As a result of careful deliberation, the investigation team decided to respond to the dialogue request from the intelligent lifeform in the form of a young girl. The human side had a mountain of things they wanted to ask as well. According to Katroi's senses, the enemy did not seem to bear any malicious intent. Rather than ignoring her and worsening relations, they prioritized gathering whatever information they could. In any case, it was not a situation where they could simply ignore her and run away.
Fortunately, the girl waited quietly until the investigation team reached their conclusion. Thus, a meeting was held between Quantum and the mysterious girl—between humans and "something" from the outside world.
Gragg and Katroi were the two attending the meeting. The proceedings were being recorded by camera, with footage delivered in real-time to the other squad members and the ship.
Facing the girl, they swallowed their breath. First, what drew their eyes was the mysterious creature coiling around her right hand. Its structure resembled an insect, but its linear form also carried the air of a manufactured object, like a machine. Its armor, possessing a metallic luster, was colored an ominous red that incited anxiety.
Aside from the red insect, they felt an abnormality in the girl herself who commanded it. A single glance was enough to tell she had awakened to Nen abilities. The flow of aura from a human whose micropores were open could not be faked. Once one became powerful, they could sense the difference in strength to some extent just from that flow of aura.
From the aura rising from the girl's body, Gragg and the others gauged a fragment of the talent hidden within her. If the girl was truly the age she appeared to be, the proficiency in Nen she seemed to have mastered at such an age was astonishing. They instantly realized that in a one-on-one battle, they likely had no chance of winning.
However, they had anticipated a difference in strength of that magnitude. Battles between Nen users were not decided solely by data visible to the eye. The manifest amount of aura, potential amount, type, unique abilities, precision of the Four Major Principles, level of flow, observational skills... and most importantly, mental strength. The elements required in combat were complexly intertwined; one could not speak of simple strengths and weaknesses.
Gragg did not possess a spirit so fragile that he would flinch at adversity of this level. Rather, he was relieved that the girl's Nen fell within the range of strength attainable by a 'human.' What he felt was alien lay in a different issue entirely. It was in the 'quality' drifting from the girl's aura.
Differences in quality appeared in the aura possessed by individuals. Personality and current emotions were reflected in the aura. It was easy to distinguish between the aura of a good person and a villain. In particular, humans with rotten cores sometimes emitted a sinister aura that induced nausea. Even if not a villain, there were ways to use aura to intimidate an opponent by consciously imbuing it with bloodlust.
If speaking in terms of pleasant or unpleasant, the girl's aura was not the type to offend one's senses. It was extremely neutral. Perhaps that was exactly why it was strange. If one were to express its nature in a single word, it would be 'Void.'
Aura is the expression of life energy. Therefore, it is closely related to the mental state of the living user, reflecting their personality. Yet, neither positive nor negative nature could be felt from the aura the girl before them released. It was an inorganic, artificial-seeming aura, like that of a machine or a doll.
'Is this... a human?'
It was to the extent that if told there was nothing but emptiness just beneath a single layer of skin, one could not immediately deny it. Nevertheless, she possessed aura, the radiance of life. Sensing an inexplicable contradiction there, a chill ran down their spines.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Gragg McMeyer."
"Hii!? A-Ah-I-I-I am Katroi Benson..."
Of course, Gragg did not let his inner thoughts show on his face, speaking in a tone he strove to keep peaceful. Gragg was not particularly confident in his negotiation skills, but as the captain, he could not entrust this role to anyone else.
As for Katroi, he was not in a state to perform negotiation, or even basic communication properly, but he was made to attend because his ability was necessary this time.
"Quinn Almeiza."
The girl named herself. She had a name.
Regarding the girl's true identity, the investigation team had produced several views. First was the possibility of her being a 'Different Human Species.' Traces of massive civilizations built in the past remained in the Dark Continent. Documents had also been discovered inferring that their appearance resembled humans.
Various theories were advocated, such as them being organisms serving as ancestors to humans, or organisms that achieved an evolution distinct from humans to adapt to the environment. However, there were no actual cases of successful contact with different human species. The reason their civilization perished, or if they continued to survive even now—the truth was wrapped in mystery.
The second was the possibility of a Magical Beast. Intellectual lifeforms existed that understood human speech but were not human. They were called 'Magical Beasts.' It is said that the roots of the Magical Beasts living on the continent where humans currently reside lie in the Dark Continent. Contact with several species, such as the clan of Magical Beasts called the 'Gatekeepers' who separate the Dark Waters, had actually been confirmed so far.
Among Magical Beasts, there are species with appearances close to humans. Also, there are those who mimic human form. The possibility that the girl before them was a Magical Beast could not be completely denied either.
However, the biggest problem was the point of 'how she obtained knowledge regarding the Common Tongue.' If she was an existence born in the Dark Continent, there was no way she could use the language of the human continent.
Amidst the rising speculation, the girl spoke of who she was. Her way of speaking was clumsy, with a voice like a machine unaccompanied by emotion. Combined with her expressionlessness, she exuded an atmosphere even more like a doll. But the content of the story told from her lips was shocking enough that such things ceased to matter.
Her father's name was Luan Almeiza. That person was said to be a member of the previous Dark Continent Investigation Team. It was the unit considered to have been wiped out forty years ago.
Gragg did not know the truth or falsehood of that story. He immediately sent eye contact to Katroi beside him. Katroi shook his head violently from side to side.
This related to the ability he possessed. Katroi was sensitive to malice directed at him by others. That heightened sense saw through the malice hidden behind the words and actions of others. In other words, he could detect lies. It wasn't absolute, but he could distinguish truth from falsehood with high accuracy.
Katroi did not feel the girl's statement was a lie. While there was still room for doubt if asked whether she was telling the whole truth, he felt that at least she was not lying.
The information from this meeting was also being sent to headquarters on the survey ship. A database inquiry should already be underway over there. If a person named Luan actually existed, the details would soon become clear.
If this story was fact, the reason the girl could speak the Common Tongue had a tentative explanation. It would mean she learned the language from her father. It seemed the girl understood that Gragg's group was an investigation team that had come from the human continent, and sought contact based on that.
But if that were the case, another major problem surfaced. Luan, a member of the unit thought to have been annihilated, would have continued to survive in this Dark Continent for a long period of decades after the survey ship withdrew.
Or perhaps this girl was not the age she appeared, but had piled up decades of years. If she was a Nen user, one could not declare it absolutely impossible. Since Nen users excelled at controlling life energy, they could suppress aging to an extent. If one became an excellent Nen user, a significant gap could arise between appearance and actual age.
When they tried asking the girl her age, she answered that she was around ten years old. She seemed not to understand it well herself. Katroi also could not feel any particular malice behind those words, so he couldn't distinguish if it was a lie or not.
As expected, the possibility that the man named Luan had been alive until recently was high. Even assuming he was twenty when he landed, he would have survived until he was between fifty and sixty. Gragg couldn't quite believe it. How was he able to connect his life for that much time in this demon realm outside the human world?
However, one could not conclude it to be impossible. Actually, there was a precedent of someone achieving that great feat. Furthermore, that survival period was not merely forty years. There was a legendary figure said to have continued living in the Dark Continent for over three hundred years.
Don Freecss. He is known as the author of the book Journey to the New World. It was a fantasy novel published about three hundred years ago, in which absurd fairy tales regarding the Dark Continent were amusingly spelled out. However, recent research revealed that its contents were not merely an entertainment novel. As the investigation of the Dark Continent progressed, information matching the book's descriptions came to light one after another, to the extent that it could not be dismissed with the single word 'fiction.'
It is said that Don Freecss achieved a solo crossing of Lake Mobius three hundred years ago and began exploring the coastline of the Dark Continent. Anyone who had accompanied a survey even once would likely laugh it off as impossible. At that time, navigation technology was in a developmental period; it was an era where adventurers aiming to open sea routes from the Yorbian Continent to the Azian Continent lost their lives one after another.
Even regarding this figure of three hundred years, it was not certain. The East Volume of Journey to the New World is said to have been published three hundred years ago, but information regarding the east coastline was investigated over a wide range therein. Which meant, considering the period that survey took, there was a possibility he had achieved a landing on the Dark Continent from an even earlier stage.
As for the West Volume, it has not yet been discovered. It could be thought that his life ended simply when he finished exploring the east coastline, but the theory that he is still alive and continuing to write the West Volume was also strongly supported. If one used Returns like the 'Ultimate Longevity Food' or the 'Herb that Cures 10,000 Illnesses,' it was not an impossible story. Or perhaps, multiple people naming themselves Don Freecss existed, and there were those continuing the exploration even now while inheriting his dying will.
Tracing his whereabouts held great meaning. The 'Humanity Adaptation Plan'—that is, the development of a permanent living sphere in the Dark Continent—was the earnest wish of every nation. His knowledge, having survived the harsh environment, would likely bring this grand plan closer to reality.
In that sense, the knowledge possessed by the man named Luan, and the girl named Quinn, was something they wanted to obtain by any means necessary.
However, unfortunately, the girl's father was said to have already passed away. Gragg immediately tried asking about her mother as well. He asked with a light atmosphere as if just making conversation, but actually, this was the more important question.
If the girl named Quinn was human, she would have had parents. With Luan as the father, who was the mother? Was there conveniently a female member, and both survived? Then, when did they make the child? Calculating backward from Quinn's age, it seemed unnatural.
Was that truly a 'human' mother?
Quinn said she knew nothing about her mother. She had been raised by Luan the whole time; she had never seen her mother's figure, and apparently, her father spoke nothing about it.
Katroi felt clear malice in this behavior. It wasn't a hostile lie trying to harm them, but he received the impression she was hiding something inconvenient for her.
Judging that questioning her too much about her mother might result in poking a bush and bringing out a snake, Gragg did not pursue it further in this setting. Even if only on the surface, they had to continue maintaining a friendly relationship with the girl. It was necessary to draw out as much information as possible.
Then, the girl broached the core subject. That is, the reason why she contacted Gragg and the others.
She wished to escape the Dark Continent and cross over to the human continent. She had come seeking rescue.
Even Gragg, who did not possess an ability to sense malice, could guess the girl's state of mind. If raised in an environment sitting side-by-side with death like this, it would be no wonder if her humanity became as if her emotions had died. She must have been told stories of the human world by Luan as well. How much she must have yearned for the outside world and wished for escape from this hell. There was pity.
"...Understood. Could you give us some time to think?"
However, he could not agree immediately. It was not something that could be decided at their sole discretion.
Katroi did not feel hostility toward humanity from her. It was thought that she was likely seeking help sincerely. Showing herself, setting up a place for dialogue, and exchanging opinions. She possessed that kind of ethical thinking.
But it was also certain that the girl was not revealing everything. Even if she had no intent to oppose them, it was unknown what influence those inconvenient parts would have on humanity. That was common sense in this Dark Continent. Also, the fact that she had no malice was a story limited to this moment right now; it was unknown what would happen after she arrived in the human world. It would be too late once that happened.
Regarding the fact that the answer required time, the girl obediently agreed. She probably hadn't thought she would be allowed on the ship immediately anyway. She properly understood the position she was placed in. That was, in a sense, troublesome. She was not a child on whom clumsy lies would work.
The girl made a new proposal upon understanding her own position. It was that she would cooperate in collecting Returns. She knew the investigation team had come to the Dark Continent seeking Returns, and it was a transaction to let her on the ship in exchange for cooperating with that.