It was only after he saw the stone tablet left by the United States of Saherta and the unmistakable 'Ancient Labyrinth City,' 'Brion,' and the 'Möbius ring mark and temporary residence' left by Don Freecss that he became certain this place was indeed the Dark Continent.
The reality of it made his fingers tremble with excitement until just moments ago. He had to press his head down to hide the trembling.
"Germain," he said after a moment, "actually, the 'Herb for All-illnesses' isn't my true goal."
Ging chuckled lightly after saying this. "Of course, I'll do my best to obtain it—I have to bring it back for the old man (Chairman Netero), after all…"
"Then what is your true goal?" Germain asked, intrigued.
"It's the tower that stands at the heart of the 'Ancient Labyrinth City.'"
Ging's eyes shone as he looked at Germain.
"Don Freecss mentioned it in the incomplete volume of 'Journey to the New World – Eastern Part.' He climbed it once, only to find nothing. Even by the time 'Journey to the New World – Eastern Part' was published, he still hadn't figured out what the tower was for."
"Out of everything in the 'Ancient Labyrinth City,' the thing that intrigues me the most is that tower—the one even Don Freecss couldn't gather much information about."
"It's in the very core of the core, so it must serve some purpose. It's just that its function has never been uncovered."
"If I can uncover the truth about that tower, I might be able to find out who built the 'Ancient Labyrinth City' and why they built it."
Germain remembered the sketch of the 'Ancient Labyrinth City' that Don Freecss had drawn in the incomplete manuscript. He could picture it clearly.
Amidst clusters of cubic stone pillars and plant life resembling reeds, there stood an unmistakable tower, rising above everything else.
"It's definitely worth investigating," he said.
"Right?" Ging couldn't help raising his voice. The next moment, he glanced at Bisky and Shizuku, confirming they were still asleep in their sleeping bags. Lowering his voice, he added, "It's fascinating, isn't it, Germain?"
"Yes, it is," Germain replied.
Ging stared at Germain for a moment before smiling. "You know, I've talked about this for over thirty years, with many close friends."
"But some of them thought 'Journey to the New World – Eastern Part' was just a novelist's fantasy about the Dark Continent."
"Others were skeptical, believing I could never meet all the conditions, cross the ocean, reach the Dark Continent, and uncover the truth."
"They felt sorry for me. They thought my strong, burning desire for knowledge would inevitably be left unfulfilled—that I'd never find the answers in this lifetime."
"They are willing to silently support me from behind, but in the end, they can never fully understand me."
Ging looked at Germain and said, "So, after learning about you and coming into contact with you, to be honest, I felt relieved."
"It turns out I'm not the only fool or madman in this world."
"I envy your Nen ability; it's practically made for exploring this place."
"At the same time, I'm sincerely grateful for your Nen ability… without a doubt, we are fellow travelers on the same path."
"You're exaggerating," Germain said.
"I don't think so," Ging said, sitting up straight and speaking earnestly. "In life, it's actually very rare to meet someone who truly shares your ideals, someone who truly understands how I feel."
"By the way, Germain, there's something I need to ask of you."
"What is it?" Germain noticed Ging's expression had turned serious.
"After obtaining the 'All-Healing Herb,' I've decided to stay in the Dark Continent," Ging said as he took off his worn hat, revealing his short hair. "I won't be returning with you."
Germain was slightly surprised but quickly understood.
"You see," Ging smiled, "if it were you, you'd understand why I'm doing this. If it were anyone else, they'd immediately have all sorts of questions and try to stop me."
"To put it simply, I'm staying here for both personal and altruistic reasons. On the personal side, I've worked too hard to reach the Dark Continent, and I can't bear to leave. I want to spend the rest of my life here."
"As for the altruistic reason…" Ging pointed to Germain again. "Your 'Transport Lantern' can only bring four people at a time, which is far too inefficient."
"In the Dark Continent, you need more allies. In this regard, you should let me stay. That way, you can bring another group of three here."
"This way, your number of allies in the Dark Continent will grow from three to four, and so on."
"By staying here, I can provide shelter, information, and other resources for you, while you bring me continuous support. It's a win-win situation for both of us."
Germain pondered for a moment. He had to admit that Ging's proposal was tempting.
He had thought about something similar a long time ago, but he could never force Bisky or Shizuku to stay here.
Now that Ging was willing to stay voluntarily, this might be a whole new opportunity...
"But..." Germain asked, "What about Greed Island? What about your son?"
"Haha..." Ging chuckled quietly, "Greed Island will be fine with or without me. Honestly, it won't make much of a difference. Besides, I've already given you a share of the island. You wouldn't just let it go to waste, would you?"
"So you started planning this from back then?"
"I guess so... Didn't I mention before? Every letter in 'Greed Island' stands for the first letter of one of our members' names. You'll have to do the same in the future."
"I thought about it for a while and realized there's no need to force your initials into it... You see, our initials are all 'G.'"
"One 'G' leaves, and another 'G' takes its place. Doesn't that sound perfect?"
"As for my son, Gon..." Ging seemed to be trying hard to recall his son's face, but his memory was a bit fuzzy. "If you meet him, tell him..."
"Gon, if you really want to meet your unworthy father, come to the Dark Continent and find me."
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