To help Morrow's team confirm the general location of the Klein Bottle coordinate point, Ging had been utterly exhausted lately.
Fortunately, his efforts had finally paid off, and the news was good.
Now, Ging placed the final decision in Morrow's hands.
Whether to depart conventionally from the six continents or use the Klein Bottle for teleportation.
Both options had their pros and cons.
The biggest problem with the land of yellow sand indicated by the Klein Bottle coordinate point had originally been its unknown nature.
Now that there was a clear lead, the most fundamental issue was considered resolved.
Based on his trust in Ging's abilities, Morrow was already leaning toward using the Klein Bottle to teleport directly to that desert.
"Thanks, Ging, you've really worked hard lately."
Morrow didn't make a choice immediately, instead offering his heartfelt thanks to Ging first.
Faced with this sudden expression of gratitude, Ging couldn't help but reveal his signature dead-fish eyes. He hooked a finger over his forehead, his tone complex. "How should I put this... When I first met you, I could tell you were no simple guy. Back then, I was thinking that if it were possible, I'd genuinely hope to have you along on future journeys to explore the unknown."
"So when I found out you were also interested in the Dark Continent, I was really happy. But the result was completely different from what I expected. I never thought that instead of traveling together, you'd beat me to it."
"Although I've never been in a rush about this, when it actually happened, I still felt a little unwilling to accept it."
At this, Ging sighed softly. "To transform that feeling into something else, I could only do what I could as a member of the team. But for you to thank me so formally now... Sigh, it seems that in your heart, I'm still an outsider after all."
After speaking, Ging shook his head with a look of disappointment.
Seeing this, Morrow nodded. "I understand."
"Understand what?"
Ging's expression changed in an instant. The disappointment vanished as he raised an eyebrow.
Morrow smiled. "When we return with 'hope,' the first thing we'll do is show it off to you."
"Huh?"
Ging's eyelids drooped. He had wanted to engage in some banter, but the words died on his lips.
"Then I'll be waiting for you to show off."
He offered his blessing in a roundabout way.
Nearby.
Menchi sidled up to Gel and whispered, "I never realized Ging was so fond of beating around the bush."
"I'm not familiar with him. Don't ask me."
Gel made no effort to hide her dislike for Ging, as if even the slightest association with him would make her skin crawl.
Menchi glanced at Gel, quite surprised.
They were both members of the Zodiac Twelve, yet their relationship was unexpectedly distant.
After deciding to teleport directly to the Dark Continent via the Klein Bottle, the team immediately began their final preparations.
The primary task was to ensure the reliability of their directional navigation.
This wasn't difficult to solve.
They just needed to use the properties of the Divine Script to fix a Starlight Convergence Star Mark on the six continents.
This way, Morrow could use the directional flight ability of his Shooting Star to calibrate the team's position on the Dark Continent at any time and constantly confirm their direction.
Besides the Star Mark, Kalluto's living paper dolls could achieve a similar effect.
Both methods essentially served the function of a compass.
The only slight regret was Knov's Hide and Seek.
—--
Morrow had considered using the Divine Script to record the location of a Hide and Seek portal. This might have allowed them to establish a direct passage between the six continents and the Dark Continent, using it as a transfer point.
However, all portals to Hide and Seek could only be managed and opened by Knov himself.
This was a Limitation of the ability itself.
The reason Knov was able to develop an ability like Hide and Seek stemmed from a deep-seated lack of security, and even a lack of trust in others.
Proof of this was the master key Knov conjured to open the various entrances and exits of Hide and Seek, which was firmly locked to his wrist by a pair of handcuffs.
This design was a direct manifestation of his psychological state, and it also meant that the key could never be handed over to an outsider.
This wasn't just a matter of personality; it was an inseparable part of the ability's mechanics.
Because of this Limitation, which was deeply embedded in the ability's system, Morrow couldn't attempt to combine the Divine Script with Hide and Seek to create a portal.
Unless, perhaps, Knov's ability had a branch that included a 'spare key.'
Unfortunately, it didn't.
At least, not right now.
By the time the team had completed all their departure preparations, it was the morning of the next day.
"You have to come back."
At their parting, Ging shed his usual casual demeanor and spoke with extra seriousness.
In response, the group turned to look at him, and Morrow gave him an 'OK' sign.
The next moment.
The mouth of the Klein Bottle rippled with spatial energy, sucking the entire team, including the Chimera, into the bottle as flowing streams of light and shadow.
In the blink of an eye, the once slightly crowded clearing was left with only the solitary figure of Ging.
—--
The land of yellow sand.
At the coordinate point anchored here, space suddenly distorted, and Morrow's group and the Chimera appeared in an instant.
The teleportation was complete.
As the sensation of their feet sinking deep into the sand registered, everyone immediately opened all their aura nodes, releasing their maximum aura output.
"The texture feels no different."
Morrow quickly glanced down at his feet buried in the sand and said softly, "But this isn't the virtual world Ickshonpe created. This is the real Dark Continent."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Ponzu."
Morrow looked back.
Without him needing to say more, Ponzu flicked her fingers. A dozen or so bees emerged from her hat and fanned out like a cast net, rapidly dispersing in all directions across the desert.
For the rest of their journey, she would expand the bees' reconnaissance range as much as possible to buy the team more time for warnings and responses.
"Shared Window: Honeycomb Network."
As the bees scattered, Ponzu immediately activated her follow-up ability.
In an instant, Morrow and the others gained the authority to open Shared Window and view the shared vision at any time.
The benefit of this derivative ability was that the real-time surveillance feed, which originally only two people could view, could now be perceived by the entire team simultaneously.
More eyes watching meant they could detect any disturbances in their surroundings faster and more promptly.
Kalluto then took out a living paper doll corresponding to a person on the six continents.
The direction indicated by the paper doll would allow the team to determine their bearings.
Although Morrow's Deceptive Shooting Star could do the same, for safety's sake, Kalluto's living paper doll was quieter and more reliable.
Once they had their bearings, they just needed to combine it with the geographical information provided by Ging and follow the correct route to reach the swamp where the Nitro Rice grew.
The only thing they couldn't be sure of was the total length of the route.
Perhaps they would need to travel for half a year, or even a full year, to reach their destination.
But it was also possible that it would only take a month.
After all, they had a mount like the Chimera.
The only concern was that the Chimera's massive size was too conspicuous and could easily attract the attention of other creatures on the Dark Continent.
"Let's get on."
Watching the giant hornets fly into the distance, Morrow called for his companions to climb onto the Chimera's back.
Their plan of action had long been established. At his word, everyone moved, leaping onto the broad, scale-covered back.
Under Morrow's command, the Chimera stood as still as a statue, but its muscles were tensed like a drawn bow, ready to soar into the sky at a moment's notice.
Once settled, the team used the shared vision from the bees to intently observe the rolling dunes in the distance.
Unexpectedly, the scene of clashing Sandworms they had anticipated did not appear.
As far as the eye could see, there was only a deathly still expanse of yellow sand.
This was, after all, the real Dark Continent, not Ickshonpe's virtual world that operated on a predetermined logical program.
Therefore, there was an element of chance here.
In other words, after arriving, they might continuously encounter the giant sandstorm worms condensed from gaseous lifeforms, or their path might be completely clear.
Buzz...
Just then, a ringing sound filled Morrow's ears.
The other team members had similar reactions, some even experiencing slight, uncontrollable muscle twitches.
"We were prepared for this, but I didn't expect to actually have a reaction to oxygen toxicity."
Gel calmly opened her equipment pack. Her arm, extended like a snake by her Nen ability, precisely delivered a dose of medicine to each teammate.
There were two booster shots.
One was azure blue, the other crimson, and they shimmered faintly in the scorching air.
"The blue one is a hypoxia-inducible factor stabilizer; it enhances the cells' tolerance to oxidative reactions. The red one is a neuroprotective agent; as the name suggests, it prevents oxygen toxicity from affecting the central nervous system. The injection order doesn't matter."
After handing the medicine to her teammates, Gel gave a simple explanation.
Everyone immediately injected the medicine.
In just a few breaths, the ringing in their ears and the slight muscle twitches receded like a tide.
Sanbica, however, did not inject the medicine immediately. She quietly felt her body's reaction gradually intensify until the symptoms became more pronounced, only then slowly pushing the plunger into her vein.
As the discomfort gradually faded, she said softly, "The actual reaction is milder than expected. Theoretically, with the adaptive boost from our Nen, we should be able to acclimate to this environment quickly."
"So it's more like a temporary 'inability to acclimate'?"
Morrow chimed in with a smile, carefully observing the Chimera's condition at the same time.
Its breathing was steady and its aura normal; it was clearly unaffected.
It was a legendary magical beast, after all. Perhaps this continent was its true home.
A long while later.
With the aid of the medicine and the buffering effect of their Nen, the group gradually overcame the physiological discomfort caused by the environment.
At the same time.
The swarm of bees that had scattered earlier began to send back images of the distant landscape.
Farther away, and in different directions, several sandstorms were still raging violently.
That was the harsh weather caused by the fierce clashes of the Sandworms.
Using the real-time intelligence from the bees, Morrow quickly planned a flight path that would completely avoid all the areas currently ravaged by Sandworms.
Boom.
The Chimera received the command to take off. Its wings, which had long been restless, beat powerfully, lifting its massive, scale-covered body into the sky.
It didn't choose to fly higher into the airspace shrouded by sand clouds. Instead, it flew swiftly through the air, following the planned route.
Morrow had considered having the Chimera fly directly through the veil-like layer of floating sand clouds to the higher skies.
Doing so would allow them to directly avoid the threats from the land of yellow sand.
But setting aside the unknown risks lurking in the airspace above, the eerie sight of the vast yellow sand suspended like a cloud layer was enough to make anyone hesitate.
Compared to this uncertain unknown, he would rather face the confirmed threat from the gaseous lifeforms.
The Chimera carried the group, flying rapidly over the land of yellow sand.
However, what was bound to happen eventually happened.
After flying for several dozen kilometers, a mass of gaseous matter, distorted like a heat wave, shot out from the sea of sand, instantly hovering a hundred meters in the air.
Morrow had been controlling his aura in his palm, constantly in a state of readiness.
Seeing a mass of gaseous matter burst out of the sand below, he expertly raised his hand and struck.
Swoosh!
A laser-like Nen wave tore through the air, precisely hitting the gaseous core that had just appeared.
The power contained within it instantly ripped the gas to shreds, but the entire process of penetration made no sound at all.
It was as if the beam had struck empty air.
However, the gaseous matter, which had been shimmering like a heat wave, shattered like transparent gelatin into countless fragments and silently dissipated into the air.
Seeing this, the others breathed a small sigh of relief.
These gaseous lifeforms hidden deep beneath the sand were like landmines.
As they passed by, they were likely to be activated one after another.
If they didn't have a way to ensure they were nipped in the bud, once these gaseous lifeforms gained momentum, it would likely trigger a chain reaction, causing a massive area to be ravaged by sandstorms.
They would be in danger then.
Fortunately, the outcome was good.
"It's all on you from here, Morrow. Don't you dare mess up."
Biscuit patted her chest lightly and turned her head to look at Morrow, who had just shattered the gaseous core with a single blow. Her tone carried a hint of deliberately lighthearted teasing.
Morrow glanced at her childlike appearance, which didn't match her age, and pretended not to see it. He then said, "Don't worry. For an attack of this level, I will not miss."
He couldn't make promises about other things, but when it came to precise Emission attacks, he had absolute confidence.
The others could clearly feel the confidence that originated from a top-tier powerhouse. It was as if an invisible barrier had unfolded, filling even the air with a reassuring presence.
Ponzu, in particular, suddenly felt that she wasn't so scared anymore.
During the subsequent flight, they inevitably encountered more gaseous matter that was activated and appeared, likely because they had intruded on its territory.
However, under Morrow's precise strikes, none of them had a chance to do anything.
Just like that, the Chimera flew until the evening of the next day before finally leaving the land of yellow sand.
In the distance, a flat expanse of land slowly unfolded. What greeted their eyes was a view filled with brown, withered leaves, layered thickly across the entire landscape.
The scene was unspeakably bizarre.
Because as far as the eye could see, there was no trace of any plants, yet the ground was piled with what seemed to be an endless amount of dead leaves.
Before they could think about it, the sky in the far distance suddenly darkened, and a boundless shadow surged toward them like a tide.
From afar, it looked like the dense clouds that rush in before a storm, pushed forward by an invisible wind, rapidly approaching.
No, that wasn't a cloud layer!
It was an unidentified flying creature so enormous it could blot out the sky...