of people lined up outside didn't seem to decrease in the short term.

Luo completed the final stage

 of his training and came to Heavens Arena with Biscuit.

"This is Heavens Arena."

Luo looked up at the towering structure of Heavens Arena, a completely different experience from what he saw in the anime.

"I haven't been here in a long time, not much has changed," Biscuit remarked as she looked around.

The city hosting Heavens Arena is thriving because the live broadcasts of the matches bring substantial profits, boosting the entire city's economy.

Not to mention the viewership of live broadcasts, but more than a billion viewers annually purchase tickets to watch the matches in the arena, indicating significant revenue from ticket sales.

With such a high volume of people, industries related to food, clothing, shelter, and transportation around the area also thrive, especially eateries. Centered around Heavens Arena, these establishments radiate outward.

Furthermore, every biennial Martial Arts Olympics, which only floor masters can participate in, marks a peak in viewership over the two years.

This spectacular event occurs because the Martial Arts Olympics feature only the highest quality of ultimate fights.

Moreover, the victor among the floor masters earns the right to own the topmost level of Heavens Arena for two years, a supreme honor for those active in the arena.

Luo gazed up at Heavens Arena, silent for a long while.

Soon, he would face Antomu again. With his current strength, if he were to use his toxin, he was confident he could defeat Antomu.

However, the rules of combat in Heavens Arena allow any weapon but forbid poison, possibly to ensure the quality of the matches, as each high-profile fight draws countless viewers, and poison could detract from the spectacle.

Luo looked at Sanbica and asked with a smile, "Want to register together?"

"No," Sanbica decisively refused.

"Alright," Luo shrugged.

Biscuit then asked, "The person you're waiting for hasn't arrived yet?"

"He should be here soon," Luo replied.

Just as he finished speaking, a familiar voice called out.

"Boss!"

Luo looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a figure even larger than a bear running towards them.

"Sanbica, that's Buhara, right?" Luo's lips twitched.

"It's him, no doubt." Sanbica's reaction was no better than Luo's, how had Buhara grown so much in just over a year?

"He's always complained to me about how hard training is, but... why is he even fatter!"

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