Tap.
Inside the VIP cabin, Moro closed the promotional booklet for the ancient Ganyu Empire.
While the booklet appeared to showcase famous tourist attractions, it actually listed numerous precautions for travelers.
To Moro, both the regional introductions and the warnings for outsiders were quite useful.
After reading it, he even felt a spark of interest in the ancient Ganyu Empire, a land he had never visited.
This vast empire, which still retained its monarchy, was located on a continent once rife with warring factions, where countless nations had risen and fallen during an age of constant strife.
Today, the remnants of those nations lingered in the form of ruins, tombs, artifacts, treasures, and ancient texts—each a testament to their existence.
In terms of historical development, the ancient Ganyu Empire bore a strong resemblance to the Kakin Empire.
Both nations originated in the era of fragmented powers and emerged victorious after seemingly endless wars and conquests. Both had also retained monarchic governance to the present day.
However, while the Kakin Empire appeared to be shifting toward democracy, the ancient Ganyu Empire showed no intention of doing so.
Moro had little interest in the histories of these two great powers.
Most outsiders would see museums and excavated ruins in Ganyu's promotional materials, but Moro saw something different: artifacts from bygone eras displayed in museums and undiscovered treasures buried in ruins.
More specifically, he envisioned the nen energy that might cling to these objects.
Interestingly…
In both the Ganyu and Kakin Empires, tomb raiding carried extremely severe penalties, ranging from a minimum sentence of 100 years to the death penalty.
Despite these harsh laws, tomb raiders were still executed by the dozens each year.
This spoke volumes about the wealth of relics, tombs, and ruins in these nations—enough to tempt raiders to risk everything for them.
In truth, even with strict enforcement, these empires couldn't fully guard against tomb raiders who used nen abilities to commit their crimes.
Sometimes, the very existence of nen was an unpredictable variable that defied logic.
After learning this information, Moro couldn't deny that he was tempted.
This wasn't due to his profession or the potential for immense profit, but rather the need to recharge his year wheel ability.
Still, Moro chuckled at the thought of acting on this impulse. What if, the moment he raided a ruin, someone like Gin appeared to bring him to justice?
Shaking his head with a smile, Moro set the promotional booklet on the nearby table.
His thoughts about ruins and tombs soon drifted to Kang's profession—
A treasure hunter and a bodyguard hunter.
Dual professions weren't uncommon among professional hunters.
This was because the star-ranking system for professional hunters required significant achievements across multiple fields to advance from a two-star hunter to the highest three-star rank.
Hunters aspiring to reach the three-star level often consciously pursued expertise in two professional domains.
Moro was somewhat intrigued by the idea of becoming a treasure hunter—or even a ruin hunter.
In a sense, these professions legitimized activities like tomb raiding and archaeological excavation.
Though professional restrictions would impose numerous limitations, Moro didn't care about profit. These roles aligned perfectly with his need to recharge his year wheel.
"Speaking of which, a commission that could get Kang involved…"
Moro's thoughts briefly lingered on the image of a woman dressed in concealing attire.
Requesting the protection of a Zodiac member likely meant she was in significant danger.
But why not take a land route?
That would have been the safer choice.
Was she constrained by some restriction, forcing her to use an airship instead?
Moro didn't particularly care about the reason.
What mattered was that he was now sharing an airship with such a volatile situation…
If her enemies were desperate enough to blow up the entire airship, wouldn't that be the end of him too?
Although the airport's security measures were strict, they couldn't account for the variable of nen abilities.
Even without nen, someone could simply target the airship's captain…
Suddenly aware of the potential risks, Moro glanced out at the night sky through the window.
It was too late to disembark.
Elsewhere on the airship.
Screeech—
The sound of a pen dragging across a waxed floor echoed sharply.
Under soft lighting, a man in work overalls crouched on the floor, meticulously drawing with a pen. His movements were slow and deliberate, as if each stroke required immense effort.
Every line he drew caused the pen's tip to scrape against the floor, producing a piercing sound.
"It's done."
The man, Muer, finally lifted his pen, slightly out of breath.
On the floor in front of him was a series of strange symbols, arranged in a specific pattern to form a black design resembling electronic circuitry.
Nearby stood a woman with her hair tied back, dressed as a bar worker.
"Muer, how many more spots?"
The woman glanced at the symbols on the floor.
Muer, still catching his breath, replied, "Two more."
"Can you handle it?"
The woman stared at him intently, waiting for a definitive answer.
Muer twitched slightly, stowing the pen. "The hardest part of using divine script is how time-consuming, labor-intensive, and mentally draining the process is—especially for applications involving spatial nen. But for me, it's manageable."
"So, can you handle it?"
The woman frowned, briefly eyeing Muer's still-labored breathing.
She only needed a clear answer.
Muer gave her an exasperated look and confirmed, "Yes, I can. But to be safe, I'll wait until midnight to finish the last two spots."
"Fine. I'm heading back. I've been away too long."
The woman pulled out a buzzing phone.
The airship's bar was currently at peak hours. As someone pretending to be a barmaid, she had used a fake relationship with the manager to slip away.
Glancing at the caller ID—marked as the bar manager—she casually shoved the phone into her pocket and walked toward the bar.
After a few steps, she stopped abruptly and turned back to Muer.
"Muer."
"Hm?"
Muer looked up at her.
The woman said calmly, "The prince told us our lives are more important than completing this mission."
"Hm?"
Muer's eyes flickered with confusion.
"But we can't think that way," she continued. "We have to kill the Third Princess here. It's a critical step."
"No need to remind me," Muer replied with a shrug.
Her gaze sharpened.
"Some fools tried poisoning the Third Princess, but that only shows another prince has intervened. Their interference has cost us the element of surprise. So be prepared to die for this mission."
She locked eyes with Muer, her tone resolute.
"That means we must act before the airship reaches its next refueling stop."
"Guess I'll disembark when the airship lands to refuel…"
Staring at the night sky, Moro made up his mind.
Just in case, he'd rather waste a bit of time than risk getting caught in someone else's mess.
Though, maybe he was overthinking things…
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Powerstones?
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen