Ging tilted his head, looking at the young man and said, "I never expected this depth!"
Ging's eyes gleamed as he scrutinized Roy, "If Silva Zoldyck and Zeno Zoldyck are like you, with such frequent abilities, then it's truly terrifying."
"You're scared too?"
"Of course."
Ging glanced at Roy and raised a finger to point at the image of the young man standing shoulder to shoulder with "the aged him" and said, "Don't let him turn around; I don't want to meet him just yet."
"Do you know who he is?" Roy's brows furrowed as he glanced sideways.
Ging crossed his arms and snorted, "Who else but my son?"
The man rolled his eyes, "The dragon slayer becomes the evil dragon; foreseeing the future, consumed by it. Roy, you've exposed your 'line'."
Ging hooked his foot, lifting a thin line that connected both he and the young master, representing the line of fate formed by the bond between Roy and Ging.
Indeed... "As expected of one of the world's top five Nen users." Roy sincerely praised, at least... "Even Razor didn't notice."
"It's not that he didn't notice, it's just... he doesn't have that kind of awareness," Ging gently pinched the line of fate, a milky white thread indistinguishable from a Nen Line, yet immovable, indestructible, unless both parties erase all memories of each other, it will persist until both perish.
"Crrr..." The brief three-second foresight expired, and the future... the image of Gon and Ging meeting at the summit of the withered World Tree shattered like a mirror...
Ging exhaled with a complex feeling of nostalgia and regret, looking again at the young man with a deep gaze, "Razor doesn't understand 'faith', nor did he ever consider... that you, Roy Zoldyck, would one day embark on this path of 'faith'!"
"The dragon slayer becomes the evil dragon, since you can see it." Roy calmly met Ging's eyes, "It shows you've stepped onto the path too!"
"Have you read 'Journey to the New Continent'?"
"Have you been to the Dark Continent?"
"No."
"No."
In the vast and boundless inner world, the man and the boy spoke simultaneously, then fell silent as if peering through time to see another version of themselves, equally adventurous and explorative, they both silenced at once.
"Hwaaah..." The past belonging to Ging unfurled on the screen of the inner world.
There were warm images of him and Mite living on Whale Island during childhood, there was the scene of the man fishing out the King of the Swamp from the forest for the first time, of him bidding farewell to Mite, comforting a crying little girl, vowing to return, though in truth, he went to take the Hunter Exam, exploring ruins, and not returning for long... until Roy saw Ging retrieving a woman from an ice coffin... the images shivered...
With a flick of his sleeves, Ging gently wiped away all images.
That woman... Roy noticed Ging's unusual behavior and silently remembered her appearance.
Ging said, "That's my wife; there's no need for you to see our couple's affairs."
Saying this, detecting a sense of rejection... Roy's awareness faded, he withdrew from Ging's inner world, then… through the third and fourth mind bugs, he surfaced again in the pasts of Wutong and Alena, and returned to Demon Slayer...
The young man awoke from "meditation," surrounded by a circle of people.
There were Gyomei Himejima, Kyojuro Rengoku, Tomioka Giyu... Shinazugawa Sanemi, Tokitou Muichirou, and the Nine Hashira.
Roy smiled and shared with everyone the training methods of "Nen" or (Divine Power), which involved the [Four Major Principles], slowly... absorbing and burying the residual images in his mind, moments later, discussing a plan to suppress Kibutsuji Muzan with Ubuyashiki Kagaya and the Nine Hashira.
"I understand Kibutsuji Muzan, he's actually a sensitive, suspicious, yet cowardly person by nature."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya was already able to sit up on his own, regaining the lightweight feeling of youth after a brief rest, even the confidence and speed of his speech fastened...
"So, as I mentioned last time to Lord Eiichiro, from the intelligence gathered recently, it seems he plans to retreat again... always waiting for Lord Eiichiro to perish before coming out."
Indeed, compared to the long lifespan of demons, humans are like a fleeting blossom, just a momentary existence, moreover... Roy currently bears the fatal condition [Curse], placed perfectly... without the intention or preparation to endure a long battle with Muzan.
"Blue Spider Lily... let's see if he can resist the temptation to become a perfect being...."
Taisho 2, also the Full-time Calendar 1987, April 27th, morning.
After a whole night of the Hashira Alliance Meeting, smoothly inducting the Nine Hashira into Entry Level... Roy and Ubuyashiki Kagaya devised a plan with the "Blue Spider Lily" and the Nine Hashira, leaving the Ubuyashiki Clan's residence overnight, and impromptu slaughtering some evil ghosts, earning thirty points of Life Energy...
Then, through "Deep Sleep," traversed the colorful dream passage back to the Hunter World.
As usual, after his morning run, he accompanied Wutong to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, preparing to set out to the underwater secret realm, to capture the "Elephant Tapir".
This day's breakfast included mashed potatoes with chickpeas, sausage and eggs with buttered bread, plus a bowl of fresh seafood soup,
The young man leisurely enjoyed his meal with Wutong attending him, instructing the butler to sit alongside and dine together, ignoring many formalities.
"Clack~" Nearby, several chairs were drawn by two men and a woman… Ging, Razor sat beside Roy, Alena adjusted the blue light glasses perched on her nose bridge, glancing at Roy.
The young man scooped a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth, his expression calm, as if knowing nothing of last night's events, treating the cast gaze as air.
"Ahem..." A light cough broke the awkward silence... Ging signaled Alena.
The woman took another deep look at Roy, recalling how he suddenly appeared in her "dream" last night, catching her off guard, she sorted through her chaotic feelings, and using her Nen ability [Mastery of the Whole] conjured a blue screen, telling everyone, "I've already rented the ship in advance, we depart at nine in the morning, estimated arrival at the target area by two in the afternoon, afterwards..."
Alena scanned the group, "Then it's up to everyone's skills; find a way to withstand the water pressure to delve into the sea depths and enter the ruins."
A human's diving ability isn't limitless; hindered by water pressure and the diminishing oxygen levels as the sea bed deepens, to the near absence of oxygen in such depths, simply [reaching the sea bed], this initial goal, is an unachievable task for a normal person!
Roy finished breakfast, calmly wiped his mouth with a napkin, and cast a casual glance at Ging, disbelieving he did not prepare in advance.
"[Seawater Evade] is a Nen ability I mastered earlier." Sensing Roy and Razor's gaze, Ging took Alena's cue, holding up three fingers, "It allows me to freely move in and out of the sea depths without being limited by water pressure or oxygen; the condition... including myself, can only carry two people."
Excluding him and Alena, this meant... Roy, Razor, and Wutong present must decide among themselves, for the remaining two... must fend for themselves.
"I don't need it." Whether water pressure or oxygen constraints, it ultimately tests one's cardiopulmonary capacity... and coincidentally, Roy, mastering the Breathing Technique, excelled at "cardiopulmonary", frankly speaking, even without "Sun Breathing", relying solely on the "Water Breathing" properties... Roy in water, is like a fish to water, effortlessly maneuvering.
"I don't need it either. Neither do I." In a master-servant mutual connection, Roy considered this factor, Wutong simultaneously thought of it too.
He followed Roy, on the side...
Razor looked at them, thoughtfully, "Is it relying on 'Water Breathing'?"
Ging and Alena raised their brows, looking over, "?"