In the Kukan'yu Kingdom, "Dust People" was the collective term for the descendants of criminals.
From birth, they were branded as lowly, subjected to severe discrimination, and possessed no rights to speak of.
In essence, Kukan'yu's Dust People were no different from the Kakin Empire's Have-Nots. Both were scorned like dust, relegated to the lowest rung of society.
The only time they were ever noticed was perhaps for their cheap and humble labor.
After leaving the NGL Autonomous Region, Morena discreetly concealed her identity and appearance, eventually putting down roots in a city near the capital of Kukan'yu.
She didn't spare a single glance for the prosperous streetscapes under the sun, instead walking straight into the city's dark underbelly, a slum district akin to a foul sewer.
She didn't care that sewage soaked past her shoes, nor was she bothered by the dampness and decay that permeated the air.
Like a true Dust Person, she naturally blended into this corner of the world that others despised and detested.
Then, she gently scattered the seeds that could destroy the world upon every speck of dust.
"I like my current body."
In a dark, damp corner, Morena raised a slender hand, her fingertips lightly caressing the small patch of scales on her cheek.
Her Chimera Ant constitution granted her greater strength and also made her "Etude of Love" all the more dangerous.
Now, she could expand the number of "infected" to 101 people.
And during her days of lurking in the sewers like a rat, she had gathered a group of loyal followers with almost no effort at all.
Those Dust People were more valuable than she had anticipated.
As long as you gave them what they wanted, they would risk everything for it.
Of course, what moved Morena the most was... she could meet countless like-minded comrades here.
"Everyone is working so hard, but it's still far from enough..."
Morena watched a tattered Dust Person walk away before turning back to her filthy, damp dwelling.
Her strategy for gathering the Dust People was, in fact, borrowed from the path already proven by the Kakin Empire's Second Prince, Camilla, so it wasn't particularly difficult to execute.
However, to maximize the value of "Etude of Love," Morena didn't plan to endlessly gather the lowly like Camilla.
In her view, no matter how much dust accumulated, it was ultimately just dust.
What she wanted was to temper these humble beings into more destructive weapons. That would be the true sublimation of their value.
As for the specific method of tempering... it was actually very simple.
Just like what she did after taking the position of the Heil-Ly Family's head... all she had to do was make them kill each other.
And the Dust People had no human rights to begin with.
Even if they were to disappear silently one day, they would be nothing more than rats that died in a dark sewer.
Even the stench of their rotting corpses would be masked by the foul odor of the gutter water, never to be noticed by those living under the sun.
Therefore, it was actually very easy to temper a hundred max-level characters from among the Dust People.
Presumably, the Dust People who sacrificed their lives for this would also willingly become the cornerstone for the world's destruction.
Morena had already sown the seeds. All that was left to do was wait.
She knew this path was long and arduous, and that most of the time would be spent waiting patiently.
Returning to her squalid residence, Morena sat on a mold-covered chair, letting her figure disappear into the darkness.
This was the deepest part of the slums. Most of the time, there was only boundless blackness and a deathly silence.
But Morena didn't hate it here.
At least, when she was alone, she could think about things more clearly.
Splash, splash...
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of footsteps splashing through stagnant water came from outside.
Morena slowly opened her eyes in the darkness, her gaze turning toward the ajar door.
The footsteps approached, eventually stopping just outside the door.
A hoarse male voice followed. "Lady Morena, may I come in?"
"Enter," Morena said faintly.
Creak.
The wooden door was slowly pushed open.
A man, as gaunt as a monkey and dressed in shabby clothes, entered sideways with gentle movements.
He had tried his best to be quiet, but the dilapidated wooden door still let out a grating shriek as if under great strain.
A flash of annoyance immediately crossed the man's eyes.
He had been careless after all, disturbing Lady Morena with this noise.
Morena beckoned gently to the man.
The man understood at once and hurried forward.
Before Morena could ask, he took out an old bamboo scroll from his robes and held it respectfully in his hands.
"Lady Morena, I heard you were interested in Kukan'yu's 'past history.' I found this bamboo scroll at Berg's house. Do you remember Berg? He's that unlucky fellow who was beaten to death by a group of drunks in the back alley of Fello Street a few days ago."
As he spoke, he hurriedly wiped the surface of the scroll with his sleeve, but only managed to smear more dirt on it.
Morena didn't mind, simply extending her right hand calmly.
The man carefully placed the bamboo scroll on her open palm.
Morena untied the gut string binding the bamboo slips and spread them out one by one.
The ancient characters engraved on them were gradually revealed. Among the recorded content, the words "demon king" and "disaster" could be faintly seen.
Morena didn't look closely, merely glancing up at the man who had brought the scroll.
Noticing Morena's gaze, the man immediately took his leave, closing the wooden door with an even gentler motion.
Only after the man had left did Morena lower her head to carefully examine the contents of the bamboo scroll.
In a much more distant era, as seafaring technology gradually matured, a group of people had developed a persistent curiosity about "what lies at the end of the sea."
To satisfy their desire for exploration, people set sail one after another, heading for the end of the sea.
However, most of the ships never returned. Only a very small number were lucky enough to come back.
But what they brought back was not just knowledge about the end of the sea.
There were also the disasters that followed.
These disasters not only claimed countless lives but also triggered a chain of wars.
The once-peaceful era collapsed in an instant, plunging into a long period of chaos.
Some religions even rose to prominence, taking root and growing amidst the turmoil, which had a profound impact on the Kukan'yu Kingdom, which had practiced a monarchical system for generations.
Later, from the relics of those who returned, people found records of the "outside world."
"Ha, haha... What is this."
Morena let out a low laugh, a trace of astonishment and understanding flashing through her bewitching, serpentine eyes.
"So there's this kind of 'shortcut' to take."
The descriptions of the forbidden continent and its disasters in the bamboo scroll pointed her toward a distinct possibility.
Compared to the long and arduous path of advancing step by step over a long period of time, having such a shortcut laid out before her was simply... wonderful.
Indeed, Morena murmured to herself. How could it be possible to kill all humans with 'manpower' alone... Only a 'disaster' can do that.
—--
The capital palace of the Kukan'yu Kingdom.
Morrow arrived alone beneath the towering palace gate.
The entire gate was predominantly deep red, exuding an imposing aura.
On either side of the gate stood a fully armored guard, their burly figures as silent as iron-cast statues.
Seeing Morrow arrive, the guards, who had already received their orders, said nothing. They respectfully pushed the heavy palace gate open slowly, then stepped aside with bowed heads, silently clearing the path.
Without pausing, Morrow strode into the expanse of deep red.
He passed through the gate, and the view before him opened up.
What entered his eyes was still a majestic complex of buildings dominated by the color red.
The vermilion-lacquered flying eaves and gilded beams and pillars, visible everywhere, naturally stirred some of Morrow's memories.
He didn't linger, heading toward the deep red building at the end of the main road.
Along the way, he could see palace maids standing silently with their heads bowed, guiding his way like signposts.
I never thought... that crazy woman would actually succeed to the throne of Kukan'yu.
Morrow's eyes were downcast.
Kukan'yu's monarchical system, in every aspect, was more traditional and feudal than Kakin's.
Morrow still remembered the travel guide he had seen on his first visit to Kukan'yu.
It was called a guide, but it was actually a list of things travelers had to pay attention to.
One of the more memorable points was that when the royal family was out, commoners were not allowed to look them in the eye, or they would be convicted of lèse-majesté.
There were quite a few laws like this aimed at consolidating royal power.
At least in terms of maintaining class dignity, Kakin was indeed far inferior to Kukan'yu.
Morrow rarely paid attention to the political changes in these countries. He had come to Kukan'yu this time purely for the Klein Bottle that Ging had told him about.
He had originally thought that since Eve was the third princess of Kukan'yu, he might be able to use her to learn more clues about the Klein Bottle, or even obtain at least one sample through a trade.
He never expected that the next time he heard news of her, she would have already ascended the throne.
This truly surprised Morrow.
Based on his understanding of Eve's personality, he really hadn't expected her to emerge victorious from the brutal struggle for the throne.
So, did she rely on her Nen, or did she make heavy use of the Dark Sonata harp solo?
But then again, the other Kukan'yu princes involved in the succession war must have also used Nen as their trump cards.
The people who attacked Eve on the airship back then were Nen users sent by other princes.
Furthermore, this red palace, which exuded a stern and imposing atmosphere, probably concealed quite a few Nen users.
Not to mention those far away, just the two burly guards stationed at the palace gate earlier had aura flowing around them.
Morrow even suspected that the military department responsible for the entire palace's defense might use Enhancement as a standard for selecting and assigning guards.
After all, Enhancement had the highest proportion among the six major Nen types, and its characteristics were well-suited for guard duty.
For a major power on the level of the V5, since the Nen System is deeply rooted, they must have top-tier masters in hiding, right?
Morrow pondered silently.
However, democratic major powers like the United States Of Saherta and the Begerosse Union always gave off the impression that they would have difficulty producing top-tier masters.
But if it were countries like Kukan'yu or Kakin, which essentially still maintained a monarchical system... especially since both countries had built such magnificent palaces in their capitals, perhaps due to the influence of certain things he had seen in his past life, Morrow always felt that deep within this palace, there might be a master comparable to Beyond hiding.
For example, some existence with a status similar to a chief eunuch...
This sense of déjà vu was simply too strong.
Morrow couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
Guided by the palace maids, Morrow soon arrived before Eve's bedchambers.
Beside the vermilion-red main door, by a thick cinnabar pillar, stood an old man with a chiseled face and bulging muscles all over his body. He looked to be around sixty years old.
Condensed aura, almost tangible, coiled around his body, flowing sluggishly like a bottomless, viscous swamp.
Morrow glanced at the aura on the old man, unconsciously drawing a connection to the old man from the Tree Hollow Organization.
The forms of their auras exuded a certain similarity.
The old man was also sizing up the aura on Morrow.
The flow of aura... it's so quiet.
At his age, how could he have cultivated to such a realm?
The old man's face remained impassive, but his heart jolted. He was secretly astonished by the profound mastery Morrow displayed in the form of his aura.
"Please follow me. Her Majesty has been waiting for a long time."
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, the old man made a gesture of invitation, then turned to lead the way, stepping into the bedchambers first.
Morrow said nothing, following closely behind the old man.
As expected, there's a master here. Seems to be a guard as well... Is this the foundation of a major power?
His gaze once again swept over the swamp-like, viscous aura on the old man, and Morrow couldn't help but think to himself.
Even a country like Kakin possessed numerous trump cards centered around Nen. A behemoth like the V5 was naturally not to be underestimated.
The two entered the bedchambers one after the other.
Just as he stepped into the hall, Morrow saw Eve, dressed in a white combat uniform, standing with her back to the door. Her posture was as straight as a blade, and she was toying with a short, gleaming dagger in her hand.
Hearing the footsteps of Morrow and the old man, she suddenly turned around.
The moment her eyes met Morrow's, an imperceptible glimmer flashed through her ruby-like eyes.
"Yigu, you may leave."
Eve's gaze shifted to the old man who had led Morrow in.
Yigu bowed his head slightly. "Your Majesty..."
"Are you confident you can beat him?"
Eve seemed to see through what he wanted to say and cut him off directly.
Yigu couldn't help but turn his head to look at Morrow beside him.
Confidence in defeating this young man?
Naturally, he had none.
Just from the faint traces revealed by that condensed aura, it was enough to judge that the other party was no ordinary person.
But he also heard another layer of meaning in Her Majesty's words.
If he didn't even have the confidence to defeat the person before him, then the so-called guard staying behind would be meaningless for Her Majesty's safety.
The conclusion was that staying and leaving directly made no difference.
"I am not."
Yigu answered truthfully.
In front of Her Majesty, he never uttered a single falsehood.
"Then leave."
Eve's tone was calm but allowed no room for argument.
"Yes."
This time, Yigu didn't hesitate any longer and turned to leave.
—--
A moment later, only Morrow and Eve were left in the vast hall.
Morrow looked toward the main door of the bedchambers and said calmly, "It seems he knows nothing about your ability."
With the "Soul Tuning" effect from the harp solo version of the "Sonata of Darkness," Eve could be directly resurrected after death.
However, a target resurrected by Soul Tuning would have their entire body carbonize after seven days, eventually turning to ash.
But the effect of Eve's Specialization ability, "Life as Dust," was that as long as there were people in the world willing to devote their lives to her, she could transfer the cost of abilities affecting her onto them...
So theoretically, as long as there were citizens in Kukan'yu willing to give their lives for Eve, she could use the combination of these two abilities to permanently evade the price of death.
The only thing to be wary of was that the "seven-day carbonization" cost could very well spread throughout the entire country like a plague.
One misstep could become the fuse for the nation's downfall.
And the old man named Yigu just now was clearly unaware that Eve possessed such an ability.
If he had known, he probably wouldn't have been so worried about her safety.
"An ability is a trump card. Keeping it a secret is the most basic principle, isn't it?"
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Eve's lips. Her gaze landed on Morrow's side profile, filled with a hint of inquiry. "I didn't expect you to come looking for me, and even less so... for a burial good that was sealed deep within the royal tomb a thousand years ago."
She paused, the interest in her eyes deepening. "However, what I'm more curious about is, where exactly did you learn about the 'Klein Bottle'?"
"Pro Hunters have their own channels for trading information," Morrow replied calmly, his expression unchanged. "As long as you can afford it, you can always buy the news you want."
He naturally wouldn't reveal Ging's existence, just casually finding an excuse to brush her off.
"Is that so..."
Eve didn't press further, instead cutting straight to the chase. "I can make the decision to gift you a Klein Bottle, but on two conditions."
"Let's hear them."
Morrow looked into Eve's eyes.
The corner of Eve's lips curled up slightly. "The first condition."
Before her voice had even faded, she actually stripped off her upper garment right in front of Morrow, leaving only a thin, form-fitting undergarment.
But the large portion of her skin exposed to the air was charcoal-black, and one could vaguely see plant fiber-like patterns spreading across it.
Looking at her half-carbonized body, a trace of surprise flashed in Morrow's eyes, but his expression remained calm as he asked, "What's wrong? Did overuse of your ability cause the ability you use to transfer the cost to fail?"
"That's part of the reason."
Eve had no intention of explaining further. She raised her right arm, which was carbonized from shoulder to elbow, and said bluntly, "Remove this cost for me. That is the first condition."
"And the second condition?"
Morrow, however, stood his ground and asked instead.
Eve's eyes flickered slightly. The memory that had made her sink into obsession suddenly surfaced in her mind. Amidst her pale, silver hair, her cheeks flushed a faint crimson with excitement and desire.
"I've obtained another 'Eye of Truth' card."
She didn't state the condition explicitly.
But Morrow already understood.
This woman...
Up until a moment ago, their contact and conversation had been normal.
So normal that it made him feel a little unfamiliar.
But looking at her reaction now, Morrow was certain she hadn't changed at all.
"..."
Morrow fell silent for a moment, then suddenly took a few steps forward, his right hand reaching directly for Eve's body.
This action, used for Exorcism, was tantamount to agreeing to the conditions Eve had proposed.
Eve smiled faintly, allowing Morrow's palm to touch the space between her collarbones.
Then, she saw the carbonization cost, triggered by the harp solo, transform into a stream of Nen as black as ink, completely devoured by Morrow's right hand.
In just four or five seconds, this carbonization cost, which had been troubling her for some time, was thus effortlessly removed by Morrow.
As this power of cost disappeared, Eve's body returned to its original state, her fair and graceful curves on full display.
But she didn't seem to mind her exposed state at all, merely staring intently at Morrow.
The combination of the harp solo and Life as Dust had been confirmed to be unusable without restraint.
That was why she had also borne part of the cost.
However, Morrow's existence... was like a key that could unlock this restraint for her.
At this moment, Eve was certain.
The man before her was one of a kind to her.
Morrow paid no mind to Eve's reaction. He inconspicuously glanced at the Tree Rings imprint on the back of his hand. The energy of the fifth Tree Ring had once again broken past 50%, stopping at around 58%.
Before absorbing the carbonization power from Eve, his fifth Tree Ring's energy was at about 35%, which meant he had converted 23% of energy in one go.
And this was only the residual cost on Eve's body. From this, it was clear... the number of sacrificial pawns that had formed this portion of the cost was likely not small.
"Seeing as you removed the cost for me so perfectly, I might as well tell you something upfront, lest you be disappointed later."
Eve slowly stretched, showing none of the dignity befitting the ruler of a nation.
"The Klein Bottle you want lost its effectiveness long ago. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been sent to the royal tomb as a burial good; it would have been completely destroyed long ago."
"It's fine."
Morrow nodded with a calm expression.
He had already taken so much; how could he be disappointed?
Besides, even if the Klein Bottle had lost its effectiveness, it still had value for research.
Perhaps through research, he could even comprehend its structure and principles, thereby mastering a higher level of spatial application ability.
"Let's begin the 'second condition.'"
Morrow looked at Eve, his tone as normal as ever.
A brilliant smile blossomed on Eve's face. With a raise of her hand, the Eye of Truth card appeared between her fingers.
The Nen space that had once intertwined their consciousnesses unfolded once more.
—--
A long time later, the space dissipated.
Their consciousnesses returned to reality.
Morrow's state was unchanged, his aura as steady as ever.
Eve, however, was slumped on the floor, her fair skin flushed crimson all over, her breathing rapid and chaotic.
The seemingly endless battle in the Nen space just now... the result was still the same.
Even though her current strength and skill were far superior to what they once were, she still couldn't even touch the corner of Morrow's clothes.
Not even once.
Not only that, but this time, Morrow gave her a feeling that was even more profound and unfathomable than before, like a bottomless abyss, making her even more intoxicated.
She could clearly feel... in those repeated cycles of being crushed and reborn in battle, her Nen Technique and aura amount had once again shown clear improvement.
"Morrow... you're interested in the Klein Bottle... Does that mean... you want to set foot on the forbidden continent...?"
Panting, Eve propped herself up. Her messy silver hair hung over her forehead as she struggled to catch her breath and looked at Morrow.
"Yes."
Morrow didn't deny it.
"But I want you to keep on living... for me."
Eve's voice dropped to a whisper, her fingers trailing along his arm.
—--
Somewhere in the capital of the Kukan'yu Kingdom, Ging reached out and caught the Klein Bottle that Morrow tossed to him, a look of astonishment on his face.
"What kind of magic did you use to get this so easily?!"
His investigation had shown... the existing Klein Bottle had long ago been sent deep into the royal tomb of the Kukan'yu Kingdom as a burial good.
To get one's hands on it was, without a doubt, an A-rank mission.