Everyone's gaze followed his finger to the other side.
The route they had taken since coming ashore was on the left side of the mural, with the rocky area in the center.
Muheer was now pointing to the right side—in other words, the direction they were heading next.
The first thing that caught their eye was a deep, dark green hue, with a touch of earthy yellow within it.
Muheer scratched his cheek, somewhat awkwardly saying.
"Although this mural is somewhat abstract, we can still clearly see that it depicts the target of our journey!"
Muheer's voice gradually rose, stirring up the anticipation among the group.
A fiery excitement ignited in their hearts.
Because they knew their goal for this trip was right here!
"The marshland that contains Nitro Rice—renowned as the 'ultimate food' capable of extending human lifespan!" Muheer declared with evident excitement.
As soon as he finished speaking, joy overflowed on everyone's faces, their excitement unmistakable.
After this leg of the journey, they were finally about to reach their true destination.
The marshland containing Nitro Rice!
It was no exaggeration to say that they had chosen this direction precisely for this Hope.
Humanity knew of more than one Hope.
The fragrant herb that could cure all ailments.
The unmanned stone that generated electricity when submerged in water.
Nitro Rice, which granted longevity when consumed.
Trinity Elixir, the source liquid capable of becoming any fluid.
Each of these corresponded to different directions departing from the Six Continents, so before setting out, they had to select one Hope.
Then they would decide where to go.
In the end, Nitro Rice became the unanimous choice.
As some of the strongest individuals across the Six Continents, no one in the group would complain about living a little longer.
Thus, Nitro Rice naturally became their primary target.
Even if some preferred wealth, Nitro Rice would never lack buyers due to its "life-extending" effect.
The Six Continents had far too many wealthy individuals desperate to prolong their lives—for them, Jenny was just a string of numbers.
They would willingly go bankrupt for even a small portion of Nitro Rice.
Not to mention, such treasures were likely to be auctioned off by V5 first, leaving a 197% chance that ordinary people without influence would never get a chance to buy it.
Ging casually took out an apple and took a crisp bite.
Chewing the sweet, juicy fruit, he muttered to himself, "The ultimate food that grants longevity..."
"I wonder how it tastes?" Ging raised an eyebrow, more curious about its flavor than its effects.
Though he spoke softly, his voice carried clearly to those nearby.
For a moment, everyone turned to stare at Ging, who was still munching on his apple, their expressions a mix of disbelief.
This was a Hope capable of extending life, and all he cared about was how it tasted?
Even if it tasted awful, shouldn't they still be clamoring for it?
"Crunch! Crunch!"
Under their bewildered gazes, Ging took two more big bites as if oblivious.
Only after a delayed pause did he "realize" their stares and feigned surprise:
"You all want some too?"
With that, he slightly raised the apple, flashing a seemingly sunny smile.
However, the grin exposed bits of red apple peel stuck between his teeth—several glaringly obvious fragments.
Pariston stood nearby, silently observing Ging's "eccentric" behavior as if long accustomed to it.
Looking at the half-eaten apple with clear bite marks, a unanimous thought crossed everyone's minds.
'No thanks...'
As if rehearsed, everyone shook their heads in unison, seemingly afraid that Ging would shove the apple into their mouths.
Witnessing the remarkably synchronized reaction, a glint of amusement flashed in Ging's eyes before he casually finished the apple himself.
"Ahem!"
Beyond cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention away from Ging.
"Let's continue listening to Muheer."
Taking the cue, Muheer spoke again: "We all know this is a swamp area now. Since it's our target, we need to pay extra attention."
"Therefore, this conspicuously white circle requires careful consideration."
Within the swamp region, there was a pattern enclosed by a white circle.
Compared to other patterns, this one seemed meticulously drawn with greater detail and occupied a larger space.
If the tree people in the grassland were roughly the size of a human head, the pattern within the white circle was about the size of a television—clearly meant to emphasize its contents.
Despite sharing the same abstract style, the artist had clearly taken special care when depicting this part.
As a result, everyone could relatively easily identify what the pattern represented.
Muheer's expression turned grave as he said, "This pattern is relatively well-drawn. Obviously, it's a snake!"
The pattern showed a snake coiled around a branch, its tail wrapped around the wood.
A snake on a branch wasn't particularly strange, but there was one notable detail.
The snake had two tails!
The front half of its body hung slightly downward, its triangular head gaping wide as it flicked its tongue.
It looked as though it were either preparing to strike or emitting some kind of sound.
Its thick body bore strange, intricate patterns, and combined with its densely packed scales, it somewhat resembled countless eyes.
Though somewhat distorted, there was no denying that the pattern perfectly captured the snake's terrifying aura.
Even as just a mural, simply looking at it made them imagine how horrifying the actual creature must be.
Then, around the middle of its body, an inexplicable split appeared, giving it two identical tails.
Each tail coiled around opposite sides of the branch.
"A creature with two tails, residing in a swamp—clearly, this is one of the so-called calamities!"
"The Hell Bell! The Twin-Tailed Snake!"
Muheer declared solemnly, his face tightening involuntarily.
If the previous topic had been about Hope—something they all desired—then this topic was about calamity, something they were reluctant to face.
At least, most of them were.
The Twin-Tailed Snake… Seems like it's not as simple as imagined?
Akira also listened to Muheer's explanation, his brow quirking slightly as he observed the menacing depiction of the Twin-Tailed Snake.
Muheer's analysis was mostly accurate, covering nearly every aspect of the pattern.
But there was one detail Akira found questionable.
The white circle itself was problematic!
Not only was its color different from the red circle marking the tree people, but there was another issue.
This white circle was unusually large, while the Twin-Tailed Snake occupied only a small area at its very center.
The rest of the area had no drawings at all—just the dark, unadorned appearance of the Black Tremor Rock.
So... why was it done this way?
The white circles could still be explained as distinguishing between different creatures or indicating varying levels of threat.
But then, why draw them like this?
After all, the artist could have simply drawn the two-tailed snake larger or made the circles smaller.
Yet they deliberately chose this method.
Akira felt there was something hidden, something not depicted in the drawing.
Akira frowned slightly.
Simply speculating wouldn't help—it was better to wait for Porygon-Z to return.
Once they obtained Jin's memories, most of the questions they wanted answered would likely be resolved.
For example, the eerie nature of this pattern might finally be explained.
Setting aside his thoughts, Akira turned to Kururi, who was immersed in deciphering work on the other side, and asked in a low voice.
"Found anything?"
Kururi was a bespectacled man with highly magnified glasses and hair curled like the patterns on a Devil Fruit.
He was a rather unique presence in the team.
Most of the others were either fighters, fishermen responsible for sailing the ship, or chefs in charge of cooking...
But Kururi was different—his profession was that of a teacher.
He was a professor at Baff University, an institution whose reputation was top-tier across all six continents.
It could roughly be compared to Harvard's status on Earth—one of the world's most prestigious universities.
As a professor at such an elite institution, Kururi's primary field of research was ancient languages.
He had deep knowledge of ancient languages from all eras and regions across the six continents, making him one of the world's foremost linguists.
Although he had once competed with Ging in ancient language studies and lost, it didn't diminish his linguistic genius.
It was just that Ging's learning ability was too terrifying.
There seemed to be nothing he couldn't master.
If he took even a slight interest in any field, he could quickly rise to the top of it.
But then again, considering Ging could even learn Nen Abilities, other fields didn't seem as shocking by comparison.
Beyond had recruited Kururi, and the latter had willingly joined the team, driven by his Covet to experience more cultures.
His primary goal was language!
Ever since learning that humans had migrated from the Dark Continent to the six continents in ancient times, he had conceived an idea.
To visit the origin of humanity and witness even more ancient scripts.
Even the writings of other creatures!
Later, through Beyond's connections, he also learned of an even older script.
This writing had been used before humans settled on the six continents.
And it wasn't just a script—it possessed special abilities.
They were called Divine Script!
After a period of both joyful and painful research, Kururi had managed to decipher some of the Divine Script.
He had even incorporated his findings into his Nen Ability, turning it into a catalyst for his growth.
Power of Knowledge: Makes learning easier, and the more one learns, the stronger they become.
It primarily enhances Aura capacity, mastery over Aura techniques, and other aspects.
Restriction and Vow: This ability can only be used for learning languages, in exchange for greater gains in strength.
Since Ging was primarily interested in languages, after developing this Nen Ability, he chose to employ a Restriction and Vow.
As a renowned scholar, he was no mere bookworm. He understood the rules of this world all too well.
Strength spoke louder than words!
Thus, power was an essential factor.
He might not always need to use it, but having it was crucial—especially for fulfilling his dreams.
Without sufficient strength, venturing into that perilous land would have been suicidal.
He had come to the Dark Continent to realize his dreams, not to die. So, he was grateful for his considerable abilities.
Though he couldn't compare to the other combatants in the team, as a researcher, his strength was more than enough to qualify.
Especially with Beyond's help, he had gained access to the Divine Script.
After studying it for some time, not only had his knowledge-enhanced abilities grown significantly, but he had also mastered a portion of the Divine Script.
His strength had soared even further.
Now, though still a researcher, his power might not necessarily be inferior to that of Marshall or Usamen.
Yet all these improvements were the result of his tireless, day-and-night dedication to studying languages.
As a Nen user, he was truly enviable.
Because his Nen Ability perfectly aligned with his dreams.
It not only fulfilled his passion for linguistic research but also granted him the strength he desired.
This wasn't just due to his unwavering resolve—some of it was sheer luck.
Nen Abilities were peculiar things.
They were one manifestation of a Nen user's power, intrinsically linked to every aspect of their being.
Hobbies, personality, physical condition… all these factors influenced the formation of a Nen Ability.
Thus, even though a Nen Ability was the culmination of these elements, some were still better than others.
Take, for example, a petty thief with no ambition.
If he developed a Nen Ability, it might allow his hands to take on an Aura-based form.
After all, someone who spent their days stealing would likely belong to the Transmutation category of the six Nen systems.
And this ability would make theft even easier.
On the other hand, a natural leader with grand aspirations would most likely be a Specialist.
Kurapika was such a person, possessing the Specialist-type Nen Ability, "Steal Chain."
This perfectly matched his identity as a thief.
So, for Ging to develop a Nen Ability like "Power of Knowledge," it was truly a dream come true.
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