The rise and development of the Kukan'yu Kingdom and the Kakin Empire share many similarities.
Both emerged from chaotic eras of warlordism, gradually annexing neighboring nations until they became dominant powers in their respective regions.
Those countries that failed to keep pace with the tide of time became stepping stones in their conquests, ultimately meeting their demise in the relentless flames of war.
Thus, as years passed, the land came to bury the histories of numerous nations.
To this day, beyond the already excavated sites and museums that have become famous tourist attractions, many ruins remain hidden in unknown locations.
Since crossing over, Morrow's activities have been largely confined to Yorknew City on the Yorbian Continent.
Working in the antique and miscellaneous goods trade, even without leaving the Yorbian Continent, he had gained some understanding of the histories of other continental nations.
During the nearly year since his rewind, Morrow had numerous interactions with the Kukan'yu Kingdom, leading to a deeper comprehension.
He knew this land concealed many historical remnants, but he never expected that beneath the waters of this "Thousand Mirror Lake" lay a ruin preserved through the annals of history.
Moreover, it was a ruin reinforced and protected by Post-Mortem Will.
This was somewhat unbelievable.
However, compared to how the underwater ruin came to be, Morrow was more concerned with the Post-Mortem Will clinging to the ruin's entrance.
"These lakes cluster together, their surfaces calm and clear, resembling mirrors from a distance, hence the name Thousand Mirror Lake."
While waiting for the staff to prepare diving equipment, Ging pointed toward the lake group reflecting countless specks of light under the sun, offering a brief introduction before getting to the main point:
"The lakes of Thousand Mirror Lake are interconnected. A submerged forest lies at the bottom, with the ruin's entrance located in the hilly area at its center. Visibility is low there, and oxygen isn't the primary concern; maintaining communication and positioning is more critical."
As he spoke, Ging withdrew his gaze, focusing on the small lake before them.
"The surrounding lakes have mostly been surveyed. Entering the water here is closest to the ruin's entrance and carries the lowest risk factor. But compared to Exorcism, these risks are relatively minor."
For Nen users, the protection of aura output can indeed significantly reduce the dangers of various high-risk operations.
In contrast, the key to excavating this ruin lies in removing the Post-Mortem Will.
Menchi watched as staff carried oxygen tanks from a military tent, a flicker of doubt in her eyes: "The lake is so deep. How was the ruin built underwater? Was it originally on land and later submerged?"
"Correct."
Ging took an oxygen tank from a staff member, casually slinging it over his back, and said:
"According to geological surveys, this area experienced severe ground subsidence. The entire forest, along with the hills, collapsed and was flooded by groundwater, eventually forming the present Thousand Mirror Lake."
He checked the regulator while explaining in a somewhat cryptic tone:
"The destructive power of this natural disaster and ground collapse was immense. The once-prosperous Akasha Kingdom declined overnight due to this subsidence, eventually becoming part of history. If not for this collapse, perhaps Kukan'yu..."
At this point, Ging did not continue.
Time only moves forward, and history shapes the present; there are no "what ifs."
Now, the master of this land is the great Kukan'yu Kingdom.
A moment later, Ging and Morrow each put on their diving equipment.
In truth, with the protection of aura output, there was no need to worry about risks like water pressure or hypothermia.
Yet even a Nen user as powerful as Ging would meticulously follow all safety protocols during diving operations, just like an ordinary person.
It was a fundamental reverence for nature.
"Stay safe."
Before entering the water, the staff member spoke with a serious expression.
Menchi and Kurapika, however, were less concerned.
They knew the extraordinary strength of Morrow's Nen exorcism ability defied common sense, and with a top-tier expert like Ging present, there was little to fear.
Under the watchful eyes of the group, Morrow and Ging entered the water one after another.
Underwater, sunlight pierced through the surface, scattering into shimmering beams.
Through the diving mask, particles could be seen dancing within the light.
Following the beams with their gaze, they observed narrow rock layers connecting to the lake's inlet, resembling solidified magma stretching straight down into the darkness below.
This scene did not resemble a lakebed.
It was more like an enormous cave terrain that had suddenly been flooded.
Ging gestured for Morrow to follow, then plunged downward.
Morrow followed closely, his eyes fixed on the faint, large outlines looming in the depths as they descended.
Those shadowy forms were likely the forest Ging had mentioned.
As the distance closed, Morrow could more steadily sense the presence of Post-Mortem Will.
This aura acted like a coordinate, allowing Morrow to accurately locate the ruin's entrance within the underwater forest.
But when the diving headlamp switched on, casting a warm beam onto the shadows below, Morrow realized he had been overly optimistic.
He saw clusters of aquatic plants and algae draped over massive trees like lush canopies, completely blocking the path to the ruin's entrance.
Ging turned and gestured to Morrow before swimming toward the water plants swaying with the current, resembling countless hands.
If others were heading to the ruin's entrance, they would choose an alternate route.
But he could use Nen to take a shortcut.
As Ging approached the dense vegetation, he merely released visible Nen waves around his body, effortlessly pushing aside the reaching plants.
This was a level of aura control refined to perfection.
Following closely behind Ging, Morrow couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration upon witnessing this.
In terms of growth speed, the most lacking aspect of his entire ability system was precisely such exquisite control like Ging's.
With control of the same caliber, it would mean achieving an extremely high level in all advanced Nen techniques.
By the way, now's the chance...
A thought crossed Morrow's mind.
Having witnessed Ging's terrifying skills in Yorknew, he had conceived the idea of using Starlight Convergence to replicate this kind of control technique.
The feasibility might be low, but it was worth a try.
Moreover, even if it couldn't be achieved now, this line of thinking could still be used to improve the ability mechanism of Starlight Convergence.
Now was as good a time as any to give it a try.
With this thought, Morrow directly activated the ability of "Starlight Convergence."
In an instant, brilliant points of light spread outward, like stars falling into the depths of the water.
Morrow manipulated the starlight to disperse into the surrounding aquatic plants, then slowly advanced, enveloping Ging's body and probing straight ahead.
The form of Starlight Convergence was very similar to "En" and shared the same functionality.
So, using the ability in this situation would only appear to Ging as an extended application of "En."
Ging glanced at the floating points of light around him. Seeing these faint, non-intrusive lights probing into the aquatic plants, he didn't dwell on it and pushed through the specks of light as he continued to lead the way.
The underwater environment was already filled with particles everywhere, but with the addition of the starlight specks, it created an even denser visual effect.
Morrow watched Ging swimming ahead and consciously narrowed the range of Starlight Convergence to enhance the intensity of the information-reading ability.
That Nen wave pushing the aquatic plants aside is actually a technique similar to "En"...
Through the feedback from the starlight, although it couldn't record the deeper forms of Nen manipulation, it could capture the principles and structure of the Nen wave.
This technique, resembling En, was actually more like a skill of the Emission type.
Or rather, it was a technique that combined the characteristics of both.
By releasing and expanding the aura outward while precisely controlling its amplitude, this En-like Nen wave achieved just the right amount of pushing force.
Starlight Convergence can read the target's physical exertion and the flow trajectory of their aura, but it can't capture the deeper micro-manipulation techniques of Nen.
After obtaining some critical information, Morrow didn't rush to deactivate Starlight Convergence but instead pondered the possibilities for future improvements.
Originally, Starlight Convergence was developed to counter Feitan.
The ability to replicate a target's physical exertion techniques was something Morrow discovered by accident during its practical application after developing the ability.
This application provided him with a powerful starting point.
It could be said that without the creation of Starlight Convergence, he would never have reached his current state.
And now, facing the seemingly insurmountable peak beyond the gateway to the new world, he once again placed his hopes for further progress on the potential of Starlight Convergence.
With his current mastery of Nen, his deep understanding of "Starlight Convergence," and his still-developing Nen capacity...
It wasn't impossible to improve and enhance the ability mechanism of Starlight Convergence.
If he succeeded, then... That peak, accessible only to the top-tier experts, would no longer be out of reach.
Waves of excitement surged in Morrow's heart, but he slowly suppressed and calmed them.
Having ideas and direction was a good thing.
But he couldn't rush.
Morrow steadied his emotions, deactivated Starlight Convergence, and then attempted to merge "En" and "Emission techniques."
These two techniques happened to be his specialties and were also aligned with his Nen type.
After putting his thoughts into action, the aura output enveloping Morrow's body quickly responded.
In the dark, silent depths of the water, visible ripples began to appear around him, like gentle palm waves lapping against the aquatic plants nearby.
Ging was the first to notice, glancing back at Morrow who was imitating him by using Nen waves to push aside the water plants.
"Tsk..."
A flicker of surprise flashed in Ging's eyes as the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and he immediately increased his swimming speed.
The two of them ventured deeper into the underwater forest, one after the other.
From a distance, they looked like two tiny specks descending into a dark abyss.
A long time later, the two arrived at a hill in the center of the underwater forest and entered through a cave opening. After swimming less than a hundred meters, they saw a shimmering white light ahead on the water's surface.
Ging gestured for Morrow to follow and then swam upward toward the light source.
Splash.
The two broke through the water's surface and emerged into an underground cave.
Soft white light fell upon them, emanating from lightbulbs hanging on the cave walls.
Aside from the lightbulbs, there were also some cave exploration equipment placed on the ground.
All this equipment had been gradually relocated during the excavation process.
Morrow swam toward the shore, slowly rising from the shallow water. His gaze swept over the various pieces of equipment before settling on the lightbulbs illuminating the entire cave.
He noticed that the wires connected to these lightbulbs weren't attached to portable power sources but were instead linked to plant roots growing along the cave walls.
In other words, these plant roots were directly supplying electricity to the lightbulbs.
"Pretty amazing, right?"
Ging removed his diving equipment and laughed, "Guess where these roots come from?"
"Huh."
Morrow was momentarily stunned, his mind flashing to those trees with sparse leaves by the lakeshore.
The answer that seemed most impossible by common sense felt absurdly plausible through intuition.
"Those trees by the lake?"
"Exactly."
A faint glimmer shone in Ging's eyes.
While the original goal might have been to excavate this ruin from the Akasha era, the various wonders encountered during this process never failed to fascinate Ging.
"The ruin entrance is right in there."
After storing his diving equipment, Ging pointed toward the depths of the cave passage illuminated by soft white light.
"But even if I didn't tell you, you could probably see those menacing Post-Mortem Nen manifestations."
At the entrance of the cave passage, faint traces of black Nen could be seen, clearly displaying aggressive postures.
Morrow looked at the black Nen and nodded.
Here, the presence of Post-Mortem Nen felt even stronger.
He had a premonition that this Post-Mortem Nen protecting the ruin entrance would definitely provide him with substantial Tree Rings energy.
"Let's go."
Ging took the lead, easily pushing aside the aggressively postured black Nen with his aura output protection.
These peripheral black death energies posed no threat to Nen users whatsoever.
However, they could directly endanger ordinary people's lives.
Therefore, until this Post-Mortem Nen at the ruin entrance was removed, the non-Nen staff participating in this excavation, no matter how much effort they expended to reach this place, could only helplessly stop here.
The two passed through the long cave passage and soon reached its end.
What appeared before them was a circular stone door embedded in the rock wall.
The stone door's surface was carved with patterns of various creatures, with a wavy seam running down the middle, splitting these patterns in two.
At first glance, the circular stone door's structure gave off a distinct Taiji-like visual impression.
Morrow didn't pay much attention to these patterns on the stone door, focusing all his attention on the thick black Post-Mortem Nen enveloping the entire door.
Ging tilted his head to look at Morrow and asked, "So, confident?"
Morrow didn't answer but took two steps closer, his expression troubled.
"The risk is very high. I'm not entirely confident."
"Is that so..."
Hearing Morrow's words, Ging couldn't help but sigh silently.
Morrow looked back and said gravely, "But I'm willing to give it a try. After all, back in Yorknew, you helped us out tremendously."
"Alright, then give it a shot. If things seem dangerous, stop immediately."
Ging said, somewhat moved.
Morrow nodded firmly, then extended his right hand, preparing to draw the Post-Mortem Nen into the Tree Rings.
Absorb it slowly, pretend it's very difficult.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he saw the thick Post-Mortem Nen on the stone door being effortlessly and entirely drawn into the rings on the back of his hand. The Tree Rings energy instantly broke through 60%...
In that brief moment, all traces of Post-Mortem Nen in the tunnel vanished completely.
The corner of Morrow's mouth twitched slightly.
Watching this scene, a question mark popped up in Ging's head.
Wait, what the...?!