The golden fruit, which is shaped like a grain of rice, shimmered with a radiant golden glow. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as though wisps of smoke were swirling around it.
This glow was likely a manifestation of life force, and against the backdrop of the night, it exuded a sacred and majestic presence that seemed to pierce through the eyes.
However, based on its appearance alone, it was hard to believe that this was a naturally grown fruit. Instead, it looked more like a meticulously crafted piece of human artistry.
Moses lowered his head to look at the Nitro Rice in his hand, a golden light reflected in his eyes.
This manifestation of life force was visible even to ordinary people, and if a Nen User applied Gyo to their eyes, they would see an even more dazzling brilliance.
But Moses knew that behind this radiant brilliance was a cruel exchange of lives.
The life force now concentrated within this fruit had essentially been converted from the life force of other living beings.
If humans ever attempted to master the cultivation of Nitro Rice and succeeded...
Then, the 'hope' that Nitro Rice symbolized could potentially turn into a calamity.
Moses handed the Nitro Rice to Hawk.
Hawk looked at the Nitro Rice Moses took out, and a look of shock suddenly appeared on his face.
"This…"
"Eat it, and I guarantee you'll be able to finish three bowls of rice later."
Moses cut off Hawk's question and urged Hawk to quickly consume the Nitro Rice.
Hawk looked up and saw the seriousness on Moses's face. He silently suppressed the turmoil in his heart and reached out to take the golden fruit, which continuously emitted dense life force.
Just by touching the Nitro Rice with his palm, he could clearly feel the coldness within his body recede slightly, like morning light dispersing thick fog or like the warm sunlight melting spring snow.
Hawk knew...
That inexplicable coldness that had spread through his body was the patient knocking of death.
When this coldness completely permeated his body, he might die at any moment, suddenly and without warning, just like what had happened to Elena… as if his life had been forcibly ripped away by a giant hand.
Seeing Hawk frozen in place, Moses didn't speak further, but his gaze was filled with urgency.
At such close proximity, Hawk could deeply feel the urgency in Moses's eyes.
In silence, a complex emotion welled up in his heart.
'Since the end of the 'Libra Incident', it seemed I had caused Moses quite a bit of trouble.'
Under Moses's watchful gaze, Hawk, with a heart full of mixed emotions, stuffed the Nitro Rice into his mouth and bit down hard. The soft flesh of the fruit slid into his mouth, instantly turning into a dense liquid that flowed into his body.
A warmth surged from his chest and then spread to every part of the body, dispelling all the coldness that had accumulated in his body.
Hawk could clearly feel that his body functions were recovering rapidly. Just by slightly bending his index finger, he could sense the transmission of strength.
Moses, who is standing nearby, observed Hawk, who had just consumed the Nitro Rice.
The most noticeable change was the disappearance of the previously felt presence of death, replaced by an overflowing vitality.
'It seems to be working.'
Seeing this, Moses couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, Hawk's life-shortening condition was related to the curse of the King's Libra, so it was natural to have some concerns.
Now that the matter was settled, Moses felt that his journey to the Dark Continent had been worth it.
The nearly year-long effort had finally borne meaning.
"So, how about it? Do you have an appetite now? Ready for three big bowls of rice?"
Moses stood up and glanced toward the kitchen.
Hawk swallowed the last piece of Nitro Rice, and slowly looked up at Moses, who was now standing. His expression was slightly dazed.
'It seemed like just a blink of an eye, and now Moses had grown taller than me...'
"Chu chu!"
Rat Jewel kicked its short legs, its round body leaping into the air and barely landing on the edge of the stone table.
Then, it waved a piece of burnt sweet potato skin at Moses. When Moses looked over, it quickly patted its belly, indicating that it was still hungry.
"Come on, let's head to the kitchen. I'll make whatever you want to eat."
Moses couldn't help but laugh at Rat Jewel's antics.
"Chuuuu!"
Rat Jewel happily jumped onto Moses's shoulder.
Then, the man and the rat made their way to the kitchen.
In Hawk's eyes, the haze had completely dissipated, and his now-clear pupils reflected the figures of Moses and Rat Jewel heading to the kitchen.
His face, which no longer bear the presence of old age, slowly broke into a smile.
…
That night.
Moses returned to his room.
During the time he had been away on his journey to the Dark Continent, Hawk had still regularly cleaned his room, so it was spotless.
Click.
He casually flipped the wall switch and the dim yellow light immediately illuminated the room.
Moses closed the door and walked straight to the bed, sitting down.
Buzz-
As soon as he sat down, his phone vibrated slightly.
Moses took out his phone and glanced at the screen. Unsurprisingly, it was another call from a certain masochist.
"That guy Hisoka, he really never stops, does he?"
Moses shook his head slightly and hung up the phone with practiced ease.
He had only just turned on his phone after taking a shower, and yet Hisoka, like a shark smelling blood, had already started relentlessly calling again.
"Menchi and the others should be arriving at the airport soon."
Moses glanced at his contact list and muttered to himself.
The Ancient Pipeline they had used to return to the Six Continents, perhaps due to its age or its inherent mechanism, had scattered them to various locations across the Six Continents upon entering...
In terms of its mechanism, it was quite similar to the effect of the Game Master's Eliminate Card from Greed Island.
At the time, Moses had been in a hurry to return to the temple, so after sorting out his phone issues, he had only sent a brief message to Menchi and the others to check on their status before heading straight to the temple.
It was also during those days of travel that Moses had received text replies from Menchi and the others, as well as a barrage of calls from a certain masochist.
Upon learning that Moses was already on his way home, Menchi and Shizuku had each boarded a flight to the city where the scenic area was located.
Biscuit was also on her way to the temple.
However, her motivation was different from Menchi and Shizuku's. She was coming to the temple to retrieve some raw stones from the Dark Continent that Moses had temporarily stored in his Shadow World.
Now, she couldn't wait to start polishing those stones.
Sanbica, Kanzai, and Pyon had returned to the Hunter Association's Headquarters.
They had been out of contact for too long, so they had a mountain of tasks to handle.
Sanbica was actually fine, as she had handed over all her work responsibilities before leaving for the Dark Continent. So, her absence hadn't caused any issues.
But Kanzai and Pyon are different. After all, they are both from the Zodiacs, so they often need to attend the meetings at the Hunter Association's Headquarters.
In the past year or so, they had missed countless meetings and had been lumped into the same category as Ging.
To this, Kanzai and Pyon's reactions were surprisingly similar.
"What kind of international joke is this? Even if the sky fell, don't lump me to that guy Ging!"
Thus, Kanzai and Pyon rushed to Swardani City, where the Hunter Association's Headquarters was located.
As for Hisoka-
His first thought upon returning to the Six Continents was naturally to hold Moses to his promise.
But Moses had been in a hurry to get home and had to somewhat neglect Hisoka for the time being.