The passengers on the lower decks of the B·W were completely unaware of the Succession War happening on the upper decks, and they certainly didn't know that, since the voyage began, six Kakin Princes had already died.
Even if they knew, they had no time to bother with it.
Because, recently, frequent murders had been occurring on 4th and 5th Floors.
The specific reasons weren't disclosed to the passengers, and the military responsible for security had cut off access between the decks.
Compared to the 200,000 passengers on the B·W, the number of military personnel responsible for security was pitifully low, leading to immense staffing pressure.
To put it simply, they couldn't maintain normal security operations.
Therefore, to reduce the risk of panic-induced chaos among the passengers, the military implemented a [No Travel] plan and, from their limited manpower, pulled out a unit to search for the killer(s).
4th Floor, Public Cafeteria.
The frequent murders hadn't affected food supplies. At every mealtime, each passenger could receive a set meal.
Machi, Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Salin sat at the same table.
"The atmosphere is clearly different," Nobunaga said, scooping a spoonful of mashed potato into his mouth, his droopy-lidded eyes scanning the surrounding passengers.
"Who cares." Uvogin replied without a care, then complained, "It's the same tiny amount of food every day. Can't get full at all."
Nobunaga glanced at him and shook his head helplessly.
"It really doesn't concern us," Machi chimed in unusually, siding with Uvogin because what he said wasn't wrong.
They had boarded the ship only to reach their destination. As long as it didn't affect the B·W's voyage, anything that happened mid-journey had nothing to do with them.
Salin slowly stirred the vegetable and fruit soup in her bowl with a spoon, calmly stating, "It's said there's more than one killer, and there are no common characteristics among the victims regarding age, nationality, gender, attire, etc."
"In other words, the killer(s) likely choose targets randomly, like patients with a 'murder illness', killing based on some kind of 'need'. So even if we don't interfere, we must remain vigilant at all times."
Hearing Salin's words, Nobunaga and Machi nodded slightly. They didn't want to get involved in meaningless troubles, but they also didn't want to become targets of the killer(s).
As for Uvogin, he simply didn't care about these things. Or rather, he hoped the killer(s) would come after him.
In a corner of the public cafeteria, Ging leisurely ate today's allocated lunch. From his vantage point, he could see Machi's table.
He had been monitoring them for about a month, and Machi and the others hadn't detected Ging's presence at all.
It wasn't that their vigilance was weak, but rather Ging's ability to hide was too strong.
'Access between decks has been closed. Although you can get a pass to qualify for access to 2nd or 3rd Floors, once you go up, you can't come back down to the lower decks.'
Ging pinched his chin, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
The first murder occurred half a month ago, and the first victim was found in a sealed toilet.
From that murder until today, a total of 131 people had died.
Ging, out of boredom, had specifically investigated a bit and concluded the killer(s) were likely Nen Users, but he didn't investigate further.
His thoughts were actually quite similar to Machi's group's… he didn't want to get involved in this brewing storm.
"Ging, here you are." A gentle female voice sounded in front of him.
Ging looked up. A woman wearing a Mickey Mouse ear headband was smiling at him.
"Sheila."
Ging smiled and called the woman's name.
"May I sit here?" Sheila glanced at the seat opposite Ging.
"Of course."
"Then pardon me."
Sheila placed her tray on the table and slowly sat down.
She discreetly glanced in the direction of Machi and the others, then looked at Ging. "You've been working hard lately."
Ging caught her discreet glance. His eyebrows rose slightly as he casually replied, "You noticed, huh."
"Not that I noticed, but you didn't try to hide it," Sheila said seriously.
"Hmm, you wouldn't sell me out, would you?" Ging joked.
"I have no motive to do so," Sheila laughed, picking up a piece of bread. She turned her head to look towards Machi's group. "I'm just curious about their identities."
"When you see Law, you'll know."
…
Imaginary Continent, Dewdrop Forest on the Northern Coastline.
The forest's name was given by Buhara because every morning, the forest was always shrouded in white mist for about an hour.
When the mist dissipated, you could find many dewdrops on various leaves and branches.
He discovered these dewdrops were even sweeter than clear spring water. Using them to make soup or tea could enhance the flavor profile.
Over a full week, Buhara and Shiro found quite a few good things in Dewdrop Forest.
Although they weren't Beast Hunters, they still recorded the new species discovered in the forest.
A week of exploration also allowed them to finally confirm that there were no dangerous species in the forest. Moreover, resources were abundant, easily capable of sustaining a town's population.
And environments like this were common all over the Imaginary Continent.
"Unimaginable hidden wealth."
This was the conclusion Knov silently reached after a week of exploration.
'With a continent so rich in natural resources, it would at least allow humanity to continue 'consuming' for another thousand years, right?'
'It was easy to imagine that once V6 established a foothold on the Imaginary Continent, they would definitely try to transfer as many citizens and military forces from the Six Continents as possible and seize every advantageous resource point.'
"Whew."
On the eighth day in Dewdrop Forest, Law concluded a training session, letting out a long breath. His face showed slight fatigue.
During this period, he had thoroughly squeezed every bit of time. But judging by the current trend, even with Cookie's ability and his desperate training, it would still take over a year to fully open his Aura Nodes.
'About a year and two months. Too long.'
'There are no traces of people here, and likely no places like ruins.'
'I heard Kakin brought many treasures on board...'
Law's thoughts slowly turned, considering if there were methods to speed up the unsealing process.
At that moment, Cookie handed him a cup of light tea brewed with collected dew.
"Thank you."
Law smiled and took the teacup, thinking that Dewdrop Forest had been pretty much explored by Shiro and the others. It was probably time to move.
That afternoon, the team packed up camp and headed inland.
Having confirmed the forest's low danger level, the team's travel speed was quite fast. By evening, they had exited the forest, reaching its edge.
What greeted their eyes were mountains, their rocky cliffs covered with hardy pines, like countless giant potted bonsai magnified countless times. White eagles circled among the mountain peaks.
At the forest's edge, there were patches of low shrubs.
Suddenly, a shrub rustled slightly. A green, round bead emerged from the grass, connected below by a bluish-green stem leading into the soil.
A fine crack silently appeared in the middle of the green bead, then slowly opened, revealing a large expanse of sclera and a single gray pupil.
This was... a scout.
The bead's eye stared quietly at the backs of Law and his group. After only a few seconds, it vanished into a wisp of white smoke.
Within the team, Nique suddenly turned around, looking at the spot where the scout disappeared.
"What's wrong?"
Nique's intense reaction drew Law's attention.