After resting at the hotel for half a day, Morrow and Kalluto headed to the airport that evening and boarded an airship bound for the Kukan'yu Kingdom.
The Kukan'yu Kingdom was the only monarchy among the V5 nations, with a highly centralized authority and extremely strict cultural and ideological controls. Under this form of governance, the country still enforced laws that upheld the monarch's authority, even at the expense of human rights.
The address Kanzai had provided wasn't far from the capital of the Kukan'yu Kingdom. Considering the kingdom's laws, where disrespect toward royalty could result in execution, Morrow made sure to grab a tourist brochure for Kalluto during the flight. He had read it before. Though it was labeled as a travel guide, it was practically filled with reminders, even warnings, for visitors.
Afterward, Morrow resumed his daily training.
If his fight with Biscuit had given him a visceral understanding of the importance of physical combat and bodily resilience, then his encounter with Illumi had driven home the critical role of advanced Nen techniques.
In terms of pure physical combat and resilience, Illumi's prowess was indeed exceptional, but what truly pressured Morrow was Illumi's mastery of advanced Nen techniques in battle.
Setting Biscuit aside, among all the opponents Morrow had faced, Illumi was the most well-rounded, whether in Nen ability, physical combat, resilience, tactical awareness, or combat experience, he was first-rate.
In contrast, Bazel, whom Morrow had killed earlier that day, had shown decent aura output but paled in overall combat strength compared to Illumi. The gap between them lay primarily in combat awareness and the integrated application of advanced Nen techniques.
Ryu…
Inside the airship cabin, Morrow suddenly drew the Poultry Scarlet Knife and slashed forward, leaving a fleeting red arc in the air like taillights vanishing on a mountain road at night. His gaze then settled on the suspended blade, noting the sparse aura enveloping it. Even the aura around his palm hadn't reached the level of Gyo.
This meant the sudden slash hadn't delivered its intended force.
While concentrating sufficient aura on the blade was a technique of Shu, if the flow of aura couldn't keep up with combat reflexes, even mastery of Shu wouldn't guarantee sufficient strength.
This was the importance of Ryu.
I can compensate for my lack of "advanced techniques" with the "Starlight Convergence" ability, but against a strong opponent like Illumi, this weakness would be glaringly exposed.
Morrow slowly sheathed the blade.
Though he fully understood the importance of advanced Nen techniques in high-level battles, he also knew there were no shortcuts, only relentless training could bridge the gap. Without dwelling on how long it might take to reach his desired level, he threw himself into the tedious grind of practice.
—--
Four days later, the airship landed in the Kukan'yu Kingdom.
After obtaining their entry permits, Morrow and Kalluto headed straight for Kanzai's location, a city named Haozhu nestled deep in the kingdom's heartland, just a thousand kilometers from the capital. Morrow led Kalluto into the city, feeling as if they had time-traveled from a bustling modern metropolis back to ancient times.
The streets were paved with tightly fitted gray stone bricks, smooth and antiquated.
On either side of the road, buildings with gray tiles and red wooden beams stood in orderly rows, their heights staggered.
Looking up at the rooftops, one could see intricate carvings adorning the upturned eaves, exuding a strong aura of ancient architecture.
Morrow couldn't help but pause, shifting his gaze from the buildings to the end of the road.
There stood a palace-like structure, its vermilion walls topped with golden glazed tiles that shimmered under the sunlight, radiating a palpable sense of solemnity.
Last year, Morrow had visited the border town of Prite in the Kukan'yu Kingdom, where he had met Kanzai.
That town, too, had almost no high-rises, with buildings entirely constructed from red wood and gray-white bricks.
At the time, Morrow had assumed Prite's disconnected, old-world feel was due to its remote location near mountains and forests.
But upon arriving in Bright Pearl City, he realized this was simply the hallmark of the Kukan'yu Kingdom.
No wonder there had been so many tourists along the way from the airport.
Despite the kingdom's many laws that discouraged tourism, its ancient charm, so distinct from modern cities, still drew countless visitors.
Though Kalluto had traveled to many places for missions, his destinations had always been modern cities. He had never been to a place like Bright Pearl before.
Dazed, he stared at the various stalls set up by street vendors, his gaze shifting when the sound of wheels rolling over stone caught his attention, a horse-drawn carriage laden with goods.
In the towns at the foot of Kukuroo Mountain, Kalluto had occasionally seen people riding horses through the streets, but this was his first time seeing a carriage.
It fascinated him.
But the novelty didn't last long, for soon after the carriage passed, a sightseeing bus packed with tourists turned the corner from the opposite end of the street.
The bus's appearance struck Kalluto with a jarring dissonance, as if the ancient and modern had abruptly collided here.
Morrow also noticed the bus, but he didn't share Kalluto's reaction.
He recalled how, in his past life, many tourist destinations marketed ancient towns by blending historical charm with modern amenities.
Now, it seemed the cities of the Kukan'yu Kingdom were strikingly similar to those tourist spots, successfully merging the old and the new into a unique atmosphere.
"Kalluto, if you want to explore, feel free to wander around on your own," Morrow said, turning to the boy beside him.
Kalluto met his gaze and asked, "What about you?"
"I'll go meet Kanzai first. Take your time."
Morrow smiled.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Kalluto's face, but soon his attention was stolen by the hawking vendors. He nodded at Morrow.
"Go ahead," Morrow reminded him. "But remember the precautions in the travel guide."
"Mm."
With that, Kalluto hurried toward a stall piled high with colorful pastries.
Watching his retreating figure, Morrow chuckled softly before turning to head in Kanzai's direction.
—--
Their meeting place was a temple. Morrow navigated through the streets and quickly located the temple.
Bright Pearl City had numerous temples, with a cross-shaped road network centered around the city's core. At each intersection along these roads stood clusters of temples.
These temples blended seamlessly into the surrounding architecture. Some were open to the public, while others strictly prohibited outsiders from entering.
The temple where Kanzai resided was one that barred entry to outsiders.
Morrow arrived at the stone steps leading up to the temple's main gate. From here, he could still glimpse the vermilion-red high wall to the south.
Beyond that wall lay the residence of the Third Princess of the Kukan'yu Kingdom.
Kanzai's trail ended here, leading Morrow to suspect that the Post-Mortem Will might indeed be connected to the Third Princess.
Suppressing his thoughts, Morrow ascended the stone steps.
The temple's main gate was a vermilion-red door engraved with the marks of time, studded with brass nails and flanked by stone guardian lions on either side.
Above the lintel hung a plaque inscribed with the temple's name in the local language of Kukan'yu, the characters bold and powerful, though Morrow couldn't read them.
As soon as he approached the vermilion gate, a young monk peeked out from the slightly ajar door.
Without speaking, the monk simply pointed to a large standing sign nearby.
The sign bore a warning in two languages: "No Entry." One was the common tongue of the six continents, the other the local language of Kukan'yu.
"I'm here to see Kanzai."
Observing the young monk's gesture, Morrow stated his purpose directly.
The monk blinked in surprise before quickly composing himself. He pulled open the weathered gate and said gently, "Please come in. Benefactor Kanzai has been expecting you."
"Mm."
Morrow nodded in acknowledgment and followed the monk inside.
Before arriving, Morrow had read about the temple in a tourist brochure.
Thus, the presence of monks and terms like "benefactor" didn't faze him.
However, he knew little about this country's religious development, especially how it differed from the Buddhism of his past life.
In fact, this was Morrow's first encounter with a temple or Buddhism in this world.
Prior to this, his only exposure to Buddhism here had been Chairman Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
After passing through the gate under the young monk's guidance, Morrow found himself in a front courtyard paved with bluestone.
Neatly trimmed pines and cypresses lined both sides of the courtyard, while at the far end stood a majestic hall exuding solemnity.
The hall's roof was covered with golden glazed tiles, identical to those of the vermilion-walled palace outside.
This detail alone suggested that Buddhism held significant religious status in the Kukan'yu Kingdom, possibly even close ties with the monarchy.
Morrow's gaze traveled past the incense burner before the hall, landing on the golden statue enshrined within: a Thousand-Armed Guanyin...
At a glance, the image of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva flashed through Morrow's mind. Though the two bore distinct differences, there was an undeniable resemblance.
Before he could study it further, Morrow followed the young monk through a corridor on the right, arriving at a secluded courtyard.
At its center lay a small lotus pond, where a stone tortoise carried a stele on its back.
Morrow paused, his eyes fixed on the obscure, indecipherable script carved into the stone tablet. Divine Script...?
Judging by the structure of the characters, it closely resembled the Divine Script Morrow had encountered before.
During the airship attack, it was precisely because Morrow destroyed the Divine Script set up by the assailant that he had the opportunity to meet Kanzai.
If even a random attacker could use Divine Script so proficiently, then this country...
Most likely had a relatively complete understanding and application of Divine Script, to the extent that even a lotus pond in a temple could contain such inscriptions.
However, the Divine Script on the stone tablet wasn't imbued with any aura.
"Patron?"
The young monk noticed Morrow had stopped walking and turned back to ask softly.
Morrow immediately withdrew his gaze and gestured for them to proceed.
Seeing this, the young monk didn't inquire further and continued leading the way down the corridor, eventually arriving outside a simple yet serene meditation room.
Inside the room, Kanzai was seated cross-legged on a cotton cushion.
Opposite him sat a kind-faced middle-aged monk wearing a faded monastic robe.
This made the golden prayer beads around the monk's neck stand out all the more.
"You're here. Come in."
Hearing footsteps, Kanzai turned toward the doorway and beckoned Morrow inside.
Morrow stepped over the threshold and entered the meditation room.
The young monk leading him nodded slightly to the elder monk before departing.
The middle-aged monk watched his disciple leave, then studied Morrow carefully.
So young.
Is this the one Kanzai spoke of?
Someone skilled at removing Post-Mortem Nen...
Though skeptical, the monk showed no outward sign of it.
Kanzai pointed to a cushion beside him, indicating Morrow should sit.
Morrow settled into a cross-legged position, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the skin visible at Kanzai's collar.
It looked as if soaked in ink, utterly black, yet with faint grayish-white folds resembling charcoal.
The reason Morrow immediately noticed the abnormality was the wispy black Nen swirling over the charcoal-like skin.
In terms of intensity, It's quite weak.
Morrow raised an eyebrow slightly before lifting his eyes to meet Kanzai's gaze.
Kanzai casually pulled his collar wider, revealing more of the darkened area, and said matter-of-factly:
"Looks frightening, doesn't it? But as long as I maintain Ten, I can resist its corrosive effects. Though if my aura protection fails, I'll turn to ashes in no time."
"That severe?" Morrow examined the charcoal-like substance on Kanzai's skin again, frowning in surprise. "But judging by its intensity, it seems rather weak."
"..."
"..."
These words left both Kanzai and the middle-aged monk momentarily stunned.
Weak?
From an "individual phenomenon" perspective, the post-mortem will eroding Kanzai's body indeed didn't seem powerful, but its true terror lay in its ability to spread and divide.
Currently, over a thousand victims had been claimed, and the number kept growing.
Nen users could still resist with their aura, but ordinary people were defenseless; once the Carbonization Phenomenon spread through them, they'd quickly crumble to ashes.
The middle-aged monk was also an Exorcist, though his expertise lay in sealing techniques rather than removing post-mortem wills.
Kanzai didn't think Morrow was boasting, but he didn't pursue the topic either, instead introducing the monk first.
"This is Nenze, the head monk of this temple and an Exorcist."
After Kanzai finished the introduction, he directly looked at Nenze and pointed at Morrow, saying, "This is Morrow, the one I mentioned to you the other day."
"Youthful and promising."
Nenze gave Morrow a nod.
This wasn't mere politeness. Through the steady and silent Ten enveloping Morrow, he could roughly gauge Morrow's level.
Morrow also nodded in return, then turned to Kanzai. "Let me try first to see if I can remove this Post-Mortem Will for you."
"Alright."
Kanzai nodded in agreement, then added a reminder, "If it feels too difficult, stop immediately. Don't push yourself."
Exorcism usually came with risks. If unsuccessful, the Carbonization Phenomenon would transfer to Morrow instead.
Without a word, Morrow extended his right hand and pressed it against the black mass at the center of Kanzai's collarbone.
Absorb...
In an instant, the black Nen swirling around the dark mass was drawn into the Tree Rings tattoo.
To Kanzai and Nenze, it appeared as though the Post-Mortem Will had been absorbed into the back of Morrow's hand.
Within just a second or two, Kanzai's skin returned to normal, and the withering aura of the Post-Mortem Will vanished completely.
"Done."
Morrow withdrew his hand and glanced at the energy of the Tree Rings, noticing only a slight increase.
Compared to the Post-Mortem Wills he had encountered before, the one afflicting Kanzai was indeed quite weak.
At this level, it shouldn't have been enough to leave Kanzai physically and mentally exhausted...
Was it because of the source of this Post-Mortem Will?
Morrow pondered silently.
Kanzai looked down at his now-normal chest, eyes wide with astonishment. "Huh? That's it?!"
Across from him, Nenze also wore a look of shock.
True, they had seen Morrow transfer the Post-Mortem Will onto himself, but where was the purification process? Where were the risks? What just happened?!
"Yeah," Morrow replied calmly. "Because the intensity really was very low."
"..."
"..."
Kanzai and Nenze were left speechless, their minds in turmoil, unsure how to respond.