Mr. Beans continued announcing the next three selections.
Among the names revealed so far, Botobai was the least controversial.
Pariston, holding the position of acting vice president, was not contested by anyone.
The others were all outstanding hunters in their respective fields.
Even Piyon, who had been assigned the Rabbit zodiac, was a solid one-star hunter, rated 77 by Hisoka, only 8 points below Kang Zai.
She appeared delicate on the outside, but her strength was impressive—a cute girl with considerable ability.
Despite some minor controversies surrounding these appointments, the majority of people had no objections.
Until the next name was announced.
"Next, we have the Monkey of the Twelve Zodiacs."
Sensing the undercurrent of murmurs below, Mr. Beans cleared his throat.
"Twelve Zodiacs, Monkey—One-Star Bounty Hunter..."
He glanced at the name on the list, then raised his head and slowly uttered:
"Kastro."
"Ahhh!!!"
The moment the name was heard, the crowd grew quieter, though Biscuit was the first to cheer loudly.
She gave Kastro's shoulder, which was bathed in the spotlight, a hearty slap as a way to congratulate him.
On the other side, Sayo's expression darkened instantly.
A faint murderous gleam flickered in his eyes, but under Pariston's smiling and silent gaze, he suppressed his anger and held back from reacting.
Mr. Beans continued reading off the names.
"Twelve Zodiacs, Rooster—One-Star Botanist Hunter, Cluck."
"Twelve Zodiacs, Dog—Two-Star Specialist Hunter, Cheadle o Yorks."
"Plus, the Pig—Two-Star Relic Hunter, Ging Freeks."
With that, the list of the Twelve Zodiacs was officially announced.
Mr. Beans' work was done, and the stage was handed over to Pariston and President Netero.
"I know some of you may have objections to the individuals on this list," Netero said with a smile as he stepped forward.
"But some people just have that effect—they're loved by some and disliked for no reason by others."
"This list will be made public for three days, and if there are no issues, it will be submitted to the V5, after which the Twelve Zodiacs will jointly manage the Hunter Association."
Three days of public review?!
Sayo immediately caught on to this detail.
He glanced once more at Kastro, a cold smirk forming on his lips.
Although he didn't understand why Netero had chosen Kastro over him, he was determined to use his own hands to reclaim what he had lost!
Thus, with the final list of the Twelve Zodiacs revealed, the hunters who had learned the results were leaving, reflecting on the news.
Soon, only the newly appointed members of the Twelve Zodiacs remained, along with three others in the hall: Morin, Biscuit, and Sayo.
"Excuse me..."
Mr. Beans stepped forward politely.
"Next is the first meeting of the Twelve Zodiacs. Please, all unrelated personnel, kindly step aside."
"I'm his grandmaster, is it really necessary for me to leave?" Biscuit said, grabbing Kastro's arm, her big eyes blinking innocently as she tried to charm Mr. Beans.
Unfortunately, Biscuit, despite being a high-caliber cute girl among humans, had no impact on Mr. Beans, who was more akin to a beast-type.
"This..."
Mr. Beans glanced at Biscuit awkwardly.
He knew Biscuit, and that made it even harder to refuse her.
He then looked helplessly at Netero for support.
"Ah, it's not like it's a secret meeting or anything," Netero chuckled, extending a finger and wagging it slightly at Biscuit.
"Just this once!"
"Alright!"
Biscuit threw several flirtatious glances at Netero, but he completely ignored her.
Grandmaster...
The Zodiacs noticed the term Biscuit used, glancing back and forth between her and Kastro.
"So, the remaining two..." Pariston smiled and stepped forward, his gaze briefly lingering on Morin.
"Are you two also planning to leave?"
Here's the translation using the Hunter x Hunter references and template style:
"Morin? I brought him here."
Ging leaned comfortably against the sofa behind him, his posture relaxed and his tone lazy. "And it was all arranged by the old man Netero."
Huh?!
All eyes turned to Netero.
Many had already been curious about the presence of an unfamiliar face among them.
Kanzai and Cluck exchanged looks, their faces twitching slightly. Cheadle's gaze was filled with curiosity, while Botobai looked momentarily surprised, glancing at Ging for confirmation.
When Ging nodded, Botobai let out a long sigh of relief.
It turned out that Morin, like the rest of them, was here for the matters at hand.
"Yes, I invited him here."
Netero smiled as he admitted it. "In fact, one of the topics we need to discuss about the establishment of the Twelve Zodiacs involves him as well."
Huh?
The newly appointed Zodiacs glanced at Netero, then at Morin.
Finally—
All their eyes turned toward Sayu.
Sayu:
"…"
Wait a second!
"So, I'm the only one here who doesn't belong?!"
Black lines seemed to materialize on Sayu's forehead as he stood up, frustration written all over his face.
"Chairman, I have an issue with one of the appointments to the Zodiacs!"
Here we go!
The Zodiacs' attention shifted, almost instinctively, toward Kastro.
Sayu's dissatisfaction wasn't surprising. As a veteran bounty hunter, his qualifications were undeniable.
But to lose a spot in the Twelve Zodiacs to Kastro, someone who had only been a Hunter for a few years? That was a tough pill to swallow.
"What's the problem?"
Netero stroked his beard, his expression unchanged.
"It's about the appointment of—"
"Chairman Netero, I have a question too."
Sayu's words were suddenly interrupted.
Everyone turned to see Morin, standing beside Biscuit, smiling as he slowly rose to his feet.
"Although I'm not a Hunter, I believe I can raise an objection if I see something amiss, right?"
"Of course," Netero said, nodding lightly.
"Then I'll be direct."
Morin smiled and turned his gaze toward the somewhat stunned Kastro.
"Kastro…"
Seeing Morin look his way, Kastro immediately stood up straight.
Master?!
The Zodiacs were stunned, their eyes darting between Morin and Kastro.
This young, strikingly handsome man, who looked far too youthful, was the master of Kastro—the bounty hunter who had recently been making waves?
Though initially shocked, the Zodiacs were quick to recover, their curiosity about Morin growing with each passing moment.
They also recalled Netero's earlier remark—it was his invitation that brought Morin here.
And this man, named Morin, had arrived alongside Ging.
To warrant such treatment from Chairman Netero, to be acquainted with Ging, and to be the master of Kastro…
Just who was this man?!
Kanzai and Cluck were the first to snap out of their surprise.
They exchanged glances, reading a shared understanding in each other's eyes.
Kastro being Morin's disciple? That was something they could quickly accept.
Having witnessed Morin's unique abilities, they found this revelation unsurprising.
But then there was Biscuit—Kastro's master.
If this man was Kastro's master, then… did that mean he was Biscuit's disciple?!
The Zodiacs took another long look at Morin, piecing together the generational connections.
So, this was a master-disciple trio spanning three generations, all gathered here.
Once again, all eyes turned to Sayu.
Not only had an entire "lineage" shown up, but even the grandmaster of the lineage was a senior figure in the Hunter Association.
Against such odds…
It was clear Sayu didn't stand much of a chance.
Although the Zodiacs said nothing, their gazes conveyed everything.
Read advanced chapters at:
[email protected]/NenMaster