Regarding resurrection, not only was Law unwilling to believe it, even Ellie, who had proposed the possibility, was essentially just hypothesizing.
If the hypothesis were true, it would mean that as long as the corpse was well-preserved, the soul could be revived… though it would require a long period of nurturing.
Regardless, Ellie's Soul Mimic, despite its clear flaws and strengths, had been refined into such a peculiar Nen Ability, proving that Ellie's talent was quite remarkable.
However, Ellie's current focus was entirely on her business. It could only be said that everyone has their own path.
"Very impressive."
Law didn't hesitate to praise her, and Ellie smiled even brighter.
"There's still one page of sticky notes left. Where do you plan to use it?" Law asked.
"I haven't decided yet." Ellie glanced at Goldie beside her.
The human puppet series wasn't limited to just Goldie, and Ellie only had two pages of Soul Mimic's sticky notes. With limited options, she chose Goldie that matched her own hair color and kept the other page as a spare.
"If you want to test whether the ability's effect is truly soul revival, I have a suitable candidate. Would you like to try?" Law looked at Ellie.
"A corpse?" Ellie asked in return.
"Yeah." Law nodded.
Ellie thought for a moment before replying, "I can give it a try. Whose corpse is it?"
"Stargie."
Law spoke the name.
If Soul Mimic truly could revive souls, then the most fitting candidate he could think of was the ancient queen from Stargie's tomb.
During her lifetime, Stargie had lived solely for her people and nation, never enjoying the time she deserved. In the end, she was betrayed by the very people she had protected, meeting a tragic end.
If she could be revived this way, she would have the chance to face a brand-new life.
"Stargie?" Ellie didn't recognize the name.
Law then recounted his experience visiting Stargie's tomb and the history surrounding her.
"I'll head to the tomb as soon as possible and bring her back." Law said.
"Alright." Ellie agreed, her heart aching for Stargie.
The human puppets were very young, created while still in a naive and ignorant state. So, even though Goldie had developed an autonomous soul, it still behaved more like a child in many ways.
If the second page of sticky notes was used on Stargie, after some time, they might see some clues about the ability's true nature.
"By the way, I need an oceangoing ship."
Law stated the purpose of his visit.
"Why would you suddenly want an oceangoing ship?" Ellie was surprised.
Ships could be categorized in many ways… by navigation area, there were oceangoing ships, offshore ships, coastal ships, and river ships.
Oceangoing ships were only used for long-distance voyages, so Ellie was puzzled why Law would want one. If he had asked for a luxury yacht, it would've made more sense.
"For sailing." Law replied with a smile, keeping it simple.
Ellie didn't ask any further questions. Then Luo told her all his needs, and Ellie wrote them down one by one.
Ellie didn't press further. As they discussed the details, Law laid out his requirements, and Ellie noted them down one by one.
The deeper they went into the conversation, the more Law realized that custom-building an oceangoing ship would take at least six months, even if the shipyard worked at full capacity.
Understanding the difficulties of shipbuilding and the fact that Ellie's company was still in a tight financial situation, Law made a call to Sabro and had him transfer 2 billion Jenny from their accounts.
Though 2 billion seemed like a lot, in reality, it was just a drop in the bucket.
According to a hypothetical budget once casually calculated by Ging, back when he had too much free time, the cost of maintaining equipment for a 30-person expedition to the Dark Continent would exceed 10 billion Jenny.
For skilled Hunters, making money was easy, but spending it on necessities burned through funds just as quickly.
Still, for Ellie's company's current situation, the 2 billion would at least ease some of the immediate pressure.
Once the 2 billion was transferred, the Lawlin Museum found itself in a tight spot again.
However, with Clover now helping manage operations, clearing out their inventory, which is worth over 50 billion, shouldn't be too difficult.
But the next challenge would be securing a supply chain for antiquities.
Unlike ordinary goods, one critical step in sourcing antiquities was authenticating their legitimacy.
The vast collection of relics looted from the Millennium Capital were undoubtedly genuine, but given the current sales efficiency, they might not last very long.
If restocking couldn't keep up with sales, the Lawlin Museum would soon face the awkward problem of running out of goods.
For now, Law had been handling the supply issue. His White Smoke Font functioned like a treasure detector.
Wearing a disguise, he could visit antique markets around the world and always manage to uncover valuable relics. Alternatively, exploring ruins would also yield plenty of finds.
However, once the ship was built, Law would set off for the Dark Continent. By then, with him gone, the Lawlin Museum would have no one to replenish its stock.
So, before leaving for the Dark Continent, he needed to gather as many antiques as possible to saturate the company's inventory.
As night fell, Law stayed at Ellie's house.
A few days passed in the blink of an eye. Following Law's requirements, Ellie sent the custom order to the shipyard, and construction began immediately.
Afterward, Ellie cleared all her work commitments and asked Law to accompany her on a shopping trip.
Another week flew by.
With the ship estimated to take half a year to complete, Law didn't linger any longer. After bidding farewell to Ellie, he headed for Babu Town, the region where Stargie's tomb was located.
Mid-October, late autumn.
Law arrived in Babu Town, situated in the central plains of the Yorbian Continent.
Known as the Forest Town, Babu Town showed no signs of autumn's desolation. Fallen leaves carpeted the cobblestone paths like a golden road.
Revisiting the old place, Law watched the drifting leaves with a sense of nostalgia.
Last time, he had come here with Sanbica. Now, he was alone.
He rented a lakeside villa and didn't head straight to Stargie's tomb. Instead, he stayed at the villa for a few days.
On this particular day, under clear skies, a guest arrived at Law's villa… Biscuit.
She didn't knock. She just forced the door open.
Law was sitting in a wooden chair reading when he heard the violent entry. Glancing toward the door, he showed no surprise upon seeing Biscuit… after all, he was the one who had called her here.
"Cook something for me."
Biscuit walked in, closed the door behind her, and plopped down on the sofa.
Law set his book aside and sighed, "There's no food in the house."
Biscuit scoffed, pointing outside at the forest, "Gather ingredients from there."
"Fine."
Law had no rebuttal. He got up and headed into the forest to find suitable ingredients to prepare a meal for Biscuit.
An hour later, Biscuit lay contentedly on the sofa.
"Are we heading straight to Stargie's tomb?"
She lounged sideways, completely unconcerned about wrinkling her princess dress.
"Yeah, let's go now." Law replied.
The two set off immediately, heading for the mountain where Stargie's tomb was located.
Having been here before, they moved with ease.
But midway, Biscuit remembered the ruins of the City of Love, Palo City. She wanted to visit the statue of the Goddess of Love and ask about her romantic prospects.
Law complained, earning himself a punch from Biscuit.
They detoured to the ruins of Palo City, delaying their journey slightly before resuming.
Half an hour later, they reached the mountain where Stargie's tomb is and climbed it effortlessly.
"I don't believe there's any door that my Treasure Vault of the Twelve Bandits can't open!"
Just as Law and Biscuit reached the mountaintop, they heard an exasperated female voice. Following the sound, they saw a woman pushing aside the stone at the entrance of Stargie's tomb, crouching in front of the engraved stone door.