In the distant past, the Dark Continent had a much harsher living environment than now.
The phenomenon of the strong preying on the weak played out almost every second.
And the application of Nen was not exclusive to the ancient humans.
Other creatures, far surpassing ancient humans in both size and physical strength, could also use advanced Nen Techniques, and even materialize even more exaggerated things.
In that era, the use of advanced Nen Techniques was as common as drinking plain water, and various bizarre and unavoidable Nen Abilities emerged endlessly.
You could not imagine a monster, hundreds of meters high like a mountain, using Nen Abilities containing rule-based power, displaying wisdom in every aspect.
And you could not imagine a creature the size of a hamster injecting the principles of rubber springs into its Nen, forming a powerful attack concentrated on a single point, enough to defeat creatures hundreds of times its own size.
The flower known as the power of imagination bloomed in every corner of the Dark Continent in that era.
Consequently, survival became an extremely difficult endeavor.
Every moment, it was either eat or be eaten.
Countless diverse creatures were all sprinting on the path of evolution.
Falling behind meant elimination... sprinting meant constant devouring.
Those who ate were surely running ahead.
Those who were eaten were trampled into dust.
A new species would appear in a short time and also go extinct in a short time.
This phenomenon was everywhere.
So, how did ancient humans manage to gain a foothold in such an environment and even expand their population?
What they relied on was the Materialization System Nen Ability that Law had already learned about before.
What he heard was different from what he saw with his own eyes.
Having absorbed so much memory information, Law felt as if he had seen with his own eyes the ability of ancient humans to casually materialize various things.
Only fellow Nen Users could deeply understand how incredible that ability was.
It was with this power that ancient humans gained a foothold on the Dark Continent and changed the entire framework of the Dark Continent.
The reason ancient humans could be so formidable stemmed from a concept called Doublethink, which could also be understood as Dual Imagination.
Before introducing their Materialization System apprentice to the basics, veteran Nen Users would often first propose a concept.
These concepts were generally as follows:
Can there exist a sword that cannot be broken?
Can there exist armor that is impenetrable?
Can there exist a flame that never extinguishes?
The various statements arising from these concepts were meant to make the Materialization System novice recognize a reality: what a Nen User materializes originates from the limits of their own cognition.
Therefore, no matter what a Nen User ultimately materializes, it is confined to the individual's cognition.
For example, a Materialization System Nen User wanting to create a sword that cannot be broken, no matter how hard they try, cannot materialize such a thing.
The reason is that others will tell you: impossible, impossible, impossible!
The user themselves, in the depths of their subconscious, will also believe it's impossible.
This is the barrier and obstruction.
Human thought is inevitably and continuously influenced by the outside world. What an individual considers truth is absolutely correct, and as long as it is a fact, it is absolutely beyond doubt.
That is to say, human cognition of things originates from past processes of understanding things and the results of continuous external influence.
Thus, external influence and personal experience make you understand that what you eat digests and turns into feces and urine.
Then, regarding this process, can you arrive at a different answer and result?
If someone asked you this, could you answer that it's impossible for it not to turn into feces and urine?
You might be able to answer, but your personal consciousness would automatically deny it, unless you are not a normal person.
Everything is relative, either right or wrong.
Doublethink is the ability to simultaneously accept two contradictory facts.
Applying this concept to Materialization System abilities, it can be called Dual Imagination.
Ancient humans were the best at this. In a world environment where pigs couldn't possibly be purple-blue, they could wholeheartedly believe in the fact that pigs are purple-blue, so they could easily materialize a purple-blue pig, breaking the inherent cognition.
This kind of thinking is similar to deep self-deception.
However, while acknowledging this as a lie, they also accept it as truth. The ability born from this reasonably existing contradiction is precisely the ability for imagination to flow unimpeded and materialize.
The ancient humans capable of Doublethink were beings akin to creators.
They created Nen Beasts like Coo, created weapons like Chucu, and also created Menders that housed thoughts and souls.
After obtaining this information, comparing it with the current situation of Nen Users on the Six Continents, it is not difficult to see that every Nen User on the Six Continents is born with a set of shackles.
Law looked at Chucu from afar, his gaze flickering slightly.
"Law, are you really okay?"
Nique looked at Law with strange eyes.
First, he kept sweating, then upon opening his eyes, he immediately started contemplating, and kept looking at Chucu.
Such behavior was truly bizarre.
Law patted Nique's shoulder, indicating he was fine.
In reality, he was now suffering from a severe headache, persistent nausea, and the urge to vomit.
He didn't stay in the planting area any longer. He walked towards the exit, while also watching Chucu, who was being unilaterally interacted with by Ging.
'Ancient humans have always existed...'
Law thought silently.
The Nen Beasts and weapons created by ancient humans were a small part of their thoughts and souls.
Just like Kuro, who was derived from Law's soul.
Perhaps, the nourishment needed for derivation might be the evil deeply rooted in the heart, while Hakuro, who currently cannot leave the book, is the positive kindness.
This master-servant relationship, even if the master, the ancient humans, went extinct, the servants like Coo and Chucu who could continue to survive could not escape this relationship.
They were like small seeds differentiated from the souls and thoughts of ancient humans, turning into the individuals they are now.
But no matter how they change in the future, they are essentially still fragments of the ancient humans' souls.
There is no telling how many beings like them exist on the Dark Continent, let alone the higher-level Menders.
Even the World Tree at the center of the Dark Continent might have originally been a sapling created by ancient humans.
Based on previously available information, Law thought the Menders had wiped out the ancient humans.
But that was not the case.
What wiped out the ancient humans was their own thoughts.
To make their souls and thoughts eternal, they created the Menders.
And each book, at the very beginning, was a blank page.
It could be painted with colors, or painted with black.
It could be inscribed with kind words, or engraved with vicious ones.