After the earthworm controlling the dandelion died, it left behind a nest of fleshy eggs.
Law's group in the Hide-and-Seek dimension were unaware of this.
If they knew, they wouldn't mind incidentally wiping out the entire nest of fleshy eggs.
But such action was actually meaningless. Even if they eliminated the unnamed earthworm's descendants, new terrifying species would occupy this swamp later.
For humans, obtaining strange items called [Hope] always meant first overcoming obstacles called [Calamity].
Whether that [Calamity] was Hellbell, or the earthworm controlling the dandelion, or new unknown species… all were formidable hurdles humans struggled to cross.
The team led by Law was clearly the most significant in human voyage history… their achievements surpassed any knowledgeable person's imagination.
Nearly two hundred stalks of Nitro Rice... and longevity was one of humanity's eternal pursuits.
In the Hide-and-Seek dimension, the room was silent.
Stargie showed a puzzled expression, not understanding the current situation.
In past or present lives, she never cared about her appearance. Yet everyone has an appreciation for beauty… attractive appearances always draw gazes.
"Cough."
Shiro, who had a wife and child, feigned a cough, first breaking the room's silence.
Hearing the cough, everyone snapped back to attention.
How to put it... Stargie originally looked icy, then suddenly gained healthy rosy coloring, immediately giving a sense of closer proximity.
Such abrupt change not only captivated the men but also the several women present.
Machi came to Law's side, stepping on his foot inconspicuously.
Law winced in pain, glanced helplessly at Machi, then clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"The Nitro Rice will stay here for now. Besides, it's still early, and we need to keep moving. According to the original plan, we'll detour from here to the Ancient Labyrinth City."
The itinerary's framework was set before coming to the Dark Continent. Hearing Law now, naturally no one objected.
The [Hope] in this swamp was lifespan-increasing Nitro Rice, while in the Ancient Labyrinth City, it was the Herb for All-illnesses.
The two [Hopes] were an excellent combination, and after consuming both, dying naturally would be difficult.
Before setting the itinerary, no one expected such abundant harvest from this swamp trip.
This made everyone present, including Law, highly motivated for the upcoming Ancient Labyrinth City.
Knov's apartment master key could connect to previously established entrances. That is, if he set a Hide-and-Seek dimension entrance on the coastline, by opening a door, they could teleport from the swamp to the coastline.
However, the number of entrances/exits he could establish corresponded to the Hide-and-Seek dimension's total rooms: twenty-one.
The limit on entrance/exit numbers was one constraint of his ability.
But structures like buildings could be built, demolished, even renovated.
To optimize entrance/exit functionality, entrances established in places like the swamp needed removal afterward. Removing one entrance required a week of Knov's time and effort.
The time limit was rigid, non-reducible.
That meant before heading to the Ancient Labyrinth City, they had to stay here at least half a month.
Given the Hide-and-Seek dimension's importance, everyone was willing to wait.
However, halting progress meant a brief pause in exploration, which is unavoidable.
The entire team temporarily remained in the swamp… food and water weren't concerns.
While waiting for Knov to dismantle the Hide-and-Seek dimension's entrance, others weren't idle.
Sheila and Salin handled information organization, using spare time to convert their observations into written records. These were crucial intelligence and material for Law's future second half of [L. Hunter].
As for Uvogin and others, they stayed in the apartment for intense training.
The life energy emitted by Nitro Rice greatly enhanced and aided training results.
Even Biscuit, with her strong physique, didn't miss this opportunity, focusing on training.
Law and Ging left the Hide-and-Seek dimension, conducting on-site investigations in the swamp.
At the dandelion battle site, the trench cleaved by the White General had closed within half a day. If not for some residual traces, you couldn't tell a trench had been split here half a day ago.
After all, it was a swamp area.
The two wandered aimlessly in the swamp, trying to find other creatures.
No need to mention Hellbell, which is likely extinct.
But the swamp's plants grew decently, so there should be insects or similar.
Yet after some time, however carefully Law and Ging searched, they found no creatures.
This place was completely, utterly lifeless.
Later, they abandoned searching for creatures, shifting focus to studying Nitro Rice trees. They dug up three Nitro Rice trees of different heights, simulated swamp conditions in a Hide-and-Seek dimension room, and planted the three trees.
A month passed. Knov removed four entrances/exits, and the team set off again towards the Ancient Labyrinth City's direction.
The swamp and the Ancient Labyrinth City were in different directions. How to describe specifically...
Next, please, everyone, turn off the music, close your eyes, and visualize a sanitary napkin lying flat on a table.
Mm-hmm, everyone who visualized it are excellent. Those who couldn't visualize or haven't seen a sanitary napkin, don't be discouraged. As the saying goes, for internal matters, consult with Google.
Now, the key point.
Remove the wings… the left side of the sanitary napkin is the Western Continent, the right side the Eastern Continent. The human-inhabited Lake Mobius is at the sanitary napkin's center.
From the central Lake Mobius straight to the right, the Eastern Continent, after landing on the coastline, traversing four hundred kilometers through the Sea of Trees is where the Ancient Labyrinth City lies.
As for the swamp where Law's group was, it lay southeast of the Ancient Labyrinth City.
To detour from here to the Ancient Labyrinth City, they needed to head towards the coastline… in a sense, turning back.
But actually, Law's main destination was the Western Continent. So for them, the journey to the Ancient Labyrinth City was also a necessary path.
…
Five days later, two humanoid magical beasts, two and a half meters tall, walking upright, arrived at the swamp.
They hurried across the swamp until sunset, gathering on the swamp above the earthworm's egg nest.
"The mature Nitro Rice have all been taken."
"Can you distinguish the scent?"
"Let me try."