The tragic state of the ancient labyrinth city was evident to everyone.
The Mountain Ship's descending thunderclaps were akin to natural forces. Even magical beasts with astonishing defenses were blasted to that state, let alone the plant-type Brions and the Herb for All-illnesses in the city.
Therefore, even though the team hadn't gone out to check the condition of the herbs in the city, they had already assumed the herbs were incinerated to ashes by the Mountain Ship.
Now finding the herb seeds was truly a pleasant surprise.
However, they knew nothing about the herb's growth and weren't sure if the seeds could be stored.
So it was too early to rejoice. But entrusting the cultivation work to Nique might yield good results.
Law had expectations regarding this.
"Good work."
Law patted Ai-chan's head.
Ai-chan, however, jumped back as if electrocuted, hiding behind Sheila, staring at Law with a look a loli might give a creepy uncle.
"..."
Seeing Ai-chan's rather intense reaction, Law smiled wryly, somewhat awkwardly withdrawing his suspended hand.
Around them, teammates looked at Law strangely, as if he had done something indescribable to Ai-chan moments ago.
Noticing their gazes, Law rubbed his forehead, speechless.
Meanwhile, Sheila gave Law an apologetic look.
In the world of Nen Abilities, pros and cons were the norm.
Highly intelligent Nen Beasts could bring many benefits, but one also had to respect the beast's own changes accordingly.
Ai-chan didn't want Law to touch her, so Sheila wouldn't force Ai-chan to allow it.
Afterwards, Ai-chan, having appraised the seeds, didn't linger, transforming into Aura and returning to Sheila.
"Law, hurry up!"
At some point, Nique was already at the staircase entrance, waving urgently for Law and the others to come quickly.
When he learned he would be taking care of the herbs later, he was more eager than anyone to collect more herb seeds.
After all, nurturing more herbs meant he could get a larger share.
Since he consumed herbs not for illness but purely for his own appetite, his quantity demand definitely surpassed others'.
With no external threats, Law's group quickly explored the entire building.
They found: around a hundred Brion seeds, about five hundred herb seeds, green liquid soaking the herb seeds, fifty well-preserved papers, and various items of research value.
Because the ancient humans carved ancient script on the rooftop ground, Law thought they might have left some writing on walls inside the building or elsewhere.
Result: after searching twice, no discoveries.
The team members regrouped, harvest plentiful.
However, there were many buildings in the ancient city, and likely many undiscovered seeds remained.
Considering Salin needed concentration to translate ancient script, Law first had her return to Hide-and-Seek.
Afterwards, the remaining people returned to the ruins site.
Beside the collapsed building ruins, Giles sat. Next to him lay a man covered in dust, features unclear.
The man was seriously injured. Despite basic treatment, his right eye still bled continuously, tracing lines of blood on his ashen cheeks.
Seeing Law's group approach, a flicker of delight appeared deep in Giles' eyes. He stood up, looking at them.
Law came before Giles, glanced at the injured, unconscious man. No need to ask… this man was Giles' comrade.
Probably also... the last surviving comrade.
"Law..."
Giles hesitated.
Law looked at Giles, roughly guessing his intention.
However, the amount of Grass Jelly was limited. Law couldn't offer it, and unless necessary, he also wouldn't reveal Shiro's ability in front of Giles.
"This is your comrade, right? Quite injured." Law didn't show his inner thoughts, commenting casually.
"Yes."
Giles nodded, paused, then said hesitantly, "Could I trouble you for another favor? I need to return to the camp to get medicine and medical equipment, but someone must guard Kincaid."
Law was somewhat surprised, having thought Giles would ask for treatment.
"No problem. Go ahead, we'll guard him for you."
Law readily agreed.
"Thank you so much!"
Grateful, Giles quickly left the place, heading to the temporary camp outside the ancient city.
This voyage expedition ended in failure, but at the very least, he wanted to return alive to the Six Continents.
Moreover, Giles still held a sliver of hope.
The Ancient Labyrinth City was bombarded by the Mountain Ship, and its danger level dropped sharply.
If Kincaid recovered well, perhaps they could still salvage something from the Ancient Labyrinth City.
After all, the Ancient Labyrinth City was vast, and he didn't think Law's group could take all resources.
After a while, Giles returned to the camp, looking at the soldiers' bodies brutally killed all over the ground, his gaze gloomy.
The Gatekeeper Clan had begun attacking humans. Then, the difficulty of future voyages would increase.
But for Law and his group... they probably wouldn't be greatly affected.
Giles stepped over the bodies, entered the camp.
While searching for medical supplies, his mind was troubled.
He was very unwilling, reluctant to give up.
Law's group's appearance gave him new insight.
The exploration difficulty of the Dark Continent was terrifyingly high. Having more people wasn't necessarily better.
Taking some effort, Giles found medicine and equipment, then returned to the building ruins at top speed.
First, he thanked Law's group again, then treated Kincaid's injuries.
Law didn't plan to stay long, directly bidding farewell to Giles.
Giles didn't try to persuade them to stay. He had good self-awareness, so he didn't continue seeking help from Law, nor asked to join the team.
Watching Law's group depart, Giles sighed inwardly, quite envious of such a team.
But soon, he shook off this emotion detrimental to the current situation, focusing on treating Kincaid's injuries.
After leaving the ruins, Law's group didn't return to Hide-and-Seek but began exploring buildings near the Hide-and-Seek's entrance.
Only when night fell did they return to Hide-and-Seek to tally their gains.
The important items were undoubtedly the herb seeds. As for Brion seeds, Law wasn't interested. Even if Brions were plants that could stably provide metal, it didn't change their double-edged nature.
Moreover, they hadn't yet found how ancient humans overcame the Brions' potent toxins… such information was something even Ai-chan couldn't appraise.
Apart from unimportant gains, over the day, they found around three thousand herb seeds total.
During the search, they inevitably encountered embryos in nutrient glass capsules and a small number of surviving Brions.
Regarding these, Law's group didn't hold back, killing them one by one, pair by pair.
Nique took about a hundred herb seeds, heading straight to the cultivation area separately allocated for him, preparing to plant them.
The others began organizing the collected materials.
Even those miscellaneous items would be priceless treasures back on the Six Continents, let alone the herb seeds.
"How long do you plan to stay here?" While sorting, Ging looked at Law.
"Depends on the situation."