This time's gains and experiences were incomparable to the past, carrying a vivid sense of immersion… especially when playing the piece at the end, witnessing myself and the piano turning to dust before my eyes.
"What did you do?"
Kuro sat perched on the display cabinet, scrutinizing Law as he spoke: "Just now, some unlucky fool bumped into you and turned into a skeleton that ran outside. The sunlight hit it, and it turned to ashes."
Law froze for a moment, pressing down on the sheet music before asking, "Where is it?"
"Out there." Kuro pointed out the window.
Law quickly walked to the window and looked outside, immediately spotting a maid's outfit lying on the grass. His heart sank.
Having just emerged from the illusionary space, he knew exactly what that outfit signified… just as Kuro had said, the maid had turned into a skeleton and then disintegrated under the sunlight.
In other words, while he had been trapped in the consciousness space, he hadn't been physically playing the piece in reality. Yet, when the maid touched him, she had fallen victim to the malicious effect embedded in the piece, her flesh stripped away until she became nothing but a crimson skeleton.
Though unintentional, the maid had died because of him.
"Let me give you some advice… these kinds of eerie things that operate on the ironclad rule of 'equivalent exchange' are best left alone. Do you really need to rely on stuff like this now?"
Kuro padded over, offering a well-meaning reminder… though mostly out of self-interest, given their symbiotic relationship.
Law turned to look at him and said, "Open your mouth."
"What?" Kuro blinked in confusion.
In a flash, Law appeared right in front of Kuro, shoved the sheet music into his mouth, then patted his head, "This is the map. Keep it safe for me."
After saying that, he walked towards the stairs.
Kuro made a swallowing motion before glaring resentfully at Law's retreating back.
"A map? Isn't this sheet music?"
Kuro muttered in confusion, but Law was in no position to answer.
Law left the Ancient Tree Museum, pausing briefly to glance at the maid's outfit on the grass before silently making his way back to the mansion.
Later, he had Clover look up the unfortunate maid's information and sent a considerable sum of compensation to her family.
Due to the Phantom Troupe's attack, the Ohara Museum had lost many lives. Clover, however, had a surprisingly humane side, issuing compensation to each of the bereaved families… a move that would carve a hefty chunk out of his liquid assets.
The maid's death had been an accident, but under Law's handling, she was included among those receiving compensation… a gesture of goodwill.
When Clover learned of the incident, he helped tidy up the aftermath. However, the maid seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving only her maid outfit behind on the grass.
Though he had no intention of investigating deeply, his curiosity was piqued. He checked the surveillance footage and immediately saw the footage of the maid turning into a skeleton, freezing in terror on the spot.
It took him considerable effort to suppress the fear surging in his chest before deleting the footage and retreating to his room in silence.
He realized that in the face of someone like Law, who wielded such bizarre abilities, there was no room for opportunistic schemes anymore.
Compared to the visceral shock of having his heart ripped out yet still surviving, the sight of someone turning to bones with just a touch, their flesh stripped away, sent an even deeper chill down his spine.
The sky was growing dark.
Law sat in a chair in his room, gazing at the orange-red hues of the sunset outside the window, contemplating the piano version of the Sonata of Darkness.
'Eternal life. Bone Clan. Map. Continuation.'
'Ability effects and their price.'
Just like the harp solo version, this was a part of the Sonata of Darkness, but while the harp's solo piece was clearer, it was also far more monotonous.
The piano version, on the other hand, contained a chaotic mix of information… though none of it as straightforward as the harp's.
Even though Law had experienced it firsthand, he still had many unanswered questions about the Bone Clan and Continuation. The clearest aspects were the ability's effects and its cost.
Playing the piece would strip the flesh from those who heard it.
For ordinary people, it took barely a second or two before they were reduced to skeletons… still alive, but doomed to turn to ash the moment sunlight touched them. That was the ability's effect.
As for the price, the performer would also suffer the same curse, though at a slower rate. While the audience might turn to bones instantly, the player might only have their hands skeletalized.
Beyond the ability's effects and cost, the keyword 'eternal life' could also be vaguely understood… once turned into a skeleton, one effectively entered a state of immortality.
As for the Bone Clan and Continuation, Law had almost no understanding. They seemed to be some kind of otherworldly race, and the piano version of Sonata of Darkness's power might be a method to prolong their existence?
With too little information to go on, Law could only speculate. The sheet music itself was exaggeratedly drawn on animal hide, and when flipped over, it revealed a rough, vague map… though without any clear landmarks, it was impossible to tell where it led.
Compared to the lifespan cost of the harp version, Law found the piano version's price far too direct and brutal.
He doubted he would ever use it, and he had little interest in the map, the Bone Clan, or the so-called Continuation.
In the end, the real prize was his average Nen proficiency breaking through to 78%. Absorbing the Nen of a hundred antiques might not even raise it by 1% these days, so it can be seen how much had this sheet music boosted him.
Setting aside the Sonata of Darkness, Law turned his attention to his next objective: taking action against the high-ranking cabinet official, Moreen.
To eliminate this potential threat, he wasted no time. First, he had Clover spread disinformation as a smokescreen. Then, the very next morning, he boarded an airship bound for the Begerossé Union.
As one of the V5, Begerossé Union stood at the pinnacle of global power. Moreen, as a senior cabinet official, was part of its central authority. Regardless of her personal influence, targeting her would be no easy feat.
'She likely traveled with heavily armed guards at all times.'
Three days later, Law arrived in Berg City, the bustling capital of the Begerossé Union.
After disembarking, he checked into a hotel. Before making his move on Moreen, he needed to gather all available intel.
He booted up the hotel room's computer, logged into his exclusive account, and first spent some time earning points on the Hunter Forum.
Next, he navigated to the Lawlin Museum's webpage and found it completely revamped… now exuding a strong archaeological aesthetic, almost like something out of Tomb Raider. No doubt, Ickshonpe was behind this.
Law skimmed through it. Not only were the functions polished, but the interface also stayed true to its essence… far surpassing Milluki's half-baked attempts.
Just then, a chat window popped up… part of the site's live customer service feature, except Law hadn't clicked on it. The dialogue box had opened on its own.
"Finally decided to log in, huh?"
The sender's ID read [Pe], which is Ickshonpe.
Law wasn't surprised. Ickshonpe was practically a ghost in the Digital World. He didn't hold back on praising Ickshonpe's work.
After some casual small talk, Law decided to test the waters, "Ickshonpe, your hacking skills are insane. Could you break into a national database and pull files on a cabinet official?"
When Ickshonpe saw this question, he responded with a sweatdrop emoji.