This trip to the Dark Continent was filled with countless dangers, and there were even several times they nearly lost their lives.
But risk is often proportional to reward.
The team not only successfully resolved several calamities but also brought back several "hopes."
Morrow's initial goal was the Nitro Rice; the other gains were of secondary importance to him.
Therefore, it was only after returning to the Six Continents that he had the time to carefully take stock of his harvest from this journey.
First was the epidermal tentacle tissue taken from the gigantified creature, Hezhogen.
It could perfectly insulate against high temperatures and fire damage, was light and thin, easy to store, and possessed excellent biological conformity.
Morrow named this hope the "Fire Cloak."
After the team divided it equally, the area of Fire Cloak he received was enough to completely cover the bodies of five adults.
The second hope was the "Water Droplet."
Each Water Droplet was only 5 millimeters in diameter, yet it stored about 10 tons of high-purity drinking water.
Due to their tiny size, they had brought a considerable number. After returning from the Dark Continent, Morrow still had about 20 of them left.
However, within the Six Continents, the practical use of the Water Droplets was not particularly outstanding.
The only uses Morrow could think of were to save them for the next trip to the Dark Continent or to use them as transformation material for the Alchemy Plant Metallion.
The flawless, top-quality gemstone in Biscuit's possession had been transformed from a single Water Droplet.
Of course, to transform it into an item of such high value, besides the inherent properties of the Water Droplet itself, a considerable amount of luck was also required.
The ability to transform that gemstone at the time was partly thanks to the random blessing of good luck bestowed by the Entropy Bird.
Biscuit was also aware of this, which was why she had proactively offered to compensate Morrow with one stalk of Nitro Rice before she took ownership of the gemstone.
Morrow accepted, and the other teammates had no objections.
Now, if he wanted to use the Water Droplets as transformation material for the alchemy plant again, he would probably still need to rely on the power of the Entropy Bird's Luck.
This also meant that Morrow's need for Tree Rings energy had become even greater.
The third hope he obtained was the Alchemy Plant Metallion.
Thanks to the preservative ability of the Toothed Leaf, he basically didn't have to worry about it withering.
This alchemy plant functioned like a Pandora's box full of infinite possibilities.
As long as Morrow was willing, he could use it to alchemize all sorts of unknown objects.
The fourth hope was the diving equipment obtained from the mobile metal city.
Morrow named it the "Water Suit."
Theoretically, as long as one possessed this equipment, they could travel freely through the oceans of the Six Continents.
If its operating mechanism could be analyzed, it might become the key opportunity for building the underwater city of "Atlantis."
However, the Water Suit, much like the Klein Bottle, was a Nen tool whose energy was almost completely depleted.
Before it could be put to use, it had to be reactivated by Morrow with Tree Rings energy.
And the Tree Rings energy Morrow could currently call upon was almost at rock bottom.
Therefore, before he collected enough Tree Rings energy again, he would not easily use either the Alchemy Plant Metallion or the Water Suit.
The fifth hope was the goal of this trip to the Dark Continent: the Nitro Rice.
Including the one Biscuit had given him, Morrow had two stalks in his possession.
He planned to give both of them, along with the one Kalluto had handed over to him, to Kurapika.
The last remaining stalk was for Ging.
But if nothing unexpected happened, Morrow knew that Ging would probably give this stalk of Nitro Rice to Netero in exchange for official permission to go to the Dark Continent.
Especially now that Morrow's team had returned fully loaded, this thought of Ging's would likely become even stronger and more urgent.
This was, more or less, the extent of Morrow's gains from his trip to the Dark Continent.
Actually, the preservative ability of the "Toothed Leaf" could barely be considered a hope as well.
But this was predicated on it being used properly.
In any case, Morrow wouldn't view them as a means of attack, but rather as a tool, like a refrigerator.
And after implanting them with a Star Mark, he didn't need to worry that their revival might threaten the safety of the Six Continents in the form of a calamity.
Besides the Toothed Leaf, there was also a glowing stone transformed from the Alchemy Plant Metallion.
Compared to the several hopes he had obtained, the value of the glowing stone seemed minuscule.
But in terms of practicality, it was also quite convenient.
With my current strength, I can totally build up momentum under the name of the strongest Exorcist, thereby forming a stable collection channel.
Regarding how to quickly collect Tree Rings energy, the method Morrow thought of was to expand his influence by shaping his identity as the strongest Exorcist and use the remuneration from his Exorcism work to purchase items imbued with aura in large quantities.
This way, a virtuous cycle could be formed.
However, this would also likely attract some trouble.
Superpowers like Kakin possessed death squads that used Post-Mortem Will for curses, and the other V5 nations very likely had similar teams.
To them, they would presumably be unwilling to see an extremely powerful Exorcist active on the world stage.
Morrow might have had reservations about this in the past, but the him of today no longer needed to be so timid.
Anyway, I'll deal with the matters at hand first...
Morrow silently calculated in his mind.
—--
Early the next morning.
Chimera took flight from the deserted island, carrying everyone toward the nearest continent, Yorbian.
In just half a day, it reached a deserted coastline.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, the group chose to part ways on this coastline.
The trip to the Dark Continent had kept every member of the team on edge for several months.
Now that they were finally back in the safe Six Continents, their first thought was naturally to relax for a while.
The team parted ways here for the time being, agreeing to reunite after a certain period.
Morrow said goodbye to Biscuit and the others one by one, watching them head in the direction of the nearest town.
"Chimera, do you want to relax for a while too?"
After Biscuit and the others' figures disappeared from view, Morrow turned to look at Chimera behind him.
Hearing this, Chimera immediately recalled the joyous time yesterday hunting freely and feasting to its heart's content in the sea, and it nodded its head vigorously.
Seeing its reaction, Morrow knew that yesterday's underwater buffet had left a lasting impression on Chimera. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, raising a hand to gently pat the bird's head as it leaned in.
"Then before you relax, give me a ride for a bit longer."
Morrow still had to find Kurapika. Thinking it over, there was a long stretch of the journey where he wouldn't encounter any humans, so Chimera could take him part of the way. For the remaining portion, he would consider walking or taking public transport.
"Roar!"
Chimera responded happily.
The Entropy Bird stood quietly on Morrow's shoulder.
Under the cover of its mosaic-like sheen, no one could see its tightly closed eyes.
It was sleeping.
It believed that this state of hibernation could reduce its energy consumption.
That's right.
When it came to energy, the Entropy Bird was always stingy and calculating, never wasting even a sliver if it could be saved!
—--
Two days later.
Chimera dropped Morrow off in an Evil Enclave not yet under human control.
Such areas were usually off-limits to unauthorized personnel and thus rarely visited.
Morrow landed here. As long as he walked out of this Evil Enclave in one direction, he could walk all the way to a relatively backward, or rather, more nature-oriented village.
From there, another walk of about a hundred kilometers would lead him to the Spiral Forest where Kurapika was.
If he didn't want to walk, he could also rent domesticated animals like Pikos or horses, which were specially prepared for travelers in the village.
But for Morrow, these were completely unnecessary, so he could also bypass the village and head directly to the Spiral Forest.
"Chimera, try not to be seen by humans, and don't interfere with human activities, understand?"
Before bidding farewell to Chimera, Morrow gave it a special instruction.
Previously, when Chimera was hunting in the sea, it had accidentally capsized a fishing boat.
Fortunately, there were no casualties.
Chimera was always obedient and had firmly remembered that lesson. So, upon hearing Morrow's reminder, it nodded repeatedly, indicating that it would be careful at all times.
Morrow smiled and then watched Chimera flap its wings and depart.
Only when its figure had become a small black dot in the sky did Morrow set off for the Spiral Forest.
He didn't use Shooting Star, but the strength of his legs, enhanced by Nen alone, was enough to turn him into an afterimage difficult to discern with the naked eye.
He sped along like a bolt of lightning.
Occasionally, travelers along the way would catch a glimpse of him flashing past like a shadow and cry out in astonishment.
Morrow paid them no mind and continued to race onward, soon arriving at the edge of the Spiral Forest.
He confirmed his direction from memory and then went deep into the woods.
Perhaps because the pressure emanating from his mobilized aura was too intense, countless creatures in the forest scattered and fled in terror wherever he passed.
This was not Morrow's intention.
It was mainly because his current aura output level was too terrifying. Even a wisp of aura lingering from his mobilized Nen was like a tangible and immense deterrent to other creatures.
Even the magical beasts currently living in the various Evil Enclaves would, due to their naturally sharp senses, clearly perceive the bottomless threat within Morrow's aura.
The commotion Morrow caused inevitably alerted Kurapika, who was near the resting place of the Kurta Clan.
Normally, a large-scale flight of creatures often heralded an impending natural disaster.
But Kurapika noticed that these fleeing creatures seemed more to be terrified of some predator-like existence.
It could be a magical beast, or perhaps a reckless Nen user who was poaching.
Kurapika silently watched the birds, beasts, and insects flee in the same direction, then turned and returned to his simple wooden cabin to retrieve a pair of wooden dual swords.
He walked out of the cabin to a clearing in front, crossed the dual swords and stood them upright, and stared expressionlessly in the opposite direction of the creatures' flight.
Just four or five seconds later.
A powerful and unfamiliar aura permeated from the depths of the forest.
Kurapika's expression changed slightly, but he still bore the oppressive pressure indifferently. The dual swords in his hands did not move an inch.
Just then, Morrow's questioning voice came from the forest: "Kurapika, where's your aura?"
"–!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Kurapika froze for a moment. The indifference on his face melted away like spring snow, replaced by a hint of reserved surprise.
His current aura was as faint as a candle in the wind; it was truly difficult for him to withstand Morrow's overflowing aura head-on.
But he hadn't expected that this unfamiliar and powerful aura actually came from Morrow.
"It might be because I overused my ability, or maybe because..."
Faced with Morrow's question, Kurapika quickly put down his wooden swords but stopped halfway through his answer.
He didn't specifically mention the matter of his lifespan, but continued to explain, "Two months ago, my Nen began to slowly dissipate. Now, there's almost nothing left."
As soon as he finished, he changed the subject, "Morrow, why are you here..."
"What, I can't come see you?" Morrow asked back with a smile as he walked out from the woods.
"Of course you can."
A smile appeared on Kurapika's face. "I'll go get you some water."
As soon as he said that, he quickly placed the wooden dual swords on the woodpile by the house, then pushed open the wooden door and went inside.
Morrow glanced briefly at the simple wooden cabin, sighed softly in his heart, and sat down directly on a chair carved from a tree stump in the clearing outside.
It was a set of a table and chairs.
But there were three chairs in total.
Clearly, they were prepared for him and Kalluto.
Morrow also noticed that the surfaces of the table and chairs were exceptionally clean, with almost no dust visible.
He figured Kurapika must wipe them often, or perhaps he spent most of his time sitting here, quietly gazing at the resting place of his Kurta Clan brethren.
Morrow sighed silently again, took out two stalks of Nitro Rice from his backpack, and placed them on the spotless wooden table.
When Kurapika came out of the house holding a wooden cup, his eyes immediately fell on the two stalks of Nitro Rice on the table, which were plump and radiating a rich life force.
But he only glanced at them before his gaze quickly returned to Morrow.
"This is brewed with Spiral Fruit extract. It'll taste a bit sour, but it's very nutritious," Kurapika said softly as he handed over the wooden cup.
Morrow took the cup and had a sip. It was indeed sour, but it also carried a fresh, natural flavor.
"Not bad."
He smiled at Kurapika, then pointed at the Nitro Rice and said, "This is a local specialty that Kalluto and I brought for you."
"A local specialty?"
Kurapika looked at the Nitro Rice again with slight confusion.
"It looks like... some kind of mushroom."
"Mhm, its name is fungal-state Nitro Rice. One stalk can extend your life by about a hundred years."
Morrow's tone was as casual as if he were commenting on the nice weather, but the weight of his words was heavy enough to make the air thicken slightly.
Kurapika was stunned.
Morrow didn't give him time to react and added, "Kalluto and I ate nine stalks in total. In a few years, we'll probably go back and pick some more."
He was hiding his true intentions, but he wasn't lying.
And he said it so casually, as if they were just wild fruits that could be picked at will in the forest.
But Kurapika understood.
He understood the hardships he had deliberately omitted, and he understood the sentiment hidden beneath his nonchalant tone.
Kurapika lowered his gaze, staring for a long time at the two stalks of Nitro Rice on the table, which must have been incredibly difficult to obtain.
The caps were smooth, the veins lifelike. Every inch seemed to silently narrate a certain preciousness that had crossed a continent.
"Morrow."
"Hm?"
"I'm very grateful to you and Kalluto, but..."
Kurapika said in a low voice, "I'm not worthy of such a sacrifice from you."
The wooden cup was suddenly placed gently back on the table, making a soft clink.
Morrow looked at him and suddenly asked, "If Kalluto and I were in danger, would you risk your life to save us?"
He didn't wait for Kurapika's response, but answered for him in a more certain voice, "You would, and you wouldn't hesitate for even a moment."
Kurapika, who had been about to give a firm reply, was stunned once more.
He slowly raised his eyes, looking at the important person opposite him who had shone like a light into the darkest moments of his life.
Morrow smiled. "The wind is free, and I hope you are too, Kurapika..."
After a pause, his gaze followed a tree branch swaying in the wind toward the Kurta Clan's resting place ahead.
"Go see the outside world. That was your promise with Pairo, wasn't it?"
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Bonus chapter @200ps