Queen Eve of the Kukan'yu Kingdom sent a short message. The content was, without a doubt, about the carbonization phenomenon caused by Post-Mortem Nen.
She needed Morrow's Nen exorcism ability to solve the problem.
Although her tone in the message was quite urgent, the fact that she hadn't called him directly indicated that the situation wasn't so severe that Morrow needed to leave immediately.
So, Morrow remained in Swardani City to finish organizing the information he had on the Dark Continent.
He knew that the Hunter Association's focus would inevitably shift entirely to the upcoming Dark Continent operation.
But Morrow had no intention of boarding the Association's ship for this matter.
In his view, the V5 would inevitably get involved in the Hunter Association's exploration of the Dark Continent.
The most likely scenario was that, just as in the original story, the V5 would grant permission and provide support, but also demand a contract regarding the distribution of the expedition's findings.
Ging might not care about such things, but Morrow had no desire to work for the V5.
To take a step back, even if he were to travel only with the Hunter Association, without needing any additional assistance, the final profits would surely be significantly diluted.
This was Morrow's primary concern.
However, he also understood that Ging's main reason for choosing to go with the Hunter Association was likely his worry that the Association might suffer a major setback in its subsequent actions.
Losing a major client like the V5 was still bearable, but the worst-case scenario was that the Association might never recover.
Morrow could understand Ging's choice, and providing this information was the support he could offer before he left.
After handing the organized information to Ging, Morrow went to see Sanbica.
Since returning from the Dark Continent, Sanbica had thrown herself wholeheartedly into research related to the virus.
This introverted girl, who was afraid of contact with strangers, was, in essence, a bona fide workaholic.
The trip to the Dark Continent had been incredibly fruitful for her. So much so that the moment she returned to her familiar laboratory, she became completely immersed in her work, unwilling to waste even a second on any outside disturbances.
However, Sanbica was exceptionally happy to see Morrow.
When Morrow learned that she had been working day and night since her return, he deliberately suggested she treat him to a meal, hoping to give her at least a short break.
Sanbica agreed and subsequently took Morrow to the nearest cafeteria, where they efficiently resolved the matter of dinner.
Morrow could only offer a helpless smile at this.
After bidding Sanbica farewell, he boarded a direct airship to the Kukan'yu Kingdom that same night.
—--
By the time he arrived in Kukan'yu, it was the evening of the third day.
Kukan'yu Kingdom, the capital palace.
This was the second time Morrow had come before this towering palace gate.
The massive, deep-red gate was as imposing as ever. On either side stood tall, burly guards in full armor, silent as iron statues.
Clack, clack...
Seeing Morrow arrive, the guards said nothing. They simply and respectfully pushed the heavy palace gate open, then stepped aside with bowed heads, silently clearing the path.
Morrow walked through without pausing.
Beyond the gate, a majestic complex of buildings, dominated by the color red, came into view.
His gaze swept over the ubiquitous crimson-lacquered flying eaves and gilded beams before settling on the path straight ahead.
The last time he came, the path to Eve's chambers had been lined with palace maids, standing quietly like signposts to guide his way.
This time, however, there wasn't a single maid in sight along the path.
In their place was a man of about sixty named Yigu.
Morrow still remembered their first meeting here. The flow of Yigu's aura, as viscous as a swamp, had reminded him of the old man from the Tree Hollow Organization. In terms of raw power, this man's strength was not to be underestimated, and he inexplicably gave Morrow the impression of a top imperial guard.
Now, returning to this familiar place and seeing Yigu again...
Morrow's perception was completely different.
At his current level of 153, looking at this top Nen user of Kukan'yu, who was still some distance from the pinnacle of humanity, he seemed so insignificant.
And Yigu, who had come to welcome Morrow, felt an equally stark difference.
He watched Morrow approach, his face a mask of astonishment, a tempest raging in his heart.
Bottomless.
This was Yigu's most direct impression upon seeing Morrow.
He rarely lost his composure, but now he was stunned into a prolonged silence, filled with disbelief.
"I still remember the way."
It wasn't until Morrow walked past him and left these words behind that Yigu snapped back to his senses, turning to look at the departing figure.
The impression of Morrow from a few months ago, which had been etched in his mind, had now become blurry and indistinct.
Although Morrow had given him a powerful impression back then, it was a world of difference compared to now.
How can this be...
Yigu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the violent turmoil in his heart, and hurried to catch up.
"My apologies. Her Majesty ordered me to guide you, but I was so out of line just now. Please forgive my rudeness."
Following Eve's command, Yigu apologized to Morrow while walking ahead to lead the way.
A strange look flashed in Morrow's eyes.
Every time he came to Kukan'yu and heard someone speak like Yigu, it always deepened the sense of familiarity from his past life.
"It's fine. I'll trouble you to lead the way, then," Morrow said casually.
Soon, Yigu led Morrow to the door of the bedchamber.
This time, he didn't insist on his duty to protect Eve and simply turned and left.
Morrow watched him go, then pushed the door open and entered.
Inside the main hall of the bedchamber, Eve was dressed in a light gauze robe, yet there was no hint of sensuality.
Beneath the gauze, large portions of her body had turned pitch-black. They looked like birthmarks but were in fact the result of bodily carbonization caused by overusing the harp version of the Sonata of Darkness.
Once this carbonization spread to her entire body, it would mean death.
Morrow's gaze quickly swept over the carbonized areas on Eve's body. He raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "It's only been a few months. The price of carbonization this time is much more severe than the last."
Although Eve's condition was quite dire, for the current Morrow, it was a good thing.
It gave him a chance to get a preliminary estimate of the specific efficiency of "Tree Rings" in converting Post-Mortem Nen into experience points after it reached its maximum level.
Eve untied her gauze robe, letting her body be exposed to the air, and smiled faintly.
"But this is the only way I get to see you, isn't it?"
Morrow completely ignored her words. Instead, he was somewhat curious. Given Eve's current status and situation, it shouldn't have been necessary for her to frequently use an ability like "Soul Tuning" in just a few months.
Surely, it wasn't as if assassins were trying to kill the Queen every day?
However, this doubt came and went quickly.
He didn't intend to delve deeper.
Even if he asked, the queen before him wouldn't easily reveal the truth.
Besides, the more severe the carbonization on Eve's body, the more Post-Mortem Nen he could convert. This wasn't a bad thing for him.
With this in mind, Morrow simply asked calmly, "Can we begin?"
Hearing this, Eve's eyelids lowered slightly, and she seemed to let out an imperceptible sigh.
"Come."
She extended her right arm, which was already completely carbonized, toward Morrow.
Morrow expertly took hold of Eve's arm and activated his "Tree Rings" ability.
In an instant, a stream of Nen as black as ink surged out from Eve's arm.
But the moment it appeared, it was completely absorbed by Morrow's "Tree Rings."
The black streams of Nen emerging from other parts of her body were also drawn into the Tree Rings.
In just a few seconds, the carbonization marks on Eve's body rapidly faded, and her body returned to its original state, her fair and graceful form now completely exposed.
Although Eve was not surprised by this result, the carbonization this time had been extremely severe, threatening to end her life at any moment. So, when her body was fully restored, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
With the crisis averted, she stretched lazily, completely unconcerned about her current state of undress.
Morrow, however, wasn't even looking at her. His attention was entirely focused on the results of the "Tree Rings" conversion.
Lv. 154.
After converting and absorbing the dense Post-Mortem Nen from Eve, Morrow had leveled up directly.
The experience points from converting Post-Mortem Nen are indeed high, but... keeping the Tree Rings constantly full is not an easy task.
If he wanted to continuously use Post-Mortem Nen to level up, he had to ensure that "Tree Rings" remained fully charged.
This meant he couldn't easily use the Entropy Bird's Power of Luck to activate the effects of the Alchemy Plant: Metallion, nor could he freely use Post-Mortem Nen to activate Nen tools like the "Water Suit" or the "Klein Bottle."
He would have to make choices based on his needs.
The Entropy Bird, standing nearby, saw Morrow absorb another surge of energy but could only watch with longing.
It knew Morrow had other plans for the energy.
But if conditions allowed, it still hoped Morrow would use the energy more often.
However, compared to the Dark Continent, the continent it was on now was just too safe...
The Entropy Bird's concept of "survival" was different from that of other creatures.
Most creatures on the Dark Continent had to hunt to sustain their lives, but the Entropy Bird didn't have to worry about predators.
In fact, it had no natural enemies at all.
If one had to be named...
It would be Morrow.
The Entropy Bird also didn't need to worry about food.
It was like a candle burning, unaffected by the outside world. The only thing it had to consider was how to extend the time before it burned out completely.
After stretching, Eve glanced at the indifferent Morrow, picked up her gauze robe with a hint of disinterest, and draped it casually over herself.
She had long grown accustomed to Morrow's lack of romantic sensibility.
Or rather, she knew in her heart that Morrow was deliberately keeping a distance from her, unwilling to get more deeply involved.
And this was precisely what displeased her the most.
Morrow could sense Eve's undisguised shift in mood but paid it no mind. He simply said calmly, "It's settled. I should be going."
"Wait."
Eve stopped him.
Morrow halted and looked at her quietly, waiting for her to continue.
Eve took the initiative to ask, "What do you want this time?"
"Nothing for now. Just keep a tally."
Last time, Morrow had performed an Exorcism for Eve, which was why she had made an exception and given him the Klein Bottle from the royal tomb.
But this time, having returned from the Dark Continent, he didn't really lack anything besides Post-Mortem Nen.
A glint flashed in Eve's eyes.
"Records about the Dark Continent, or even some related artifacts... are you not interested in those either?"
Ever since giving the Klein Bottle to Morrow, she had known about his interest in the Dark Continent.
So, after they parted ways last time, she had specifically sent people to the archives to search for records about the Dark Continent dating back to the Age of Contention. She had also discovered some items among the burial goods in the royal tomb that were closely related to the Dark Continent, similar to the Klein Bottle.
"Artifacts..."
Morrow's interest was piqued.
If they were Nen tools like the Klein Bottle that required him to awaken their functions with Post-Mortem Nen, he was indeed interested.
Before heading to the Dark Continent, he had hoped to find similar Nen tools that needed activation, but aside from discovering diving gear like the Water Suit in that metal mobile city, he had found nothing else.
"Let me see them."
Morrow looked at Eve.
A smile appeared on Eve's lips.
"Those artifacts are also burial goods of past monarchs, and they are all stored in the royal tomb. Are you willing to make a trip there with me?"
Morrow didn't ask why they had to go to the royal tomb instead of her just bringing the items out. He simply nodded in agreement.
Afterward, Eve changed into a simple outfit and led Morrow out of her chambers.
When Yigu, the top Nen user in the palace, learned that Eve was going to the royal tomb alone with Morrow, he immediately requested to accompany them to fulfill his duty as a guard. He insisted because Her Majesty had been the target of many assassination attempts recently.
However, Eve silenced him with a single sentence, making it impossible for him to argue:
"Morrow won't let me die."
It was just like when she had told Morrow, I want you to live for me.
Now, she also faintly sensed that Morrow wanted her to live for him as well.
This was very good.
So good that it made her heart flutter.
—--
Kukan'yu, the gathering place of the Dust People.
Between the low-rise buildings, the alleyways were narrow, the ground muddy and foul, and the stench of decay filled the air.
A tall figure in a cloak stepped over the sewage and walked toward the depths of the alley.
The figure walked to the very end, stopping before a house with a rotting wooden door.
Creaak.
The door was pushed open. Inside the dilapidated room, a shadow fell across half of an old sofa.
Morena sat there, watching the person stoop to squeeze through the door.
"You're the only one who came back 'safely'?" she asked, her tone calm.
The newcomer threw back his hood, revealing a half-human, half-beast face.
"We were almost wiped out the moment we arrived... I'm lucky to have made it back alive," the man said, his head bowed.
A faint light flickered in Morena's eyes.
"What did you bring back?"
"A... very dangerous thing."
The man suddenly strode forward, thrusting a palm blade at Morena's forehead without any warning.
Faced with this sudden attack, Morena's expression didn't change in the slightest.
The man's sharpened, joined fingernails stopped abruptly an inch from her forehead, trembling incessantly as if restrained by an invisible force.
Morena spoke softly, "Very good. You did indeed bring back 'something dangerous'... Your sacrifices were not in vain."
The person before her was one of the infected from her Etude of Love.
How could he possibly harm her?
However, the thing currently controlling this body had not yet realized this Limitation, which stemmed from her ability.
Gurgle, gurgle...
Suddenly, a dark shadow floated up from the top of the modified human infected's head, instantly transforming into a pitch-black disk with sharp, serrated edges.
A pair of dim eyes opened on the disk's surface, and a blood-red, serrated mouth split open.
Morena raised her eyes slightly, looking at the dark shadow hovering above the modified human's head. She said calmly, "Welcome, 'something' from the Dark Continent."
A brief silence.
The dark shadow seemed able to perceive her thoughts. It suddenly grinned its serrated mouth, letting out a strange, crackling laugh.
"Tsk... You and I were both born to spread death. It seems... we'll get along 'just fine'."
After speaking, its dim eyes stared intently at Morena.
"And I have more good news for you. I'm not the only one who crossed over."
"That's wonderful."
A smile touched Morena's lips.
"Tsk..."
The unknown entity grinned strangely again, then turned toward the Kukan'yu palace.
"The Devil... so he left his mark here long ago. What a waste."
It was a god of death.
After emerging from the modified human's shell, it had immediately sensed the Devil's Sonata left behind in "Within Paradise."
But...
The Devil had no interest in "destruction" and "death."
That was precisely why the god of death found it a pity.
If it had been the one to leave a mark here through a human, it would have definitely tried every means to use that mark to invade Within Paradise.
But it wasn't too late now.
Especially since...
It looked at Morena.
It had encountered such an interesting human.
Her desire for destruction, so pure and extreme, was intoxicating.
Morena didn't sense any malice from the god of death.
Even if she had, as long as it meant spreading calamity, she was willing to become its vessel...
"Devil? What's that?" she asked with great interest.
The god of death said flatly, "That thing is not important."
(Translated by yourtl.app)