******
City of Hope,
As Lev walked through the City of Hope, he couldn't help but notice that, just as he had read, the city had a strong Indian influence, evident in both its architecture and the clothing of its inhabitants. Thanks to his evolved Observation Haki, he could also see the Food Spirits scattered throughout the city, many of whom were surprised to find Lev staring directly at them.
Their clothing further reinforced Lev's impression of the city's Indian influence. Most of the Food Spirits wore loose-fitting robes and garments, while others wore little more than thin pants and vests. Almost everyone in the kingdom also went barefoot.
"You've finally come here. We never had the chance to meet you properly since you were always busy playing with Bambina. Anyway, welcome to the City of Hope!"
A particular Food Spirit, a human with distinct monkey-like features, greeted Lev enthusiastically, accompanied by several other Food Spirits who lived in the city.
Lev, however, didn't immediately respond. Instead, he simply stared at the Food Spirit before him.
This was the first time he had ever spoken to a spirit, and he couldn't help but feel somewhat skeptical about the whole situation.
"Yeah. It's nice to meet you all. I'll be staying here for the time being, and I promise I won't disturb any of you. In fact, I want to ask for your permission first."
Lev paused for a moment before continuing.
"I plan to rebuild this place and restore it to its former glory."
He had already decided to make the City of Hope his territory.
"We're already dead, so worldly matters no longer concern us. In fact, we would be indebted to you if you uphold your promise."
The Food Spirit smiled as he spoke.
"Is that so? Don't worry. This place will be restored in no time."
Lev smiled as he looked around at all the Food Spirits gathered in the area.
With that, Lev began talking with the Food Spirits about the history of the City of Hope and various other matters. Nakime, meanwhile, simply followed behind him, growing increasingly curious about who exactly he was talking to.
Despite looking around and even enhancing her perception, she was certain that there was no one else around them.
*********
—Four Months Later—
City of Hope,
In just four months, the ruined City of Hope had finally regained its former color.
All the ruined buildings throughout the city had been rebuilt to their original state. Furthermore, the surrounding plantations and forests had been revived and were now once again bearing fruits and crops. This transformation was all thanks to Lev's clones, who had spent the past four months tirelessly working under his orders.
It was a short amount of time, but even so, it had been enough for Lev to fulfill his promise.
The only thing missing now was its people.
At present, only Lev, Nakime, his clones, and the Food Spirits were residing in the area.
"Nakime, what's the current situation with Alpha and the others?" Lev asked as he looked toward Nakime. It had already been more than a year since they had arrived on this continent.
"They're still out there in the wild, Master. They're still looking for this place," Nakime replied, continuing her nonstop monitoring.
"And the Monkey King?"
"The Monkey King is currently resting in the 100G Mountain, Master," Nakime answered.
"Is that so?" Lev muttered upon hearing her response.
Speaking of the Monkey King, Bambina, Lev had never stopped visiting him throughout the past four months. However, he had stopped constantly playing with him and instead only occasionally joined him for a game. The main purpose of his visits was now simply to spend time with Bambina and converse with him, despite the Monkey King being incapable of human speech.
They might not have been able to communicate through words, but their actions and the connection they had developed had brought them surprisingly close—much like the bond Lev had formed with Heracles back in Area 8.
In fact, there were times when the two of them would simply sit in silence, absentmindedly staring toward the horizon.
That was how close they had become.
"Hmmm. I doubt they'll be able to find this place. It's time to call them back."
Lev muttered as he realized that Alpha and the others were only wasting their time and effort searching for the City of Hope. This continent was simply too vast, and finding this place without any clues was practically impossible.
"Nakime, I'll go out and meet them."
With that, Lev turned around and left.
"I'll be waiting for your return, Master," Nakime said as she watched Lev walk away.
In truth, Lev could have simply teleported directly to Alpha and the others. However, he wanted to take the opportunity to look around the continent himself.
After all, he had barely had the chance to do so since arriving here. Most of his time had been spent playing with Bambina in the 100G Mountain.
*****
—North Mountain Area—
At this moment, Lev could be found flying across the continent. It was the first time he had actually taken the time to travel through the continent this way, and he couldn't help but appreciate the beautiful scenery below him.
He didn't even mind the occasional appearance of beasts that tried to devour him. Because, the moment he released a small amount of his killing intent, all of them immediately fled.
Speaking of predation, thanks to the efforts of Alpha and the others, the rules governing this continent had now been completely broken. Everyone was free to eat whatever they wanted and as much as they wanted without needing permission from the Four Masters.
Because of this, the atmosphere of the continent had gradually begun returning to what one would normally expect from the wild.
"Tomoe's nearby," Lev muttered.
The northern area of the continent was currently under Tomoe's jurisdiction. With that in mind, Lev increased his speed and headed toward the location where the Shadow Soldier he had placed on Tomoe was sending its signal.
Meanwhile, somewhere within the North Mountain Area, Tomoe could be seen grilling meat alongside a number of monkeys who were doing the same.
Judging by how naturally they interacted with one another, it seemed that everyone had gotten along quite well as they waited for their meat to finish cooking.
Thud.
Suddenly, a subtle sound caught their attention.
Everyone immediately turned toward the source of the noise. Upon seeing an unfamiliar human approaching them, the monkeys instantly became wary and raised their guard, seemingly believing that this unknown human had come to steal the meat they were grilling.
"Tomoe. That's not how you grill meat."
Lev's voice suddenly interrupted them.
"Let me."
Lev stepped forward as he looked at the meat.
"Thank you, Master."
Tomoe smiled upon seeing him.
It had been more than a year since they had last met, and finally seeing Lev again made her genuinely excited.
The monkeys, on the other hand, looked back and forth between the two of them. Although they couldn't understand what was happening, they could tell that Lev wasn't an enemy.
With that, Lev took over the grilling and began preparing the meat for everyone.
As soon as he started cooking, Tomoe and the monkeys watched him with anticipation. Before long, they were already drooling at the delicious aroma coming from the meat.
"Master, I thought we wouldn't meet again until we found the Ancient Civilization of this continent. Does that mean Shizuku or the others have already found it?" Tomoe suddenly asked.
That had been the original plan, after all.
"Shizuku is still looking for it, but Nakime has already found it. That's why I'm out here. It's time for us to see each other again after more than a year."
Lev answered with a smile.
"Oohh."
Tomoe nodded in understanding.
"Also, the time for us to leave this continent is getting closer. I hope your training here has been worthwhile because the next continent we're heading to will be quite challenging."
Lev couldn't help but think about what awaited them in the future.
Hearing this, Tomoe's expression immediately became serious.
"Anyway, training is important, but eating is equally important. Everyone, let's eat!"
Lev said as he looked at the perfectly grilled meat.
With that, Tomoe and the monkeys immediately shifted their attention toward the food.
The aroma was already too tempting for them to resist. None of them could understand what Lev had done differently, but the meat he had prepared was clearly far more appetizing than what they had been grilling themselves.
After adding a few finishing touches, Lev and the others immediately began eating.
The monkeys especially enjoyed themselves. Their laughter echoed throughout the area as they ate and danced alongside everyone, completely forgetting about their earlier wariness toward the unfamiliar human.
Not long after, Lev and Tomoe finally bid farewell to everyone. It was time for them to leave and find the others.
The monkeys happily saw them off as the two disappeared into the distance.
**********
—Night—
City of Hope,
After spending the day roaming around the continent, Lev had finally met up with the others and brought them back to the City of Hope. They were now gathered around a table, enjoying dinner together.
Alpha and the others were extremely happy to finally meet Lev again after more than a year, especially the four who had been given the mission of defeating the Four Masters of the continent.
Shizuku, on the other hand, was happy to see Lev as well, but there was also a hint of disappointment on her face. Upon realizing that she was the only one who had failed to complete her mission, she couldn't help but feel ashamed. She remained silent while everyone else enjoyed the food on the table.
"Everyone, good job completing your missions. It might not have gone perfectly, but regardless, well done."
Lev looked at everyone with a smile.
"Shizuku, I know you're disappointed, but don't be. Finding the Ancient Civilization on this enormous continent was practically impossible, especially since it is an underground civilization. You may not have completed your mission, but I know how much effort you put into it. With that, thank you."
Lev turned his attention toward Shizuku, who had remained unusually quiet in her seat.
"M-Master…"
Shizuku couldn't help but feel touched by Lev's words.
She straightened herself and silently resolved to complete whatever mission he gave her next. She would give it the same effort she had given this time—or even more.
"Since we're already here, I might as well tell everyone that we won't be staying here for much longer. Once I'm finished with the matter I'm currently working on, we'll immediately leave."
Lev decided to make the announcement.
"For the remaining time we have here, I want all of you to eat as many delicious ingredients as you can and become stronger than you are now. Also, it's time for the five of you to meet the King of this continent. I want you to see for yourselves the level of power you need to surpass, just like Heracles back in Area 8."
"Master, between Bambina and Heracles, who do you think is stronger?"
Ghislaine suddenly asked, clearly curious about the power of the so-called Eight Kings.
Hearing this, the others also became interested. They turned toward Lev, waiting for his answer.
"Well, if we base it on their Capture Levels, Heracles' Capture Level is much higher than Bambina's in his contained form. You'll understand what I'm talking about when you see him."
Lev paused for a moment.
"But if we're talking about their peak forms, and taking my personal bias into consideration, I'd say Bambina is much stronger than Heracles."
"But you shouldn't really judge their strength solely based on Capture Level. That's true not only for the Eight Kings but also for other creatures and even ingredients. You'd be surprised if you encountered an ingredient with a much higher Capture Level than a particular beast."
"But among the Eight Kings, who do you think is the strongest, Master?"
This time, Shion asked the question.
"For me, personally, I may not have seen all of them in person yet, but based on what I know, I would say the Whale King 'Moon' is the strongest overall."
Lev answered after giving it some thought.
"The Whale King, 'Moon'? Isn't that the king of the next continent we're heading to?"
Alpha suddenly recalled upon hearing Lev's answer.
The others also realized the same thing and immediately turned toward Lev, clearly wanting to hear more.
"That's right. Aside from Whale King 'Moon' being my choice for the strongest overall, Area 6 is also arguably the most dangerous continent among the others."
Lev spoke truthfully.
"The reason I say that is because the danger there isn't simply about facing powerful monsters. The environment itself is an enormous obstacle. The deeper we go, the more extreme the threats become."
"Anyway, we'll talk more about Area 6 when the time comes. For now, let's focus on what we have in front of us."
With that, Lev ended their discussion about Area 6.
The conversation soon shifted to other matters, with Lev and the others continuing to talk and enjoy their dinner together.
Eventually, the night grew late, and one by one, they retired for the evening, finally settling down to rest after their long journey across the continent.