The ability to obtain specific powers based on need.
In a sense, it was no different from the effects of "Etude of Love".
Was it a Specialization ability, or some other method?
Originally, Morena's "Etude of Love" had already been astonishing enough, but now there was something even more exaggerated.
Morrow fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Eve's body, which no longer showed the slightest aura fluctuation. Suddenly, he asked, "Is this a one-time-use item?"
"Yes."
Eve remained composed, yet answered every question without hesitation.
Morrow said calmly, "You're truly reckless."
"Hah."
Eve let out a light laugh, completely unbothered.
She understood the implication behind Morrow's words.
It was nothing more than the fact that the barrier to using a one-time-use item like "Eye of Truth" was far too low.
Having experienced the "harp solo", she understood the rules of Vow and Limitation better than any other Nen user.
Thus, an overwhelmingly powerful one-time-use item like this likely concealed unfavorable Limitations for the user.
For example, after she used the card, its creator might be able to track her location in real time, monitor her condition, or even gain a "switch" to control her.
But so what?
Eve met Morrow's eyes directly and said, "As I've said before, just as humanity will always need stories, the power of the 'Sonata of Darkness' will never disappear, unless the very 'concept' of music is erased from human existence."
"Are you suggesting that you can still resurrect through the power of that harp, so you don't care about the potential risks of using the card?"
Morrow's expression remained cold as he scrutinized Eve's utterly indifferent demeanor.
This woman seemed to regard everything, including herself, with a detached, almost transcendent indifference.
Hearing Morrow's words, Eve chuckled again.
"Yes."
A glimmer of something inscrutable flashed in her wine-red eyes as she spoke slowly, "So, the one who truly decides my life and death isn't the creator of that card, it's you, right now. If you wanted to kill me at this moment, then I would truly die."
"Not me."
Morrow shook his head.
"Hm?"
Eve blinked in surprise.
Morrow stared at her coldly. "You've been 'killed' by me countless times in the mental space. You should be sensitive to killing intent by now. You know very well that I have no intention of killing you, perhaps that's why you can remain so composed. But the one who decides your fate isn't me."
...
Eve's smile faded as she silently studied Morrow's eyes.
Tap, tap...
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the tomb chamber, growing louder as they approached.
Hearing them, Eve immediately understood, a flicker of realization passing through her gaze.
"If there's still a chance... would you accept my 'invitation'?"
She paid no attention to the approaching footsteps, her eyes fixed on Morrow, her anticipation undisguised.
Morrow sheathed the Poultry Scarlet Knife with a backhanded motion, ignoring her words entirely.
He couldn't be bothered to respond.
Seeing Morrow's indifference, Eve remained unperturbed, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smile.
The footsteps soon reached the entrance of the tomb chamber.
It was Kanzai, who had just arrived.
"Huh?"
Taking in the scene inside the tomb, Kanzai's expression shifted. He hadn't expected to see Eve here at all. What exactly happened in the brief time before he arrived?
Kanzai frowned, his gaze quickly sweeping over Eve before turning to Morrow.
Meeting Kanzai's questioning look, Morrow offered no explanation. Instead, he pointed to the harp at the center of the tomb chamber, its Post-Mortem Nen already dissipated.
"Kanzai, my task is complete."
With a wave of his arm, Morrow then gestured toward Eve, who lay as helpless as fish on a chopping block.
"As for her, that's none of my business."
After a pause, Morrow looked at Kanzai and said with certainty, "But whatever you decide, don't factor me into it. I trust you and will support you."
The implication was clear, they stood together.
Kanzai was momentarily stunned before a surge of warmth filled his chest.
He said nothing, only nodding silently at Morrow.
Morrow smiled faintly. "I'll wait for you outside."
Without so much as a glance at Eve, he strode toward the tomb's exit.
Once Morrow had left, Kanzai turned his attention to Eve's indifferent expression, his brow furrowing.
Truthfully, what concerned him most in this matter was the source of the Post-Mortem Nen.
If he could discreetly eliminate the source without antagonizing Eve, that would undoubtedly be the best outcome.
But Eve's sudden appearance had complicated what had been smooth progress.
Kanzai felt a headache coming on.
—--
Meanwhile...
Morrow exited the royal tomb, stepping onto the open expanse of bluestone pavement outside.
Kalluto stood there motionless, blending seamlessly into the surroundings with the silent, stealthy presence of an assassin, like a frozen statue.
But as Morrow appeared, the icy sculpture seemed to come to life, stirring into motion.
"Is it resolved?" Kalluto quickly approached Morrow, curiosity in his voice.
Morrow glanced back at the tomb entrance before replying softly, "We'll talk once Kanzai comes out."
"Oh."
Kalluto asked no further questions, standing quietly beside Morrow.
About ten minutes later...
Steady footsteps echoed from the palace's tomb entrance.
Morrow and Kalluto turned toward the sound to see Kanzai emerging from the palace.
He stopped before them, a trace of apology in his voice as he murmured, "Sorry."
Morrow immediately understood Kanzai's decision, but Kalluto was left bewildered, his eyes filled with confusion.
Kanzai met Kalluto's gaze and explained, "Eve was inside the tomb too."
"Huh?"
Kalluto stiffened slightly, his mind racing through countless possibilities.
Their covert operation had been meant to minimize risks, ideally resolving the matter without a trace.
But now they'd been caught by the very person they were trying to avoid, pushing the risk of exposure to its limit.
Kanzai's voice was low, tinged with regret. "I made a deal with Eve. We leave this country, and in return, she won't pursue our trespassing into the royal tomb. It'll be as if this never happened."
"How can you be sure she'll keep her word?" Kalluto demanded sharply, already grasping the stakes.
From the moment Eve saw them, they faced the threat of retaliation from a superpower.
Under such circumstances, the logical choice would have been to eliminate the problem entirely.
As a Manipulator, Kalluto's instincts leaned toward maintaining absolute control over the situation. "Because of the Vow and Limitation... it serves as a safeguard for the terms of our agreement."
Faced with Kalluto's questioning, Kanzai provided his reasoning.
Vow and Limitation not only function within Nen abilities but also act as a binding mechanism.
By utilizing this mechanism to establish an agreement, neither party can easily break it.
This is the most reliable form of guarantee for reaching a consensus.
Upon hearing this, Kalluto's eyes still held a trace of doubt.
The binding force of Vow and Limitation is indeed a credible safeguard, but it's not absolute.
Thinking this, Kalluto glanced at Morrow's reaction.
Seeing that Morrow didn't oppose Kanzai's decision, he chose not to say anything more.
Morrow truly had no intention of nitpicking or objecting.
The words he'd spoken earlier in the tomb chamber had already made his stance clear.
Moreover, Kanzai's decision didn't surprise him.
In his view, as one of the victims in this incident, combined with the immense risks of trespassing into the royal tomb, it was entirely possible for Kanzai to harbor killing intent toward Eve.
But based on his understanding of Kanzai, while Kanzai might kill Eve under the pretext of vengeance and eliminating risks, he could never go against his conscience to harm the innocent tomb guardians outside.
Thus, Kanzai could only consider how to minimize the risks under these circumstances.
Hence the decision to use Vow and Limitation to bind their agreement.
One could only say...
A Kanzai who uses idioms correctly might be a fake Kanzai.
But the one capable of making this decision is undoubtedly the real Kanzai.
"Let's head back."
Morrow said with a smile.
This mission had boosted his second ring energy to 90%, and he'd also accumulated invaluable Nen technique experience within his consciousness space, making it quite a fruitful endeavor.
Meanwhile, Kanzai had resolved a matter weighing on his mind, resulting in a win-win outcome.
Kanzai quickly caught up to Morrow and hesitantly asked, "You really have no objections at all?"
"None," Morrow replied calmly.
Kanzai continued, "Including the fact that I gave Eve your phone number?"
???
Morrow paused, turning his head to stare at Kanzai. "You didn't mention that earlier."
"Well, I'm telling you now, aren't I?"
Kanzai shrank his neck slightly, looking guilty.
Morrow didn't particularly mind sharing his phone number, such things could be obtained with a bit of money, but it struck him as odd. "Why did you give her my number? That has nothing to do with the agreement, does it?"
"Uh..."
Kanzai scratched his head, his tone puzzled. "Honestly, I'm not sure either. It was Eve's request. She said she'd only accept the Limitation's constraints for the agreement if she got your phone number."
...
Morrow immediately recalled Eve's deranged attitude toward Nen and felt speechless. This was exactly the kind of thing that lunatic would do.
"Whatever, it's done now."
"Hey, as long as you're fine with it."
Kanzai grinned.
Morrow shot him a sidelong glance. "You already acted first and reported later. What else can I say?"
"Heh heh."
Seeing that Morrow wasn't angry, Kanzai relaxed. Though Morrow had said not to consider his feelings, and though this matter involved eliminating risks, he still felt the need to clarify since he hadn't sought Morrow's permission beforehand.
Just then, smack, Kanzai's head was suddenly struck. Instead, Kalluto leaped up and smacked Kanzai hard on the head with his fan.
Kanzai winced in pain, clutching his head as he stared at Kalluto in disbelief. "Why'd you hit me?"
"Because you have no manners."
Kalluto's expression remained blank.
Kanzai's brow twitched, and he was about to retaliate but held back. "Whatever, I won't stoop to a kid's level."
He had always been helpless against children and women, especially the Zodiac Twelve's Chicken, Cluck, and Rabbit, Pyon. One was foul-mouthed, the other sarcastic, both leaving him at a loss.
"Oh, is that so? That's great then."
Hearing this, Kalluto covered his face with his fan, his slightly curved eyes glinting with danger.
Then came another leaping fan strike.
Whack!
Kanzai hadn't expected Kalluto to strike again and, caught off guard, took another hit to the head.
Now armed with Kanzai's implicit "immunity", Kalluto didn't hesitate, he jumped up again, aiming for a third strike.
"Again?!"
Kanzai swiftly dodged, evading the fan.
Kalluto snorted coldly and activated Rhythm Echo, closing in on Kanzai with a trail of afterimages, still targeting his head.
Kanzai wasn't about to let him succeed again and nimbly sidestepped once more.
"Hey, Morrow, aren't you gonna control your kid?!"
Instead of engaging Kalluto, Kanzai shouted at Morrow.
Morrow shrugged, signaling there was nothing he could do.
Left with no choice, Kanzai could only keep dodging Kalluto's relentless fan strikes.
"Enough already!"
Kanzai yelled while evading.
Swish, swish, swish...
Kalluto's fan slashed through the air even faster, his assault showing no signs of weakening.
Kanzai's eyes widened before an idea struck him. Feigning menace, he threatened, "I'm Enhancement-type, you know. If you break your fan on my head, don't blame me!"
...
Kalluto abruptly stopped, tilting his head slightly in thought before letting out a heavy hmph and putting his fan away. He then trotted over to Morrow, ignoring Kanzai entirely.
Kanzai smirked to himself, smug. Kids are so easy to scare.
The three returned to Bright Pearl City, informing Nenze that the matter had been resolved before leaving immediately.
—--
At dawn, they boarded an airship departing Kukan'yu Kingdom.
Kanzai knocked on Morrow's door once more.
"Morrow, thanks... We wouldn't have solved this mess without you."
"I should be thanking you too, Kanzai."
Morrow spoke with genuine feeling at Kanzai's deliberate expression of gratitude.
Hearing Morrow's tone, Kanzai blinked in surprise.
Morrow smiled slightly before asking, "What are your plans now?"
"Taking a long break. My brain needs a reset, perfect time to catch up on the monthly magazines I missed."
Kanzai answered without hesitation. "Honestly, because of this mess, the last one I read was from September last year."
He was utterly exhausted, mentally and physically.
So he'd decided long ago that once this was over, he'd let himself unwind completely.
"Monthly magazines? You read those?"
Morrow sounded surprised.
Kanzai frowned. "What? Is that weird?"
Then he countered, "What about you? Any plans? Wanna join me on vacation?"
"No, I want to find a quiet place to train." Morrow smiled and declined.
Kanzai also laughed and sighed, "Fair enough. How could the word 'vacation' ever fit into that head of yours? But if you're looking for a quiet place, I can recommend one."
"What kind of place?"
Morrow couldn't help but grow curious.
Kanzai said mysteriously, "It's a small Unexplored Land, sort of my secret hideout."
"Unexplored Land?"
A glimmer of intrigue flashed in Morrow's eyes.
Kanzai explained, "Simply put, it's a hidden area with a unique ability. I stumbled upon this Unexplored Land while treasure hunting. It's rich in ecological resources, but the best part for training is that its trait is 'Silence'."
"Really..."
Morrow's eyes lit up.
This was exactly what he needed.
A place where he could immerse himself in cultivation and refine the experiences accumulated in his consciousness space.
--------
Bonus chapter @150 power stones.