Devour the corpse, die of poisoning, devour the corpse, die of poisoning...
Law dripped a few drops of poison onto the grassland, yet it stirred a raging storm, bringing catastrophic destruction to the ant colony.
If the grassland were a blank sheet of paper, then the presence of the ant colony would be like covering the paper entirely with red pigment… such was the density of ants living beneath the prairie.
The ants, acting on instinct, remained unaware of the danger hidden within the corpses of their kin. Step by step, they marched toward annihilation under Law's plan.
Before the outcome was certain, even Law couldn't guarantee that the ant colony would be wiped out by the synthesized lethal poison. But even if it failed, it would at least create an opening in the eastern grasslands, making their departure easier.
Returning to the settlement, Law informed Salin and then took Buhara into the room housing over a thousand antiques.
Buhara had little interest in antiquities, but after spending time with Law, he had come to understand that these artifacts were incredibly valuable, and just one could fetch a fortune, which could then be exchanged for an abundance of delicious food.
"Boss, are all of these genuine?" Buhara stared wide-eyed at the neatly arranged antiques on the shelves. At the very least, he knew that antiques could be fake, and only the real ones were worth money.
"Yeah."
Law casually picked up an ancient forged longsword. Though it bore no rust, its edge had long since dulled.
"That means we could exchange them for a ton of money, right?" Buhara spread his arms, gesturing a large circle.
"That's true, but the problem is how to get them out. Besides, these things belong to Salin's collection." Law placed the sword back, thinking of Kuro. But after throwing him out twice last time, getting his help now would be difficult.
Buhara glanced around the room at the artifacts, considering the unique nature of the restricted zone and the sandstorm outside the valley. Indeed, it would be hard to take everything with them.
Every person who entered the Forbidden Zone initially went wild with excitement, scavenging for valuables. But when escape proved impossible, piles of gold became less useful than a single pound of rice. A vase worth nearly ten million jenny might as well be used as a chamber pot.
Since they had nothing better to do, Law began using his White Smoke Font to appraise the antiques in the room, examining them one by one.
After painstakingly appraising them all, Law had a rough estimate in mind. The most valuable item was a crown worth 200 million jenny. If auctioned in Yorknew City, its price could rise by about 30%.
With so many artifacts, flooding the market wouldn't be easy. Even the most prestigious Yorknew Auction House couldn't absorb a thousand artifacts at once. The appraisal process alone would take an unknown amount of time.
Getting them out was one problem, and selling them was another.
If they were willing to sell at a slight loss, they'd still need to establish a platform… either auction-based or non-auction-based.
Earth had platforms like Ebay and Amazon, while the Hunter x Hunter World had large-scale online shopping platforms like [Black Cat Delivery].
However, there wasn't yet a major platform dedicated to selling antiquities. Considering manpower and effort, setting up an online marketplace would be the best option.
First, the business model would be a private store, with selling only their own stock and no buying or reselling, to ensure every item was genuine.
Once reputation and credibility were established, they could later open a purchasing platform, flipping artifacts for massive profits.
To build such a specialized online platform for antiquities, they'd need at least one highly skilled Hacker Hunter and an appraiser of exceptional expertise.
Finding a hacker Hunter wouldn't be easy, but for the appraiser, there was already one candidate: Salin.
The question was whether she'd be willing. If she refused, Law had no intention of stepping in himself.
With this idea in mind, Law's thoughts blossomed like flowers in full bloom, his mind racing far ahead. Yet, even the first step, getting the artifacts out, was a major hurdle, making his ambitions seem somewhat lofty.
The more Law thought about it, the more his mind buzzed with possibilities. As Ging had said, the internet was an incredibly useful tool for Hunters, capable of accomplishing many things.
If managed well, becoming a billionaire wouldn't be out of reach.
"Law, how much are all these things worth?" In Buhara's eyes, Law was knowledgeable enough to give an accurate estimate.
"A conservative estimate would be between 60 and 80 billion."
After a brief mental calculation, Law gave a figure that nearly made Buhara's jaw drop.
Moreover, the fluctuation in that estimate was a staggering 20 billion, highlighting how wildly antique prices could vary.
Sometimes, the value hinged entirely on the buyer's interest.
Buhara's mouth hung open in shock before he weakly asked, "Then how much A-grade ingredients could that buy?"
Law shook his head. "Forget A-grade ingredients… no matter how much money you have, even B-grade ingredients aren't guaranteed."
"Alright." Buhara said disappointedly.
That night, Law went alone to the grassland, walking several kilometers at a swift pace and staying there for nearly an hour. Not a single ant emerged, so it was very likely that the contagious poison had worked.
During the day, the sky was perpetually overcast with dark clouds, creating a gloomy atmosphere. By night, it turned into pitch-black darkness, devoid of even a sliver of light.
Standing in the grassland, Law gazed toward the imperial capital, faintly spotting several small clusters of firelight. He knew those were light sources set up to assist night watch, primarily to fend off the mutant ants.
'At any rate, leaving the Forbidden Zone comes first.'
Law returned to the imperial capital, silently thinking to himself.
With the threat of the ant colony eliminated, there was no rush to take away Salin's artifacts or the valuables in the imperial capital. The priority was to escort everyone out first, then return to Elba before finding time later to retrieve the items.
The sandstorm outside the Forbidden Zone acted as a natural barrier. Even without the threat of the grassland ants, ordinary people still couldn't enter easily.
Half an hour later, Law knocked on Salin's door.
After a moment, Salin's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
"It's me." Law replied.
Recognizing his voice, Sairen got out of bed, casually draped an outer garment over herself, and opened the door. Leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, she gave Law a sidelong glance and teased, "You've got some nerve, daring to knock on your senior sister's door this late?"
"It's important." Law forced a smile.
Salin stepped aside, eyeing his strange grin with exasperation, "When are you going to take off your mask? Otherwise, stop smiling. It's creepy."
"Uh…" Law walked into the room, at a loss for words.
Salin closed the door behind her and leaned against it. "Well? What's this 'important business'?"
"I've dealt with the ant colony in the grassland. We can leave anytime now." Law said.
"You're sure?" Sairen's expression shifted slightly.
"Yeah." Law nodded. "If possible, I'd like to leave tomorrow."
"This isn't a joke. I need to verify it first." Salin suppressed the shock in her heart.
"Of course. Once you've confirmed it, we'll start preparing to leave immediately." Law said.
Salin fell silent, studying Law's confident demeanor closely before finally dismissing him, "I'll go verify it tomorrow morning. For now, go back to your room and rest."
"Alright."
Law agreed, suddenly remembering his idea for the online platform. He wanted to ask Salin about her plans, but considering the time and place weren't appropriate, he shelved the thought for now and left her room.
Early the next morning, Salin went to the grassland and stayed there for a full two hours before returning.
Waiting for her, Law informed her about the Armored Bulls stationed outside the valley and explained the critical reason why they couldn't afford to delay any longer.
Thus, Sairen excitedly gathered everyone and began preparations to leave.
It took her a day to convince the group. Packing all the food and water they could carry, she led them toward the grassland.
Realizing they might actually escape, the people from the settlement brought whatever valuables they could take with them. Even Salin took a few of her favorite antiques.
To ensure a safe return to the oasis, space was limited, with most of it reserved for food and water. But that didn't stop them from bringing a small portion of valuables.
Except for the few remaining members of the Desert Hawk and William, who refused to leave, the rest of the group departed the Forbidden Zone together.
A month later, a weary and dust-covered team arrived in Elba.