'Calling it a legend feels like an exaggeration...'
An unusual glint flashed in Law's eyes.
Salin didn't elaborate further and instead said, "The moment you believe you can do it, tell me immediately."
"Okay." Law gave her an OK sign.
"I'm going to help out now. The antiques here are ones I've collected over the years in the imperial capital… those with collectible value and relatively intact. Most of them are here. If you see anything you like, take it."
With that, Salin turned to leave the room.
"Wait." Law stopped her.
Salin turned back and looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Well, I'm actually a Nen Exorcist." Law said hesitantly.
"A Nen Exorcist?" A puzzled look appeared on Salin's face.
Her Nen had been taught by Linne, and she had spent her entire life in the Kandhia Desert, never venturing into the outside world… or rather, never having the chance to. As a result, she had no knowledge of the Nen Exorcist.
Seeing Salin's reaction, Law immediately realized she might not understand what a Nen Exorcist was. He pointed directly at one of the antiques on the stone shelf that still carried residual Nen and cut to the chase: "A Nen Exorcist specializes in removing Nen. I want to remove the lingering Nen from these antiques."
There were nearly a thousand antiques on the stone shelves, and at a glance, at least a hundred of them carried traces of Nen.
These antiques had been collected by Salin one by one, and she was no ordinary Nen User. She had the disciplined habit of using Gyo at all times, so she undoubtedly knew that these antiques were imbued with Nen.
Law wanted to absorb the Nen from the antiques, so using 'exorcism' as an excuse to explain it now was better than having to justify it later.
Salin understood immediately, nodded, and said, "Do as you see fit."
With that, she left, leaving Law alone in the room.
If they couldn't leave the Forbidden Zone, even possessing priceless antiques would be meaningless.
Once Salin was gone, Law's eyes gleamed as he stared at the room full of antiques, nearly cheering in excitement.
What excited him wasn't just the fact that these antiques were all genuine… it was that over a hundred of them carried traces of Nen. This was a testament to the profound heritage of the Millenium Imperial Capital. The Forbidden Zone's unique nature had also played a role, otherwise, as a latecomer, he would have arrived to find nothing but useless fragments.
Setting aside the potential value of these antiques, absorbing all the Nen would likely boost his average stats by a few points without much difficulty.
Law's hand slowly reached toward the antiques in the room...
Half an hour later, Law's average categories had increased by 3%... equivalent to three years of rigorous training.
This trip to the Kandhia Desert had yielded astonishing gains, but places like this were rare.
No matter what else he might find in the Forbidden Zone, this trip had already been worth it.
After absorbing the Nen from the antiques, Law didn't bother appraising the value of the others, as he had no strong desire for money.
Even so, if Salin was right and most of the intact antiques from the Millenium Imperial Capital were gathered here, then the potential value of this room's contents was conservatively estimated at tens of billions of Jenny.
Though Law wasn't obsessed with wealth, no one would turn down money, and Law was no exception… especially after his experience with translating ancient texts. He felt that having sufficient savings could sometimes be very useful.
If they could leave, he certainly wouldn't abandon valuable items. But if he wanted to take all the antiques with him, he'd have to consider whether Kuro's stomach had enough space. And then there was all the gold and unopened vaults in the royal city...
That night, flames rose in the settlement, cremating those who had died that day.
There weren't many burnable materials in the settlement, but most people insisted on cremation. Afterward, the ashes were collected, waiting for the day they could be scattered over the desert.
After dinner, Law moved into the single room Salin had arranged for him… an ancient house that had been repaired. Staying there gave him a unique sense of atmosphere.
Under the lamplight, Law leaned back on the hard stone bed, hands behind his head, pondering the possibility of clearing the grassland of ant colonies.
After witnessing the army ants devouring their own kind without hesitation today, a vague idea had formed in his mind. Now that he had a clear plan, that idea gradually crystallized as he pondered it further.
Infectious virus!
Law's first thought was to use an infectious virus, leveraging the army ants' cannibalistic behavior to wipe out the entire colony.
However, Sanbica wasn't here.
With viruses ruled out, the only remaining option was poison. Fortunately, Gel, a Professional Poison Hunter, was also here. He could discuss this with her tomorrow.
As a fallback, even if Gel's poisons couldn't achieve the desired effect, he could still test the efficacy of [Surprise Box].
The sound of light footsteps outside the door interrupted his thoughts.
He looked up at the old, nearly rotten wooden door, wondering who it could be.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Law said.
The wooden door creaked unpleasantly as it was pushed open gently.
The person who came was Millia. Unlike her disheveled appearance during the day, she had bathed and changed out of her loose robe into clothes provided by the settlement's women, once again revealing her mature figure.
"It's you." Law recognized her immediately this time and asked, "What's the matter?"
Millia took a few steps inside, hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice: "About the request from earlier today."
"Let's not even consider how many people are in the sand bandits' hideout or whether I can pull it off." Law said calmly, watching as Millia lowered her head, "Why should I take the risk to do this?"
If there were detailed and accurate intel, and Law judged the difficulty to be manageable, a trip to Red Rock Canyon wouldn't be a big deal. Besides, the sand bandits' hideout was bound to have plenty of valuable loot, perhaps even some Nen-infused antiques.
But that was a big if.
Law's simple question of why left Millia at a loss for words.
There was a fundamental difference between a request and a commission. If a request was denied, it could be turned into a commission with a reward.
Millia bit her lip, 'If this were a commission… what could I possibly offer?'
Her eyes flickered slightly before she abruptly removed her top, exposing her upper body to the air.
This woman, who had survived in the desert through alternative means, after witnessing the horrors of humanity's depravity, was now willing to use herself as a bargaining chip in exchange for even a sliver of possibility.
Law rested his face in his hand and sighed softly.
He was still wearing that ugly human-skin mask, and he understood why Millia had removed her top. He could only admire her courage… unaware that she had already recognized him.
Just then, another person arrived outside the door.
It was Gel.
She had come to discuss the grassland ant colony issue, but through the open door, she saw Millia standing topless in the room and Law seated on the bed.
Gel paused at the doorway, silently observing the two inside.
Hearing the noise, Millia instinctively covered herself and turned to see Gel standing outside. Realizing it was another woman, she relaxed slightly.
Law also looked at Gel, whose eyes held an unreadable expression. He opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
"I came to discuss something with you, but it seems my timing isn't great." Gel said, staring at the speechless Law, "Is an hour enough? If so, I'll come back then."
She then added as an afterthought, "Closing the door might be a good idea."
"It's not what you think," Law said, getting off the bed with a resigned expression, "No need to leave. Actually, I was just about to look for you."
He hadn't expected Millia's sudden… offer, and Gel's arrival was a convenient way to steer the conversation back to the ant extermination plan.
But his words, combined with the scene before her, gave Gel a different impression.
"I'm not that casual." Gel said coldly, pointing at her own face, "And don't you think that mask of yours is a bit of a turn-off?"
Law was stunned.