Ever since founding the shipbuilding company, Ellie had been very busy. But her attention to Law never slackened.
She knew about Law's relationship with Machi, and had even learned about the Gourmet Hunter, Menchi.
But she had never obtained any information about this woman before her. In her perception, it was as if she had popped out of thin air.
The question was: Why did Law bring them here?
Ellie's gaze locked onto the woman. Yet this person she thought was a woman didn't glance at her once, showing no reaction to her words, just standing there staring at Law.
"Master."
In the next moment, the weary male voice that came from the 'woman' made Ellie dumbfounded.
Actually, seeing Kurapika in this attire, Law was also momentarily stunned, which was why he didn't answer immediately when Ellie asked.
After Kurapika uttered 'Master', Law snapped back to reality, coughed lightly, and said, "Let's talk inside."
From the depths of his dusty memories, he recalled Kurapika cross-dressing to hide his identity when capturing Chrollo in the original work.
That memory was rather vivid, mainly because Kurapika looked incredibly... pretty in drag.
If he knew Kurapika had dressed as two different female personas tonight, he wouldn't know what to think.
Everyone entered the room. At a glance, they saw Scarlet Eyes placed on the living room table and sofa, along with a conspicuous container holding a head.
"Scarlet Eyes..."
Ging raised an eyebrow slightly. This was his first time seeing so many Scarlet Eyes gathered together.
"Law."
Stargie suddenly called Law's name in a low voice, her articulation slightly blurred.
"Hmm?"
Law turned his head to look at Stargie, only to see her pointing at the container holding the head.
It was a transparent glass jar filled with a transparent liquid. A boy's head rested quietly inside, his wide-open scarlet eyes seeming to gaze into a dark abyss, tinged with a trace of despair that wouldn't dissipate.
Law didn't understand why Stargie specifically pointed at the container for him to see. Instinctively, he focused Aura into his eyes and saw faint, thread-like black wisps within the container.
Post-mortem resentment, only pitifully faint.
Stargie herself was one who returned from death, making her extremely sensitive to Post-Mortem Nen. She probably didn't need Gyo to detect lingering resentments. Plus, knowing Law's special abilities, she reminded him.
Seeing the resentment inside the container, Law wasn't surprised at all. After all, this was a victim of the Kurta Clan, with the entire head including the Scarlet Eyes placed in a container. It wasn't strange for a resentment to form.
However, Stargie's reminder made Law start paying attention to her abilities.
First, Stargie's strength was beyond question. Her Nen, greatly enhanced through death, placed her firmly among top-tier experts.
What Law valued at this moment was Stargie's sensitivity to resentments and the possibilities she possessed.
One must remember, the Dark Continent had entities like unlucky crow and Mirage Ticks… Nen Beasts lingering after death, essentially incarnations of resentments, beings worthy of vigilance.
In fact, many unknown corners of the Six Continents also harbored numerous resentments. It wouldn't be strange for some resentments, given the right opportunity, to attach themselves to ordinary people.
However, resentments are residual spiritual energy after death. They don't possess abilities like possession, only able to subtly influence the speech, actions, and even personality of the host.
In current psychiatric hospitals, there are patients whose violent tendencies were stimulated by resentments, eventually placed under strict confinement.
It's worth noting, the likelihood of a Nen User leaving behind a resentment is over a thousand times that of an ordinary person. In an environment like the Dark Continent, Law wasn't clear how many entities like unlucky crow existed.
"A resentment."
Law shifted his gaze to Kurapika.
He guessed Kurapika had probably also noticed the faint grudge emanating from the boy's head.
The reason was, upon seeing so many Scarlet Eyes, Kurapika's emotions would undoubtedly be agitated enough to reveal his own Scarlet Eyes, and without a doubt release a large amount of Aura. In that state, even without deliberately focusing Aura into his eyes, he could see the thread-like black wisps inside the container.
Ging and Ellie didn't understand the matter but sensed the atmosphere, wisely staying quiet, watching Kurapika and Law.
"Master." Kurapika looked at the head in the container, profound grief in his eyes, saying in a low voice, "I want to ask you to remove the Nen left behind by Pairo."
"..."
Law remained silent for a long moment, then said, "Are you sure?"
So-called resentments can be defined as residual spiritual energy left behind by humans in the world, or considered souls after death.
This world absolutely has no hell, but souls do exist.
Removing the resentment inside the container means erasing the soul.
Kurapika's lips bled… he had bitten them on the spot.
He looked at Law and nodded heavily.
Law saw that Kurapika's current mental state was poor, thinking of postponing the exorcism until tomorrow.
But he suddenly thought of Ellie's ability, and an absurd idea surfaced in his mind.
Soul Mimic...!
"Ellie."
Law suddenly looked at Ellie, who was caught off guard, instinctively replying, "Here."
"Do you have any spare sticky notes for your Soul Mimic?" Law asked.
Ellie nodded, "Yes. After my strength improved, I currently have five extra sticky notes."
As she spoke, she glanced at the head in the container, as if thinking of something, hesitantly saying, "Law, don't tell me you..."
"Mhm, I want to give it a try."
"That's impossible. It's just a head left."
"I have a way."
Law still had the recently acquired flute version Sonata.
'If it could be combined with Ellie's Soul Mimic, perhaps they could...'
Of course, the main opportunity was the faint resentment still lingering in the container.
Kurapika and Ging had no clue what Law and Ellie were planning.
Then, they heard Law say, "Kurapika, I might be able to resurrect Pairo."
"Wh-what?"
Kurapika couldn't believe it.
The same expression was on Ging's face.
Subsequently, Law briefly explained Soul Mimic's ability to Ging and Kurapika. Then, they watched as Ellie conjure a booklet of sticky notes, tore off a page, wrote the word [Soul] on it, and stuck it onto Pairo's head.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the sticky note emitted a faint green light, seeping into Pairo's head like a mist, slowly disappearing.
'Next is finding a target for Phenomenon Exchange. Although I could control multiple listeners for the exchange, I would have to bear all the misfortune index myself.'
Law thought silently.
…
Simultaneously-
It was deep night on the Six Continents, yet underground, a beam of sunlight shone down from above.
It seemed like the bottom of a shaft of unknown depth. Looking up, only a pinprick of light was visible.
Logically, at such a distance, sunlight would have difficulty reaching the bottom. But bizarrely, a clear beam of light was visible, like a spotlight on a dark stage.
Within the area illuminated by the beam, there was a table made of intertwined thick tree roots. On it lay a thick book seemingly bound with pieces of firewood, next to an irregularly shaped tree branch.
The surrounding walls were also covered in tree roots.
Looking closely, one could vaguely see many tree roots woven into masks expressing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, somewhat blurred.
At first glance, the root masks seemed large and few in number. But continued staring created a visual dislocation; the masks seemed to shrink, their number slowly increasing greatly.
Suddenly, the book on the table made creaking sounds, pages turning automatically without wind.
The irregularly shaped branch resting beside it stood up by itself.
Instantly, countless sounds, unclear and different in meaning, suddenly echoed within the narrow space.
The sounds seemed near yet far, taking myriad forms.
Then, the branch began writing on the flipping pages.
Countless particles drifted out from the flipping pages within the light beam, then changed form within the beam before finally fading and disappearing.
When the last particle vanished, the multitude of echoing sounds abruptly ceased.
Immediately after, a sigh, like a morning bell, sounded.
When the lingering sound completely disappeared, the light beam slowly contracted inward, finally taking everything present into the darkness.
Not just disappearing from view, but truly vanishing into thin air.