A keyhole undid Xiaoyu's clothes… that was the lowest difficulty. If one could create a keyhole of the highest difficulty on a human body, it might be possible to erase a person completely.
Of course, this was just a theoretical speculation Law made after seeing Xiaoyu's clothes vanish into nothingness.
However, the magical key possessed by the great thief in that book, while capable of treating a human body as a vault door, did not cause any substantial harm when used to 'unlock' it.
According to Xiaoyu herself, she had never experimented on a human body, and the original purpose of this Nen Ability was not to harm but to unlock things. Thus, it was highly likely that it couldn't actually injure people.
"Stop screaming. Can you lock it again?"
Seeing Xiaoyu shrieking for several seconds, Law shook the puzzle ring in his hand.
Biscuit, like an old rogue, circled around Xiaoyu, who now resembled a skittish lamb, clicking her tongue from time to time.
Xiaoyu's figure had been systematically trained… not overly muscular but streamlined like a leopard's. Compared to a man, her explosive power might be slightly weaker, but her physique was exceptionally pleasing to the eye.
"Put the puzzle ring back on!"
Xiaoyu snapped back to reality, covering her chest as she shouted.
Hearing this, Law reattached the two puzzle rings. At the same time, the vanished clothing on Xiaoyu's body slowly reappeared along a thin black line, as if being scanned back into existence.
"I see."
Law stared thoughtfully at the puzzle ring in his hand, 'Difficult to unlock, easy to relock… that must be one of the ability's traits.'
Suddenly, the puzzle ring dissolved into Aura and dissipated into the air. It didn't return to Xiaoyu's body because the Aura had already been expended. Like burnt firewood leaving behind only charred remnants, it couldn't be recovered.
"A very interesting Nen Ability."
Law smiled slightly at Xiaoyu, who was visibly suppressing her anger.
Xiaoyu bit back her frustration, refusing to say a word.
'This man and woman were definitely not to be trifled with. I needed to stay as low-key as possible until they left.'
"By the way, I'm Law, a Hunter. Her name is Biscuit, and she's a Gem Hunter." Law pulled out his phone and grinned. "Let's exchange numbers. If the locks in my house ever break, give me a 50% discount."
Another offhanded joke that felt like another arrow to Xiaoyu's knee.
Suppressing the urge to punch Law, Xiaoyu obediently recited her number.
Law input the number into his phone and dialed it. A few seconds later, Xiaoyu's phone rang.
"Alright."
Law put his phone away and said, "As the saying goes, 'More friends, more paths'. After we leave, you might just change your number, but I suggest you don't. There might come a time when you'll want my help."
"Of course, I'll also charge you half-price."
Without waiting for Xiaoyu's reaction, Law closed the relief stone gate, pressed his hand against it, and activated his Nen. Five seconds later, a Divine Script materialized.
This time, he wasn't planning to waste his lifespan playing the harp version of the sonata. Instead, he simply used a much weaker Divine Script.
It was predictable that once they left, Xiaoyu would probably go back inside.
However, the more valuable items had already been looted by him. If she searched hard enough, she might only find some minor trinkets.
"Divine Script?" Biscuit raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah."
After imprinting the Shingen, Law stood up.
"You've improved a lot over the years." Biscuit remarked with a hint of admiration. Seeing how quickly Law could inscribe a Divine Script, she couldn't help but feel surprised. After all, it was a technique few would bother mastering due to the time investment required.
Upon hearing this, Law simply smiled at her before turning to Xiaoyu, who looked completely lost… clearly, she had no idea what a Divine Script was.
"There's a blood-sucking vine in Stargie's Tomb. Also, closing doors behind you is a good habit."
After giving Xiaoyu this warning, Law called for Biscuit and Kuro, then headed straight down the mountain.
Xiaoyu stood frozen in place, watching Law and Biscuit leave. However, she didn't rush to try opening the relief stone gate again. Instead, she wondered, 'Did those two really take nothing at all?'
After patiently waiting for half an hour, Xiaoyu finally approached the relief stone gate. This time, even without using her Nen Ability, she could tell the difficulty of unlocking it had changed.
"It's different now."
Muttering to herself, Xiaoyu activated [Treasure Vault of the Twelve Bandits].
As her Aura flowed, seven keyholes appeared on the relief stone gate.
"Only seven? No problem at all."
Xiaoyu let out a sigh of relief. In her hands, a set of eight interlocking puzzle rings materialized automatically… a sight that would make most people's scalps tingle.
She focused intently, slowly disentangling the rings.
At this moment, she still didn't realize that the tomb had already been stripped of anything valuable. Even if she went down, there would be nothing worthwhile to find.
Law's warning before leaving, about the dangers inside the tomb, meant he knew Xiaoyu could bypass the Divine Script's seal. And his reminder to 'close the door behind her' was a hint to reseal the entrance with stones after leaving.
Finding the tomb's entrance in the first place had been the result of her own hard work. Unfortunately, this time, her efforts would yield no reward.
…
At the foot of the mountain, Law and Biscuit walked through the forest.
"You seem quite interested in that Feng Xiaoyu's Nen Ability." Biscuit remarked, her gaze fixed ahead.
"Yeah. Since learning Nen, I've encountered many abilities along the way. Some of the more unique ones always seem to find their perfect moment of use. Hers might come in handy someday." Law replied.
In his memories, up until the Chimera Ant Arc in the original work, all sorts of absurd Nen Abilities had begun gushing out like a fountain.
Among the countless Nen Abilities, there were many, even if not Specialist-type, that had exceptionally peculiar effects.
Law considered Xiaoyu's ability one of the more unusual ones, worth keeping in contact for.
Hearing his response, Biscuit didn't press further.
The two walked in silence until they returned to the lakeside villa.
…
Dinner was a lavish feast of mountain game prepared by Law.
After eating their fill, Law brought up the question he had asked Biscuit back in the tomb.
"Have you thought about it?"
The autumn night was quiet, with few insect sounds. A bright moon reflected on the lake's surface, casting shimmering ripples of light.
"That place is dangerous." Biscuit said.
"Hm?" Law waited for her to continue.
Biscuit looked at him and sighed, "Which is exactly why I have to go."
Law was baffled, 'What kind of logic was that?'
Seeing his confusion, Biscuit shook her head slightly, not bothering to explain, "In any case, I'll go with you."
What she meant was… she was worried about Law venturing into the Dark Continent alone. With her along, at least he'd have backup.
Seeing Biscuit agree, Law smiled.
"All that's left now is to make the necessary preparations, and then we can set off."