The ancestral Divine Script Codex is on Whale Island... And he specifically chose this moment to call and inform me. Ging's intentions are practically transparent. Or rather, he's not even trying to hide them.
Morrow fell silent for a moment, recalling how he'd made Ging serve as his training partner for an entire year.
For a wanderer like Ging who's accustomed to freedom, such constraints were nothing short of torture.
So it's hard not to suspect that there might be a hint of "revenge" in this guy's calculations.
"Whale Island, huh? I think you want me to 'look after' Gon while I'm there, don't you?"
"Not necessary."
Hearing Morrow's words, Ging's response was surprisingly straightforward: "I'll directly tell you the exact location of the Divine Script Codex. There are no additional conditions to this matter. You can take it and leave without doing anything extra."
"Tch."
Morrow could tell Ging wasn't being polite; he genuinely didn't care about the "looking after Gon" part.
From another perspective, Ging was simply placing the "choice" before Morrow.
No matter what Morrow chose afterward, even if he completely ignored Gon, it would be irrelevant to Ging.
Morrow could clearly sense Ging's attitude.
Because this guy Ging never bothers to conceal anything; he openly and generously expresses his thoughts directly.
But while it seemed like he was offering a choice and showing indifference, in reality, he was counting on Morrow's nature of not taking things for free.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Morrow said impassively: "Tell me, where is your ancestral Divine Script Codex? I'll take it and leave."
"On the cliff face directly below Whale Island's 'tail.' There's an inconspicuous cave there with a withered tree rooted inside. The wooden box containing the Divine Script Codex is buried beneath that tree's roots."
Ging stated the location with extreme directness.
Hearing this, Morrow felt surprised.
He had originally thought this so-called ancestral Divine Script Codex was deliberately placed there by Ging, but judging from the described location, that didn't seem to be the case.
After all, this guy never intended to hide his intentions from the start, so there would be no need to go through such trouble to design this storage location for the Divine Script Codex.
Could it really be ancestral?
Thinking this, Morrow asked curiously: "This Divine Script Codex of yours, could it actually be ancestral?"
"Yeah."
Ging's deliberately wounded voice came through the phone: "Are my words really that untrustworthy?"
"Correct."
Morrow replied bluntly.
"Sigh."
Ging sighed: "Morrow, what exactly has given you such deep misunderstandings about me?"
"Tessa's evaluation of you."
Morrow answered truthfully.
Tessa is Sanbica's teacher, and she was badly fooled by Ging back in the day.
Upon hearing Tessa's name, Ging immediately changed the subject: "That Divine Script Codex was left behind by 'Don.' I've already made detailed annotations, so it shouldn't be difficult to understand. You can take the book away, but after learning it, you must return it to its original place."
"Don?"
Hearing Don's name, Morrow was startled and said in surprise: "So it really is ancestral."
"Where else did you think I learned 'Divine Script' from?"
Ging replied rather casually.
Morrow, however, suddenly thought of the once-glorious Divine Script era of the Kukan'yu Kingdom and said, "If we're talking about Divine Script inheritance mechanisms, going to Kukan'yu might be one path."
"Difficult. Kukan'yu's ancient Divine Script was indeed outstanding, but most schools are stubbornly conservative and particularly fond of hoarding their knowledge. They'd rather let it die out than reveal even a sliver."
Ging's tone turned flat. "If you go there, learning the basics wouldn't be hard, but mastering it is out of the question. The conditions and environment just aren't there."
"Is that so? Then why are you giving me your family's Divine Script Codex so freely? Aren't you afraid..."
Before Morrow could finish, Ging interrupted him.
"If that were really a possibility, I wouldn't have agreed to your "one year of training" condition in the first place."
"Hey, that sounds..."
Morrow drooped his eyelids. "Feels like you're deliberately 'nudging' me here?"
"Not at all. It's just one year of training, getting up early and working late, fully committed and responsible. Actually, it's no big deal, not hard at all, and certainly not boring. In fact, it's quite interesting. Every day is particularly fulfilling, particularly enjoyable."
Ging said sincerely.
"..."
Morrow fell silent.
Ging continued, "Anyway, as I said before, learning Divine Script is a thankless task. If you're interested, take a trip to Whale Island. But that book... you must return it to its original place afterward. That's it, hanging up now."
With that, he promptly ended the call.
Morrow set down his phone and sighed softly.
With Ging's attitude, he totally deserved that punch from Leorio in the original story.
He could even imagine that if Gon unfortunately fell on the path to becoming a Pro Hunter, Ging would at most mourn briefly with a "survival of the fittest" mindset.
And if Gon shone brightly on this path, to Ging it would merely be an expected outcome.
This guy would only set up some signposts along the path Gon was about to walk, but he wouldn't actively protect Gon, nor would he forewarn him about the dangers of the adult world.
The road is endless, but every step must be taken by oneself.
That was essentially Ging's attitude.
After all, Ging had come this way himself.
Morrow put his phone back in his pocket, very interested in that Divine Script Codex.
After all, this was something left behind by Don Freecss.
But if he accepted this benefit, he couldn't just ignore Gon.
Say I can take it directly, but if I'm really willing to spend time studying Divine Script, staying on Whale Island would be inevitable, right?
Morrow pondered.
Nearby.
Both Menchi and Kurapika had overheard the conversation.
Having spent over half a year with Ging, they couldn't claim to fully understand him, but they could grasp the underlying intentions in his words.
Wasn't this clearly about making Morrow become Gon's Nen ability enlightenment teacher?
Kurapika's expression turned subtle.
After he passed the Hunter Exam, it was Morrow who specifically arranged for Biscuit to guide his Nen training.
Exactly the same approach Ging was taking now.
Menchi placed her hands on her hips and said irritably, "So typical of him. He could've directly stated the 'request,' but he had to toss the 'choice' to someone else."
"Because for Ging, that's where the fun of being a Hunter lies."
Morrow said, then lifted his gaze toward the direction where Chimera had gone. Since I've decided to check out the Divine Script Codex left behind by Don, my next destination will be Whale Island. If I'm going to teach Gon Nen... I might as well apply to the Association for a rookie guidance mission. Although he's also a rookie from this batch, as long as Netero approves it, my application should be granted. This way, I can accumulate some achievements along the way.
"Kurapika, I originally thought I could help you with your funding issues..."
Morrow withdrew his gaze and turned to Kurapika, speaking softly: "But it seems plans can't keep up with changes."
"Don't worry about me. I can handle the funding matters myself."
Kurapika felt a touch of warmth in his heart.
Morrow nodded.
Seeing that Morrow had decided to take on the mission of teaching Gon Nen, Menchi hesitated for a moment but ultimately gave up on the idea of going to Whale Island with him.
Her personality was always straightforward, and in matters of emotion she would naturally love and hate boldly, but she wasn't ruled by romance.
While she very much wanted to take her relationship with Morrow further, she also highly valued achieving the "Two-Star" accomplishment.
The condition for promotion from Single Star to Two Stars was to personally train a Single-Star Pro Hunter.
The rookies this batch were quite talented, presenting an excellent investment opportunity.
So Menchi also developed the idea of guiding a rookie in Nen.
This was also an advantage of being an examiner; she could assess the rookies' qualities and abilities during the Hunter Exam.
This made it easier to pick the right candidate.
If the rookie she guided could obtain the Single-Star Hunter title like Kurapika, who only took a little over a year... that would mean she could successfully advance to Two Stars next year or the year after.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Menchi suddenly said: "Then I'll also pick a rookie from this batch to guide."
"Planning to aim for Two Stars?"
Morrow had always known about Menchi's strong career ambitions, so he wasn't surprised and asked with a smile.
Menchi nodded: "Yes, I think this batch of rookies is quite good, worth investing effort in."
"Indeed."
Morrow agreed.
After a pause, he asked: "So who are you planning to choose?"
"I want to choose Barbara."
Menchi replied with a sly smile.
Morrow was momentarily stunned.
If the goal was solely to aim for Two Stars, then Barbara was indeed the most suitable candidate.
After all, setting aside the fact that Barbara had already learned Nen, she was already an experienced Beast Hunter, making it easier for her to obtain the Single-Star title.
But whether the Association would approve Menchi's application was another matter entirely.
"Good luck, but don't get your hopes up too high."
Morrow said with a smile.
Menchi remained quite optimistic about this matter, saying seriously: "If the Association doesn't approve, then I'll choose between Ponzu and Siper. They both have good potential, especially Siper; her concentration is remarkable, so she should learn things particularly quickly."
"Yes, both Ponzu and Siper performed quite well during the test."
Morrow expressed agreement with Menchi's choices.
In his view, Ponzu already had skills in controlling hornets. Once she awakened to Nen, she could likely naturally develop Manipulation abilities.
As for Siper... just as Menchi said, her concentration was exceptionally outstanding.
With this quality alone, if she focused on Nen training, she could indeed make rapid progress.
"When Chimera returns, I'll have it take you to the airport first."
Morrow looked at Kurapika and Menchi.
Thanks to the Hunter Exam, they had reunited, only to part ways again.
Such was the norm for Pro Hunters.
After all, everyone had their own goals to achieve.
Morrow's temporary plan was to handle the current matter first, then assess the progress of Kurapika's retrieval of the Scarlet Eyes.
If things progressed smoothly, he would consider making a move against Tserriednich.
If the progress fell short of expectations, he would help Kurapika recover the remaining eyes of his clansmen first.
—--
Chimera delivered Gon, Killua, and Kalluto to a forest outside the port town.
This was because Morrow had long ago given Chimera the order to avoid appearing in human settlements whenever possible.
The intention behind the command was naturally to prevent causing panic.
Although this world was home to numerous exotic beasts, even magical beasts with special abilities and intelligence... beings like magical beasts ultimately far exceeded the understanding of ordinary people.
In any case, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
After dropping off Gon and the other two, Chimera immediately flapped its wings and soared into the sky.
Once Chimera had left, Gon, Killua, and Kalluto headed toward the edge of the forest in the direction they had identified before landing, planning to go directly to the town's port to board a ship.
Gon and Killua were in high spirits, chatting and laughing along the way.
Kalluto was much quieter, only occasionally interjecting a few words.
The three of them made their way through the forest like this.
But the enthusiastic Killua had no idea that Tsubone, the butler he feared the most, was coming for him.
—--
High above the clouds.
Tsubone had transformed into an aircraft, piloted by Amane.
With exhaust flames spewing, the aircraft tore through the sea of clouds at an astonishing speed.
"Hang in there a little longer."
Tsubone's voice reached Amane's ears through the headset.
Amane looked exhausted but replied firmly, "No problem."
"Good."
Tsubone felt reassured.
They had to reach Killua's side as quickly as possible.
On one hand, they had received intelligence that enemies were targeting Killua; on the other, they needed to bring Killua and Kalluto back home.
Originally, this was Illumi's task.
But for some reason, Illumi had been unreachable for the past two days.
This led to a lack of feedback within the family, making it impossible to accurately grasp the current situation with Killua.
To prevent any unforeseen events, Tsubone and Amane were tasked with bringing Killua and Kalluto home under urgent circumstances.
They had to race against time to find Killua and Kalluto before their enemies made a move.
Fortunately, during Killua's runaway this time, he was accompanied by Kalluto, a Nen user.
Otherwise, if Killua were targeted by a Nen user, he would undoubtedly be defenseless.
—--
Elsewhere.
Chimera returned to the mountain peak.
Before heading to Whale Island, Morrow needed to send Kurapika and Menchi to the nearest airport.
It didn't take long for Chimera to drop off Morrow and the others in a sparsely populated area as usual.
"This is far enough."
Both Kurapika and Menchi indicated that being dropped off here was sufficient.
However, Morrow insisted on escorting them to the airport.
Seeing his determination, Kurapika and Menchi stopped trying to dissuade him.
—--
A long while later.
Morrow and the others arrived at the airport.
Just as they reached the outskirts of the airport, Morrow, who was extremely sensitive to bloodlust, instantly detected the sudden surge of killing intent emanating from the surrounding crowd.
"Hmm?"
Morrow raised an eyebrow and halted his steps, simultaneously activating his Starlight Convergence ability.
In an instant, under the watchful eyes of Kurapika and Menchi, brilliant starlight spread in all directions.
Through the feedback from the stars, Morrow instantly locked onto over a dozen individuals radiating bloodlust.
All of them were ordinary people.
But their bloodlust was exceptionally resolute, carrying the aura of a death wish.
Without any hesitation, Morrow remotely implanted Star Marks on these people.
As the Star Marks formed, meticulously controlled fragments of Shooting Stars shot out from his hand.
Before those people could react, they were precisely blasted into the air by the perfectly calibrated force of the Shooting Stars, caught completely off guard.
Boom, boom...!
Almost all of them panicked and detonated the bombs on their bodies, triggering violent explosions in mid-air.
The sudden explosions immediately caused chaos in the surroundings.
The crowd screamed and scattered in all directions.
Meanwhile, Kurapika faced the surging aura waves and looked up at the sky, his eyes turning slightly cold.
"They're from Meteor City," he said in an icy tone.