After absorbing the Post-Mortem Will from the stone gate, the gains were already substantial.
But for Morrow, the yet-unopened ruin was equivalent to a blind box full of unknowns.
If luck was on his side, he might even gain some additional Tree Rings energy.
Morrow initially thought of directly asking Ging if there were other ruins or tombs attached with Post-Mortem Will.
But on second thought, since they would be together for at least a year anyway, there would be plenty of opportunities, no need to rush for now.
Time passed slowly.
While waiting for his colleagues to come down, Ging didn't remain idle.
He first went to the circular stone gate and used En to probe it, confirming there were no traps before returning to the cave entrance to ask Morrow for more specific details about Starlight Convergence.
Morrow answered in great detail, even sharing the various thought processes he had when originally developing this ability, holding nothing back.
After all, in his view, the fact that Ging took the initiative to ask about these things meant he took the one-year sparring agreement very seriously.
So Morrow naturally had to cooperate unreservedly.
This matter concerned whether he could break through the shackles of his talent and seize the opportunity to climb to new heights in this world.
In truth, Ging did indeed attach great importance to this agreement.
Not only because he highly valued the spirit of contracts, but also because he hoped to complete the "agreement" ahead of schedule.
If he could finish early, he would free up a lot of precious time.
If not, during this one year, he certainly wouldn't waste Morrow's Nen exorcism ability.
Simply put, time was especially precious to him. He wished he could split it in two to make the most of it.
In this regard, Morrow actually shared the same mindset as Ging.
With only one year, he had considered inviting Biscuit over.
More precisely, he thought of asking Miss Cookie for help.
That way, Ging's sleep time could be drastically reduced, effectively stretching the one-year deadline by at least threefold.
It could be said that both sides were thinking of turning the other into a workhorse to maximize their talent's value.
A long time later.
One after another, ruin excavation staff in diving suits arrived in the cave.
They removed their diving equipment, their faces filled with excitement and exhilaration.
"After preparing for over half a year, we can finally explore it!"
"Quick, bring the lighting equipment and detection instruments."
"What's the rush? Change out of your diving suits first."
With the arrival of the staff, the cave, which had been so quiet you could hear a pin drop, instantly became as lively as a marketplace.
Ging, who had already made excavation preparations in advance, stood to the side, smiling as he watched these like-minded colleagues.
The feeling of about to unveil sealed history never changed, no matter how many times he experienced it.
Compared to the highly motivated excavation staff in the cave, Morrow stood in the corner, more like an outsider.
His gaze swept over the excited expressions of the staff, then settled on Ging, who wore a faint smile.
At this moment, the man hailed as one of the world's top five Nen users seemed like just an ordinary person among the masses.
That was probably one of Ging's unique traits, Morrow thought to himself.
"Allow me to formally introduce our newly joined technical consultant, Morrow. It's entirely thanks to his professional ability that we were able to successfully open the entrance to the ruin."
After all the colleagues had changed into their gear, Ging solemnly introduced Morrow.
Upon hearing Ging's words, everyone present couldn't help but turn their gazes toward Morrow, immediately gathering around to offer their warmest welcome.
Morrow smiled as he conversed with them, gradually memorizing each person's name.
After exchanging names, under Ging's lead, the group walked to the end of the tunnel and finally pushed open the circular stone door.
Rumble.
With the heavy sound of the stone door shifting, the door, patterned like a taiji symbol, retreated to both sides, slowly embedding into the rock walls.
Beyond the stone door lay a stone staircase leading upward.
Looking up toward the end of the passage, a faint red glow could be seen.
It seemed that in the space on the other side of the passage, there was an unknown source of light.
Everyone put on their gas masks and used instruments to test the air quality before proceeding in an orderly fashion into the stone staircase passage.
Ging walked at the very front.
With his strength and ability, he could handle any potential threats immediately, safeguarding the entire team.
Morrow followed in the second position, watching Ging ahead as he released his En.
Judging by the En that stretched all the way forward, its radius was at least a hundred meters.
However, he noticed Ging's reaction was particularly relaxed, suggesting that a hundred-meter radius En was far from his limit.
Soon, the group reached the end of the passage.
Beyond the passage exit was a flat stone platform, extending all the way to a massive arched gate.
The arch was constructed from massive stone blocks, its surface covered in intricate relief patterns, but many roots coiled over the carvings, obscuring most of the designs.
The arch's crown was sharply curved, its edges inlaid with bronze decorative strips, faintly revealing traces of age.
Just the sight of this enormous arched gate immediately captured everyone's attention. On the quiet platform outside the passage, only the sound of breathing from within the protective masks could be heard.
This was Morrow's first time exploring a subterranean ruin of this scale. His gaze shifted from the root-entwined arch to other areas.
It was a vast stone platform, but slender, densely packed roots could be seen everywhere.
Looking through the arch, one could see a majestic palace shrouded in red light deep within.
Surrounding the palace stood rows of soldier statues, each holding ancient cold weapons.
Yet, every soldier statue's face was smooth, devoid of any carved facial features.
Morrow's eyes filled with curiosity as he suddenly looked up, following the red light source toward the ceiling of the subterranean palace.
What met his gaze were countless unknown roots, hanging densely in mid-air like a curtain of blood-red beads, suspended from the top of the subterranean palace.
At the ends of many of these roots were tied shriveled, desiccated miniature human bodies, their limbs withered like mummified remains.
However, in eerie contrast to these shrunken bodies were the swollen, distorted heads.
Each head appeared as if inflated with water, bloated more than tenfold, to the point where the skin was nearly transparent, making it difficult to distinguish any facial features.
Moreover, the surfaces of the heads were covered in gnarled, thick roots, resembling bulging veins at the temples, exuding a menacing aura.
The crimson glow that filled the entire underground palace was seeping out from within these translucent skulls.
Witnessing this scene, Morrow's pupils slightly contracted, a flicker of doubt and alarm in his eyes.
Corpses? No.
Instinctively, Morrow focused aura into his eyes, employing the technique of Gyo.
As aura gathered like a torch in his eyes, he could see that the human bodies suspended from the root tips actually had a faint layer of aura, pulsing slowly with a steady, rhythmic breathing pattern.
These people... are still alive...!
Realizing this, a chill ran down Morrow's spine.
In the eyes of a Nen user, even without using Gyo, they could perceive the natural flow of Life Energy from ordinary people.
Previously, when Morrow had attacked the Ten Dons' mafia forces, he had relied on this phenomenon to quickly identify the hidden snipers.
However, the Life Energy emitted by these strange human bodies hanging from the ceiling of the underground palace was so faint that it could only be clearly seen with Gyo.
Yet, despite its weakness, this Life Energy carried an unmistakable, vivid vitality.
Ging, of course, had also noticed the faint Life Energy emanating from these bodies, and his eyes immediately shone with intense curiosity.
As for the other excavation team members who didn't understand Nen, although they had witnessed many strange occurrences in various ruins and tombs, they still turned slightly pale at the sight of these bizarrely shaped bodies.
Unable to perceive Nen, they couldn't see the faint Life Energy surrounding the bodies and, relying on common sense, simply categorized them as corpses.
"What strange corpses," a middle-aged team member exclaimed in astonishment.
After a brief silence, another person said in a trembling voice, "Judging by the architectural style of that archway, this should indeed be the underground palace ruins of the Akasha Kingdom. But there's no record of anything this eerie in the existing literature."
"This underground palace seems very much like a resting place for royal family members," someone else remarked more calmly. "And those bodies... could they be a unique form of burial sacrifice specific to the Akasha royal family?"
"Impossible," the team's sole female archaeologist stated firmly, her gaze fixed on the roots attached to the strange skulls. "These plant tissues clearly grew later. Look at the connection points between the skulls and the roots, there are obvious vine-like growth patterns."
"Indeed," several other team members with keen eyesight confirmed after careful observation.
After the initial shock and fear, everyone gradually calmed down.
The historical documents they possessed about the Akasha Kingdom offered no explanation for the bizarre scene before them, so they all turned their expectant gazes toward the team's leader.
Meeting his colleagues' inquiring looks, Ging didn't immediately issue instructions. Instead, he glanced toward the distant, majestic palace.
Inside it, there was an aura of Post-Mortem Will.
And it had formed an ability-based connection with the bodies above.
Thinking this, Ging turned his head to look at Morrow beside him.
"Do you sense it?"
"Yeah."
Morrow's gaze shifted toward the palace, the surprise in his eyes gradually fading as he replied calmly, "There's a presence of 'Post-Mortem Nen.' Although its intensity isn't as strong as the Post-Mortem Nen on the stone gate, it poses a greater threat."
"Yes, it seems we still have to take it slow."
Even without understanding Exorcism, Ging could rely on his keen perception to reach judgments similar to Morrow's.
Post-Mortem Will existed in many forms.
Especially the Post-Mortem Nen found in ancient ruins, which came in endless varieties.
The most common type was the Post-Mortem Nen attached to ancient objects in ruins and tombs, usually non-threatening and gradually fading over time due to its weak intensity.
There were also resentful thoughts commonly found in tombs and mausoleums, mostly originating from sacrificial victims or the craftsmen responsible for constructing the tombs.
This category of Post-Mortem Will, after accumulating over time, would form an energy capable of manipulating corpses and remains.
However, as the corpses weathered and decayed, this Post-Mortem Will would slowly disappear.
Then there were Post-Mortem Wills attached to the entrances of ruins or tombs, or even sealed Post-Mortem Wills that could envelop every corner.
These Post-Mortem Wills existed to protect the ruins and tombs from intruders.
Finally, there were Post-Mortem Wills filled with various lethal mechanisms that would indiscriminately attack invaders.
This type of Post-Mortem Will typically possessed strong aggression.
Based on this, even without direct contact, Nen users could discern it from the overflowing aura.
The Post-Mortem Will aura currently lingering within the palace was emitting a chilling, intensely aggressive bloodlust.
So before completely resolving this Post-Mortem Will, it was clearly impossible to begin excavating this underground palace ruin.
"You all step back first."
Ging shifted his gaze to his colleagues.
Having worked together for a long time, in such situations, no lengthy explanations were needed for everyone to understand that there were still lethal risks hidden within the underground palace.
Normally in these cases, they would wait for Ging to eliminate the risks before formally beginning work.
"Ging, Morrow, be careful."
"Let's go, we can study the reliefs on the stone door while we're at it."
"We'll head out first then."
Under Ging's watchful eyes, the colleagues gradually returned to the passage.
After his colleagues left, Ging looked up again at the humanoid figures resembling the living dead and suddenly asked:
"Morrow, do you know about the Dark Continent?"
"I know some things."
Morrow replied calmly.
In fact, he was basically aware of all the information about the Dark Continent that had appeared in the original work.
Ging hadn't expected that Morrow, being so young, would also know about the forbidden Dark Continent.
For a moment, his gaze toward Morrow held a trace of surprise as he probed, "Then how much do you know about the Dark Continent?"
"Ging, I've read Journey to the New World: East."
Morrow answered indirectly.
But this response made a bright light flash in Ging's eyes.
Humanity's understanding of the Dark Continent basically originated from the book "Journey to the New World: East."
This book, published hundreds of years ago, had long since become a phantom text.
In Ging's view, since Morrow had read this book, it meant he likely also held interest in the Dark Continent.
At this moment, in the future blueprint for exploring the Dark Continent, Morrow's position was directly established.
A smile surfaced on Ging's face as he raised his hand, pointing at the numerous human bodies still clinging to life above. "Doesn't this resemble Pap, one of the Five Threats?"
"Now that you mention it..."
Morrow froze for a moment, images of Pap flashing through his mind.
Pap was one of the Five Threats known to humanity from the Dark Continent, possessing an ability akin to equivalent exchange.
The withered, miniature human bodies on the ceiling of the underground palace did indeed resemble humans under Pap's control, except...
"Some features are quite similar, aside from the heads."
"Mhm."
Ging nodded. There were indeed some similarities, but it couldn't be confirmed whether they were related to Pap.
After a moment's thought, Morrow suggested, "Should we try attacking them? If you still consider them alive, then forget I said anything."
"..."
Ging fell silent for a while upon hearing this, but ultimately accepted Morrow's proposal.
Truth be told, even if Morrow hadn't mentioned it, he would have done the same to eliminate potential risks.
"Let me handle it."
Morrow volunteered.
Ging glanced at him in surprise but didn't object.
Morrow immediately condensed a Nen bullet at his fingertip.
Whoosh!
The Nen bullet sliced through the air and struck one of the living corpses.
With a soft pop, the enormous head abruptly exploded.
The next moment, a wisp of deathly black smoke flew out from within, heading straight for Morrow.
Seeing this, Ging immediately stepped in front of Morrow.
"It's fine, no need to block it for me."
Morrow sidestepped in a flash, raising his hand to draw the wisp of black smoke into his Tree Rings.
Holy crap... Isn't this just an all-you-can-eat buffet?!