After so many years, the Zoldyck estate had barely changed.
Once a day, a tour bus still traveled from the nearby town to the estate's front gates, rain or shine. Over ti, it had beco a steady source of inco for the town. No matter who ca, they would always spend sothing locally. So even tried to sell information about the Zoldyck estate—either common public knowledge or complete fabrications.
Still, there was no shortage of gullible buyers.
The Zoldyck family had never bothered to interfere with any of it.
Because they simply didn't care.
Even though challengers died in droves, every year soone would co, hoping to gain fa by stepping over the threshold of the Zoldyck estate.
Not a single one had ever succeeded.
On the bus, the tour guide was enthusiastically narrating, trying to stir excitent among the passengers. Eventually, the vehicle ca to a stop.
Ron and Killua disembarked.
Without anyone noticing, they slipped quietly into the estate.
"Killua, I'm heading to the back mountain first."
"Okay, Ron-nii."
Ron's figure blurred, and in the next instant, he reappeared within his private courtyard.
"Master Ron."
Shinji, standing at the gate, imdiately sensed his arrival.
"Shinji, has Great-Grandfather co out of seclusion?"
"He has."
"Where is he?"
"In his own courtyard."
Without hesitation, Ron made his way toward Maha Zoldyck's compound.
The steward at the door grew tense upon hearing the footsteps, only relaxing when he saw who it was.
"Great-Grandfather."
"Ron's back. Sit."
The table had already been set with a Go board.
Ron took a seat, and Maha Zoldyck had already picked up a black stone.
Clack!
The piece landed.
Ron lifted a white stone and responded.
The two continued like this, back and forth, for hundreds of moves before Maha Zoldyck finally stopped.
"No more. I'm done. I've gotten old."
With a small wave of his hand, the pieces on the board returned neatly to their bowls.
Maha Zoldyck looked at Ron.
"Not bad. Better than I expected."
"Ron, you've already far surpassed at your age."
Ron smiled lightly. "You're too kind, Great-Grandfather."
"No flattery—just facts," Maha replied. "When I was your age, I hadn't even found my path yet. I was just an ordinary A-rank Nen user. Only after experiencing many things did I truly begin to understand what it ant to be a Nen user."
Ron said, "That's because I had your foundation to build on. Without your teaching, there's no way I'd have found my path this quickly or reached S-rank."
"That's not what matters. What matters is your own drive. But forget that for now. Is it true that Netero is really dead?"
Ron nodded.
"Did he tell you why?"
"Chairman Netero said he didn't want to be left behind by the tis. A new era is approaching, and he was already too old to keep up. So he chose to remain in the old world. Ending it all with a mutual destruction against the Ant King—that was the best finale he could give himself."
Maha gave a slight nod. "That does sound like sothing he'd do. Still as stubborn as ever."
"But he wasn't wrong. A new era really is coming. We old-tirs can't keep up anymore. This era belongs to your generation."
After a pause, Maha asked, "Ron, you intend to go to the Dark Continent, do you not?"
Ron nodded.
Whether it was to absorb traits from the Kakin Empire and create new Nen Beasts, or to seek out the resources hidden there, he would definitely board the Kakin expedition ship to the Dark Continent.
"It's dangerous—but full of opportunity," Maha said. "Past expeditions have already reshaped the human world multiple tis. And this new one… it'll bring even more change."
"You might even find a way to break through the limits of life itself."
"Humans weren't ant to be so limited."
"They say that long, long ago, soone achieved eternal life—limitless vitality, boundless spiritual power."
"One person could suppress an entire nation."
"So even say such a person could create a world from nothing."
"There are those who dismiss this as re legend—but so legends leave traces."
Ron's brow twitched slightly. Maha had never spoken like this before.
"Great-Grandfather, what was it like when you went to the Dark Continent?"
Maha was silent for a mont.
"My experience isn't sothing I can pass on. Because the place you land depends entirely on the individual—it's different for everyone. The environntal variance is staggering."
"If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be: caution. Caution, and more caution."
"The danger isn't just physical. It's ntal."
"You might see so symbol, or hear so sound, and lose your mind completely. Your very form may begin to unravel—you might not even remain human."
Ron instinctively furrowed his brow. "ntal corruption?"
"Corruption?" Maha paused. "That's… an apt word. Yes, that's exactly what it felt like."
Ron's mind stirred.
That term—corruption—reminded him of sothing: the myths of the Kuruth branch. In those tales, ntal corruption was a frequent the. Even the smallest dium could carry it. If the contamination was strong enough, just a brief exposure could destroy a city… even an entire nation.
It was far more devastating than the threat posed by the Chira Ants.
There was no comparison.
"Great-Grandfather… is Alluka sothing like that too?"
"More or less," Maha replied. "Alluka is Silva's child, but after being parasitized by that thing, she no longer counts as Silva's child."
"Her very essence has changed. She's no longer human—less so than even the Chira Ants. And her ability… it's extrely unusual. Like a god, or a demon. She can grant others wishes, but she also makes unreasonable demands.
When it cos ti to pay the price, the destruction is enormous. That's why we treat Alluka's case with extre caution. Before you leave for the Dark Continent, you can go see Alluka—but do not interact with her."
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