If one were to define the difficulty of removing this Post-Mortem Will at the ruin's entrance using the Hunter Association's commission level system, then it would be at least B-rank.
This was Ging's judgment based on his own understanding.
So before commissioning Morrow, he had already clearly stated that the risk of removing this Post-Mortem Nen was extremely high, and he could accept Morrow choosing to back out after assessing the strength of the Post-Mortem Nen.
Originally prepared for the possibility of Morrow failing in the Nen exorcism, he never expected the Post-Mortem Will that had troubled him for so long was actually transferred so easily.
Inside the tunnel.
Both Morrow and Ging remained silent, the atmosphere becoming extremely quiet.
After a few seconds.
Morrow slowly turned around, looking at the silent Ging with a grave expression. "Such a powerful Post-Mortem Will, no wonder it had such obvious aggressive tendencies. Sigh, it seems this time... I'll need a long time to completely purify it."
"..."
Ging remained silent, subtly glancing at Morrow's right hand.
He had seen it clearly just now.
That dense Post-Mortem Nen had been completely absorbed by Morrow's right hand in just one or two seconds.
This must be Morrow's unique Nen exorcism method.
But the process of transferring the Post-Mortem Nen was too effortless, so easy it seemed as if there had never been any risk involved.
Even though the subsequent pressure of Nen exorcism lies more in the difficulty of purification.
It still defies logic.
"Is there any risk in the purification process?"
After a brief silence, Ging slowly suppressed his doubts and asked the most critical question.
He had already figured it out.
Morrow's initial hesitation and current seriousness were nothing but layers of pretense.
As for why Morrow was putting on such an act, he could roughly guess the reasons, but he didn't pay it much mind.
He only cared about one thing.
Whether Morrow could stably and safely purify this Post-Mortem Will.
This was more important than money.
Morrow sensed Ging's attitude toward this matter and figured that with Ging's shrewd nature, he must have already seen through the act, so he decided to abandon the pretense.
It's all because Tree Rings' absorption speed is too absurd.
Forget creating the appearance of a difficult transfer; if only the transfer speed had been a bit slower, it wouldn't have completely eliminated his room for performance.
"No risk."
The grave expression on Morrow's face suddenly vanished, his tone returning to calm. "Since I successfully transferred the Post-Mortem Nen, purification naturally won't be a problem either. It just requires some time."
"That's good."
Ging nodded, then stared intently at Morrow as if looking at an extraordinary treasure.
Although their interaction had been brief, he had already seen Morrow's potential.
So young, yet possessing such solid and powerful aura output level.
And after seeing his method of using aura, Morrow could immediately imitate it.
Such strength and talent spoke for themselves.
Most importantly, there was the incredibly high-level Nen exorcism ability displayed now.
This was also the ability his team currently lacked the most.
So after confirming that Morrow could purify the Post-Mortem Nen without risk, the thought of recruiting Morrow began to form in his mind. Not only was he considering the possibility of facing similar situations in the future, but also the preparations needed before exploring the Dark Continent.
Undoubtedly, Morrow met all his criteria for talent and needs in every aspect.
Facing Ging's undisguised, intense gaze, Morrow calmly said, "Regarding the reward for the Exorcism…"
"How much do you want?"
Ging slightly restrained his gaze and asked directly.
Hearing this, Morrow hesitated for a moment, recalling the nearly 10 billion bid price for two pairs of Scarlet Eyes. If he were to name a price, it would be best not to go below 10 billion.
But this amount, judging solely by the difficulty of the Exorcism, it would be like treating Ging as a fool to exploit.
However, from another perspective, the reason the Exorcism was so easy wasn't because the Post-Mortem Nen was weak, but because his Tree Rings... well, his Nen exorcism ability was too powerful.
So, even if he set a high price, it shouldn't be a problem, right?
Moreover, he currently owed Kanzai over 10 billion. If he lowered the price here, he would end up owing even more.
Thinking this, Morrow tentatively proposed, "Ten billion."
"Deal."
Ging agreed without a second thought, smiling. "The bid price for the Scarlet Eyes and kitchen knives at the recent Yorknew Auction was just over 10 billion. Let's just offset it."
In reality, the total bid for the two pairs of Scarlet Eyes and the kitchen knives had exceeded 11 billion.
So, after offsetting, Ging would still need to pay around 1 billion extra.
"..."
Seeing Ging so straightforward and generous, Morrow was momentarily speechless.
Did I ask for too little??
Right, this guy is extremely rich…
Damn it, I definitely asked for too little.
Morrow deeply regretted it in his heart.
But since things had come to this, he had no choice but to accept it.
Unaware of Morrow's thoughts, Ging considered that, based on the market rate for Exorcism, a 10 billion reward was already an astronomical price.
It was only because he wasn't short on money and was willing to pay a high price for Exorcism.
As he believed, the expenditure of money was far less important than Morrow's safety during the Exorcism.
If he could fulfill his wish to enter this ruin suspected to be from the Akasha era, he would be willing to spend any amount of money.
Temporarily setting aside the idea of recruiting Morrow, Ging quickly approached the circular stone gate that resembled a Taiji diagram after settling the price.
The stone gate was carved with intricate patterns of rare beasts and exotic creatures. On either side of the wavy central seam, two round black and white jade beads were symmetrically embedded, like pieces on a chessboard.
Now, with just a gentle push of this stone gate, he could satisfy his long-standing curiosity.
But Ging only reached out and brushed his hand over the jade door handle, feeling its smooth texture with his fingertips, without rushing to open it.
Because the joy of unlocking the ruin's entrance shouldn't be his alone to experience; it should be shared with the colleagues he had worked with for so long.
Ging withdrew his hand and headed out of the tunnel, intending to use the communication device at the cave entrance to call his colleagues responsible for the excavation to come down.
"Morrow."
As he walked toward the cave entrance, Ging suddenly spoke.
Morrow, following behind, looked at Ging's back.
Ging gazed ahead and solemnly extended an invitation. "I'd like to invite you to serve as the Nen exorcism consultant for my team. Are you willing?"
"..."
Morrow was slightly taken aback and didn't respond immediately, instead falling into thought.
He was in dire need of money and knew that Ging was a top-tier billionaire. So if he accepted Ging's invitation, not only would he have the chance to freely obtain Tree Rings energy, but he could also make a fortune from it.
But compared to monetary gains, what he wanted more from Ging was the possibility of evolving Starlight Convergence.
However, this also meant that while proposing the condition, he would have to reveal the entire ability system of Starlight Convergence to Ging.
Regarding this point, Morrow didn't hesitate for long.
This was the advantage of being a transmigrator; he could review and confirm the personality traits of original characters from the perspective of a reader of the original work.
"I can accept your invitation, but I have one condition."
After thinking it through, Morrow spoke calmly.
Ging abruptly stopped walking, turned to look at Morrow, and asked seriously, "Let's hear it."
"Be my 'sparring partner' and assist me in improving and optimizing my Nen ability."
Morrow stated his condition.
Upon hearing this, Ging raised his hand to his chin and hummed thoughtfully.
His first reaction upon hearing such a condition was to refuse.
Because just from the wording "improving and optimizing," it was clear that the so-called sparring might require an exceptionally long time.
It might even need to be measured in years as the time unit.
Just this point alone made Ging very resistant.
He didn't want to be tied down by one thing for too long.
If he hadn't highly valued Morrow's talent and potential, he would have refused outright.
"Is the ability you want to improve and optimize the one you used underwater earlier?"
Ging asked curiously.
Morrow nodded.
Seeing this, Ging became somewhat interested.
As he lowered his eyelids, he just thought seriously for a moment and immediately grasped the key information.
"Could it be that your ability can copy or synchronize others' techniques?"
Ging looked up abruptly and, without waiting for Morrow's response, immediately added, "You don't have to answer. To be honest, I really need your Nen exorcism ability... so I'm still more inclined to agree to your condition."
"It's fine. My ability is called Starlight Convergence. Its effect is to read and integrate information from the target's actions to predict offensive intentions."
Morrow had no intention of hiding anything and explained straightforwardly, "Due to the ability's characteristic of reading information, it does indeed have the effect of replicating others' techniques. I've used it to quickly master footwork and martial arts."
"Hmm?"
Ging didn't expect Morrow to be so frank about revealing his ability information. While surprised by this, he couldn't help but feel touched by Morrow's trust in him.
At the same time, he keenly noticed a problem in Morrow's words.
"If that's the case, why do you still need to improve and optimize it?"
"Because Starlight Convergence can only read information like the target's force application techniques, and I want it to evolve to... even being able to read information about 'aura' techniques."
Morrow still didn't hide anything as he stated his intention.
He believed that to make Ging agree to this condition and cooperate without holding back, he couldn't conceal anything about such matters.
"I see..."
Ging's eyes slightly changed. In just a few sentences, he had directly sensed Morrow's ambition.
In itself, an ability that could quickly master footwork and martial arts by reading information like force application techniques was already extremely precious.
So just with this ability effect, combined with him serving as a long-term sparring partner, he thought Morrow could completely use this opportunity to master more advanced Body Techniques, yet Morrow wasn't satisfied with that. Instead, it was his profound mastery in manipulating aura that caught his eye.
"Alright, I agree."
After a moment of thought, Ging ultimately accepted Morrow's conditions.
Strength, character, temperament, talent, and Nen exorcism ability.
Considering these factors, he had no issue helping Morrow ascend to greater heights.
More importantly, he hoped to use this opportunity to recruit Morrow as a member of his future Dark Continent exploration team.
Seeing Ging agree, Morrow's face immediately lit up with joy.
But the next moment, he heard Ging's follow-up words.
"But I also have a condition."
"Go ahead."
Morrow's joyful expression faded, replaced by a serious demeanor as he looked at Ging.
As long as he could secure this opportunity, no matter what the condition was, if he could fulfill it, he would never refuse.
Ging extended his index finger and said slowly, "I'll only give you 'one year.'"
After all, it went without saying that further enhancing the already formidable Starlight Convergence would be an extremely difficult task.
Even he believed the chances of success were quite low.
So he had to set a deadline; otherwise, if Morrow couldn't successfully improve it, he would have to keep sparring indefinitely.
"No problem."
Morrow agreed to Ging's condition without hesitation.
He was already very satisfied to have secured this opportunity; how could he dare ask for more?
Seeing Morrow agree so decisively, Ging was slightly surprised but didn't dwell on it, extending his hand toward Morrow.
"Then it's settled."
"Mm."
Morrow shook Ging's hand, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Ging withdrew his hand and, thinking about the subsequent ruin excavation work, said, "By the way, the sparring will have to wait until my colleagues and I finish excavating this ruin. Is that alright?"
"Of course, I can wait. No matter how long it takes."
Morrow replied with a smile, his peripheral glance catching the Tree Rings energy circle on the back of his hand.
He had just absorbed the Post-Mortem Will attached to the ruin's entrance, converting a total of 20% energy, skyrocketing directly from 42% to 62%; truly astonishing.
He surmised that the range of this Post-Mortem Nen likely wasn't limited to the ruin's entrance but extended to every corner of the ruin's periphery.
Otherwise, with Ging's strength and the team he had assembled, there would be no need to enter specifically through the ruin's entrance.
With only about 38% energy left to fill the third Tree Ring, Morrow's thoughts turned to the situation inside the ruin.
This was his first time involved in such excavation work, and he wondered if there were any objects inside the ruin carrying Post-Mortem Nen.
Suppressing this question, Morrow and Ging made their way out of the tunnel.
After Ging used his communication device to inform the staff above of the situation, Morrow finally spoke up, "Ging, how likely is it to encounter Post-Mortem Nen inside ruins?"
"Very likely, or rather, it's quite common."
Ging put down his communication device and explained, "But it's mostly attached to ancient artifacts and doesn't interfere with the excavation work. If it's something like burial attendants controlled by Post-Mortem Nen, we can handle it without needing exorcism."
At this point, Ging glanced at Morrow.
"In short, even if Post-Mortem Will appears inside the ruin, we won't need your help anymore. Your priority now is to purify the Post-Mortem Nen you've transferred."
"Uh, alright."
Morrow responded.
Strictly speaking, he had already digested that Post-Mortem Nen. However, Ging's words had reminded him.
Even if there were objects imbued with Post-Mortem Will within the ruin, he couldn't absorb them immediately.
After all, in the eyes of outsiders, he was still in the purifying Post-Mortem Nen phase.
"I'll just wait for a while then. The sparring arrangement needs to wait anyway," Morrow thought to himself, feeling somewhat eager about the upcoming ruin excavation.
If he could find objects carrying Post-Mortem Will there, it would be a huge gain.