With the Ant King dead, Ging felt relieved. But Law's sudden, unexpected philosophical question caught him completely off guard.
'Does a soul exist after a person dies?'
Ging suddenly recalled a certain forum where many bored individuals had gathered to discuss this very tedious question. To this day, that thread still got bumped up from time to time.
Although it might genuinely be a tedious question, Ging still put on a thoughtful expression.
He wasn't just putting on a show… he was seriously considering how to formulate his words to answer Law's question.
After all, when Law asked the question, his tone and expression were far too serious to be brushed off as a joke.
"Hmm, I think I've figured out how to answer you," Ging said, clapping his hands, having already arranged his words.
Law looked at Ging's eager expression and slowly said, "Actually, I was just asking casually. You don't need to take it so seriously."
"..." Ging fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then very naturally said, "Alright, I wasn't taking it too seriously either."
Law nodded, then chipped off fragments from the Chasefire Stone and threw them onto Meruem's remains.
Despite the torrential downpour, the Chasefire Stone's fragments still released fierce flames, devouring Meruem's corpse.
Ging couldn't help but look at the Chasefire Stone with renewed respect, then watched the burning Ant King corpse with some regret. "That had high research value."
"Mhm, a pity," Law replied.
'That's my line...'
Ging gave Law a speechless side glance, then joined him in watching the flames burn in the rain.
Time passed bit by bit. The flames, undiminished by the rain, constituted quite a spectacle.
"Is that stone also something brought back from the Dark Continent?" Ging asked.
The reflection of fire danced in Law's eyes. "Mhm, it's called the Chasefire Stone. You just chip off a bit of grit, and it releases high-temperature flames for a few minutes. Do you want some?"
"Pretty interesting. If you have extra, give me one to play with," Ging said.
Without another word, Law tossed Ging a Chasefire Stone that was about one-third used up.
Ging caught the stone and examined it. "Anything I need to be careful about?"
Law replied, "No. Because it's very hard. Even if you hit it hard with a pickaxe, it's difficult to chip off grit."
"Is that so."
Ging acknowledged this, giving it a slight try. Indeed, it was very hard, not really suitable for combat use.
If one had the time and effort to waste Aura chipping off grit for an attack, it would be better to think about how to use Aura more effectively.
Then, Ging thought about Law's ability, 'In a way, this thing seemed tailor-made for Law.'
In any case, it was a quite valuable item. Things labeled [Dark Continent] were, after all, absolute rarities.
"Thanks."
Ging put the Chasefire Stone away.
Law didn't respond, just silently watched the flames.
After absorbing Pitou and Meruem's resentments, a sudden doubt arose in Law.
He wondered if a soul existed after death, and whether resentments were obsessions left behind by the living, or a form of manifestation of the soul.
If they were, then was the White Smoke Font's function to collect and absorb souls? But then why did only a small subset of beings produce resentments?
The question Law instinctively asked Ging wasn't just casual. It's just that this topic involved the White Smoke Font, so Law didn't want to discuss it further with Ging.
In the past, when absorbing resentments, Law hadn't really thought about this issue. But Pitou and Meruem's resentments were just too pure and powerful.
If his mental fortitude hadn't been tempered by the creatures of the Dark Continent, he might have been influenced by them. Even a mental breakdown wasn't out of the question.
Most importantly, for Law to fully absorb these two resentments, he had to accept the obsessions they left behind.
Because of this, Law inserted the word 'obsession' into his contemplation of whether [resentments are equivalent to souls].
Grudge = Soul?
Grudge = Obsession?
Grudge = Obsession = Soul?
As he pondered, Law thought of Stargie's existence and Ellie's Soul Mimic.
In a sense, Stargie was a case of returning from death, but her revival originated from Ellie's Soul Mimic.
However, even Ellie herself wasn't entirely certain whether Soul Mimic could be classified as a resurrection-type Nen Ability. Perhaps this vague self-perception was also why it took Soul Mimic some time to achieve 'complete revival'.
But, one of the materials used to revive Stargie was only the corpse, not a resentment.
In other words, Ellie used Soul Mimic to revive Stargie. From start to finish, the process had nothing to do with any resentment Stargie might have produced after death, because that particular resentment belonging to Stargie had been absorbed by Law long ago.
From this, one could tentatively conclude that a resentment is not equal to a soul. So then, what is the nature of a resentment?
Delving deeper, Soul Mimic could revive the dead, and it couldn't be ruled out that there might be more potent resurrection-type Nen Abilities… it's just that Law hadn't seen them.
If such abilities existed, their nature and existence would give Law a sense of omnipotence.
Following this line of thought, Law thought about how he himself came to this world. Could it also be because of some sort of Nen Ability? And could the White Smoke Font possibly be a product of a Nen Ability as well?
Law felt his thoughts getting a bit chaotic and decisively stopped himself, refusing to let his mind wander further.
"Ging, do you think Nen Users have souls after they die?" Law turned his head to look at Ging and asked.
Hearing this, Ging was stunned for a moment, then stared at Law with an extremely serious look. He didn't speak, but his expression clearly conveyed one meaning: 'Can I punch you?'
Seeing Ging's expression, Law very naturally changed the subject. "How is Netero doing?"
"He's being transferred en route. He'll be sent to a hospital the Association has shares in. According to the doctors, the Chairman's condition is not optimistic. But afterwards, I'll go ask a friend for help to see if we can treat him."
"Mhm, that old man... really went all out," Law nodded.
"Yeah," Ging sighed, thinking of Netero's miserable state. He then pointed at the still-burning flames and said, "After these fires burn out, are you heading straight back to the Association, or are you going to clean up the remaining mess?"
Going back to the Association meant visiting Netero.
Cleaning up the mess referred to the scattered Squadron Leader Chimera Ants.
Law thought for a moment, raised his right hand, and pressed it against his chest, calmly saying, "Play Gungi."
His intuition told him that if he digested Meruem's obsession, he might gain some benefits.
So he would return directly to the palace, using the Gungi skills Meruem left behind, to finish that game for Meruem.
"Huh?" Hearing Law's answer, Ging was a bit bewildered.
"Play Gungi," Law added.
Ging was even more bewildered now.
Seeing this, Law thought it best to just remain silent.
…
While Law and Ging were still in the rocky mountain area, over a hundred airships under the Hunter Association's name braved the immense wind and rain, arriving in the sky above the capital palace.
The timing of their arrival held an indescribable meaning, chosen just right… when Netero and the others were en route to the city where the Association was located, and when Law and Ging hadn't yet returned.
These airships were dispatched by Pariston. Their purpose was the eggs in the palace's Meat Orchard.
Rather than eggs, they were more like cocoons.
Inside those cocoons were demi-humans containing both Chimera Ant and human bloodlines. Their purpose for existence was both as food for Meruem and as his soldiers.