People in the Dark Continent had no idea what was happening on the Six Continents.
…
Sword Grass Plain.
The night sky was filled with stars, stretching out brilliant rivers of stars, but there was no sign of the moon.
Starlight cascaded onto the wind-swept grassland, dyeing it a frosty color.
On a flat area that had been hollowed out, a campfire was lit.
The fuel was the roots of sword grass, which were flammable, but the sharp blades of grass were not suitable for starting a fire.
At the edge of the flat area, many sword grass blades lay scattered.
These grass blades were as sharp as swords, hence the name.
A gentle breeze was enough to cut an ordinary person's body in two.
But a Nen User's defense could easily withstand the sharp sword grass.
Above the campfire hung a piece of meat about the size of a small car.
The grease dripping from the flames slid down the edge of the glistening meat into the fire. The spices evenly sprinkled on the meat's surface were baked by the high heat, emitting a deep, rich aroma.
In front of the campfire, Don Freecss sat cross-legged casually. His hood had been removed, revealing short, gray-white hair. His face was etched with the marks of time, but his eyes were bright and piercing, clashing with his aged appearance.
On the other side of the campfire, the Skeleton sat upright, occasionally casting a cautious glance at Don Freecss, whose attention was focused on the meat.
Anyone else would have been attracted by the deeply aromatic roasted meat, but the Skeleton's favorite was not meat, so he chose to ignore it.
From the falling giant creature, to recognizing the other's identity, to this moment, the Skeleton had only spoken one sentence. He hadn't had a chance to speak since, and Don Freecss had only said a few words.
"Oh?"
"Sit down."
"Wait for dinner."
So, the Skeleton cooperated by sitting, then watched as Don Freecss swiftly cleared a flat area with lightning speed, used a skilled technique that could captivate one's gaze to extract a branched knuckle bone from the bird's hind leg, and skewered a large piece of meat.
By nightfall, this was the scene before them.
From starting the fire until now, Don Freecss hadn't said a word. The Skeleton didn't dare to breathe too loudly, let alone ask Don Freecss about his intentions.
Maybe this was fate.
Before absorbing the silver-haired woman, even if he subconsciously had the thought of speaking, it would just be the sound of teeth clattering together.
But after absorbing the silver-haired woman's 'nourishment', perhaps because his power level had increased, even in his incomplete state, he could produce sound through red light.
Now that he had fully absorbed the silver-haired woman's 'nourishment', uttering complete syllables was as easy as drinking water.
And precisely because of that, the moment he saw Don Freecss, he instinctively blurted out his name.
If he hadn't said the name, given Don Freecss's demeanor, he might have let him go.
One could only say, this really was fate.
Back in the Forest of Medusa, absorbing the silver-haired woman's severed arm was an inevitable result. Thus, mastering the technique of producing sound through red light to communicate with Law was also an inevitable result, which then led to this encounter with Don Freecss...
Drip.
Grease dripped into the fire, slightly sizzling, and a strange fragrance spread out.
The Skeleton silently watched the blazing fire, thinking sadly about how bad his luck had been lately.
In the past, when he 'roamed rampant' in the Dark Continent, had he ever been so passive?
Out of all the humans or Humanoids he had encountered over the years, weren't they all weaker than him?
But what was happening lately? First, he encountered the terrifyingly powerful Law. Then, after finally regaining his freedom, he reunites with Don Freecss here?
The Skeleton knew very well that both Law and Don Freecss were existences he couldn't afford to provoke.
So, even though he was extremely reluctant, he had to go along with the situation, cooperate with the other party, and remain completely passive.
After a while, Don Freecss, who had been sitting cross-legged for a long time, suddenly moved. He pulled out the roasted meat and, unafraid of the scorching heat, took a large bite.
Crackle.
The surface of the golden-brown, oil-bright meat made a slight cracking sound. Meat juices immediately gushed out, and a rich aroma, accompanied by hot white steam, drifted into the surroundings.
Don Freecss continued biting, one after another, without stopping, tearing off chunks of meat from the freshly cooked roast. It seemed as if the temperature had no effect on him whatsoever.
Long-established eating habits had made the Skeleton interested in bones and only bones.
However, Don Freecss's hearty eating manner managed to stir a craving in the Skeleton.
In just one minute, the freshly roasted meat was completely finished by Don Freecss, leaving behind only a bone.
"The best time to savor something is the moment it transforms into a delicacy."
Don Freecss murmured softly to himself, then casually tossed the bone to the Skeleton, who caught it instinctively.
"After you finish eating, let's chat."
The Skeleton stared blankly at Don Freecss, then after a moment, looked down at the bone in his hand. His expression was quite bitter, though it was impossible to tell on his skeletal face.
Without pausing for long, the Skeleton obediently gnawed on the bone.
Unexpectedly, it tasted exceptionally good.
'Had the spices Don Freecss used been so potent that even the bones had absorbed the flavor?'
Don Freecss calmly watched the Skeleton swallow the bone in a few bites, then slowly asked, "How do you know my name? And how did you recognize me? It's fine if you don't want to answer... I won't do anything to you."
"..."
The Skeleton was silent for a few moments.
The words, which sounded familiarly non-threatening, clearly didn't convince him.
So, he cooperatively explained, "I learned your name from a human expedition team. They were looking for you. The reason I recognized you was because I saw you before, but you didn't notice me."
Don Freecss nodded slightly. The fire was reflected in his eyes.
"A human expedition team, huh..."
He murmured, and a different human expedition team came to mind… Beyond's team.
"There was a man named Ging in that team. He should be your descendant."
Compared to the murderous aura he exuded during the day, Don Freecss, now sitting cross-legged, was like an old man accustomed to resting in his yard after dusk, harmless for the time being.
Even so, the Skeleton dared not be the slightest bit careless.
"How do you determine that?"
Don Freecss asked back with a smile.
The Skeleton shook his head.
"Tree bark. Recovery."
Don Freecss then uttered two seemingly unrelated words.
The red light in the Skeleton's eyes immediately flickered.
"Does it ring a bell?"
Don Freecss pressed.
"Yes, they called it Lichen."
Upon hearing this, Don Freecss slowly closed his eyes, then after a moment opened them again, a smile appearing on his face.
He suddenly stood up, startling the Skeleton.
"Finally... it has come."
Don Freecss looked up. Starlight etched itself into his eyes.
Through a piece of Lichen, he had truly confirmed the identity of his so-called descendant.
…
Hide-and-Seek Dimension.
Law, who had been sleeping for a long time, finally woke up.
The good news was that his headache had disappeared.
Law opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.
The first thing he did upon waking was to sink his thoughts into the White Smoke Font space.
The black and white Nen Orbs representing the Mender's memories were still swirling there peacefully.
Law stared at those memory Nen Orbs, hesitating whether to start absorbing the second wave immediately.