After a long pause, the Elder finally spoke again, "If that's the case, then there won't be any problems at all."
Originally, the Elder had worried that revealing this history might cause division within the clan again—some wanting to stay, others wanting to leave.
He had no intention of stopping them, but he feared his people would either repeat past mistakes or face danger if they returned.
With someone like Akira—a figure whose word was law in the Six Continents—helping them, these concerns would naturally be resolved.
Akira gladly accepted, as this had been part of his initial considerations.
If he could recruit some of the Kurta Clan members, they would make for excellent fighters.
It's remarkable that they already possess such strength without knowing [Nen].
Once they learn it, their potential will be even more extraordinary.
While they might not necessarily aid him in exploring the Dark Continent, they could help perfect the plan for the hypothetical continent.
Just like Muheer and others, they could assist the logistics team in occupying islands of the hypothetical continent one by one.
After some discussion, Akira and The Elder finalized their agreement.
Akira would take away those Kurta clansmen who wished to go to the Six Continents, where they could choose to settle.
The past incidents would not repeat.
If willing, they could join the advance team in exploring Mobius Lake and contribute their share.
This way, the Kurta clan gained a better retreat option without being forced to choose between two extremes.
If danger arose or if something happened to the Secret Realm, they could still relocate to the Six Continents through Akira's connections.
Akira, in turn, gained an entire clan's worth of enforcers, ready to fulfill his requests whenever needed.
Broadening the perspective, the Kurta clan's Secret Realm could even be considered his first foothold in the Dark Continent.
In the future, more such footholds might be developed, gradually expanding until the entire Dark Continent was under control.
After concluding their discussions, Akira inquired with The Elder about the nearby terrain.
Having lived over a hundred years, The Elder was naturally well-versed in the surroundings and promptly gifted Akira a map.
The map extended outward from the Secret Realm in all directions, marking key geographical features.
Additionally, Akira struck some trades with The Elder, similar to those he had made with Don Freecss.
The Kurta clan had thrived here for countless years, amassing an incredibly rich heritage.
Practically everything within their reach in the surrounding areas had been collected.
Confined to these regions, the Kurta clan's collection was more abundant than Ging's in quantity but less diverse in variety.
"Would you like to trade items?"
"No need. After such a great favor, we should be the ones giving gifts, not trading."
The Elder smiled, waving his hand to indicate that they ought to present gifts to Akira.
After all, he had come from afar and solved a significant problem—it was only right for them to offer gifts.
Akira neither agreed nor disagreed but suggested The Elder could offer a discount in trade, as outright gifts were unnecessary.
He wanted many things, and receiving them all for free was impossible.
"Gifts aren't necessary. I dislike taking advantage, and I have quite a few items I'd like to trade for.
"Also, let me mention that what I intend to trade are treasures that can replenish life force and extend lifespan." Akira spoke calmly.
The treasures he referred to were, of course, [Nitro Rice].
Perhaps due to its nature as rice, [Nitro Rice] grew faster than [Melori].
A vast field had already matured on the Spirit Island, forming golden waves of grain and exuding an alluring vitality.
With so much [Nitro Rice], even if the locals continued consuming it, they wouldn't finish it before hitting the effect limit.
Trading it was the best option.
Exchanging his overflowing surplus of treasures for things he needed from others.
This was nothing but beneficial for him.
The Elder's expression darkened as he said solemnly, "So it's actually a treasure that can replenish life force and extend lifespan?"
Such an existence was extremely rare and precious even among the Kurta clan.
For them, such items held even greater value.
Because their eyes would gradually drain their life force to some extent.
The reason why the Kurta clan members without Nen could still possess such formidable strength...
Was primarily due to their racial talent, which could also be understood as stemming from those eyes.
Even without Nen, by relying on their Scarlet Eyes, they could exhibit considerable abilities.
Such as enhanced strength, increased speed, improved insight, and so on.
But this didn't come without cost.
The Scarlet Eyes were part of their bodies.
Normally revealing these eyes was harmless, but using their abilities would consume life force.
Short-term use was manageable - the expended life force could gradually recover on its own.
But prolonged maintenance or excessive short-term usage would make it difficult for the consumed life force to naturally replenish.
Unless they consumed certain life-enhancing fruits or found other methods to increase vitality.
This was precisely why the average lifespan of search team members was shorter than other clansmen.
Yet they received far greater respect than others.
Because the search team was protecting their people at the cost of their own lives.
Hearing this, Akira understood - there truly were no free lunches. Using these eye abilities also required paying a price.
From this perspective, perhaps the reason Kurapika's Specialist-type Nen Ability "Emperor Time" consumed lifespan might also be related to his racial talent.
In other words, perhaps every Kurta clansman's Nen Ability would involve trading lifespan for more powerful capabilities.
Or perhaps, every Kurta clansman could possess two Nen Abilities, with one counting as racial talent.
Take Kurapika as an example.
When not using Scarlet Eyes, he belonged to the Conjurer type, with chain-based Nen Abilities that he developed into several forms:
Chain Jail (Middle Finger Chain): Restrains enemies and forces them into "Zetsu" state where they cannot use Nen. Restricted by vow to only use against Phantom Troupe members.
Holy Chain (Thumb Chain): Provides instant healing but drastically reduces defense during use.
Dowsing Chain (Ring Finger Chain): Specializes in tracking and lie detection.
Judgment Chain (Little Finger Chain): Pierces the opponent's heart to enforce conditions, otherwise causing death.
Kurapika also has this chain in his own heart.
Can be used on non-Troupe members but lacks Chain Jail's restraining effect.
Steal Chain (Index Finger Chain): Temporarily steals and stores an opponent's Nen ability.
Continuous draining can induce a Zetsu-like state. Can analyze absorbed Nen abilities.
This demonstrates Kurapika's exceptional talent - even his non-Scarlet Eye Nen abilities were remarkably powerful.
Of course, these effects came after implementing "Restriction and Vow."
His second Nen Ability was the Specialist-type "Emperor Time."
When Kurapika activates his Scarlet Eyes, his original Conjurer-type Nen changes to Specialist-type.
In this state, he can use Nen abilities from other categories with 100% proficiency.
The cost: every second in this state reduces his lifespan by one hour.
The price is steep, but the effects are truly formidable.It is well known that everyone has their own Nen Ability category, and the effectiveness of abilities corresponding to their category is 100%.
For other categories, the effectiveness decreases progressively based on their distance from one's own.
Kurapika's [Absolute Time] precisely compensates for the first Nen Ability's shortcomings.
Kurapika could unleash each chain's effect to 100% of its potential.
Assuming that [Absolute Time] was indeed the innate Nen Ability of the Kurta clan, then Akira would have access to a large group of versatile talents capable of utilizing every Nen category at 100% efficiency.
This would provide immense assistance for future plans.
Akira collected his thoughts and nodded—he wasn't joking at all.
With a flip of his hand, Akira produced a golden stalk of [Nitro Rice], each grain plump and full.
A rich vitality instantly filled the entire room. Just a faint whiff of it invigorated both Kurapika and The Elder.
Indeed, this was a treasure capable of enhancing life force.
The Elder stared intently at the Nitro Rice, now fully convinced.
After a brief silence, The Elder asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "What kind of items do you need?"
He had to admit—their clan desperately needed something like this.
With it, many lives could be safeguarded.
Akira raised three fingers, just as he had during his trade with Don.
The items he needed still fell into three categories:
Plant-type [Hope] ,Mineral-type [Hope] ,[Hope] with special effects.
Akira was confident that with the abundant supply of [Nitro Rice], he could acquire many valuable items here.
This was a mutually beneficial trade.
The Elder crossed his arms, racking his brain for a moment before slowly rising and walking to a storage cabinet behind him.
After rummaging inside, he retrieved three items.
Placing them on the table one by one, The Elder began his introductions.
The first was an ordinary-looking flower with four perfectly symmetrical, pure white petals.
[Safety Flower]: When held, its petals will tremble if danger approaches.
The more petals that tremble, the closer the danger.
If an overwhelmingly terrifying aura approaches, the [Safety Flower] will turn from white to blood-red.
Akira nodded—this was the plant-type [Hope] he needed.
Though not as potent as [Nitro Rice] or [Vitality Beans], the [Safety Flower] was still highly useful.
It could be distributed to scout teams and logistics units to minimize accidents and allow timely countermeasures.
Essentially, each unit—even each individual—would have a Millie-like danger perception ability.
By acquiring just one of these flowers, Akira could effectively obtain countless copies.
This was why plant-type [Hope] ranked first on his list—the cost-performance ratio was simply too high.
The second item was a crimson ore radiating heat.
[Red Healstone]: When placed in water, it transforms the liquid into a magma-colored medicinal solution.
Applied to wounds, this solution accelerates healing.
However, placing the [Red Healstone] directly on injuries worsens them, making recovery difficult.
This ore wasn't what Akira had initially envisioned.
He had wanted minerals mainly for Steelix's consumption, but the [Red Healstone] seemed different from previous ores.
Simply placing it in a pool of water would, over time, turn the water into an exceptional healing elixir.
This reminded Akira of the Black Sludge he'd encountered in the swamps.
Unlike the potion made from [Red Heal Stone], [Black Mud] is specifically designed to restore bone injuries.
When combined, these two create an incredibly potent recovery duo.
Most importantly, with the [Red Heal Stone], he could obtain an almost endless supply of potions.
According to The Elder, the tribe possessed two such stones, one of which had been in use for over a century.
Yet, its size had barely diminished—so little that it could be ignored.
Akira was no exception and naturally acquired it, spending some [Nitro Rice] in the process.
Given the sizable population of the Kurta Clan, the required amount was far from small.
Even after exchanging a considerable amount of [Nitro Rice], The Elder continued trading.
The third item was a four-leaf clover with a fresh, vibrant green hue, adorned with peculiar glowing patterns.
[Lucky Four-Leaf Clover]: The holder gains slightly better luck. However, if the clover is damaged, the effect vanishes.
Luck, huh…
Akira leaned in, scrutinizing this seemingly mystical clover—it was his first time encountering something like this.
In fact, it might have been the first time he'd ever seen anything related to luck.
No…
If he really thought about it, he had encountered other lucky things before.
Namely, his Blissey, whose ability was [Serene Grace].
[Serene Grace]: The Pokémon becomes luckier, increasing the likelihood of additional effects from moves.
But this [Lucky Four-Leaf Clover] was even more mysterious—simply carrying it could boost one's fortune.
What if he carried multiple clovers at once?
Could luck stack?
That was debatable, but one thing was certain: he had to get his hands on this [Lucky Four-Leaf Clover].
Even if it meant spending extra [Nitro Rice], it didn't matter.
After all, for him, [Nitro Rice] was a renewable resource.
More importantly, he had to secure the [Lucky Four-Leaf Clover] before anyone else could.
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