Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
After hearing Moses's answer, Kanzai looked down at the crater-like dent in the ground in front of him, and fell into deep thought for a moment.
Don Freecss, who had been planted headfirst into the ground like a green onion, took advantage of Moses's attention being on Kanzai to quickly right himself, returning to a normal standing position.
By this time, the others who had been affected by the pendulum clock's sound had also regained consciousness.
However, they were still in the midst of their self-harming actions. Recalling the ticking sound that had echoed in their ears, they quickly realized what had happened.
Biscuit, who was the first to suggest avoiding the sound, immediately showed a serious expression.
Before making her suggestion, she had certainly considered the potential threat posed by the pendulum clock's sound, but...
'To think that such a faint sound could directly trigger a manipulation effect?'
'It was simply too absurd. No ordinary person could resist it.'
Thinking of this, Biscuit felt a surge of unease and instinctively turned her gaze toward the strange figure who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
'There must be a connection between the pendulum clock's sound that can manipulate minds and this person in front of us with vines wrapped around their body.'
Biscuit even had reason to suspect that the pendulum clock's sound was the work of this strange individual.
When Hisoka and the others returned to normal, they also immediately noticed Don Freecss's presence.
Not knowing what was going on, they shared similar thoughts to Biscuit and quickly entered a combat-ready stance.
Don Freecss felt the wariness from everyone, but he was not surprised.
After all, his dramatic entrance could indeed be considered an unexpected event.
More importantly, his timing couldn't have been worse, as it coincided with the appearance of the pendulum clock creature that could manipulate living beings into self-harm.
Trying to ease the awkwardness he hadn't felt in a long time, Don Freecss calmly met the group's gazes. However, he skipped the greeting process and chose to introduce himself more directly.
"My name is Don Freecss. Like you, I'm a human from the Six Continents."
Having not used the common language in a long time, his speech was noticeably stiff, but he could still manage to ensure the clarity of his words.
"!!"
Hearing Don Freecss's words, everyone, including Moses, was instantly struck with shock.
Even if they had considered the possibility that Don Freecss, the author of New World Travelogue, was still exploring the Dark Continent...
To have him suddenly drop from the sky right in front of them was both terrifying and unbelievable.
Seeing the group's reaction, a faint glimmer appeared in Don Freecss's golden-brown eyes.
By directly introducing himself and confirming that the group knew his name and identity, he had made the subsequent conversation much easier. Most importantly, it saved time.
"Did you come through the Ancient Pipeline?"
Without waiting for Moses and the others to introduce themselves, Don Freecss cut straight to the point.
Moses suppressed the shock in his heart. He looked at Don Freecss with a mix of surprise and doubt, then nodded: "Yes, so you really are..."
"I am indeed the Don Freecss you know of."
"Then how did you ..."
"Some time ago, I sensed the activity of the Ancient Pipeline opening. In order to find out the situation, I temporarily changed my route... and then I found traces of you."
"So you're..."
"That's right. I came specifically to find you."
Don Freecss seemed to anticipate Moses's questions. He always interrupted and provided straightforward answers to the questions.
This seemingly rude behavior was actually an effort to save as much time as possible.
Normally, since Don Freecss had discovered Nitro Rice, a longevity food, he would be the least concerned about the passage of time.
But the reality was quite the opposite.
Having explored the Dark Continent for hundreds of years, he had gradually come to understand the vastness of the Dark Continent and, in doing so, had also come to recognize his own insignificance.
Thus, he had come to cherish time deeply.
He treasured every minute and second he could spend exploring the Dark Continent.
However, Don Freecss's conversational style nearly left Moses speechless.
But compared to the information he sought...
These things were trivial.
A glimmer of light appeared in Moses's eyes. Instead of questioning Don Freecss's intentions, he asked the question that mattered most to him at the moment: "If you really are Don Freecss, then you must know how to find Nitro Rice, right?"
"Nitro Rice?"
Don Freecss's expression remained calm as he asked back, "Is that why you came to the Dark Continent?"
"Yes, it's extremely important to me."
Moses's gaze was resolute.
Hearing this, Don Freecss fell silent for a moment.
The others nearby quietly watched Moses and Don Freecss.
Although they had already sensed that Don Freecss meant no harm, they remained on guard.
Don Freecss paid no mind to the group's wariness, looking directly at Moses and sighing softly: "To recklessly open so many Ancient Pipelines, just for Nitro Rice..."
"Regarding the Ancient Pipelines, I think I need to explain a little bit."
Moses met Don Freecss's gaze and interrupted him.
While they had indeed used the Ancient Pipeline to reach the Dark Continent, they were not the ones responsible for opening so many Ancient Pipelines.
However, Don Freecss didn't care who had opened the Ancient Pipelines or for what purpose...
In his view, although opening the Ancient Pipelines posed various potential threats to the Six Continents within Lake Mobius, he believed that the motivation to explore the 'unknown' should not be stifled.
His earlier sigh had simply been a spontaneous reaction.
But he didn't mind hearing Moses's explanation, or rather...
Even after centuries of solitude, he still yearned for some change amidst the monotony.
So-
His desire for 'communication' wasn't solely for the sake of information.
Seeing Don Freecss's reaction, who seemed to be waiting for his next words, Moses continued his explanation: "The one who opened the Ancient Pipelines was a magical beast called Mammon. It comes from the Dark Continent..."
This time, Don Freecss didn't interrupt Moses again. Instead, he listened quietly as Moses explained the entire situation.
Throughout this process, Don Freecss exuded an unusual sense of tranquility and calmness.
When Biscuit and others saw Don Freecss's demeanor, they couldn't help but feel a sense of strangeness.
Perhaps at this moment...
Although they were witnessing a living legend, they hadn't considered the loneliness of someone who had walked alone for centuries.
Don Freecss listened quietly to Moses's explanation, then suddenly walked toward a specific spot.
There, the remains of the pendulum clock creature lay scattered.
Seeing this, Moses simply watched Don Freecss's actions in silence.
The others did the same.
Under everyone's gaze, Don Freecss approached the remains of the pendulum clock creature, crouched down, and gently picked up the sand-like specks of light.
These glowing particles had fallen out of the pendulum clock.
"You're heading in the wrong direction. This is the 'West' of the Dark Continent, while Nitro Rice is in the 'East'... But don't be discouraged. I know of an Ancient Pipeline that can take you to the 'Swamplands'."