Don paused for a moment, then gave a slight smile and said, "I hope I haven't disappointed you."
"Of course, I'm not disappointed," Ging replied after calming down. "You're even more impressive than I imagined."
"Then, do you still need my 'New World Chronicles'?" Don raised an eyebrow and asked.
Ging didn't answer immediately. He turned to look at Germain, Bisky, and Shizuku.
The group exchanged glances and all shook their heads.
Don had a point. At this stage, whether or not they had his "New World Chronicles" was no longer important.
They should be writing their own "Record of the Dark Continent."
So, Ging turned to Don and said, "We don't need it. We will write our own 'New World Chronicles.'"
Don lowered his gaze, showing a satisfied smile. "Good, very good."
"You have the same strong will as I do. This will make you pioneers, not people who only repeat what others say."
"However," Ging suddenly spoke up again, "I have a question that I want to know the answer to. I hope you can answer me."
Don nodded and said, "Go ahead."
"The 'New World Chronicles: West Edition'... Have you finished it?" Ging asked the question that everyone was curious about.
Don slightly reined in his smile, paused for a moment, then shook his head.
"I haven't finished it, and I can't finish it."
The group looked at him in surprise.
He slowly explained:
"After entrusting the 'East Edition' to that exploration team, I took a break for a while and then set off towards the west coast of Mobius Lake."
"But at that time, I didn't know that the western shore was covered with horrific, grotesque flesh monsters…"
"After the initial shock and anxiety, I still stubbornly pushed forward, diving deeper without fully understanding the dangers."
"At first, my attempts failed time after time, so I returned to the eastern shore to hone my strength. I continued to head back to the western shore, over and over again."
"Like a moth drawn to the flame, this reckless behavior allowed me to venture further into the western shore. But eventually, it led me to disaster."
"Finally, after overcoming countless obstacles, I made my way into the heart of the western shore and encountered it…"
"A mere brief contact was enough for me to be cursed with the 'flesh curse' that has never left me to this day."
"Afterward, I fled the land in desperation, barely escaping with my life from that inferno, and returned to the eastern shore."
At this point, Don spoke, still shaken by the memory.
Germain turned his gaze toward Shizuku.
He instructed Shizuku to retrieve the suspected 'West Edition Scroll' they had found in the Moose Centaur tribe from the 'Blinky.'
Germain flipped through the stack of papers to the last page and showed Don the scribbled image, asking, "Is this the one?"
The image was dominated by a grotesque, bloated flesh monster, and the mass of writhing tentacles stirred up terrifying memories for Don.
"How did it end up in your hands?" Don asked, his voice cracking with emotion.
"You left them in the Moose Centaur tribe."
Don paused, recalling the events, then sighed and said:
"Because the western shore was full of these flesh monsters, and not every one of them that I encountered immediately infected me with the 'flesh curse' I had already contracted…"
"At first, I didn't realize its contagious nature."
"At the time, I was tortured by the 'flesh curse' to the point of breaking down, and the 'Ancient Labyrinth's Herb for All-illnesses' barely helped."
"That's when I came near the tribe, and I decided to rest there for the night."
"But that night, the 'flesh curse' erupted."
"I didn't want to hurt the tribe's people, so I left in the middle of the night… Maybe that's when I accidentally left this stack of papers behind."
"When the 'curse' acted up, my mind was clouded, and my memory blurred. So, when I woke up, I only thought I had left it on the road."
"Sometimes, I even feel like I never wrote this piece of text. Maybe it's just my illusion?"
"After some time, I learned about the infectious nature of the 'Flesh and Blood Curse.'"
"I had to completely eliminate every life that I had infected, to prevent the 'Flesh and Blood Curse' from spreading."
"After that, I put on this black robe, which has a certain isolating effect."
"At the same time, I stopped meeting with 'friends' like the Moose Centaur Tribe, and lived a life of solitude."
Don looked at everyone and said:
"What's written here are many of my grievances..."
"I wrote this impulsively that night. Perhaps because of that, it didn't spread the 'Flesh and Blood Curse' to you or the Moose Centaur Tribe... That's truly fortunate..."
It was only then that everyone realized they had actually escaped a disaster.
The entire Moose Centaur Tribe had also escaped a disaster.
"Even though you're fine, I still feel sorry. Since I became infected with the 'Flesh and Blood Curse,' I should not have come into contact with them."
Don lowered his head, feeling deeply ashamed.
At this moment, Bisky finally spoke up: "This can't be considered your fault. After all, back then, you didn't know the 'Flesh and Blood Curse' could spread."
"Besides, if you hadn't reached the point of exhaustion, you wouldn't have sought the Moose Centaur Tribe's help."
Don sighed softly and said, "Since you've received this stack of papers, you must have met them."
"I hope you can convey my apology. Even though I truly didn't know at the time, I still put them in danger."
Bisky nodded and said, "We will pass it on. But based on what we know about the Moose Centaur Tribe, they'll definitely forgive and understand you."
"Yes," Don recalled their faces, "They are just that kind of people. That's why I've communicated with them for generations."
"It's just a pity, I'll never be able to see them again."
Don's tone was filled with deep sadness and loneliness.
At this point, Germain shifted the topic back to the stack of papers and said:
"We know, in the first paragraph, you wrote: 'I regret seeing too much, knowing too much, I wish I had never eaten "Longevity Food Nitro Rice."'
"What does this mean? And what about the rest of it?"
The others were also curious and looked towards Don once again.
"I've already said, it's just my complaints," Don helplessly shook his head.
"Even though I wrote, 'I wish I had never eaten "Longevity Food Nitro Rice,"' I'm still here because I need it to extend my life."
"Until I have completely traveled and documented both sides of Mobius Lake, I don't want to die."
"As for 'I regret seeing too much, knowing too much,' that's the truth."
"But I have to admit, I still crave seeing more, knowing more."
"My biggest wish now is to satisfy all my curiosity on the East side, then one day, cross back to the West side for my final journey."
"As for the rest of the stack of papers, I've used all the words I've learned over the last three hundred years, many of which are lost now. It's normal that you can't understand them."
"What I mentioned actually goes back to the matter of 'being chosen by the gods.'"
Unexpectedly, the conversation had circled back to the original topic.
Don suddenly looked at Germain, staring at him, making Germain feel uneasy.
"Do you feel like you've been called by some presence, and gained some powerful 'Nen ability,' leading you to the Dark Continent?"
Germain recalled the past, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"I told you, you and I are 'the same,'" Don sighed again, "In this matter, we are the same. I also felt I was being called."
"This call, I could never confirm where it came from… until I went deep into the West side, and only then did I understand… no, I confirmed it was Him calling me."
The others could already vaguely understand what was going on.
"Why are they calling us?" Germain asked seriously.
"Every 'demigod' needs their messenger, their disciple," Don explained, "This is the fate of those 'chosen by the gods.'"
"The 'Curse of Resentment' has already fallen, so we can leave it aside for now."
"The messenger of the 'Darkness' is the 'Wallfacer,' they guard the towering walls for the 'Darkness' and live forever."
"The messenger of the 'Deep Sea' is the 'Gatekeeper,' they guard the solid gates for the 'Deep Sea' and live forever."
"As for the messenger of 'Flesh and Blood'... it was supposed to be me, but I refused and fled from the West Side."
At this point, Don suddenly became curious and asked, "Germain, who called to you?"
"I only confirmed everything when I saw Him, but I have to admit, I had a vague premonition long before that."
"Now that you've reached the same stage as me, you should have some kind of intuition pointing towards a certain 'Deity,' right?"
Germain thought about all the experiences from the past two years, especially those dreams.
He indeed had the answer deep in his heart, but he had never revealed it to anyone.
Germain then raised his hand, pointing to the sky, and answered, "I think... it's probably Him."
Don froze for a moment, then finally understood what Germain meant.
He widened his eyes, stood up in shock, and exclaimed:
"I got dragged into dealing with a 'demigod,' but you're dealing with a 'true god'?!"
What kind of joke is this?!
*******
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