Chapter 163: The Law of Equivalent Exchange x Remnants of the Old Era
He's doing it for Gon, and yet, he's not doing it for Gon.
Elena stared at Ging's back, finding this man increasingly inscrutable.
He was born with an "adventurer's gene," unwilling to accept the constraints of "family," yet he married and had a child, personally building a "children's playground" on a massive island for his son. It was just like her father had said...
Once a man starts a family, he's like a dog on a chain, mostly restricted to "guarding the house," unable to go anywhere. Once thoughts of "freedom," "adventure," or "wandering the world" arise, they are often crushed by "attachments," making them impossible to realize.
So...
"Ging, will you stay with Vivian and Gon as he grows up?"
Elena asked suddenly. What awaited her was... Ging's unhesitating laughter. "Haha! How is that possible?"
The young man lifted his fishing rod, hooking a flying fish. Watching the fish's tail splash a trail of water in the morning light, his eyes shone with determination. "Don't you know me by now? I will never belong to one home or one person. I belong to the world. I want to go far away, explore more ruins, unearth more civilizations, and realize my life's value."
"But what about Gon?" Elena suddenly felt pity for the unborn child. "He's still so small..."
Ging stopped laughing and fell silent.
Whoosh~ The sea breeze ruffled their hair. After a long while... the man thought of Mito, the tavern, Whale Island, and his nominal disciple Kite. Looking at the magnificent waves, he said softly, "If he grows capable in the future, he will find me naturally."
"When that time comes..."
The corners of Ging's mouth turned up slightly, full of anticipation. "I imagine it will be very interesting."
Elena: "..."
He's crazy... truly a mad adventurer!
Elena secretly spat at the scumbag, turned, and left... She didn't want to see him anymore today. She decided to just reply to Gotoh instead.
"Young Master, we meet in Brontë, a coastal city on the western outskirts of the Yorbian Continent, in one month."
Padokea Republic, Kukuroo Mountain, Zoldyck Estate. Gotoh reported to Roy immediately upon receiving the message.
It was 6:30 in the morning. Still a full hour and a half before heading to the training room.
The boy sat at the dining table, flipping through the Record of the West Continent. He waved a hand to acknowledge he heard, his mind immersed, searching page by page for specific usages of "Faith Power." He was gradually gaining a clearer understanding of the connection between "Faith" and "Nen Abilities."
[Gods] are powerful because they can use "Faith" to seize the "Nen" of "Believers" for their own use, achieving the goal of stealing "Nature's Authority."
According to what Grandpa Zzigg saw and heard in the Duchy of Samir, [Storm] developed believers through the "Church of Storms," using "Faith" as a medium to extract the "Power of Storms" from "Believers" as part of "Nature."
And...
As the number of believers grew and their quality improved, the amount of "Nen" the [Storm] as a [God] could extract increased, making the power available to Him stronger. Therefore...
According to the [Law of Equivalent Exchange], a [God] "illegally gathering Nen" would inevitably face a backlash from [Nature]!
Roy flipped to page 21 and saw a case Grandpa Zzigg had witnessed firsthand... The Archbishop serving [Storm], a man named "Flynn Courtney," was conducting a routine "Mass" on Sunday to spread the doctrine of [Storm]... He failed to withstand [Nature's] backlash, mutated into a "monster," and slaughtered everyone present!
Causing the famous "711 Weston Massacre"...
[Ever since witnessing this event, I gradually realized that the so-called "Calamities" might very well have once been those [Archbishops], [Priests], [Angels], or even... [Gods] who suffered a backlash from Nature...]
[This is the risk and price that [Humans] must bear when attempting to break away from [Nature] and ascend to become [Extraordinary Beings]...]
[It is also the fundamental principle behind why the "extraordinary mechanism" of "Vows and Limitations" possesses such incredible "power"...]
Just like Gon, vastly inferior to Neferpitou, could trade "loss of Nen" to pray to [Nature] to "advance the future," summoning Gon-san to forcefully kill Neferpitou...
Or Kurapika, having just learned "Nen," could swear "I absolutely cannot use the chains on anyone other than the 'Spiders', or I will die" as a price, praying to [Nature] for "Anti-Spider Specialization," defeating Uvogin who far surpassed him in both "Aura Quantity" and "Physique"...
And...
Netero trading his "life" to pray to [Nature] to "confine Beyond," forbidding him from entering the Dark Continent while he lived...
All these instances illustrate the contradictory "opposition" and "unity" between [Humans] and [Nature].
Reading this, Roy suddenly understood why Great-Great-Grandfather Maha had dragged Grandpa Zzigg under the willow tree and beaten him so severely. He also understood why Netero wanted to restrict Beyond, yet left a video tape after his death encouraging the Zodiacs to explore the Dark Continent...
Because as "those who have gone before," they always knew that once Zzigg and Beyond learned the truth of "Becoming a God," with one being wildly imaginative and full of ideas, and the other ambitious and greedy, they likely wouldn't be able to withstand [Nature's] backlash or corruption...
Conversely, suppression is worse than guidance. Since he was destined to die and knew he could no longer restrict Beyond, he could only place his hope in the "Zodiacs," hoping that for the sake of "old times," they might help hold him back a bit... even though Netero himself knew they couldn't. After all, besides being the "Hunter Association Chairman," he also played the role of "Father."
A father's love is truly touching...
Thoughts raced through his mind. Understanding that "Faith," as a medium for stealing "Nature's Authority," was a double-edged sword that could stab him at any moment... Roy rubbed the back of his hand, watching the "Curse" relentlessly counting down his life. Just as he had told Great-Great-Grandfathers Zeno and Maha... from the moment he was noticed by that [God], he had no choice. Only, and exclusively, to [Become a God] and steal Nature's Authority.
However...
"Child, you've always had a choice."
7:40 AM. Twenty minutes before leaving for the training room.
Roy closed the book, calmed his thoughts, sat quietly for a few more minutes, then went out. Passing the dimly lit small room, he "ran into" Maha... The old man stood with his hands behind his back by the window, watching the sunrise, seemingly waiting for him. He spoke: "This old man doesn't have many years left anyway. Let me kill Him for you."
He looked at Roy with a smile. "I am a remnant of the old era. The new era no longer has a ship that can carry me."
"Living until now... I'm bored, tired, and I've had enough..."
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