Endless terrains of all kinds.
After passing here, there's still there...
Stretching endlessly, as if there's no end in sight.
In a sense, this is the natural barrier that humans must face when exploring the Dark Continent.
Standing here and personally experiencing the vastness of this land...
Moses finally understood why the 149 voyages organized by the V5, despite their immense resources, all ended in failure.
It wasn't because the armies weren't elite, but because a team of hundreds or even thousands of people was simply too cumbersome.
The combination of survival supplies and the long journey alone was enough to stop any exploration team at the threshold, not to mention the ever-present dangers.
After all, even Don Freecss, who only appeared by name in the original work, spent over a hundred years just to thoroughly explore half of the coastline of the Dark Continent.
And it has to be known that Don Freecss was exploring alone, so his speed was something no large-scale team could match.
Therefore-
The principle that 'a single chopstick is easier to break' clearly doesn't apply to the Dark Continent.
When Netero went to the Dark Continent, he only brought Zigg from the Zoldyck Family and Linne, the oldest Gourmet Hunter from the Hunter Association.
A small, elite team is the basic requirement for exploring the Dark Continent.
Moses's team had fewer than ten members, so they didn't have to worry about speed or efficiency.
Therefore, even after seeing the endless expanse of black hills, their morale remained unaffected.
Moreover, during the journey, Moses sent one shadow clone ahead to scout and kept another by his side, ready to transform into a Nen Space's passage at any moment. This strategy greatly reduced the risks of exploration.
With a hand signal, Moses gestured for his teammates to follow as he led the way up a low sand dune, then moved forward at a speed of about 60 kilometers per hour.
The shadow clone responsible for scouting ahead also maintained a speed of around 60 kilometers per hour, staying about a kilometer ahead of the group.
One kilometer… this was the maximum distance Moses could ensure precise control.
The team moved through the black hills in this manner, and so far, they hadn't encountered any other plants or animals.
Perhaps this black hilly terrain didn't provide the conditions necessary for plant life, so it was unlikely to support a small ecosystem.
But the absence of any plants or animals wasn't surprising.
After all, the same is true for the white land they had passed through earlier.
Time passed.
The sun set, and night fell.
A day just passed like this.
Despite the team maintaining a high-speed pace, the surrounding environment remained a series of similar-looking hills, giving the illusion of 'running in place'.
If their willpower wasn't strong enough, walking for a few days might have caused a mental breakdown.
At times like this, you'll need the kind of Nen Ability that Saccho, the Double-Star Problem Hunter of the Zodiacs, has to help soothe emotions.
But Moses and his team didn't need it.
As soon as the passage to the Shadow World opened, everyone went in, and their mental state was completely unaffected.
This was the true meaning of a 'sanctuary'.
There is no need to constantly live in fear, and they could rest at any time.
Plus, with ample survival supplies stored in the Nen Space, they didn't have to worry about being unable to escape this harsh, endless environment.
The group enjoyed a stress-free meal inside the Shadow World.
Menchi's cooking skills were as exceptional as ever, and the delicious food alone was enough to lift everyone's spirits.
However, it had been almost a week since they arrived on the Dark Continent, and they still hadn't encountered any suitable ingredients, which left Menchi feeling a little disappointed.
She really wanted to see what made the ingredients of the Dark Continent so special...
After a short rest in the Shadow World, everyone left the Nen Space and returned to the hills.
Biscuit summoned Cookie and had her use her Piano Massage on Moses.
Cookie's slender, pale fingers gently pressed and massaged Moses's body.
After a set of massage techniques that felt like playing the piano, Moses fell into a deep sleep.
The rest of the team positioned themselves around, remaining vigilant at all times.
Even though they hadn't encountered any plants, animals, or beings with strange abilities along the way, the team's level of alertness didn't diminish, showing the Dark Continent the respect it deserved.
Menchi didn't participate in the guard duty. Instead, she set up a portable stove and used her Glowing Cuisine Ability to prepare sandwiches and rice balls for Moses.
After being enhanced by the Glowing Cuisine, these simple foods would help Moses recover from fatigue later on.
Half an hour later.
Moses woke up on time, fully refreshed.
"You all go in, I'll keep moving forward."
Under the bright moonlight illuminating the black land, Moses opened a Shadow World's passage beside him, and motioned everyone to go in and rest.
Naturally, everyone had no objection.
During this period of time, they have been traveling across the white land in this mode, maximizing efficiency.
Menchi handed the sandwiches and rice balls that she had prepared in advance to Moses, and then went into the Shadow World's passage.
Biscuit was the last one to go in.
Before going in, she looked at Moses and said earnestly:
"Moses, I know you're in a hurry, but we don't have the luxury of 'overexerting' ourselves. When it's time to stop, we must stop decisively. When it's time to slow down, we can't hesitate for even a moment."
"Yeah, I know."
Moses nodded at Biscuit.
Biscuit didn't say anything more and jumped into the Shadow World's passage, disappearing in an instant.
With a thought, Moses remotely closed the Shadow World's passage and then recalled the shadow.
"Alright, let's keep moving..."
Bathed in the silver moonlight, Moses looked ahead at the undulating hills.
He couldn't gamble on how much time Hawk had left, so he had to strive to find Nitro Rice as quickly as possible. From the moment they set foot on the Dark Continent, he had decided to maintain a 'day and night' travel mode.
And Cookie's ability is the capital that allowed him to carry out this mode.
"Rat Jewel."
Before setting off, Moses softly called Rat Jewel's name.
Upon hearing this, Rat Jewel immediately returned to its original form and perched on Moses's shoulder.
"Chu chu!"
It energetically waved its tiny hands.
Seeing this, Moses couldn't help but smile. He took out a rice ball and handed it to Rat Jewel. Then, he stepped on the ground and shot forward like lightning.
Keeping a unit's shadow by your side is to be able to escape from danger at any time.
But due to the fragility of the Shadow World's passage, Moses needs Rat Jewel to be ready at all times, providing him with an extra layer of security.
There was no other way-
To enjoy the Vow Effects of a Nen Ability, one must also bear the Limitation Effects.
But reducing the Limitation Effects is a basic quality that a powerful Nen User needs to possess.
Moses had considered having Rat Jewel use its ability to create a passage to a safe location, then placing the Shadow World's passage inside.
Finally, he would set up a Divine Script with reinforcement effects around the Shadow World's passage.
Such operations can basically greatly weaken the Limitation Effect of the Shadow World.
All in all, it would be far more practical than Hide and Seek.
As far as thinking about the Nen System is concerned, Moses believed he has some ability.
However, he felt that this black hilly terrain was a bit strange, so he temporarily shelved the idea of combining Rat Jewel's ability and Divine Script to reduce the limitations of the Shadow World.