With a whirring sound, the projector displayed the footage onto the screen.
"Cough, cough…"
Before the image was fully revealed, Netero's coughing sound came from the speakers.
Then, Netero's face appeared on the screen.
"Hello, everyone~"
The Netero in the recording waved cheerfully.
His carefree demeanor made it seem like he was just asking if everyone had eaten breakfast.
Everyone in the meeting room had different expressions, and only Ginta had tears in his eyes.
"When you see this recording, I'll already be gone. The troublesome matters from now on will be left to you."
Netero stroked his beard habitually, his expression as calm as ever.
"Actually, there isn't much to say. The main things are the matter of the next Chairman's succession... and a small request that doesn't quite count as an order."
"Regarding the next Chairman, I recommend Moses Isaac. As for whether he is suitable for this position, it will be decided by the Zodiacs themselves, that is, by voting."
"Lastly, there's my small request. It's about my son, Beyond Netero. He's never been one to listen to warnings and is determined to explore the Dark Continent. I hope you can stop Beyond. If necessary... you may even kill him."
When Netero said the words, 'kill Beyond', there was no change in his expression or even tone, as if he were discussing something trivial.
From this perspective, the premise of this decision was that Netero had already positioned himself as someone who had been killed by Beyond.
"Of course, this is just a small request from me. You have the right to refuse. And since I'm no longer in this world, you really don't have to humor an annoying old man like me anymore."
"Remember… this is a small request, not an order."
"Important things must be said three times: Not an order, not an order, not an order!"
When mentioning this 'small request', Netero's expression and tone finally shifted.
He seemed to be speaking about the matter in a teasing manner.
Toward the end of the recording, Netero paused for a moment before suddenly flashing a peace sign at the camera with a mischievous grin.
This is the expression he often makes when being interviewed on camera.
"Take care, everyone."
With Netero's final words, the recording ended, and the screen instantly turned black.
Beside the screen, Beans's face was already covered with tears.
Ginta, who was sitting in his seat, had cried his eyes red.
Cluck, who was sitting next to him, made no effort to hide her disdain for Ginta's emotional display. But despite her usual tendency to curse, she held back this time.
The meeting room remained silent for a long while.
'How is this not an order?!'
'This is absolutely, undeniably an order!'
'And one we can't refuse, at that!'
The Zodiacs present all thought the same in their hearts.
In the end, it was Ging who broke the silence first and said seriously, "Regarding the next Chairman's selection, I have no objections to the former Chairman's recommendation."
"..."
Seeing Gingtake the lead in expressing his stance, Moses couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Moses's first reaction to Netero's recommendation was surprise, and his second reaction was refusal.
Although he had once joked about becoming Chairman and making all sorts of changes after becoming one, but actually taking the position...
No thank you.
"I have no objections either!"
Following Ging's lead, Pyon immediately chimed in, then glanced meaningfully at Kanzai.
Noticing Pyon's blatantly expectant gaze, Kanzai bared his teeth at her in irritation.
Though he was still annoyed by Pyon's earlier teasing, Kanzai didn't hesitate on the matter of voting.
After all, if he were asked to recommend someone, he would basically recommend Moses.
"I'm in favor."
Kanzai raised his right arm to express his opinion.
From the time Netero recommended Moses as the next Chairman in the video to the time Ging, Pyon, and Kanzai expressed their opinions, only two minutes had passed.
The other Zodiacs, who had not yet expressed their opinions, had different expressions when they saw this scene.
In their eyes, selecting the next Chairman was a matter of great significance.
But judging by the current momentum, it seemed like the decision was about to be made almost casually.
Cheadle stared at the darkened screen before making her decision. She raised her white-gloved right hand and made an inviting gesture.
"I also have no objections to the former Chairman's recommendation. Moreover, I believe Moses has the capability to serve as Chairman."
As soon as Cheadle finished speaking, Cluck clicked her tongue.
"You're quite popular, huh? Four votes in the blink of an eye. If you get two more votes, you can easily succeed the Chairman's position."
As she spoke, she glanced at Moses, who remained silent, then added with a smirk, "I don't want you getting too full of yourself, so I'm voting against."
Cluck cast a dissenting vote.
Clearly, she still hadn't let go of the grudge from that night when Moses had outmaneuvered her.
Moses ignored Cluck's pointed antagonism.
It is normal that Ging, Cheadle, Kanzai, and Pyon would vote for him, but it is hard to say about the other Zodiacs.
After all, that night, he had thoroughly humiliated them.
Therefore, if the rest of the Zodiacs all voted against him, Netero's recommendation would be overturned, and the selection would return to an open election where anyone could run.
'That might be for the best.'
Moses thought silently.
He felt it would be better for Cheadle to be the Chairman.
"I support Moses as the next Chairman."
At this moment, Botobai expressed his stance and surprisingly voted for Moses.
Moses looked at Botobai in surprise, but the latter didn't meet his gaze and slowly put down his hand.
His reason for voting for Moses is very simple. One is that Botobai is impressed by Moses's strength, and the other is that he had complete faith in Netero's judgment.
However, the most fundamental reason is that Moses's strength is comparable to Netero's in his prime.
Because in Botobai's eyes, the person who serves as the Chairman must possess absolute combat prowess.
And among everyone present, Moses is undoubtedly the strongest.
"I also vote in favor..."
Ginta sniffed and followed closely behind to cast the deciding vote.
His reasoning aligned with Botobai's. He also wholeheartedly trusted Netero's choice while also acknowledging Moses's strength.
There was no helping it…
The memories of that night's battle would stay with them for the rest of their lives.
"Six votes. Guess my input doesn't matter anymore."
Gel remained expressionless.
She had intended to vote in favor, but with one Zodiacs' member missing, only six affirmative votes were needed for Moses to pass the selection.
So her vote wouldn't have changed anything.
The same went for Saccho and the others.
And just like that-
Moses was pushed into the Chairman's position by everyone.
Even though he himself had no desire for it…