On February 5th, Germain and his group bid farewell to the Zoldyck family members and left Kukuroo Mountain.
At the "Testing Gate," Gotoh, Canary, Zebro, and Seaquant watched them disappear into the distance.
Their premonition had come true.
Germain's arrival had indeed allowed Young Master Killua to break free from Madam Kikyo and Master Illumi's extreme control, granting him a certain degree of freedom.
As for Killua's departure, their emotions were a mix of joy and sorrow.
Because they knew it would be a long time before they saw him again.
Half an hour later, at the bustling airport, Leorio decided to part ways with the group.
"I'm really interested in that 'Nen' ability you guys always talk about, but right now, getting into medical school is still my top priority."
With his unusually mature-looking face, Leorio swung his Hunter License in his hand, looking quite pleased with himself.
"With this, I can get most of my tuition fees waived. That means I'm one step closer to achieving my dream. Alright then, everyone, see you around!"
Kurapika, Killua, and Gon all showed a hint of sadness as they bid farewell to Leorio.
Germain, however, wasn't surprised. He reached into the black robes of his Hunter uniform, rummaged for a moment, and pulled out a letter, handing it to Leorio.
"Leorio, take this."
"Huh? What's this...?"
Leorio took the letter, scratching the back of his head in confusion before looking up at Germain.
"It's a letter of recommendation. I know Dr. Lee from Fānlīn Medical College. If you ever need help, you can go to her."
"Dr. Lee from Fānlīn Medical College... Dr. Lee from Fānlīn Medical College?! Wait, what?!"
Leorio froze for a moment, then, as expected, let out a loud yell in shock, drawing the attention of everyone around them.
He ignored everything else and pointed at his left eye, eyes widening in shock.
"Are you talking about that famous female surgeon with the signature scar over her left eye?"
Germain recalled the doctor's appearance and nodded.
"Yes, that's her."
"You actually know that legendary doctor! This… this letter of recommendation—does it really mean I can meet her?"
"You can. If everything goes smoothly, you won't just learn medicine from her—you'll also get to learn Nen. It's a win-win."
Germain knew Dr. Lee from the Chimera Ant Extermination mission in the Republic of East Gorteau.
Dr. Lee was the head of the elite surgical team personally summoned by Chairman Netero to try and save the Queen.
Unfortunately, the Queen's injuries were too severe. Even Dr. Lee couldn't do anything. In the end, she could only watch as the Queen spoke her last words and passed away.
After that, Dr. Lee remained with the medical team supporting the Chimera Ant extermination force.
During the final battle, Shoot suffered life-threatening injuries. It was Dr. Lee who performed the surgery and saved him.
When the battle was over, Chairman Netero introduced Germain to everyone, including Dr. Lee, recognizing him as one of the key contributors to the mission's success.
That's how the two met. During the Hunter Association's victory celebrations, their friendship deepened, and they exchanged contact information.
In a way, many of Chairman Netero's connections were gradually becoming Germain's as well, thanks to the Chairman's introductions.
Germain had already called Dr. Lee in advance, telling her about Leorio and hoping she could teach him both medicine and Nen.
Dr. Lee gladly agreed.
Taking on a student who had just obtained a Hunter License and had a passion for medicine was something she welcomed.
After all, most new Hunters preferred to chase quick money as bounty hunters. Medical Hunters were rare.
Since Leorio was recommended by Germain, Dr. Lee not only wanted to give Germain some face but also believed that Germain wouldn't send her an ordinary student with no talent.
If Leorio didn't have something special about him, Germain wouldn't have personally spoken up. That was Dr. Lee's judgment.
Germain handed over the pre-written letter of recommendation, remaining calm throughout the entire process. For him, this was no big deal.
But for Leorio, this was a huge deal.
As someone wholeheartedly pursuing a medical career, there was no way Leorio hadn't heard of Dr. Lee from Fānlīn Medical College—one of the top surgeons.
He never expected Germain to know such an influential figure, let alone that he would be able to visit this person with Germain's recommendation letter in hand!
Leorio was so thrilled that he completely overlooked the second half of Germain's words—"You can also learn Nen."
He clutched the letter tightly, as if he had just received something even more valuable than a Hunter License, unwilling to let it go.
"Mr. Germain, can I really accept such a precious letter? I mean… I have nothing to repay you with…"
"It's nothing. You're Kurapika, Killua, and Gon's friend. No matter how you look at it, this is just a small favor I should do."
A small favor…
To Mr. Germain, this was just a small favor?
Hearing this, Leorio turned his head and saw Kurapika, Germain's student; Killua, his ward; and Gon, his friend's son—all looking at him.
Ah… I really envy these guys. Having someone like Mr. Germain as a powerful backing… Compared to them, I'm just an ordinary guy.
"…Then, I'll accept it. Mr. Germain, please rest assured. I won't let you down—I'll make full use of this recommendation letter."
"I'll be looking forward to seeing you again as an outstanding doctor."
"I'll take those words as a blessing."
Leorio boarded the airship heading to the city where Fānlīn Medical College was located. Kurapika, Killua, and Gon waved goodbye to him.
Ten minutes later, they were still at the airport.
Shizuku licked a lollipop she had bought from the supermarket while looking up at the electronic screen as place names scrolled by.
Killua and Gon followed her lead and also bought lollipops. Now, all three of them were licking their lollipops—it looked like an older kid taking two younger kids out.
In reality, Shizuku was still quite young herself, probably around nineteen or twenty, right in the prime of her youth.
She blinked her big eyes and turned to look at Germain.
"Germain, where are we going now? Are we heading straight back to Greed Island?"
Germain shook his head.
"Not yet. First, we need to find a good training spot for Kurapika, Killua, and Gon. And while we're at it, we need to get a teacher for Killua and Gon."
Just two days ago, Germain had agreed to become Killua's 'guardian' at the Zoldyck estate. Now, he was already eager to outsource that responsibility.
But to be fair, he didn't have months of time or patience to personally guide Killua and Gon through the basics of Nen—Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu.
His promise was to ensure their safety and growth, not to stay by their side at all times. Instead, he planned to entrust them to different reliable people at different stages of their training.
Besides, constantly having him around wouldn't necessarily be good for their development.
Too many problems could simply be solved by dropping his name.
"We're going to Heaven's Arena."
Everyone reacted differently to this.
Shizuku shrugged indifferently.
Kurapika, recalling the information he had read before, quickly understood why their teacher wanted to take them there.
Killua was a little surprised.
Heaven's Arena—he was quite familiar with it. A few years ago, he had already reached the 200th floor before losing interest and stopping his climb.
Didn't expect that Germain would take them there to "find a teacher" for them.
Killua felt that fighting in the "Heavens Arena" was easy for him now. At the very least, there wouldn't be any real opponents below the 200th floor.
What kind of teacher could they find there? Hopefully, the standard wouldn't be too low.
Gon was the only one who had no idea what "Heavens Arena" was like. He looked around curiously and started asking questions.
So, while Germain and Shizuku went to buy plane tickets, Kurapika and Killua gave Gon a crash course on everything related to "Heavens Arena."
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