The crowd couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment. However, no one dared to truly blame The Elders.
Upon hearing the news, the crowd immediately began to take action.
The same speed with which the people had rushed toward The Elders' City now saw them retreating at an even faster pace.
Ron watched the scene before him and suddenly recalled a moment from another world—the world of *One Piece*.
It was when Pirate King Roger was about to be executed. He looked up and addressed the crowd.
"Do you want my treasure?"
"Go ahead, search for it!"
"If you want it, I'll give you everything!"
"I've left everything there!"
With his own power, he set off the era of the Grand Line.
Countless pirates fell into a frenzy.
At this moment, the people of Meteor City were also caught up in the same frenzy.
"It really does make the blood boil."
"But, I don't need it."
"I've already reached heights higher than them."
A figure approached Ron.
The young butler presented a cube.
"This is given to you by The Elders."
"This is one of the cores of the tokens," the young butler explained. "These tokens are products of Nen. One core corresponds to one hundred tokens."
"Your main purpose for coming to Meteor City, Lord Ron, was to scout for butler candidates, right?"
"The Elders' suggestion is that you can select from those who possess the tokens derived from this core."
"Those who stand out in this recruitment will certainly not be average."
He then accepted the cube, ensuring there were no issues with it.
The young butler continued.
"Those who obtain the tokens will be able to follow the token's guidance to find the core's location."
Ron glanced toward where The Elders were standing.
"The Elders have also had one sent to his location."
For the people of Meteor City, for those chasing after the tokens, this was a chance to change their fate.
But for Ron, for Zeno, for The Elders, and for people like them, this felt more like a game.
High above, looking down on everything.
Watching as people fought, scrambled, and clashed for the tokens.
This recruitment method, compared to the arena format, would cause more casualties.
But its advantage was efficiency.
It would quickly gather enough people, bringing them into The Elders' City.
Turning them into forces to resist external threats.
"Considering Meteor City's situation, The Elders' decision is actually understandable."
"KUTE caused so many casualties. The Elder of Meteor City were so angry because they viewed the population and lives as their own private wealth."
"The anger is not from the loss of lives, but from the theft of their private wealth by KUTE."
"The Elder of Meteor City doesn't care much about their people's personal health."
Ron focused his Nen into the cube in his hand.
Immediately, several images began to reflect back to him.
One hundred tokens, corresponding to one hundred images.
Spread out in different locations.
At this moment, no token has been found yet.
However, the locations of the tokens were not hidden.
Some were hung on branches by the side of the road.
Some were placed on high stone pillars.
Some were floating down the river.
Some had landed on the roof of a small wooden house.
Suddenly, a hand fell upon one of the tokens.
The moment the boy grasped the token, he froze, seeming not to understand what it was. But once it was in his hand, the token transmitted information and the boy's eyes suddenly brightened.
A flash of surprise appeared on the young boy's face.
"This is the chance to join The Elders' City! This is incredible!"
The boy cheered with excitement.
He was in the Garbage New District.
A horrible place, but just slightly better than the Garbage Old District.
The piles of trash here were a bit newer.
Occasionally, new trash would be delivered.
But for the large population in the Garbage New District, it was still far from enough.
As a result, survival here meant facing fierce competition.
There was one major difference between the Garbage New District and the Garbage Old District.
The people in the Garbage Old District were essentially like machines.
But the people here were human.
Machines have no greed; once they're full, they stop.
But people here had greed. Even when they have enough resources, they won't stop—they'll keep going, even hoarding the resources.
This leads to a problem.
The strong accumulate more and more resources.
The weak struggle to survive.
This creates a term—wealth disparity.
No such thing existed in the Garbage Old District.
The boy was weak, very weak.
Survival was difficult.
Thus, when he obtained the token, he was overjoyed.
It was a chance to join The Elders' City.
To the people of Meteor City, The Elders' City was like a paradise.
No one didn't want to join.
However, the boy made a huge mistake. He obtained the token by luck, but he didn't hide it properly. Instead, he let others see it.
An adult man looked at the boy.
Before he could ask a single question, the man punched the boy to the ground.
But even so, the boy still clutched the token tightly in his hand.
The man approached the boy, forcibly prying his hand open to reveal the token.
The moment the man held the token, his eyes lit up.
He then slapped the boy again.
"Little brat, thanks for the good luck you've given me."
Blood seeped from the boy's lips as he glared at the man fiercely.
"Still daring to glare at me?"
The man noticed the boy's glare and was about to strike again.
But more people were now looking in their direction.
They noticed the token in the man's hand.
A dozen or more people rushed toward them, and a scramble for the token began.
Figures fell one after another.
The token's owner changed hands repeatedly.
The number of deaths continued to rise.
The air was thick with the smell of blood.
And this was just a small corner of the vast Meteor City recruitment event.
There were many more brutal scenes than this.
Ron glanced toward the Elder's direction.
The Elder, along with his butler and subordinates, wore expressions of enjoyment. It was as if they were watching a performance.
Ron closed his eyes again.
The scene where the first token was located had become incredibly chaotic.