Chapter 37: Treasure Hunter x Ruin Hunter

Snap.

Inside the VIP cabin, Moro closed the travel brochure for the Great Republic of Gu-Gan-Yu.

The content of this brochure appeared to be promoting famous tourist attractions, but in reality, it was listing numerous precautions for travelers. For Moro, however, both the introductions to various regions and the warnings aimed at outsiders were quite useful. After reading through the brochure, he even found himself developing some interest in the Great Republic of Gu-Gan-Yu, a place he had never set foot in.

The continent where this great nation—still governed by a monarchy—resides was once home to one country after another during the era of warring states. Even now, those nations that once occupied the stage of history have left behind traces exclusively their own, in the form of ruins, tombs, artifacts, treasures, and manuscripts.

In terms of historical development, the Great Republic of Gu-Gan-Yu is very similar to the Kakin Empire. Both nations originated from the era of warring states, survived the seemingly endless wars of annexation to reach the present day, and have maintained a monarchical form of government throughout. The only difference is that Kakin appears to be moving toward a democratic system on the surface, whereas the Great Republic of Gu-Gan-Yu has no intention of changing in that regard.

Moro cares little for the history of these two behemoths. Most outsiders see only museums and fully excavated sites in the Gu-Gan-Yu travel brochure, but Moro sees the artifacts of past eras displayed within those museums and the various relics still hidden away in unexcavated ruins. More accurately, he sees the Nen that might be attached to these objects.

Interestingly, under the laws of both the Great Republic of Gu-Gan-Yu and the Kakin Empire, the sentencing for tomb raiding starts at a minimum of one hundred years and can go up to the death penalty. Despite such draconian laws, the number of tomb raiders sent to the scaffold each year remains significant. This alone speaks volumes about the depth of historical sites and tombs in both nations, enough to make tomb raiders risk their lives and flock to them.

In fact, even if the two great nations racked their brains to prevent such activities, they could not stop certain tomb raiders who utilize Nen abilities to commit their crimes. Sometimes, the existence of Nen is an unreasonable variable.

Truth be told, once Moro learned of this information, it would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted. He didn't have these thoughts because of his own professional background, nor for the sake of immense profit; it was purely out of a need to recharge his "Annual Rings." However, he wondered: if one day he couldn't control his impulses and decided to strike at a certain ruin, would some guy named Ging suddenly descend from the heavens to sanction him?

Moro shook his head with a faint smile and set the brochure on the table beside him. Starting from his thoughts on tombs and ruins, he thought of Kanzai’s profession—Treasure Hunter and Bodyguard Hunter.

In the realm of professional Hunters, dual professions are not uncommon. This is because, in the star-rating system for professional Hunters, advancing from two stars to the top-tier three stars requires the candidate to have made significant achievements in multiple fields. Based on this criteria, professional Hunters who aspire to three stars will consciously cultivate two professional fields.

Moro was actually somewhat interested in being a Treasure Hunter, or perhaps a Ruins Hunter... In a sense, these two professions are merely ways to legitimize the act of tomb raiding and excavating ruins.

While such legitimized professions certainly come with many restrictions on one's actions, for Moro, who has no need to profit from them, they would actually be better suited to his need to recharge his Annual Rings.

"Speaking of which, a commission that would make Kanzai accept..."

The image of that heavily disguised woman flashed through Moro’s mind. Hiring a member of the Zodiacs for protection likely meant that the client was facing immense danger. But why not travel by land? That should have been the safer choice. Was it because they were under some kind of restriction, forcing them to choose an airship?

To Moro, the specific reason was irrelevant. What mattered was that he was sharing an airship with such a volatile factor... If the people who wanted to harm that woman were insane enough to blow up the entire airship, wouldn't he be screwed? Although the airport's security measures were quite thorough, one could never rule out variables like Nen abilities. Even without Nen, one could simply target the airship's captain.

Suddenly considering the potential impact of this unstable element, Moro instinctively looked out at the night sky through the window. Getting off the ship now... it was already too late.

...

Somewhere on the airship.

*Squeak—*

The pen tip touched the waxed surface, making a slightly sharp sound. Under the soft lighting, a man in work clothes crouched on the floor, holding a pen and tracing lines with extreme care and agonizing slowness. Every stroke seemed to be made with immense effort, causing the nib to scrape against the floor and produce a series of sounds.

"Done."

The man in work clothes stopped, panting slightly as he spoke. On the floor in front of him were rows of peculiar symbols, combined in a certain pattern to form a black design that looked like electronic circuits. Beside him stood a woman with tied-up hair, dressed in a bar uniform.

"Moor, how many more places?"

The woman looked at the pattern on the floor. The man called Moor steadied his breathing and replied, "Two."

"Can you do it?"

The woman turned to stare directly at Moor, waiting for a definitive answer. Moor’s eyelids twitched as he put the pen away. "The hardest part about Divine Characters is that the drawing process is time-consuming and mentally exhausting, especially when applied to requirements involving Nen spaces; it’s even more difficult. But for me, it’s nothing."

"So, can you do it?"

The woman frowned, her gaze flickering briefly over Moor's still-heaving chest. She only wanted a certain answer.

Moor looked at her, somewhat speechless, and confirmed, "I can, but to be safe, I have to wait until midnight for the remaining two locations."

"Then I’m going back. I’ve been out for too long."

The woman took out her phone, which was buzzing. It was the peak business hour for the airship bar. The only reason she could leave her post as a disguised waitress was because of the ambiguous relationship she had deliberately cultivated with the manager. Glancing at the manager's name on the screen, she shoved the phone into her pocket and headed toward the bar.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back at her companion in the work clothes.

"Moor."

"Yeah?"

"The Prince said our lives are more important than completing the mission."

"Huh?" A flicker of doubt crossed Moor's eyes.

The woman continued, "But we can't think that way. We must kill the Third Princess here; this will be a crucial step."

"You don't need to remind me." Moor shrugged.

The woman’s expression suddenly turned sharp. "A few pieces of trash thought they could assassinate the Third Princess with something as petty as poison, but this also means that other Princes have reached out their hands. Their interference has caused us to lose the advantage of being 'hidden,' so be prepared to give your life."

As she spoke, she stared intently at Moor, as was her habit. "This also means... we must act before the airship reaches the transit refueling station."

"..."

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"I'll get off the ship when it lands to refuel..."

Moro gazed at the night sky outside the window. Just to be safe, he would rather waste a little more time than face the risk of being dragged into a conflict. Even though it was possible he was just overthinking things...