Regarding its knowledge of the Pillars of Creation...
The moment the Entropy Bird became self-aware, this information existed in its memory as if it were innate.
It didn't know what it was, nor did it understand where it should go or what it should do after awakening its consciousness.
Mission or meaning.
It had neither.
But survival seemed to be the most primitive instinct of all life.
Therefore, even though the Entropy Bird was unsure why it was born, it instinctively clung to preserving the entropic fire energy within its body.
That was the basis for its continued existence.
Beyond that, in the Entropy Bird's cognition, the Pillars of Creation were the source of all strange life.
There were five pillars in total.
They were as ethereal and illusory as legends, yet as seemingly omnipresent as the air. The Entropy Bird's own birth originated from two of them: the Pillar of the Spiral, which symbolized "life forms," and the Pillar of the Void Mother, which symbolized "source consciousness."
The other three pillars were, respectively:
The Pillar of the Time Cocoon, symbolizing "accelerated evolution."
The Pillar of the Entropy Fire, symbolizing "energy cycle."
The Pillar of the Twins, symbolizing "contradictory symbiosis."
One could say that life's blueprint was born from the Pillar of the Spiral, energy was obtained from the Pillar of the Entropy Fire, ecological relationships were shaped by the Pillar of the Twins, the evolutionary process was accelerated within the Pillar of the Time Cocoon, and consciousness and abilities were bestowed by the Pillar of the Void Mother.
Like lines of code, they wrote (birthed) one strange life form after another in the tempestuous vortex of life.
Currently, the most common ecological relationship on the Dark Continent was primarily dominated by the Pillar of the Time Cocoon.
It could greatly accelerate the evolutionary and growth processes of creatures, freeing them from the constraints of time and allowing them to grow rampantly in an infinitely extending corridor of time.
This phenomenon, akin to pressing a fast-forward button on time, was why creatures on the Dark Continent were generally enormous.
But rampant growth did not guarantee a species' long-term survival.
Here, species went extinct every day, and new ones joined the ecological cycle.
Only those species that found the right path in their rapid evolution could secure a place on the Dark Continent.
Since the Entropy Bird had not received the ability bestowed by the Pillar of the Entropy Fire, which symbolized the "energy cycle," it meant that at some point in the future, the Entropy Bird would inevitably face the end of its energy supply and perish.
All it could do was avoid any unnecessary consumption and extend its existence in the silent river of time.
But now...
The problem of its energy, which concerned its future survival, seemed to have a solution.
That was why, in the Entropy Bird's eyes, Morrow, who was currently transferring energy to it, must be the Pillar of the Entropy Fire from the depths of its memory.
With its survival at stake, the Entropy Bird was more excited and thrilled than it had ever been.
In contrast, Morrow observed the rapid decline of his Tree Rings energy. His brow furrowed imperceptibly, and he immediately cut off the energy transfer.
In just a few moments, the energy in his fifth Tree Ring had plummeted from 34% to 19%.
If he had hesitated for another second, it probably would have dropped into the single digits.
The instant Morrow cut off the energy supply, the Entropy Bird's soaring excitement came to an abrupt halt.
It stared at him with longing.
However, its face was a mosaic-like ripple, making it impossible to convey this expression to Morrow.
Can... can you give me a little more?
It switched to communicating through consciousness, cautiously pleading with Morrow.
Morrow ignored it, his gaze shifting to Sanbica.
With the good luck from this strange bird, dealing with Zobae should be a sure thing.
His teammates had also gathered around him by now.
They could now see the Entropy Bird and understood Morrow's plan.
Using this absurd luck-based Nen ability on Sanbica would indeed play a crucial role at this moment.
And so it did.
—--
Inside Sanbica's body, a life-or-death tug-of-war was underway.
Her consciousness was fighting with all its might against Zobae, and the process was not easy.
Although Sanbica was able to make progress step by step, under immense time pressure, she couldn't guarantee that she could fully analyze a method to eliminate Zobae before the final deadline.
However, after the Entropy Bird's luck-based Nen ability intervened, the situation quietly changed.
The intensity of Zobae's resistance inexplicably weakened, and Sanbica, as if struck by a flash of inspiration, found a correct path amidst the complex analysis process.
It was as if the most complicated knot had been untied, and the subsequent steps fell into place naturally.
Sanbica slowly opened her eyes, meeting the concerned gazes of her teammates.
It's alright now.
She subconsciously lowered her head slightly, reverting to her usual soft-spoken demeanor as she explained the situation to everyone.
—--
Seeing that Sanbica had safely dealt with the Zobae calamity, the heavy weight on everyone's hearts finally lifted.
Having previously experienced the Entropy Bird's luck-based Nen ability, after breathing a sigh of relief, they all inevitably looked at the bird currently clutched in Morrow's hand.
If this luck-based Nen ability was controllable...
Then this strange bird would be the guarantee for the team's safe return to the six continents.
This was exactly what Morrow was thinking.
Whether returning to the six continents by sea or by air, they would inevitably trespass into the territories of ecosystem overlords, and there would be no shortage of various behemoth creatures.
The risks involved were self-evident.
But if they could leverage this strange bird's luck-based Nen ability, they could minimize the risks of the return journey.
The problem was, he only had 19% of the energy left in his fifth Tree Ring, which might not be enough to support the entire team until they safely reached the six continents.
Unless he could find a way to replenish a large amount of Tree Rings energy on the Dark Continent, or he could harden his heart and use the fully charged fourth Tree Ring.
Unless absolutely necessary, Morrow certainly did not want to use the energy from his fourth Tree Ring. It was a death rewind opportunity that gave him a huge margin for error.
It's not realistic to think we can find Postmortem Nen to convert into Tree Rings energy along the way.
Once the risk level of the return journey became linked to his Tree Rings energy reserves, Morrow had to consider whether he could replenish it en route.
But to avoid risks from the ground, the team had relied on Chimera's flight ability to travel at high altitudes for most of the journey.
This method was bound to make it difficult to encounter anything related to Post-Mortem Will, so there would naturally be no way to replenish his energy.
Now, if he were to choose to travel by land just to ensure a steady supply of good luck for the team, it would be putting the cart before the horse.
Morrow didn't dwell on this issue for the time being. As long as he held this strange bird firmly in his grasp, even with the need to mind the energy consumption, it would still be a powerful trump card.
What's your name?
After acknowledging the bird's value, Morrow asked via their conscious link.
The Entropy Bird fought back the urge to beg Morrow for more energy again and replied with great obedience, "Entropy Bird, but that's the name the 'Gatekeeper' gave me. I don't know what my original name was."
Gatekeeper?
Hearing this familiar name, Morrow's eyes suddenly sharpened, his expression instantly turning grave.
The Entropy Bird once again felt that almost suffocating pressure and abruptly realized it had let something slip.
It had been dispatched by the Gatekeeper to "bring calamity" to Morrow and his group.
Although it now genuinely wanted to cling to Morrow's coattails, after such a slip of the tongue...
Enveloped by Morrow's terrifyingly tangible aura, the Entropy Bird was instantly scared into silence.
It didn't even dare to form the thought of an explanation, only able to tremble in fear.
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Bonus chapter @400powerstones