Netero's arrival, having been invited, injected more liveliness into the forest cabin.
Everyone gathered around the stone table under the pergola, the aroma of Monkey Wine permeating the entire courtyard.
With the Restarite Law brought back, there was no need to worry about the quantity of Monkey Wine.
Netero was overjoyed, drinking heartily to his heart's content.
Among the invited guests was also Maha.
Netero had already been here for over a day, while no one knew when Maha would arrive.
An hour later, a strong wind sound came from above the forest, attracting everyone's attention.
"He's here."
Netero put down his wine gourd and looked up at the sky.
Not far away, a shadow fell from the sky, covering the forest. The strong wind it brought with it bent the trees.
That shadow was none other than the Zoldyck Family's Magical Beast Dragon, the same one Ging had tamed and returned to the Zoldyck Family on Law's behalf.
Maha descended on the Magical Beast Dragon, landing on the open ground in front of the house.
Accompanying him was Zeno.
Everyone walked out from the courtyard to welcome Maha and Zeno.
Maha jumped down nimbly first, followed by Zeno, who jumped down with his hands behind his back.
After both had dismounted, the Magical Beast Dragon slightly raised its head and suddenly saw Law.
Its body couldn't help but tremble, and fear showed in its eyes.
Perhaps due to a beast-like innate intuition, it sensed a threat from Law that was enough to strike its very soul.
Without waiting for Maha's instruction, it suddenly flapped its wings, flying up into the air in a panic, fleeing in defeat.
Seeing the Magical Beast Dragon's disgraceful flight, Maha and Zeno frowned, then looked towards Law.
They were both masters and judged that the Magical Beast Dragon's fear originated from Law.
Law was actually also confused, 'Could the Magical Beast Dragon sense the Calamity I had sealed away? But I had completely sealed it within the book using my left arm as a vessel… it shouldn't be possible to sense it.'
'So, could it be because of the large number of Magical Beast Tribe's members I had killed in the Dark Continent?'
"Don't look at me, I don't know what's going on either."
Facing the gazes of the two Zoldyck Elders, Law shrugged and explained very calmly.
He hadn't done anything, just stood there, and ended up scaring away a Magical Beast Dragon. He was a bit baffled too.
Maha had no desire to investigate further and walked towards Linne. Zeno, on the other hand, couldn't tear his eyes away.
He had watched Law's battles at Heavens Arena through television broadcast years ago.
Now, after all these years, relying solely on his naked eyes and experience, he actually couldn't detect even a trace of Law's strength.
Law didn't mind Zeno's observation. Holding Machi's hand, he walked back into the courtyard.
Everyone took their seats. Seeing that everyone was present, Linne slowly walked into the house. Shachmono followed her, as he was going to assist Linne.
"Linne said the ingredients are from the Dark Continent?" Maha opened his eyes slightly.
Netero stroked his beard and nodded, "Yes, Law brought them back."
Hearing Netero's words, Maha and Zeno couldn't help but look at Law again.
Even though they were well-experienced, they couldn't hide their surprise at this moment.
The secrets of the Dark Continent were known only to a small number of people, and the Zoldyck Family was among them.
Precisely because of this, they understood all too well what kind of place the Dark Continent was.
He didn't expect Law had actually gone there, and not only he survived, but he also brought something back.
Law gave Netero a helpless look, opened the lid of a wine gourd, letting the aroma spread out, diverting Maha and Zeno's attention.
Smelling the aroma, they knew it was Linne's Monkey Wine. The yield was very small, and basically, getting two gourds from Linne in a year was already considered a lot.
Then, they saw Law take out five gourds at once and place them on the table.
Law waved his hand generously and said, "Drink as much as you want."
Maha and Zeno's faces twitched slightly, thinking about whether they could take a few gourds back with them when they returned.
They could tell Law was changing the subject and tactfully didn't ask more.
The dishes hadn't arrived yet, but several rounds of wine had already been consumed.
"How's Killua?" Law suddenly asked.
Maha drank by himself, ignoring the question. Zeno, seeing this, took up the reply: "He ran away from home a while ago."
Hearing this, Law nodded and didn't say more.
The Hunter Exam was approaching, which was also around the time Killua ran away from home.
Afterwards, Killua would go to take the Hunter Exam and meet Gon.
This meant that the cold-blooded values instilled in Killua by his family would begin to change after meeting Gon.
Around one stone table sat three old-timers, all top-tier masters.
If you added Linne and Shachmono, that made five old masters from a previous era.
Sitting together like this, Machi, being the weakest, seemed a bit restrained.
They sat like this for over an hour when a sudden fragrance wafted out from the house.
"Oh?"
Smelling that fragrance, everyone's spirits lifted.
'What abundant vitality.'
Maha's usually narrowed eyes opened wide, a rare occurrence, and he said in a low voice, "Ingredients from the Dark Continent, combined with Linne's Nen that can 'fuse'... I'm really looking forward to this."
Everyone was eagerly anticipating what kind of dish Linne would bring out.
The fragrance grew stronger and more concentrated, spreading farther and farther away.
Immersed in this aroma, one could only feel the hunger pangs in their stomach crying out incessantly.
Soon, noticeable movements came from all around the forest.
This fragrance had attracted all the creatures in the forest, drawn by the life force contained within.
From large Magical Beasts to small insects, all were attracted.
There was the rustling of insects, the sound of birds flapping their wings, the roars of beasts...
"Interesting." Netero raised an eyebrow. Having known Linne for so long, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
Law seemed to have anticipated this. He stood up and leaped onto the roof.
This action made everyone present look at him.
Law looked out at the hordes of creatures approaching from all around the forest. Eyes lit up in groups within the shadows, and dark, tide-like figures advanced menacingly.
An Aura surged from the soles of his feet, swirling from bottom to top over his body.
Then, like a blooming firework, the Aura suddenly expanded in all directions, passing through all the creatures approaching the house.
Abruptly, all the noisy sounds vanished. The birds and insects flying in the air seemed terrified, stopping their wingbeats and falling to the ground.
'A threatening Aura that can distinguish targets?'
Netero, Maha, Zeno watched calmly as Law stood on the roof. Machi, as well as Linne and Shachmono inside the house, were unaffected.
It was an exceptionally fine control ability. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, it would be hard to believe a young person's strength could reach such a level.
Since Law's return, Netero had increasingly felt that Law and Ging were basically on the same level.
As Law's Aura poured out relentlessly, the hordes of creatures, initially driven by frenzy, seemed to touch something terrifying and fled in disarray.
Soon, the once menacing scene came to a swift conclusion.
After scaring away the trouble, Law jumped down from the roof and sat back in his original seat as if nothing had happened.
Just at that moment, Linne walked out of the house, followed by Shachmono holding a large tray of food.