A few minutes later.
Moses hung up the phone, his brow deeply furrowed.
The night wind in the mountains rustled through the leaves, carrying with it faint traces of warmth.
But Moses felt a chill in his heart.
At first, when he heard that Hawk didn't have much time left, Moses was shocked, but he immediately thought of the curse of the King's Libra.
If it was related to Nen, then there was hope. There had to be a way to solve it.
But after listening to Cheadle's explanation, Moses's heart sank to the bottom.
The problem Hawk was facing was indeed related to Nen, but the phenomenon...
It was irreversible lifespan depletion.
Just like the cost Kurapika paid for using [Emperor Time]...
It wasn't an injury, so healing abilities couldn't fix it.
It wasn't a curse, so Nen Exorcism Ability couldn't fix it either.
This was the natural end of life… old age and death.
It could be a month from now, a week, or even tomorrow.
Hawk could close his eyes and fall into eternal silence at any moment.
Moses lowered his head, and the scene of Hawk lying in the rocking chair during the day seemed to flash before his eyes, and his brows furrowed even more tightly.
'Wait, I have the Ability Cornerstone.'
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed in Moses's mind, and a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes.
But that light froze in the next moment.
'I have already used up the first Ability Cornerstone...'
Moses murmured to himself, then thought of the stone tablet on the Path of Legends. He couldn't help but steadied his emotions and let his mind sink into his consciousness.
Under the starry night sky, the crackling bonfire provided light and warmth.
Not far from the bonfire, a stone tablet surrounded by plants stood quietly.
On the front of the stone tablet, there are only three grooves inlaid with dark purple beads.
This was the result of annihilating the Phantom Troupe at Heavens Arena, but he was still two deep purple beads short of forming a second Ability Cornerstone...
Not to mention whether the Ability Cornerstone can work, just to condense a deep purple bead requires huge fame, which is definitely not something that can be achieved in a short time.
Moses silently withdrew from his consciousness.
Facing the warm night wind, he thought of the Zoldyck Family's 'Wish-Granting Machine'.
However, how could the Zoldyck Family, who were extremely wary of Nanika, take such a huge risk for an outsider?
Even if Moses removed the needle from Killua's head, and made the Zoldyck Family realize that Nanika's 'Wish-Granting Ability' also had a 'Demand' mechanism...
The most likely outcome would be the Zoldyck Family immediately restricting Killua, the key to unlocking Nanika's abilities, and then finding a way to eliminate any outsider who knew the secret.
Moses let out a long sigh, dismissing the idea of using the 'Wish-Granting Machine' to extend Hawk's life.
'Nitro Rice...'
Finally, Moses thought of Nitro Rice from the Dark Continent.
It was one of the five known hopes of the Dark Continent, which is a longevity food that could extend life.
But how to get to the Dark Continent and how to get Nitro Rice are both extremely difficult challenges.
But Moses had no other choice.
Suppose Hawke just ages normally and waits for the deadline to come.
If Hawk were simply aging naturally and waiting for his time to come, Moses wouldn't risk going to the perilous Dark Continent to find Nitro Rice just to extend Hawk's life. Instead, he would stay by Hawk's side in his final years, ensuring Hawk could pass without regrets.
'Five Hopes, Five Great Calamities... If I remember correctly, the Great Calamity in the region where Nitrogen Rice is located is Hellbell, the Twin-Tailed Snake, but I can't remember which direction Nitro Rice is in on the Dark Continent...'
Moses struggled to recall the details about the Dark Continent from the original work.
But how could he remember every little detail so clearly?
Besides, he himself had no interest in the Dark Continent. And after coming to this world, he had never paid attention to the Dark Continent.
Why?
There are many reasons.
He had once viewed this world, and the Dark Continent beyond it, from the perspective of a reader.
So he knew full well the vastness, danger, mystery, and strangeness of the Dark Continent...
He knew that Netero, which is once the strongest Nen User in the world, had attempted to challenge the Dark Continent twice but was turned away both times, never even crossing the threshold.
Perhaps because he was deeply aware of the horror of the Dark Continent, Netero had declared exploring Dark Continent a taboo for the Hunter Association after his return.
But for Pro Hunters, mystery and the unknown were like fragrant, alluring treasures, which always drew them in.
For this reason, Netero had to use every means and authority at his disposal to seal off the path to the Dark Continent.
This alone showed how dangerous the Dark Continent was, to the point that even the world's strongest feared it.
Moses also knew...
According to the public and public records kept by the International Permit Agencies, humanity had never completed a round trip to the Dark Continent using its own strength, and the survival rate of expeditions to the Dark Continent was infinitely close to zero.
This means that simply reaching the Dark Continent is already an extremely difficult challenge.
Finally-
If the responsibility of the International Permit Agencies, whose jurisdiction spanned the entire world, could be summed up in one simple sentence, it would be...
To prevent anyone from going to the Dark Continent!
This was why, in the original work, Ging couldn't obtain permission to go to the Dark Continent no matter what. Even if he considered sneaking across, he would eventually be thwarted by Netero's restrictions.
So when Beyond Netero suddenly burst into the world's view, boldly declaring his intention to lead all of humanity in exploring the Dark Continent...
Even Ging, who felt a sense of frustration at being beaten to the punch, had to admit that Beyond had the qualifications and even considered asking Beyond to take him along to the Dark Continent.
Moses isn't Ging, nor is he Beyond Netero.
He didn't have Ging's dream of exploring the Dark Continent as a life goal, nor did he possess Beyond's ambition to conquer the unknown lands.
But now-
He simply needed Nitro Rice.
However, this kind of thing is definitely not something he can do alone.
'I should ask Ging for his opinion.'
Moses pulled out his phone, which he had just put away, and dialed Ging's number.
A few seconds later.
The phone rang with the automated message that the other party had turned off their phone.
"Is he busy?"
Moses lowered the phone and thought about what Ging had said some time ago about dealing with a biological disaster.
When Pro Hunters are carrying out commissions or hunting targets, they basically choose to turn off their phones or set them to silent mode.
Since Ging chose to turn off his phone, it seems that this biological disaster is not a trivial matter.
Moses sent Ging a text asking him to call back when he was free, then put away his phone and looked toward the brightly lit temple in the distance.
In the past, only a few lights were left on at night.
But with Menchi and Shizuku's arrival, Hawk had turned on all the lights in the temple.
Moses stared at the temple's lights for a long time before sighing and slowly walking back.