A night passed, the morning sun rose.
Ging was so close to home yet had no thought of returning.
After waking, he skillfully gathered a pile of wild fruits from the forest.
Law also gathered materials locally, using his ability to collect morning dew and some raw tea leaves called [Green Tips]. Mixing them with the wild fruits Ging picked, he brewed a pot of fruit tea.
Simply solving breakfast, the two entered the deep forest, finding a place to wait for Beyond to arrive.
It was a clearing, quite open overhead, with sunlight pouring down in pillars, creating a bright scene amidst the secluded woods.
Law instructed Kuro to find a rock, then used God Hand to cut the rock into a set of stone table and chairs.
"Quite skilled."
Ging ran his hand over the stone table, somewhat surprised.
Such a seamless finished product could already be considered master-level. The key was Law's ridiculously fast carving speed.
"I've carved an entire city."
Law sat down, smiling.
If someone else said this, Ging wouldn't believe it. But since it was Law, he believed it immediately.
"What kind of city?"
He asked with interest.
"A stone city located in the underground world, inhabited by the Slu people."
Law beckoned Kuro over, took out a piece of exceptionally hard marbled stone from Kuro's stomach space, used Nen to carve it into a Double-Star Hunter License, and placed it on the table.
"The living environment on the Dark Continent is too harsh. Building a home on the surface is extremely difficult. Therefore, the Slu people moved underground, carving their home into a giant rock."
As he spoke, Law tossed the marbled stone-carved Hunter License to Ging.
Ging caught the stone Hunter License, tested it briefly, and found it astonishingly hard.
"That giant rock is the marbled stone in your hand. Because it was so hard, the Slu people's home was very cramped and crude. So I helped them expand the space and used Nen to carve houses."
Ging was fascinated, urging Law to say more about the underground world.
Law was too lazy to tell stories to Ging, so he conjured the God Hand book and threw it to Ging, letting him read it himself.
Thus, Ging held the book and started reading, immediately becoming engrossed.
Several hours passed, and Ging was still reading the book.
At noon, Beyond arrived as promised. Although he came alone, he wore arm guards and a chest plate.
His black hair was tied up in a bun, long hair casually draped. His beard, resembling Guan Yu's beautiful beard, was very eye-catching.
Watching Beyond approach from a distance, Law withdrew the book, interrupting Ging's reading.
Then, the two calmly watched Beyond approach, their eyes briefly glancing at the several oil-paper packages in Beyond's hands.
Faintly, they both caught a whiff of a pleasant aroma.
"Talk while we eat?"
Beyond raised the bulging oil-paper packages. Inside were marinated and roasted delicacies he brought from the Kakin Empire, all local Kakin delicacies.
"Sit."
Law nodded to Beyond, gesturing to the stone chair in front.
Beyond laughed heartily, took a stride, and sat down casually, then placed the several oil-paper packages on the stone table.
Then, he extended his right hand, sweeping it over the oil-paper packages. A thin stream of Nen, like a gentle breeze, brushed the oil paper.
"Pop."
An extremely subtle sound was caught by Law and Ging. The oil paper automatically unfolded, revealing the reddish, glistening marinated and roasted meats.
As the oil paper unfolded, a rich aroma blending star anise, fennel, cardamom, and various other spices wafted out.
"These are the most authentic marinated and roasted meats from the Kakin Empire. But coming from afar, they've cooled," Beyond said, looking at Law.
"If they're cold, we'll heat them up."
Law beckoned, pulling the marinated and roasted meats to himself through the air, completely unconcerned about revealing his Nen's nature. He deployed his Domain, generating heat by friction with the air, then used precise control to heat the food.
Beyond silently watched Law's impressive display.
Once heated, the enticing aroma grew stronger, spreading through the forest.
Normally, such fragrance would attract forest beasts, but there wasn't a sound here… almost no living creatures could be seen.
Because Law was here.
Soon, Law completed the heating process. Wisps of steam rose from the roasted meats.
Beyond looked at the marinated and roasted meats on the oil paper and said sincerely, "We have the delicious food, but unfortunately, no wine."
Law had Kuro take out three bottles of Monkey Wine, uncorked them, and a rich wine aroma overflowed.
"Monkey Wine." Beyond's eyes lit up, recognizing the wine in the bottles.
This Monkey Wine actually originated from the Kakin Empire.
If Law had looked into the Kakin Empire, he would have found many similarities between its cuisine, clothing, and ancient China.
Beyond was also a wine enthusiast. Although he recognized the wine as high-grade Monkey Wine, he didn't rudely grab the bottle.
After all, he was a guest and wouldn't try to steal the host's thunder.
Law flicked his finger, pushing a wine bottle in front of Beyond, then picked up another and placed it in front of Ging.
After doing this, Law lightly slapped the underside of the stone table, dug out a piece of rock, covered it with Domain, and carved bowls, chopsticks, and wine cups on the spot.
"Impressive, impressive." Beyond laughed upon seeing this, giving Law a thumbs-up.
"Talk while we eat."
Law repeated Beyond's opening line.
Beyond laughed heartily, first grabbing a roast duck and biting into it.
Compared to Beyond's eating manners, Law and Ging seemed much more refined, picking up the sliced marinated meats with chopsticks.
"Tastes good."
Law quickly swallowed, then hurriedly picked up another piece.
Meanwhile, Ging also seemed to find the marinated meat quite good. As Law picked up his second piece, Ging's chopsticks arrived too.
The quiet forest was filled only with the sound of the three chewing food.
Soon, most of the marinated meat was gone. Beyond finished the roast duck, not leaving even a tiny shred of meat.
"One month."
Beyond put down the bones, suddenly stating a date.
Law and Ging stopped their chopsticks, calmly looking at Beyond.
Meeting their gazes, Beyond abruptly got to the main topic of today's meeting. His mouth silently curved into a grin. "One month from now, a large ship capable of carrying 200,000 people will set sail. Its destination is the Dark Continent."
The eyes of both Law and Ging sharpened slightly, but they still didn't speak.
Beyond extended his hand, palm up, seriously saying, "But before that, many difficulties need to be overcome. Among the current difficulties, the hardest is dealing with my old man, Netero."
Hearing Beyond's words, Law showed no reaction, while ripples of emotion appeared on Ging's face.
"Originally, I could patiently wait for Netero to die. But the situation has changed, and I don't have time to wait anymore."
"So, for that ship to sail, Netero must die."