Despite many feelings of reluctance, they had to part ways here.
Of course, the only one feeling reluctant was Kuro.
No one knew how long it would be before Coo returned, or whether she would bring good news.
Even Law, who had advocated for the alliance, was not confident about this matter.
If they could form an alliance with the Gatekeeper Clan, it would be great for everyone.
If not, it didn't matter either. There were many obstacles ahead... one more clan wouldn't make a difference.
The entire team walked slowly through the Forest of Medusa, where specks of light drifted about.
With the threat of the Mender and the silver-haired woman gone, the surrounding petrified spores that required Nen to resist were no longer a concern.
Along the way, the team even had time to appreciate the spectacular scenery of the drifting light specks.
It was indeed a rare and beautiful sight. Take Bruna, the 'war correspondent'… whenever she had a chance, she was running around taking pictures with her camera.
The team advanced without stopping, walking from day to night.
With the petrified spores emitting light, the Forest of Medusa remained as bright as day even at night.
After walking for most of the day, they found a place to rest temporarily, taking out canned food and bottled water to eat.
Due to the interference of the petrified spores, the forest wasn't suitable for cooking. And since they couldn't return to the Hide-and-Seek Dimension, portable food was the most appropriate means of sustenance.
With Kuro as a mobile space, the quantity was no problem at all. Even staying in the forest for a year or so would be a minor matter.
Law sat at the base of a tribulus tree. Liquid-like white light flowed from the tree's base, forming a self-contained cycle, with many petrified spores visible moving within it.
If you didn't look closely, it was hard to distinguish whether the petrified spores originated from the tribulus tree's base or floated up from the luminous ground.
Law manipulated his Nen to wrap around the opened can, like a layer of plastic wrap, resisting the erosion of the petrified spores. He then brought the meat from the can to his mouth, chewing slowly.
Machi, Uvogin, Knov, Buhara, and others sat next to Law, while the rest sat cross-legged nearby.
At that moment, empty cans were piled high at the feet of Uvogin and Buhara. Kuro, like a vending machine, stiff-faced, continuously supplied new cans to the two big eaters.
Not far away, Sheila held a book in her left hand, twirling a pen in her right, her brow slightly furrowed.
Her Nen Beast, Ai-chan, stood behind her, acting as a backrest.
Sarin was beside her, pointing to a place in the book, seemingly correcting Sheila's mistakes.
On a farther flat area, Ging was teasing Chucu, using her distinctive bamboo-branch wings to force them into various shapes.
Tonpa, Shiro, and Nique were commenting from the sidelines, occasionally offering suggestions, even looking like they wanted to roll up their sleeves and try themselves. Of course, given Chucu's strength, they didn't have the confidence that Ging had.
Stargie quietly watched her teammates, materialized her harp, gently strummed the strings, producing a gentle, flowing melody like water over smooth stones.
Biscuit held a cup of heated mineral water, came to Stargie, and handed her the water.
Perhaps due to her lower body temperature, Stargie preferred to drink hot things.
On a tree trunk, Bruna used her tentacles to secure herself, then put away her camera, switched to pen and paper, and began drawing this scene.
Just as Law finished his second can, he saw Chucu flying over.
"Why are they treating me like this!"
Chucu looked aggrieved. She had chosen to stay, not to be a plaything.
Law looked up, his gaze passing over the aggrieved Chucu to Ging, who had followed her, and suggested, "Why don't you just casually 'weaponize' to get by?"
Weaponization referred to becoming a weapon, Chucu's true form.
"I've said it many times! I can't be casual, and I won't be casual!"
Chucu seemed provoked, her spherical body even puffing up like a pufferfish.
For a weapon of her type, she really couldn't be casual. Every casual instance was a 'fusion'. It was like a pure young maiden... in the end, she would only recognize one target for 'fusion'.
Law smiled. He was just making a casual joke.
Suddenly, on a whim, he asked, "By the way, I almost forgot to ask you. Are there any good things in this forest?"
Since they had come all the way to the Forest of Medusa, it would be a shame to leave without taking anything.
It was the same principle as bringing back some local specialty when traveling.
"No."
Chucu replied, but her crimson eyes shifted to the edge of their sockets, not daring to look directly at Law.
Law and even the others silently watched Chucu's reaction.
Her concealment skills were truly terrible.
"Really not?"
Law smiled at Chucu.
"No!"
Chucu's eyes shifted from the side of their sockets to the top.
"Why didn't I think of this before? There must be a reason the Mender settled here."
Law suddenly changed the subject, rubbing his chin, his eyes bright and piercing.
"Possibly."
Ging's eyes lit up. Once he made the connection, he thought it was very likely.
"What kind of treasure could it be?"
Machi glanced at Chucu, who was half-confused and half-dazed, and chimed in with a smile.
Seeing this, Knov also added nonchalantly, "Maybe we can find a treasured sword."
"Wh-What are you talking about?"
Chucu's tone was slightly nervous and somewhat confused.
'I had clearly lied to them, saying there were no good things here. Did I not make it clear, causing them to misunderstand?'
This weapon, who had slept for many years, had no idea how poor her lying skills were.
"Of course, the good things hidden in this forest. So, lead the way."
Law looked at Chucu with an amused expression.
"Huh? There are no good things here."
Chucu still put up a futile resistance.
"Yes, yes, we understand. So lead the way."
Law's expression was serious.
"???"
Chucu was bewildered.
…
Half an hour later, the team set off again.
Hearing that there were good things hidden in the Forest of Medusa, everyone was quite surprised.
Chucu led the way at the front of the team, looking utterly resigned to her fate.
Under her guidance, the straight route began to veer left.
They had originally planned to leave the Forest of Medusa directly. Thanks to the sudden whim, they thought of this... otherwise, they might have missed out on something good.
According to Chucu's honest confession, at the center of the Forest of Medusa, there was a tribulus tree that had been cut in half. The diameter of the remaining trunk was more than ten times that of a regular tribulus tree.
At the base of that trunk, there was an entrance leading underground.
Previously, the Mender often stayed motionless on that trunk section.
Once, when the Mender disappeared, Chucu couldn't resist her curiosity and entered the passage beneath the tribulus tree trunk.
But just one step past the threshold, she was driven back by the terrifying Aura emanating from below.
"It's terrifying!"
She described the unknown thing in the passage.
"How terrifying?"
Tonpa habitually asked.
"Very, very terrifying!"
Chucu spread her bamboo-branch wings on both sides and drew a large circle in the air in front of everyone.
"So you'd better not go. I didn't mention it before for your own good."
"Hmm, then let's not go," Law said seriously.
"Really?"
Chucu stopped abruptly.
Then, she looked aggrieved as she watched the team members walking briskly, showing no sign of giving up.
Nique specifically walked over, looked at Chucu with the understanding of someone who had been through it, and patted her for comfort.
After that, he quickly caught up with the team.