As the broken moon climbed up from behind the shadowy mountains, the vast sky changed in the blink of an eye, like a clever opportunist adjusting to the wind. The sky quickly turned dark.
The stars were already sparse, and with the grayish-white smoke drifting through the air, it was even harder to see them. Sometimes, a flicker here and there might be mistaken for some sort of illusion.
The Germain team finally settled on a suitable resting spot just before sunset, right in front of them.
A giant boulder, like a small mountain, lay across their path. The cave at its base formed a dark mouth, and now, yellowish light was coming from its entrance.
Several standing lamps were placed inside the cave. As the Germain team members moved, their shadows crossed each other like they were dancing.
Ging stepped out of the cave and instinctively looked around.
In fact, his "Aura" had already spread instinctively much farther than he had realized, and only now was it returning to him.
Usually, using "Aura" in the Dark Continent was a decision with both advantages and risks.
For the Germain team, using "Aura" allowed them to quickly and thoroughly understand the situation around them, which was beneficial to them.
However, the "beasts" of the Dark Continent undoubtedly had similar abilities to "Aura," and their sensing range was wide and irregular.
As long as they used "Aura," there was a chance they would be detected.
Even the weaker "beasts" in the Dark Continent could have a more sensitive "Aura" than the Germain team members.
This was a characteristic of these creatures, who had lived in the wilds of the Dark Continent for so long, relying on "Aura" to survive and avoid danger. This was something humans, who lived in safe places, couldn't compare to.
When the beasts sense life using "Aura," they naturally become alert, and might even come to investigate.
However, the situation before them was different.
The Germain team was now deep in the "Wasteland," and after walking for nearly two hours, all they had encountered were zombies infected with the "Immortality Disease."
These creatures only had the instincts to wander in the Wasteland, and whether they could use "Aura" was another matter.
Even though they could use the "En," upon noticing the Germain team, most of the time, they remained indifferent.
So, what Ging was really watching out for wasn't the immortal shells, but something else.
After realizing there was nothing wrong for now, he went back deeper into the cave, where he saw the Germain team members injecting a small tube of "Herbal Medicine for All Illnesses" into their wrists.
This was Sanbica's suggestion.
The "Herbal Medicine for All Illnesses" can only cure the early-stage infection of the "Immortality Disease."
Once it reaches the later stages, even when the soul is starting to dissipate, the "Herbal Medicine for All Illnesses" will no longer be effective.
For example, the infected individuals in the V5 International Travel Permit Office's underground, like those in Beyond's team, couldn't be saved by the medicine. It would be too late for them.
The infection from the "Immortality Disease" is nearly impossible to avoid.
It has a period of incubation where symptoms don't appear immediately, and the infection isn't always detectable right away.
So, Sanbica advised the Germain team to inject the "Herbal Medicine for All Illnesses" at least once every 12 hours while they were in the "Wasteland" to be completely safe.
Germain didn't know if his "Hunter Badge" would mark the infection of the "Immortality Disease" once he caught it.
He was also worried about getting infected unknowingly, so he, like the others, injected himself with the medicine.
In addition to this, to relieve some of the "stress," Menchi's dinner and Bisky's "Magical Beautician Miss Cookie" each played their part.
Menchi's dinner helped reduce the "stress" for all five of them, though the effect was somewhat minimal.
Bisky's "Magical Beautician Miss Cookie" could target two people for "Piano Massage," significantly lowering their "stress," but its effectiveness would be much lower if used again in a short time.
For the "Piano Massage," Bisky chose herself and Germain.
She chose herself because her Nen ability was very important for reducing stress.
Her Nen ability allows her to prevent everyone from falling into "torment" or even a state of "mental exhaustion" during non-combat situations.
If she can't ensure she keeps her own rationality and maintain her sanity, how can she guarantee the well-being of others, both mentally and physically?
The reason she chose Germain is that his Nen ability makes him the most vulnerable to negative events, causing his stress levels to spike suddenly.
Germain is definitely the most important person among them, so reducing his stress levels promptly is one of Bisky's responsibilities.
"Everything is normal outside," Ging said as he sat down cross-legged, also putting a needle into himself. "However, I still recommend, as per the original plan, that we don't sleep tonight."
"I agree," Germain said, taking out a pocket watch and glancing at it. "It's 9:11 PM on October 8th. We have less than 10 hours until sunrise."
"People still need rest, even though we're Nen users and our physical strength is much greater than ordinary people's," Bisky turned to Shizuku. "Bring over the briefcase. This is when 'they' will be needed."
Shizuku picked up the silver briefcase that was carefully kept by her side and handed it to Bisky.
Under the dim light, Bisky opened the case, her fingers gliding across the various cards inside.
"Found it," she said with a raised eyebrow, pulling out five cards. "'Grade A Card: Sleeping Girl'."
The "Sleeping Girl" card allows the user to rest and sleep for up to 24 hours. During this time, the user can move freely and won't feel tired.
However, it comes with its own set of "Vows and Limitations."
The "Sleeping Girl" is very fragile. Even a slap or punch would cause her to vanish immediately, and she could only be summoned again after 24 hours.
Since everyone decided not to sleep tonight, the task of sleeping would fall to these girls.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—
The cards were unlocked, white smoke dissipated, and five petite, naked girls appeared, summoned into existence.
"Go to sleep on behalf of the five of us." Bisky said with a smiling look, his hands pressed together beside his face. "Sleep is my greatest enemy, after all, I'm a beautiful young girl."
One of the girls yawned, and like a row of dominoes, the other four followed and yawned as well.
They stretched lazily, then crawled into their sleeping bags, adjusting their bodies to find the most comfortable sleeping positions, and closed their eyes.
Just a few seconds later, they were already in deep sleep. Their sleep quality was really enviable.
"The long night is ahead, what are you planning to do?" Bisky turned his attention away from the five "sleeping girls," "We should find something to do, to pass the time."
Menchi clapped her hands. "Let's play cards. I brought a deck."
"How did you bring a deck of cards?" Bisky asked curiously.
"Think about it," Menchi said naturally, "We're going to be here for at least 10 days. So, I took Buhara's suggestion and brought three decks of cards to pass the time."
Bisky gave Menchi a thumbs-up. "Smart. I'll play with you. Germain, Gon, and Shizuku, what about you guys?"
"I'll play cards too," Shizuku said, crawling over to where Bisky had set up her mat in the cave. Using both hands and feet, she made her way over. "I'm an expert at bluffing."
"Really?" Bisky said with a skeptical glance at Shizuku.
"Really," Shizuku said, puffing out her chest.
At that moment, Ging waved his hand. "I won't play. I'll use the time to organize today's 'Wilderness Observations' and work on the 'New World Chronicles, Eastern Section: Rough Draft'."
As he spoke, he stood up, leaned against the stone wall, and pulled out paper and a pen, beginning to organize his thoughts.
Since Ging joined the team, the task of recording and organizing their observations of the Dark Continent had been handed over to him from Bisky.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you."
Bisky didn't force Ging, but instead took out her "3D camera" and handed it to Ging, letting him look at the photos inside as a reference.
"I won't play cards either." Germain took out his phone and earphones, ready to immerse himself in the world of music.
Unfortunately, Bisky wasn't as patient with him.
She gave a signal to Shizuku. This time, Shizuku was much quicker to respond and nodded.
So, they stood up, walked over to Germain, and pulled him up, one on each side, forcing him to sit up from his cross-legged position.
"What are you doing?" Germain looked like a suspect being caught on the spot.
Bisky said earnestly, "Don't sit there alone, come play with us. Ging has something important to do, but you don't, so come on, let's play cards."
"It's more fun when there are more people for bluffing," Shizuku said with big eyes, reaching up to take Germain's earphones and stuffed them into her pants pocket.
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