Chapter 38: Ancient King of Kakin
On either side of the passage, stands began to appear at intervals, connected by barriers, resembling a museum's protection of precious artifacts.
Looking at the text on the barriers, "Blanchet Company," "Blanchet Company," "Blanchet Company"...
Clearly, this company had long included this place in its business projects, though it hadn't been publicly disclosed.
"There are words on the wall," Shizuku said.
Arthur and the others looked at the stone wall through the protective barriers. The flashlight illuminated the crisscrossing marks on the mottled wall.
Menchi said, "It doesn't look like words, more like someone slashed it with a sword."
"Since they specifically put up barriers, it shouldn't be that simple, right?" Arthur said, concentrating his aura in his eyes to observe the chaotic marks on the wall. "Sure enough..."
"These marks have aura?"
"I've only seen similar phenomena on valuable antiques..."
Diego and the other amateur hunters were amazed. Just a few marks on the wall, yet they had Nen Aura residue.
Some highly skilled artists, though not truly awakened Nen Ability users, could sometimes unconsciously leave their aura on their creations. These creations, in the eyes of non-Nen Ability antique appraisers, were considered priceless treasures, possessing a unique charm.
Menchi took photos of the wall marks with her phone.
Arthur said, "Menchi, use photos instead of videos."
"Why?" Menchi asked, puzzled.
Arthur explained, "If a video captures Nen, ordinary people won't see anything, but those who know Gyo can see Nen Aura in the video."
In the manga's Heaven's Arena arc, Gon and Killua Zoldyck used Gyo to see Hisoka's Nen Ability in his fight recordings.
"Can't you see it in photos?" Shizuku asked curiously.
Arthur replied, "I don't know... But we need to take something back to report, right? Videos aren't convenient, so photos will have to do. Otherwise, that bald guy might refuse to pay."
"Haha, bald guy?" Menchi laughed, taking a few photos of the wall. "You're so mean."
The group continued walking, observing, and taking photos.
Besides the puzzling marks, abstract patterns began to appear on the walls, resembling paintings but too abstract to determine what they depicted.
The only commonality was that these marks and abstract patterns on the walls all had lingering aura.
The tomb wasn't large, with several interconnected passages. Arthur and the others finally reached a much wider main chamber, shining their flashlights on the surrounding walls, concentrating aura in their eyes to observe.
Countless wild cursive characters, like knife cuts, densely covered the walls.
Arthur's literacy in Hunter World text was "borrowed," not exactly a cultural master, but he could barely recognize some words. These wild characters on the walls, he could only make out a few words like "world," "why," "hahaha," making him worry about the writer's mental state at the time.
However, like the previous marks and patterns, these densely carved cursive characters on the walls also had lingering aura.
"It's unbelievable, who could leave these things?"
"Aura lingering for hundreds of years?"
"What do these say? Is it really from that... that ancient king of Kakin?"
Diego and the others took photos with their phones, exchanging glances and swallowing nervously.
The flashlight beams moved, and Diego's group suddenly exclaimed.
Arthur looked over to see a glass room in the center of the dim main chamber. The walls were made of transparent glass, and the flashlight illuminated various scattered items on the floor. In the center was a white fox! Diego and the others had accidentally shone their lights on the fox, causing their startled cries.
"What's the fuss?" Arthur said irritably. "It's just a bunch of toys."
"Toys?" Menchi curiously approached.
Shizuku also saw clearly, "The white fox is a toy."
Suddenly, with a "click," the entire chamber lit up, as bright as day.
"Why not turn on the lights?" On the opposite side of the glass room, the blond middle-aged man opened the glass door and closed it. It was Alan Trill Blanchet, accompanied by Babimyna, who was observing the chamber with a serious expression, his eyes clearly focused on the wild characters on the walls.
Arthur noticed the light switch installed behind the glass room door.
Menchi, Diego, and the others were a bit nervous and curious about Alan Trill's identity. He introduced himself as he had to Babimyna earlier, then pointed to the wild characters on the walls, saying, "These are the work of the Ancient King of Kakin from 400 years ago."
Babimyna's expression remained unchanged as Alan Trill continued, "When we first discovered this place, we thought it was the tomb of the True Martial King, but we were wrong. I believe this place, though built like a small tomb, was used by the king himself for meditation. When faced with difficulties or frustrations, he would come here alone to write and draw on the walls, venting his emotions. Hundreds of years have passed, and the True Martial King has become history, leaving this place as it is."
It seems my concern about the writer's mental state was justified. Who builds a tomb as a retreat?
What kind of problem did he encounter? How frustrated must he have been to end up like this?
Arthur asked, "True Martial King?"
Diego explained, "A legendary king recorded in textbooks, the True Martial King of Kakin, Valerius Hui Gup Rou, who nearly unified the entire Azian Continent..."
Babimyna remained silent, seemingly focused on the ancient True Martial King's work on the walls.
Shizuku listened and observed with interest, though Arthur doubted how much she'd remember afterward.
"What's past is past," Alan Trill loosened his tie. "I think you've seen that the True Martial King's carvings and drawings on the walls, though mostly indecipherable, still contain some descriptions related to Nen Ability. Therefore, this place cannot be opened to the public."
He looked at Babimyna, who remained silent, "I can assure you that Little White, the concern you had, the grudge left by Nasuti Hui Gup Rou, will no longer trouble the Hui Guo Rou royal family. Of course, as long as Hui Guo Rou doesn't disturb him."
As he spoke, a ghostly white boy's shadow flickered in the glass room, and the white fox toy in the middle of the scattered toys suddenly came to life, walking to the edge of the glass room, playing with a bouncy ball toy, and watching the people outside with its toy eyes. Arthur guessed it was mainly watching Babimyna.
"What did you do to him?" Babimyna cautiously watched the toy white fox in the glass room.
"We did what we could," Alan Trill said. "Life and death, reincarnation, aren't easy to achieve. The consciousness of Nasuti Hui Gup Rou is long gone, leaving only a distorted grudge fused with a Nen Beast. We provided this vessel for him to reside in, and he won't trouble Hui Guo Rou anymore."
The toy white fox bit the bouncy ball, then released it, letting it bounce on the glass room floor.
Babimyna remained silent for a long time, long enough for Diego and the others to feel awkward. These royal secrets, is it okay for us to hear so much?
"How do we leave?" They quickly asked Alan Trill, who pointed them to a direction with a Divine Script similar to the entrance.
Menchi put away her phone, "We should leave too."
Arthur said, "I have no objections. Shizuku?"
"Huh?" Shizuku was still looking at the wild characters on the walls. "I'll follow your lead."
"Then let's go." Arthur waved his hand.
...
Babimyna placed his hand on the exit's Divine Script, quickly turning into a white aura and disappearing.
Arthur was about to do the same when he felt a tug on his pants. Turning around, he saw the toy white fox tugging at his pants with a paw.
The toy white fox emitted a white aura, faintly revealing the shape of the pale ghost.
Alan Trill was a bit surprised, "It's rare. It seems Little White likes you."
"Of course, I'm lovable. Right, Menchi, Shizuku?" Arthur was no longer in a hurry to leave, turning to pet the toy white fox's head. He suddenly asked, "Mr. Alan Trill, you kept saying 'we' earlier. The other person who discovered this ancient tomb with you was Ging Freecss, right?"
As he spoke, he took out his Hunter License from his pocket. Menchi did the same, holding her Hunter License with two fingers and smiling.
Alan Trill smiled and said, "That's right. Mr. Ging is my teacher."
(End of Chapter)
Bonus Chapter guys drop some power stones.