Starting from the team's original position, walking in a straight line in one direction, it would take about a week to leave the Forest of Medusa.
Now, with the team changing course to the central area of the forest, the route veered left. It was estimated to take three days to reach the place Chucu mentioned.
Chucu stated that the place was very dangerous, but in everyone's view, what place in the Dark Continent wasn't dangerous?
Furthermore, having experienced so many things and obtained many treasures, everyone had long understood a principle: risk and reward go hand in hand.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward.
Although relevant information was scarce, it was precisely because of the unknown that it was worth exploring.
Moreover, when Chucu described the danger, there was actually a hint of unwillingness in her tone, of which she herself was unaware.
She might not know exactly what dangerous thing lay at the bottom of the passage, but she vaguely sensed that beneath that dangerous thing lay something that would be a treasure to her.
Under Chucu's guidance, the team headed towards the center of the Forest of Medusa.
Three days later, the team arrived at the place Chucu had described.
It was a triangular flat area, about the size of a football field. At the center of the area, just as Chucu had said, stood a huge tribulus tree that had been cut in half.
Looking at the remaining stump, it was about six meters high. Compared to the surrounding regular tribulus trees, it was like the difference between an adult and an infant.
However, the stump's diameter was incredibly large. It was impossible to know how tall this tree could have grown before it was damaged.
At the base of the stump, crab-claw-like roots extended outwards, plunging into the luminous ground. The light specks inside the base flowed like a stream, possessing a unique beauty.
If you focused your attention on the base of the stump, you would notice that the flowing light specks formed a vortex, faintly revealing a gap that resembled a passage entrance.
Everyone came to the edge of the flat area, gazing at the huge stump in the center.
"Maintain formation."
Law reminded his teammates, then walked ahead.
The others followed steadily.
The formation was the common 'Manji' pattern. Weaker members walked in the middle, mid-tier combatants guarded the sides, and the strongest walked at the front and back.
Advancing slowly in this formation ensured they could respond appropriately if an accident occurred.
And so, passing through the countless flying specks of petrified spore light, Law was the first to reach the stump.
Up close, the stump looked extraordinarily huge, exuding an ancient atmosphere.
Law didn't sense any threats for the time being. His eyes moved over the stump, then dropped to the swirling, vortex-like light specks below.
The team members successively arrived at the stump, examining it up close.
"Wait a moment."
Law suddenly looked up at the top of the six-meter-high stump.
As he spoke, his body rose into the air, stepping on air pockets to ascend, quickly reaching the cut surface of the stump.
Chucu had said the Mender spent most of its time motionless on the stump's cut surface. It was hard to say if there were any good things up there.
Law reached the top of the stump and looked around. No particular findings, except that the cross-section was very smooth. He was a bit disappointed.
He was about to go down when he saw Ging and the others also jump up.
"There's nothing."
Law said to them.
Hearing Law's words, Ging and the others also took a quick look at the top of the stump. Indeed, there was nothing.
So, everyone returned to the base of the stump, all staring at the passage entrance formed by the swirling petrified spore light specks.
"Kuro, your turn."
Law raised his right hand, looking at the crest on the back of it.
Kuro was now used to this scouting work. Without a word, he emerged from Law's hand, hovering in the air as black smoke.
"Nique."
Seeing Kuro emerge, Law looked at Nique, who immediately used his ability, projecting the image onto the ground. It was obscured by the white light, appearing blurry.
However, taking out a board from Kuro's space solved the clarity issue.
"Alright, you can go in."
Law nodded to Kuro, signaling him to proceed.
"Here I go."
The smokified Kuro entered the passage entrance of light specks.
Simultaneously, Nique synchronized the image onto the board for everyone to see.
In the image, the interior of the passage was laid bare.
Chucu crowded closer, intently staring at the image on the board.
The walls around the passage were pitted and uneven, including the ground. The slope was very steep, with an incline of about seventy degrees.
One might have thought the passage interior would also be filled with liquid-like light specks, but that wasn't the case.
The petrified spore light specks seemed to be drawn by some force, slowly rotating in a 'DNA' like shape, their length extending deep into the passage, the end out of sight.
The passage was over three meters in both height and width, very spacious. There were a total of seven 'DNA' shaped strands of light specks, about one meter in diameter, rotating and providing ample light.
Those outside watched the board with ease, but Kuro, inside, had a harder time.
As soon as he stepped into the passage, he realized Chucu wasn't lying.
An extremely dangerous Aura flowed up from the bottom of the passage.
Kuro was the first to experience it, feeling as if trapped in a swamp, his forward speed quite slow.
However, it was also partly because he was deliberately slowing down.
After all, safety first.
Advancing steadily like this, drifting down the steep passage for over two hundred meters, he finally saw flatter terrain.
Kuro, in his smoky form, landed on the ground and quickly transformed into his cat form.
"There's actually a door here."
Kuro looked in surprise at the end of the 'DNA' shaped light specks, which turned out to be a door that filled the entire passage space.
The light specks pressed against the door. From Kuro's perspective, it seemed more like they penetrated the door.
Under the illumination, the surface of the door was covered with root-like, tendril-like protrusions, with shimmering light flowing back and forth among the many tendrils. It was impossible to tell what material it was made of.
But that wasn't the key point. The key point was the Aura seeping through the cracks.
Kuro's eyes narrowed. Vaguely, he could see countless black ribbons writhing menacingly in front of the door, their origin being cracks as thin as threads.
With such a door blocking the way, the threatening Aura was already this distinct. It was hard to imagine the true power of the Aura behind the door.
What Kuro saw was transmitted through the image, allowing Law and the others to see it as well.
"It's a door."
Law's eyes showed surprise.
"Are we going down?"
Tonpa asked.
Law thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, let's go down."
He still walked in front.
The moment he stepped past the passage entrance, his body stiffened slightly. He felt the Aura Chucu had mentioned.
'No wonder Chucu had that reaction.'
Law paused briefly, then continued forward.
His teammates followed, all surprised by the intimidating power of this Aura.
At the same time, they thought of the door at the bottom... It seemed like they didn't see a gap where the door opened.
...
Meanwhile, at the edge of the Forest of Medusa, several figures took advantage of the night to enter the forest.
Among them, one figure held a round bowl filled with clear liquid.
In the water, suspended upside down, was a finger-thick wooden stick burning at both ends.
"Just as I thought."
The person holding the bowl spoke in an obscure, hard-to-understand language.
"The Mender... is gone."