"Don Freecss should have been away from here for quite some time," Ging said as he waved his flashlight around, inspecting the interior of the temporary dwelling. "There's absolutely no trace of anyone living here."
"If we actually ran into Don Freecss here, that would be more terrifying," Bisky remarked.
Ging turned around curiously. "Why?"
"We still can't be certain whether Don Freecss is alive or dead, right?" Bisky spread her hands in a casual gesture. "If he's already dead and shows up here, then we'd be facing a monster we have no choice but to confront."
Ging fell silent. He understood what Bisky was implying. For someone like Don Freecss, who could roam the Dark Continent alone, his strength must have been beyond imagination.
And if such a person were killed by something and transformed into some kind of creature, only to encounter their group of four... the consequences would be unimaginable.
A Don Freecss like that would already be a 'calamity'—or perhaps something even more terrifying than a calamity.
"Thinking about it like that, it really is complicated," Ging said, scratching his face in frustration. "I want to meet him, but at the same time, I don't want to. It's such a dilemma."
At that moment, unable to bear the swirling dust in the room any longer, Germain turned to Shizuku. "Shizuku, could you use your Blinky to tidy this place up?"
"Oh," Shizuku blinked. "Sure, but you guys need to step outside while I use Blinky to clean up."
The other three left the stone pillar dwelling and stood outside, watching as Shizuku put on a gas mask unsealed with a 'Free Card' and wielded Blinky, methodically sucking up the dust and debris.
"It's incredible," Bisky said, tugging on Germain's black robe. "Could you have imagined this before? Shizuku's Blinky actually doing what a vacuum cleaner should do."
Germain thought back.
Indeed, Shizuku had used Blinky to absorb things like corpses and tools—basically anything and everything that could be crammed into its space.
This time, watching her use Blinky to obediently suck up just dust felt almost unfamiliar.
At last, the interior of the stone pillar dwelling was cleaned up and spotless.
Everyone walked back inside, and Ging raised his hand to lift the stone door, placing it back in its original position but leaving a small gap for ventilation.
At this moment, darkness swallowed most of the interior space, with only a sliver of moonlight shining through the gap in the wall and the beams from their flashlights illuminating a small area.
Shizuku took out a silver suitcase and used a "Free Card" from the transparent card case to unseal a lamp about the size of a floor fan and set it in the center.
When the switch was flipped, the light instantly filled most of the room.
"Let's eat something and rest up," Germain said, looking out through the gap in the wall to the pitch-black sky. "There are four of us, so we can take turns keeping watch."
Bisky spread a carpet under her feet before sitting down with Shizuku.
"Finally, we can rest again… Honestly, ever since teaming up with you, Germain, it feels like I'm on the job," Bisky joked.
Germain and Ging were less particular; they sat directly on the floor, trusting that Shizuku's "Blinky" had already sucked up all the dust and spat it outside.
Dinner was just as hearty as before, leaving Bisky patting her stomach and silently thanking Menchi and Buhara for their contributions.
Once they were full and content, sleepiness crept in.
They unsealed their "Free Card: Sleeping Bags" and each slipped inside. However, only Bisky and Shizuku actually closed their eyes to sleep. Germain and Ging merely lay in their sleeping bags.
Germain took the first watch, followed by Ging, then Bisky, and finally Shizuku. This allowed Bisky and Shizuku to rest soundly for the time being.
Ging stepped outside for a moment to relieve himself and returned after a while. He dimmed the lamp's light before getting back into his sleeping bag.
Germain moved his sleeping bag to the side of the stone pillar near the entrance. From there, he could glance outside through the small gap.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" he asked, noticing Ging sitting by the wall a short distance away, eyes open.
Ging looked at Germain. "Honestly, you might not believe this… but I'm too excited to sleep. Last night, I fell asleep the moment I hit the ground."
"Why can't you sleep?" Germain glanced at Bisky and Shizuku, lowering his voice.
Ging also spoke quietly. "It's simple: I'm really here—in the Dark Continent."
He pointed at Germain. "Even with all the indirect evidence, even with Bisky, Shizuku, Menchi, and Buhara vouching for you, seeing is believing…"
Ging crossed his arms behind his head, tilted his face upward, and gazed through the opening in the wall at the sky. Unfortunately, from this angle, he couldn't see the moon. "I'm glad you're not playing any tricks," he said with a smile.
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