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Chapter 68: Abstract Tale
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They headed towards the guest room at the highest stage where Netero ordered through the phone for drinks to be delivered to him.
Coffee for Yasuo, and Tea for him, they took a seat with Yasuo listening attentively to what Netero has to say...
Netero took a sip of tea as a solemn expression enveloped his face remembering what they faced in the expedition, he set out looking for a challenge but found none only survival.
"It's not that he doesn't want to tell you, he just can't. In fact, even I don't know exactly what happened but I made a few conclusions from what I remember..."
The air of seriousness got all of Yasuo's attention as he narrowed his eyes in anticipation, to know if his theory is really correct.
Netero continued, "There should be some information about the unofficial expedition we went through, Zigg told me he wrote about it and left it in the family library, right?"
Yasuo nodded, "Yeah, I looked through it but there isn't anything regarding what I want to know,"
A gleam of light appeared deep in Netero's eyes as he looked at Yasuo, "About what you want to know huh... So you know? You know that whatever is in Alluka is the result of that expedition? How?"
Yasuo's expression didn't change at all as he answered without missing a beat, "She is my dear sister so I did my fair share of investigation but, it didn't yield many results, and that in itself is a clue as it left me with the only possible source of Nanika, that is the dark continent."
"I happened to have read the book years before that and I remember it clearly.
In fact, it interested me quite a lot so I gathered information about the dark continent as soon as I could and I bought all the available information about it on the Hunter's Traven.
Though the most important reason to why I came to this conclusion is on the first page of the book, Isaac Netero, Zigg Zoldyck, and Linne Horsdoeuvre are names written on it so I put things together..."
Netero nodded in understanding only to hear the following bringing an air of gloominess around him.
"An unofficial expedition in which he participated in, and something happened that made him change his name or forsake his last name.
My question and what makes me puzzled is how can someone like you allow something potentially dangerous to bare its teeth on humanity, allowing such a variable to exist within humanity..."
"From what I observed you seem to like challenges a lot to the point that you made the hunter exam as deadly as it is now allowing only the elites to pass, seeds that will grow and could become a challenge.
You indulged in your personal interest but one could argue you were just trying to make humanity stronger.
Well matters not, that's not something I care about... From your past actions and what I observed, I could safely say you won't allow such danger that could potentially exterminate humanity to come in contact with it even at the cost of your life, am I right?"
Netero closed his eyes letting out a sigh though Yasuo seeing through him didn't faze him one bit, his passion for challenges is something many know and he never really tried to hide it.
"You're right... I wouldn't allow such a thing to happen... But I didn't have a choice... None of us had a choice. Once we opened our eyes, we were already back in a populated area northwest of the republic of Pakodea..."
Netero opened his eyes then continued, "Let me give you the full context. What you read in the book is most likely all true.
He just left out the things that are important. You are a 2-star hunter and will be a 3-star hunter soon so if you visit the Hunter's Traven you'll have access to all the information available among other services so bear with me if you hear any foreign concept~"
"We followed the guide until we reached the coast and it's important to note that we went to Northwest of Lake Mobius, an unexplored territory so the risks were high as we had no idea what we're going to face.
Only we didn't face anything, we moved deep into the Northwest area yet we found no sign of any creature at all for a while nor was there anything useful.
Everything seemed decayed with the smell of death all around and the remains what could be presumed to be large creatures and dead trees, it looked cursed... "
"It took us a long time to reach to go beyond the deserted area... And what we found is miraculous, everything is enormous and dangerous, soo dangerous that I found no challenge there.
He should've described what we went through after this so I'll skip it since the incident happened when we went back.
We knew that there has to be something in the deserted area considering no creature coming close to it so we started exploring it..."
"It took us about two months to find something interesting and we only looked for this long because of Zigg's persistence.
That's the kind of person he was, once he started something he won't stop until he finishes it. Signs of an ancient civilization, decayed signs with only a single place completely intact.
In fact, it looked spotless, a temple looking like white building. Linne Horsdoeuvre was the scouter in our party as her abilities suited such a role and she noticed nothing dangerous once she used her ability to see inside the building with it being completely empty except a large statue in the middle."
"Zigg was the first to enter once he received the confirmation he needed and we followed after him.
The statue looked quite simple yet weird, two bald heads almost completely faceless if not for the mouth engraved on each face, they're looking away from each other with one's mouth shaped in a smiling shape and the other shaped in a sad expression shape.
The statue's arms were spread opposite to each other with a ball resting on both palms... And few cracks could be noticed all over the statue."
A dispirited expression surface on his face, "The air in the room changed once we reached a certain distance from it, I remember chills coming down my spine as I heard the faint cold laughter coming from the statue.
'Haha haha Something finally came... And the cycle continues...
You have the privilege of standing before me!... The god of choice dýo epilogés! So as the first to enter my sanctuary, you'll be the one to choose from the two available options...
If you don't choose before one moon time passed, I will do it for you Hah hah Now...' It said and even though the language sounded foreign to me, I still understood what it said clearly.
Its tone sounded playfully yet dignified as if it looked down on us considering us tools for its own agenda and we couldn't do anything about it since we couldn't move at all nor did I have the ability to use Nen in its presence.
We were helpless and It wasn't even a battle for survival...That is the last thing I remember before blacking out only to open my eyes finding myself back in the human territory as I mentioned before."
The gloomy air dissipated with a calm expression returning to Netero's face, "From what It last said, I naturally assumed it was talking to Zigg so the first thing I did after opening my eyes is asking him about what happened.
'All I can say is that I chose the best Choice of the two.' Is what he said expressionlessly, his energetic and curious side nowhere to be seen.
He changed a lot and I think that is why he changed his name or it has a meaning.
In the Yarbia continent, it means 'Wild deer', the latter symbolize the powers in nature that are not easily subdued. they are able to adapt very well to many habitats.
He is probably referring to the statue or whatever entity it is, this is all the information I know and as you see there isn't much to work with.
Also, a few years ago, he called me and informed me about Nanika as you call it and its powers and told me to keep a distance from it so I guess it's the result of what happened."
And silence engulfed the place in its embrace as Yasuo's eyes shined in brilliance thinking of all the possibilities.
His mind working to its limits trying to solve such an interesting mystery until a small smile surfaced on his face, "That's... interesting, too interesting,"