"Young master."
"Young master."
"Young master."
The security door opened. Scarface, One-Eye, and Tsubone bowed, splitting to either side to clear a path for Roy.
They bent their waists extremely low; Tsubone's two pink pigtails even dangled down far enough to almost touch the tips of her own feet.
Roy pushed the serving cart and approached them. "I left the chrysanthemums inside. I don't want to see them wilt."
Tsubone quickly replied, "I will find a flowerpot for them and water them diligently."
Scarface said, "I will take them out to get some sun every day."
One-Eye added, "I will weed and fertilize them."
The young man simply grunted in acknowledgment and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
He casually handed the cart to Tsubone, glanced around, and left with his hands behind his back.
"Tap... tap..." The sound of footsteps grew fainter and fainter... The three of them finally straightened up long after Roy's figure had disappeared from sight.
By then, the moon was high in the sky, the sunset long since swallowed by the darkness that had crept over the horizon.
Leaving the basement, he strolled through the mottled corridors of the old castle. Lamps were already lit on the walls on both sides of the long hallway. At the end of the light, next to the small, dimly lit room, Roy looked up and saw Maha again. The old man was leaning against the windowsill, looking at the scenery. For a moment, it gave him the illusion that he was looking at an elderly Zigg... The resemblance was uncanny, far too similar. Roy stopped in his tracks and called out softly, "Great-grandfather."
Maha was staring blankly at the willow tree in the garden, seemingly not hearing him. He spoke on his own, ""re: Dead Man's Game" is your Grandpa Zigg's Nen ability. Through physical contact, it can forcibly pull a person's consciousness into a game woven from his memories."
Roy listened silently. This was mostly consistent with his earlier speculation.
"The year he died, he used his 'bloodline' as a medium to set a 'Limitation and Vow.' Any descendant of the Zoldyck family can enter and leave his mind. The price—excluding the source of the bloodline, which is me. At the time, I was so angry I could have beaten him to death. Who told him to be disobedient and sneak off? In the end... before I could even lay a hand on him, he closed his eyes for good."
'So, that eye is Zigg's mutated brain after his death?' Roy listened quietly...
Maha was a little angry. "That guy always said the Zoldyck family could lose anyone but me. He was just afraid I'd look through his memories and return to the Dark Continent to seek revenge... That idiot. Does he really think I'm that reckless?"
'Yes! You absolutely are!'
Roy picked up the conversation, making a joke, "Perhaps Grandpa Zigg thought great-grandfather might accidentally kill the person, making it impossible for him to get his revenge personally."
In any case, the old man wasn't the type to let an enemy get away while he himself did nothing.
Otherwise, it wouldn't fit the profile of an Enhancer.
Maha turned his head and glared at him. The young man forced a smile and tactfully changed the subject, "So, great-grandfather, is Grandpa Zigg truly dead or only seemingly dead?"
'A mutated brain would also need energy to sustain it. If he's truly dead, then what is the source of that sustenance?'
Roy suddenly thought of Scarface and One-Eye. As soon as he asked the question, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch...
"It seems you've guessed it." Maha was old and sharp. Noticing the change in the young man's expression, he said grimly, "He's 'living dead.' The funny thing is... even if he didn't want to, he had to become the very type of monster he hated most in life: a Magic Eye that feeds on Nen."
'Is it a curse?' Roy thought of Nanika. The shadow hanging over the Zoldyck family had not yet arrived, but that didn't mean it would disappear.
"Then, the reason great-grandfather had me go pay respects was for me to retrace Grandpa Zigg's path and find his killer?"
"You?" Maha laughed mockingly and reached out to pat his shoulder. "Don't overthink it. Something your grandfather and your father couldn't do, it's not your turn anyway."
That stung, although it was true he had only lasted fifteen seconds, not even having the time to speak with the Zigg in the memory...
The old man looked at Roy meaningfully. "This is just a heads-up, to let you know the stakes. In case you ever get any ideas, then..."
Maha said with a smile, "This old man will break your legs, and I won't feel a shred of guilt."
"This..." Roy remembered the dream, the image of Zigg being dragged under the tree and beaten mercilessly still vivid in his mind.
"You overestimate me, great-grandfather." Roy pointed to his own black hair and said sheepishly, "My talent is limited."
'Fifteen seconds is hardly limited, you silly child...' Maha rolled his eyes at him. "Get lost."
Roy felt as if he had been granted amnesty. "Good night, great-grandfather."
He brushed past the old man's shoulder and scurried away...
It was eight o'clock at night. Gotoh must have already prepared dinner. He needed to eat to replenish his energy.
Behind him, Maha stood with his hands behind his back, watching him walk further and further away, and called out, "Go see Zigg more often."
The young man agreed without objection. It wasn't just to alleviate Grandpa Zigg's loneliness.
At the very least... 'I need to be able to fully withstand that monster's Ren first.'
The night deepened.
The young man rounded the corner and vanished in an instant.
Maha was left alone, lost in thought...
The evening breeze gently rustled the hem of his clothes. A series of hurried footsteps approached from behind.
It was Tsubone.
"Old ancestor, we have the time."
"I know, fifteen seconds." Maha waved his hand and went inside, closing the door with a "bang~."
Tsubone bowed. She wasn't surprised in the least. Her coming here was merely a formality. She glanced in the direction of Roy's bedroom before hurrying away.
...
Roy's bedroom.
Tonight's dinner was Western food.
He had thought he could have a Chinese meal with the offerings when he returned from paying his respects.
Reality taught him that the world is full of unimaginable things. Except for a few leaves, all the meat had gone into Zigg's stomach.
Helpless, Roy could only make do with a sandwich, lamenting how deep the waters of the Zoldyck family ran!
Without sufficient strength, there were some places one couldn't even go. In the future, if he ever really decided to set off to explore the Dark Continent, from what the old man said... he would have to get past him first.
Otherwise,
One only had to look at how miserably Zigg was beaten in the dream to get the picture.
"Young master, Zebro called. He said that Kastro fellow pushed open the first gate this evening." Gotoh poured a glass of milk and handed it over. "I have already arranged for him to report to the butlers' quarters."
Roy took it and drank it in one gulp, handing the empty glass back. "His talent isn't weak. Train him well and have him guard the mountain."
A guy who could hold his own against Hisoka in the original story was naturally not going to be subpar.
Letting Gotoh clear the table, he finished his meal, took a quick shower, and went straight to bed.
His mind was racing...
He was somewhat eager to see if the "Gate to the Dark Continent" that stood in his Sea of Cognition still existed after disconnecting from Zigg's consciousness.
If it did... the young man narrowed his eyes. He could completely imagine it... once his strength was sufficient, even without the old man breaking his legs, he could bypass all the restrictions of this world and get a glimpse of the true face of the Dark Continent before anyone else!
And he could enter and exit as he pleased, anytime, anywhere...
T/n:
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