The four-wheeled carriage roared forward like a hurricane, the violent wind howling in its wake.
It smashed through the grotesque, fleshy monsters littering the road, sending splashes of crimson flying like waves, and charged toward the distant horizon.
Ging sat upright on the front seat of the carriage, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't relax.
The presence inside the carriage behind him felt more and more unfamiliar—more distant, more difficult to connect with.
Especially in his current position—his unguarded back exposed to the man inside. He trusted Germain. But the pressure emanating from him... it was a primal fear, one not easily overcome by logic.
Still, Ging was certain Germain hadn't truly fallen asleep. The carriage continued to sprint forward without pause or mistake. That alone told Ging the man was still conscious, at least on some level.
Even if Germain wasn't actively steering the reins, the carriage was sticking to the path they'd originally agreed upon—rushing straight through, as if guided by instinct.
Germain seemed to be trapped in a strange state—a hazy, chaotic trance that Ging simply couldn't comprehend.
Only Germain himself could understand what was happening within him.
And then, suddenly, the pressure vanished. The suffocating tension that had prickled at Ging's spine disappeared without a trace.
He exhaled deeply in relief and turned around, slightly confused.
"Sorry," Germain said, pulling back the curtain and stepping out from the carriage's dark interior. "I went a little too deep just now."
Even if he hadn't meant to listen in, Ging's thoughts had been so loud—so chaotic—they naturally spilled into Germain's mind due to their close proximity.
Ging instantly realized his thoughts had been exposed. He looked away, a bit embarrassed, then asked curiously, "What did you fall into?"
"A strange state," Germain replied calmly. "It felt like... my soul left my body and wandered the world."
"Wandered the world?"
"Yes. My soul—my consciousness—seemed to revisit all the places where I had once planted or lit Teleport Lanterns. Can you imagine something like that?"
Ging found it unbelievable at first. But after a moment's thought, he simply nodded.
"At this point... nothing really surprises me anymore."
Then he asked, "Germain, do you think that state of yours... will change you somehow?"
"I don't know," Germain answered honestly. "But I saw things. I saw Shizuku, pregnant. I saw Chairman Netero, seated at his desk. I saw Bisky, commanding a group as they built a castle..."
He truly saw it.
At that time, he was drifting less than a meter away from them, yet they couldn't see him and remained focused on their tasks.
Shizuku's pregnancy was already very obvious.
She wore loose, flowing clothes but still walked with surprising swiftness.
The woman taking care of her was cautiously protecting her belly, extremely nervous.
After confirming Shizuku was unharmed, Germain finally turned and floated away.
He said to Ging, "I can't touch them. I don't understand what this means or what it will bring them."
The only thing Germain was certain about was that every time he appeared, it was from a teleportation point.
Only then could he start wandering nearby.
Centered on the teleportation point, within a radius of several kilometers, was his "soul wandering beyond the skies" range.
Beyond that distance, he simply couldn't go.
In other words, this state must be closely related to those lanterns.
"A mysterious ability..." Ging said. "Since we can't figure it out now, let's stay optimistic and make good use of it..."
Germain nodded in agreement.
——
The next ritual stone formation was located quite far away.
The carriage traveled from the end of February into early March before finally catching sight of the rising mountains.
The carriage crawled along the cliffside, and the number of flesh-and-blood monsters they encountered kept increasing.
They gathered in dense groups, acting without any reason, only trying to drag living creatures off the carriage.
The entire four-wheeled carriage was pushed over by the monsters, tumbling off the cliff's edge.
Before it could hit the valley floor, it dissolved into scattered Nen energy.
Germain and Ging, who had been inside the carriage, were safe and standing firmly at the cliff's edge.
On such a narrow path, the carriage was too cumbersome, and since the destination was near, they abandoned it altogether.
The two sprang into action.
One wielded silver and black intertwined blades, the other radiated golden light.
They cut through the monsters like slicing vegetables, clearing a bloody path ahead.
During this time, they still had a chance to talk.
"Don has been missing without a trace for over a week now." Ging tapped his own head. "The map is still in our minds, which means our connection with him is still intact."
Ging meant that Don must not be dead, nor unconscious. Otherwise, neither he nor Germain would be able to use that map.
"What exactly is he doing?" Ging kicked away a flesh monster that suddenly leapt at him. "Could it be that he will only appear after we destroy all the ritual stone formations?"
Germain raised his Sacred Moonlight Greatsword and shattered a large cluster of flesh monsters that were trying to catch up with a pillar of blue light.
"Ging, do you remember Don talking about the 'Flesh Curse' on his body? He said it was something he got after seeing the 'God of Flesh'…"
"You mean…" Ging frowned. "After returning to the West Coast, the influence of the 'God of Flesh' on him has grown stronger?"
Germain nodded. "We can't expect someone who can barely keep themselves alive to accomplish much. Let's be more practical and think about how the two of us should move forward."
"You're right. We have to be realistic."
They decided not to include Don in their future plans for the time being, nor to worry about his situation anymore.
Not only was Don barely surviving, their own situation wasn't much better.
The two fought their way to the mountainside. After bypassing a smooth rock wall that blocked their view, they finally saw the tall tower built into the mountain.
The tower's upper and lower levels were both twisted in spiral structures. Between them hung a dark red spherical dwelling, occasionally flickering with eerie light.
Germain and Ging exchanged a glance and quickly headed toward the base of the tower. Looking back, the flesh monsters had chased them this far but stopped there.
Apparently, they instinctively dared not enter this forbidden area.
The two saw a heavy door.
After pushing it open, they revealed a very spacious interior.
They felt like two tiny ants who had suddenly entered a strange room.
Bang!
The door automatically shut tightly behind them.
The echo faded smaller and smaller between the walls until it disappeared completely.
The two walked to the center of the room and noticed a stone staircase spiraling upward.
That had to be the only path leading to the red, spherical dwelling in the middle.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, the sound of rushing water reached their ears.
At the base of the tower, several openings continuously poured a large amount of water into the palace below.
In just a short while, the cold, piercing water soaked the entire floor.
The rushing water had already risen past the knees of Germain and Ging, and the level kept climbing.
From one of the openings pouring water, a hoarse, discordant singing suddenly echoed loudly.
Their voices clashed, lacking any coordination or rhythm.
The song seemed deliberately meant to unsettle the mind and stir up anxiety.
Suddenly, a battered old boat floated out from the opening.
Rising and falling with the water's flow, four rugged men emitting a strange blue glow occupied the vessel.
One of them had a white beard reaching his waist and wore a pirate hat—clearly the captain of this suddenly appearing pirate ship.
Moreover, beneath the steadily rising water, a dark current stirred.
A huge silhouette could vaguely be seen, waving its fish tail as it swam around Germain and Ging.
It looked like a shark, circling them with predatory intent.
*******
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