"So how do we get to the Dark Continent?" Ronin asked the most important question.
Since the test had already been waived for them, then if they could reach the Dark Continent sooner, Ronin could also begin understanding its situation sooner.
To be honest, after arriving here, he had already developed a strong interest in the Dark Continent on the other side of the Dark Gate.
As for matters within Lake Mobius, whether it was Beyond, who was plotting something unknown, or Chairman Netero, who was looking forward to whatever Beyond was planning, Ronin threw all of it to the back of his mind.
Even the Scarlet Eyes that still existed within Lake Mobius no longer held much attraction for Ronin.
"It's simple." The Gatekeeper moved slightly to the side.
As he stepped aside, a stone door about three meters tall appeared in everyone's sight.
The stone door was open, and the inside was pitch-black, making it impossible to see clearly.
"Walk inside and pass through it, and you'll reach the true edge of Lake Mobius. Swim across, and you'll reach the Dark Continent," the Gatekeeper explained simply.
"This door is just left open like this?" Ronin asked curiously as he looked at the open door.
In his mind, he had thought the door leading to the Dark Continent would be like the door of Killua's family, requiring some kind of test before it could be opened.
"Mm. If it's closed, opening it again next time will consume even more energy. So it's better to just leave it open." As the Gatekeeper said this, a trace of cruelty appeared in his eyes.
But that cruelty was not directed at Ronin and the others.
From the look of things, this door probably also served as bait for enemies. It seemed that those who managed to rush inside might not necessarily have done so through their own ability. Rather, the Gatekeeper may have deliberately allowed them in.
Just like Ronin and the others had passed the test, in the Gatekeeper's eyes, those beings also had the qualifications to go to the Dark Continent.
"Then how do we come back?" Ging asked the key question.
"There will be a guide. After following you to the Dark Continent, he will temporarily remain by the shore. Once you return with what I need, the guide will naturally bring you back to Lake Mobius.
"But if you fail to obtain what I need, then whether you can return is another matter." There was a hint of provocation in the Gatekeeper's tone. "At present, among humans who reach the Dark Continent through a method similar to smuggling, the chance of returning alive is no more than fifty percent."
"Were there many people before us who went to the Dark Continent this way?" Ging asked.
He had originally wanted to reach the Dark Continent through the official route. If too many people had taken shortcuts, then he would have to consider whether the information he had previously investigated had gaps.
The Gatekeeper shook his head.
"No. In the past fifty years, only twelve people have gone to the Dark Continent through this small door. Six of them returned successfully, and the other six remained on the Dark Continent forever.
"A group as large as yours is not the first to come here, but you are the first I have allowed through."
As the Gatekeeper spoke, a figure walked over. He looked not much different from an ordinary person, except for the tail behind him, whose tip resembled a spearhead.
"This is Aiden. He will be your guide from here on," the Gatekeeper introduced.
Then he turned to the man named Aiden and said, "One year. If there are no results after one year, return."
"As you command." Aiden bowed respectfully.
"Now then, do you have anything else you want to ask?" The Gatekeeper gave them one final chance.
When no one answered, he simply waved his hand.
"I hope we meet again one day."
After saying that, he gave Ronin and the others no chance to continue speaking. A pair of bat-like wings suddenly spread from his back, and he flew away.
"He really does fit the impression he gives off," Ronin muttered quietly.
Demons from hell often had wings like bats, after all.
Aiden glanced sideways at Ronin but said nothing more. He simply beckoned to the group, then walked alone toward the small black door beneath the Dark Gate.
Only when he reached the doorway did he say his first words.
"Stay close to me."
With that, he stepped into the door first.
Ronin quickly moved forward, but before he could step inside, someone beat him to it.
It was Kurapika.
"I'll go first," Kurapika said. "You're the core of the team. And only if you protect Shizuku will things be safest."
"Okay." Ronin did not argue.
He trusted Kurapika's judgment, while Ging voluntarily took the rear position.
After truly walking through that small door, they discovered that the inside was not completely dark. There were still faint points of light.
It was just difficult to determine where that light came from.
Aiden was around three meters tall. Compared to ordinary humans, that was tall. But he was clearly not human; he was a magical beast, so that height was still acceptable.
At this moment, Aiden had a wheel-like disk in his hand. The pointer on the disk kept turning, and Aiden changed direction according to where the pointer indicated.
In only a short while, Ronin and the others could no longer see the door they had come from.
Without Aiden as their guide, finding the path to the Dark Continent inside this Dark Gate would truly not be simple.
Even with Aiden present, Ronin and the others still spent more than three days inside before they saw bright light again.
The journey was not completely safe. Aiden had to constantly observe the changes on the compass, so whenever danger appeared, Ronin and the others had to step forward.
Fortunately, most of the things that entered this darkness were wild beasts, so dealing with them was not difficult.
Aside from their enormous size, these beasts were not much different from the creatures within the Lake Mobius region.
However, from Aiden, who rarely spoke, they learned that these beings were actually the most common things on the Dark Continent. As for beings classified by humans as calamities, although there were many of them as well, most had fixed habitats.
Of course, some of the "common" beings Aiden mentioned were dangerous enough to be rated as C-level threats.
The reason there were so many intruders in this dark region was also because the exit was no longer the small door they had entered from, but an enormous, unimaginably heavy stone gate.
The stone gate was open, and they could hear the sound of waves crashing outside.
When they walked out, what faced them was an endless sea.
No.
Actually, whether it was the area Ronin and the others had sailed through before, or the area they had reached now, both were lakes.
They were both Lake Mobius.
"Follow me."
Aiden seemed to know only those few words. Unless necessary, he would not speak at all.
But this time, Ronin did not immediately follow.
Instead, he stopped Aiden, who was preparing to jump into the water, and took out a tightly wrapped Fun Fun Cloth.
As the Fun Fun Cloth was thrown out, it slowly unfolded. One modified fishing boat after another appeared on the sea. Then the Fun Fun Cloth wrapped them back up again, leaving only one ship docked in the turbulent lake water outside the stone gate.
"Board the ship."
~~~
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