The Chief gazed at the galaxy at the bottom of the basin, his thoughts unconsciously sinking into memories from long ago. It felt as vivid as goosebumps on the skin… something he could see just by lowering his head.
Outsiders aren't afraid of death… this was an evaluation he would never change in his lifetime.
'Those inside the city want to get out, while those outside want to get in.' This saying perfectly contrasted the humans of the Dark Continent with those of the Six Continents.
His tribe struggled to survive here. In the more distant past, humans had dreamed of crossing the vast oceans to reach that mythical holy land. But there was only one [Noah's Ark], and only so many could go.
Whether it was folklore or myth didn't matter anymore. Though it had been many years since he last encountered outsiders, now he had met them again. It meant that humans in the [safe zone] still hadn't given up on returning to these dangerous lands.
That was why they weren't afraid of death.
The little bug of memory was stirred, then it spread. Perhaps it was because he had lived too long.
The Chief sighed softly and shifted his gaze, instinctively landing on the stone box.
Back then, that person had given him this [Hope], and he hadn't used it all, leaving behind more than half.
He thought such a precious thing should be kept a little. He didn't consider whether Hope would wither or lose its effect if it did.
He hadn't thought that far ahead.
His spreading thoughts were interrupted by a question.
"What is this for?"
Law's eyes were fixed on the dazzling galaxy. He had touched the Restarite, but the White Smoke Font only provided a name. It seemed even this universal identification system had to admit defeat when faced with the Dark Continent.
The Chief's beard twitched at the corners of his mouth as he smiled. "The Restarite can multiply water, but it takes some time."
The lone traveler from before had offered him a special kind of water. At the time, he hadn't thought to save a little as a seed.
But people rarely stumble twice in the same place, so this time he took only one sip and stopped, hoping the Restarite would multiply the special water.
'What he called 'water' should actually be interpreted as liquid, since it was wine, not water.'
Hearing the function of the Restarite, Law's eyes flickered. He immediately thought of the Trinity Elixir, one of the Five Known Hopes.
Humans from the Six Continents had ventured into the Dark Continent multiple times, each time retreating in defeat before bizarre Calamities.
Humans knew of five [Calamities] and five corresponding [Hopes].
Calamities and Hopes go hand in hand… where there was Calamity, there was Hopes.
It was by paying the price of countless lives to gather information on hope that humans always maintained their covetous gaze on the dangerous Dark Continent.
The known hopes are the Unmanned Rock, which generates electricity when placed in water, Herb for All-illnesses, which cure all kinds of diseases, Nitro Rice, which is a longevity food, the Trinity Elixir, which could become the base liquid for all liquids, and the Metallion, which is an alchemical plant with an unknown function.
Each Hope had the potential to greatly improve humanity's current situation. But despite multiple expeditions to the Dark Continent, humans had never successfully brought back a single Hope.
Trinity Elixir could serve as the base liquid for all liquids, such as petroleum, which is known as the blood of industry.
If humans obtained Trinity Elixir, they might no longer worry about petroleum extraction.
Compared to Trinity Elixir, according to the Chief, the Restarite could multiply 'water'.
Superficially, that sounded even more impressive than Trinity Elixir. But Trinity Elixir applied to all liquids, while the Restarite might not.
After all, the biggest difference between the two lies in multiplication and blending.
"I have many questions."
Law shifted his gaze from the starlight at the bottom of the basin to the Chief.
The Chief, however, glanced around at the eagerly watching tribesmen and said, "But first, you must fill the stomachs of these rascals."
Hearing this, Law looked around and rubbed his forehead a few times. Those hopeful eyes were truly unavoidable.
So, Law set aside his questions for the moment and focused on preparing stone-grilled meat.
Even though the underground caves, buried hundreds of meters deep, never saw daylight, human circadian rhythms were fixed, so there was still a distinction between day and night.
Night fell.
The meat feast dispersed, and all the Slu Tribesmen returned to their small nests, satisfied.
Law also returned to the dwelling assigned to him. Besides Biscuit and Tonpa, the Chief was also there.
There was no hot tea, only monkey wine.
The Restarite needed time to multiply the wine, so this gourd was still provided by Law. The Chief drank the wine in small, delicate sips, like a woman, afraid that if he took too large a gulp, he would finish the cup too quickly.
"You've encountered outsiders before?" Law stated his first question.
Since the Slu Tribe referred to them as outsiders, Law adopted this identity in his inquiry.
The Chief sat on the ground, raised his eyebrows, and looked at Law, "Twice. The first time was four hundred years ago… a team of less than a hundred people. I gave them some help back then. The second time was over a hundred and fifty years ago, a lone traveler. He taught me many things."
"Four hundred years ago?" Law raised an eyebrow, keenly catching this point.
"Our tribe's maximum lifespan is around a hundred and fifty years." The Chief knew Law was surprised by his age and explained, "But after consuming the Chasefire Stone, the maximum lifespan can reach three hundred, even four hundred years."
'Restarite and Chasefire Stone.'
'These should also be categorized as Hopes, though their effectiveness varies in upper limits.'
Law couldn't hide his astonishment, 'The so-called Chasefire Stone actually had effects similar to the longevity food, Nitro Rice.'
In reality, the Chasefire Stone didn't increase lifespan directly. It was because the Slu tribe possessed [Heart Fire] that consuming the Chasefire Stone produced effects akin to Nitro Rice.
As one of the Hopes, the Chasefire Stone originated near the earth's core.
Naturally, there were also inexplicable and bizarre Calamities there, like elemental beings of various forms living in magma, posing an absolute threat to any creature in the underground world.
The Slu Tribe's heat resistance was exaggerated, as they could even emit high temperatures with their bodies. This wasn't related to Nen but was likely subconsciously influenced by the elemental beings calamities, giving rise to this innate ability.
A similar case was the Zoldyck Family's Nanika, which was actually a Calamity from the Dark Continent.
It was only because Zigg Zoldyck went to the Dark Continent with Netero that this Calamity, through some means, parasitized Alluka in a personified form.
Why did humans, after multiple failures, dare not venture into the Dark Continent?
Because the Calamities of the Dark Continent were like burdock burs that unknowingly cling to your pants… no one knew how they might hitch a ride back to the Six Continents.
The Chief couldn't tell what Law was thinking. His eyelids drooped, revealing a narrow slit, and his tone grew heavier, "I was lucky. When I came of age, I swallowed the last remaining Chasefire Stone in the tribe, so I've lived until now."
"However, my lifespan should have ended over a hundred years ago. The reason I can still breathe now is because of this."
As he spoke, the Chief's face showed the loneliness etched by the relentless passage of time. He pulled out the long stone box from his heavy clothing.
"This was given to me by the lone traveler I met a hundred and fifty years ago." At this point, the Chief slightly raised his narrowed eyes, thinking for a brief second, "His name was Don."
The amount of information revealed in these few sentences was immense, leaving Law momentarily stunned.