"Huh?!"
He lifted his head and looked at the young man standing beside him with interest.
The red-nosed captain: "..."
The red-nosed captain quickly went over the situation in his mind.
His crew, of course, he knew them all.
And every applicant aboard who had come to take the hunter exam, he remembered each of them clearly.
After all, if he couldn't even manage that, how could he possibly serve as the pre-examiner for the Hunter Exam?
Yet he was certain, this young man wasn't one of them.
"I'm a new applicant who just boarded."
Luke said with a smile.
"I just happen to be curious about things related to professional hunters."
A new applicant…
The red-nosed captain fell silent.
He didn't remember his passenger ship docking anywhere recently.
Who knew where this man had come from?
Still…
"What do you want to hear about?"
The red-nosed captain tapped the ash from his pipe while watching Luke warily.
"Nothing much, just some things about Ging Freecss."
Luke smiled lightly. "I'm quite curious about him."
"Ging Freecss..."
The red-nosed captain muttered the name. "So you've heard of him too?"
"I've not only heard of him, I have met him."
Luke smiled. "We ran into each other at the Daragas Forest Wildlife Park. He should still be researching the breeding plan for the Two-headed Wolf."
"Two-headed Wolf? Isn't he a Ruins Hunter? He's already branching into other fields now?"
The red-nosed captain chuckled.
"Well, that really does sound like something Ging would do."
Then he looked back at Luke. "Young man, what's your name?"
"My name's Luke and I'm an inventor."
He introduced himself simply. "And I'm currently working toward becoming a professional hunter."
"You're not a professional hunter yet, so you're planning on getting a hunter's license, right?"
The red-nosed captain smacked his lips, then suddenly asked: "I remember that the Daragas Forest Wildlife Park is off-limits to anyone except those with a hunter's license."
"Since you don't have a license, then..."
"Someone brought me in."
Luke said plainly. "That's also why I'm taking the hunter exam. Most of the restricted places in this world can only be entered with a hunter's license."
"Someone brought you in..."
The red-nosed captain gave Luke a deep look.
Anyone who could lead others into the wildlife park was undoubtedly a professional hunter. He hadn't even obtained his hunter's license, yet he'd already befriended so many professional hunters.
He even claimed to know Ging Freecss. Although the red-nosed captain was fundamentally skeptical of Luke's claims, Luke's natural and casual demeanor made him lean more towards the truth.
And…
"It seems there's no need to ask him about his purpose for taking the exam."
The red-nosed captain thought.
Well, Luke had already stated his purpose for taking the exam. He wanted to use the privileges of a hunter's license to enter the many forbidden areas around the world.
Simply put, he wanted the privileges that came with a hunter's license.
This didn't seem out of place to the red-nosed captain.
After all, when Ging Freecss boarded the boat for the hunter exam, his expressions were similar to those of the young man before him.
"I want to get a hunter's license and see the scenery of this world."
Different words, but the meaning expressed was almost identical.
But judging by the two men's states upon boarding the ship...
"One was high-spirited yearning for the future, while the other..."
The red-nosed captain looked at Luke seriously again: "He's simply taking the test as a formality, to get his hunter's license."
"Does he already have the strength to freely travel this world?"
"Well, if he didn't have such strength, he wouldn't be recognized by Ging, or wouldn't even know Ging..."
The red-nosed captain pondered to himself.
There's no denying Luke's strength.
Whether it was silently approaching him, catching him off guard as he approached, or simply standing right in front of him, the red-nosed captain felt this person was extremely dangerous.
"Either way, it showed that this young man was no pushover."
"He truly has the qualifications and ability to obtain a hunter's license."
As a pre-examiner for the hunter exam, the red-nosed captain naturally knew what these qualifications and abilities represented.
He couldn't help but chuckle softly: "This is getting interesting."
With a shark now in the pond, this year's hunter exam is sure to be extra lively.
"So, can you tell me a little about Ging Freecss?"
Luke asked the red-nosed captain while smiling.
"Hmm? Oh, Ging? By the way, why do you want to know so much about Ging?"
The red-nosed captain, having regained his composure, asked curiously.
"Of course, to learn about his deeds in his youth."
Luke said matter-of-factly: "And then to draw inspiration from them."
Learn from him? As in... set him as an example?
It seemed that Ging, after making such a name for himself out there, had also become a model for others, someone so many people wanted to learn from and emulate.
The red-nosed captain was just about to nod approvingly, but then he heard what Luke said next: "And after compiling all of those things together..."
Luke's lips curled into a mischievous grin.
"I will have a complete record of Ging Freecss's dark history."
"So the next time we meet, I'll be able to tease him about it properly."
The red-nosed captain: "...?"
He fell silent again.
He wasn't thinking of anything in particular, just suddenly wondering whether he'd been staying on this passenger ship for too long.
Had the times changed so much that he could no longer keep up with modern thinking?
Was this... How are things done now?
"If there's a lot to tell about Ging Freecss, or if you don't know where to begin, captain..."
Luke, noticing his hesitation, didn't hold back.
Instead, he reached behind him and pulled out... A bag of peanuts.
"How about we sit down and talk over a drink?"
"After all, you've got stories, and I've got the booze..."
The red-nosed captain: "..."
"It's forbidden to drink while on duty."
He coughed twice and spoke sternly: "Especially when we're at sea."
"As captain, I'm responsible for the sailors and the applicants aboard this ship."
The red-nosed captain's tone was full of righteous conviction and ironclad principle.
Anyone listening might've thought he was a strictly disciplined man.
But in truth…
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