Chapter 161 Stargie's Tomb

Chrollo didn't even have the chance to refuse before receiving the complete document from Law. The dense and obscure text filled an entire A4 sheet.

"I'll need some time, so I'll hang up now."

Chrollo took a quick look at the content. Since he was not familiar with the language, he wasn't able to understand the meaning at once. Moreover, this was a relatively obscure ancient language, which required meticulous effort to decipher.

"Alright." Law responded.

After ending the call, Chrollo walked to the suite's entrance, grabbed a pen and a notebook, and then sat in the living room to begin translating the document.

Chrollo had a deep fondness for ancient texts, which a peculiar interest considering the lack of formal education available in Meteor City.

The numerous books in his home weren't just for show, as Chrollo had read every one of them, so even though he was young, his knowledge was extensive.

If one wanted to understand ancient books, they have to master classical literature. This is a basic requirement.

While Chrollo's expertise in classical literature wasn't on par with that of experts, he had a solid grasp of commonly encountered ancient language and some familiarity with rarer ones. The document Law sent happened to fall within his knowledge range.

His interest in such matters was the reason he didn't refuse Law's request.

After Chrollo sat down, he began to translate the contents on the paper. For each passage he deciphered, he jotted down relevant terms in his notebook.

Since he couldn't fully understand the text's meaning, he could only record the terms he recognized and later piece them together to deduce the overall context.

"Where did he get this letter?"

It took a while for Chrollo to reach the end of the translation. Having gained a general understanding of the letter's contents, he grew curious about how Law had obtained it.

The letter was written by someone named Verdin and addressed to a woman named Stargie.

Based on the contents, it appeared to be a personal account from the man's perspective. Although Chrollo couldn't translate the entire content, from just a few words he translated, he can see the man's deep love and that the woman is already deceased.

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary love letter. However, the latter part of the text introduced an intriguing twist.

The concluding statement roughly translated to: After death, I wish to rest by your side.

Since the woman had already passed away by the time the letter was written, it read more like a one-sided narrative that couldn't be delivered. Overall, it seemed more like the man's special last words.

The reason why Chrollo's interest was piqued was because of Stargie and the place where they were buried together.

He picked up his phone and dialed Law's number.

Babu Town, lakeside cabin.

Law sat in a chair and answered the call, "Finished translating?"

"Yes." Chrollo said calmly.

"Is it a letter?"

"Um."

"What did it say?"

"It's a letter from a man named Verdin to Stargie. The content was mostly innocuous declarations of love, but at the end, Verdin mentioned that he wanting to rest eternally with Stargie and specified a location."

Chrollo glanced at his notebook on the table, his expression neutral: "Where did you get the letter from?"

Law pondered for a moment, and without hiding anything, replied: "The ruins of Palo City."

From Chrollo's description, Law hadn't gleaned any information about the Sonata of Darkness but instead uncovered a connection to Stargie.

"If this letter isn't merely Verdin's delusion, then the location mentioned might be the location of Stargie's tomb." Chrollo's tone was thoughtful, as he had deduced Stargie's identity from the mention of Palo City.

Not surprisingly, Stargie was the likely the famed ruler of Palo City.

In that era when women's rights were weak, being able to serve as a city lord as a woman was noteworthy enough to earn her a place in history.

Despite her renown, Stargie's tomb has never been discovered until now. According to ancient records, there were many rare treasures among Stargie's burial objects, including the most famous gems of the time.

After Stargie's death, Palo City was destroyed in the war a few years later. After the invaders broke into the city, they tried every means to find Stargie's treasures, but in the end, they failed to find them. In anger, they razed Palo City to the ground.

"Stargie's tomb, huh..." Law narrowed his eyes.

"That's just my speculation." Chrollo cautioned.

"Got it. Send me the translated content."

"Alright."

"Thanks." Law thanked him, then paused, and added, "If it is really the location of the Stargie's tomb, would you be interested in coming along?"

Chrollo was silent for a while, then refused: "I can't go."

To be honest, Chrollo was very interested, but since the entire troupe was currently engaged in group activities, he couldn't leave, so he had to turn down the offer.

"Got it, let's leave it at that for now."

Law decided to look for the Stargie's tomb. After all, it was the only lead he had. If Chrollo, who knew ancient language, could join him, it would probably save a lot of trouble. But since he couldn't come, there was nothing he could do.

"If you find any ancient books, keep them for me." Chrollo requested just before hanging up. He knew that Stargie's burial items reportedly included books, though most people only cared about the treasures.

"Okay."

Law replied before ending the call.

Chrollo's desire for ancient books hinged on two conditions: first, Law had to actually find Stargie's tomb, and second, the tomb had to contain books. However, books were rarely part of burial items, and even if they were, they might have deteriorated beyond use.

After a while, Law received the translated contents from Chrollo.

"Gru Mountain..." Law muttered to himself.

Since there were no immediate clues about the Sonata of Darkness, Law decided to focus on finding Stargie's tomb first.

Although Law was more interested in the Sonata of Darkness compared to the tomb, as he believed that objects like the Sonata of Darkness that could trigger abilities should be able to improve his strength a lot after absorbing them, tracking down undiscovered locations based on clues was also intriguing. Moreover, there should be many ancient artifacts in the tomb.

Craftsmen in ancient times pursued perfection in their work, and with their dedication, it was possible that some artifacts in the tomb could still carry traces of Nen.

In the following days, Law asked Sanbica to help gather as much information as possible about Palo City, Stargie, Verdin, and Gru Mountain, the more detailed the better.

Gru Mountain is a mountain 40 kilometers south of the Palo City's ruins and is one of the three mountains within a 100-kilometer radius.

While asking Sanbica to help look up information, Law was not idle either. He went around Gru Mountain several times but did not find anything special. Instead, he met many people on the way to Gru Mountain, all of whom were 'fully equipped'.

Backpacks, shovels, ropes, metal detectors... their gear clearly indicated who they were.

Law knew these people were all treasure hunters looking for Stargie's tomb. As they didn't know the location of the tomb, they were basically wandering around Palo City. Most of them wanted to try their luck, similar to the mentality of wanting to win the jackpot.

Even in Gru Mountain, which is far enough away from Palo City, Law can occasionally meet these people.

A tomb of the dead could bring the living generations' worth of wealth, so it was no surprise that many were drawn to it.

The government had also searched for Stargie's tomb in the past, pouring massive amounts of manpower and resources into the effort, but ultimately found nothing. They eventually gave up and instead focused on monetizing the Palo City's ruins.

Though the government abandoned the search, they didn't restrict outsiders from trying their luck, which led to Stargie's tomb becoming a long-standing attraction of the Babu Forest, drawing both treasure hunters and amateur archaeologists alike.

Law went to Gru Mountain basically every day, but he always come back empty-handed. However, he noticed several individuals who lingered around the area persistently, seemingly convinced that the tomb was hidden nearby.

Law made a mental note of these people and continued his routine of traveling back and forth between his lakeside cabin and Gru Mountain, while Sanbica compiled the research findings.

As the days passed, Law still didn't find the tomb, but he gradually accumulated a wealth of historical data.

…

The Hunter Association's Headquarters, Chairman's Office.

Netero listened to Beans' report about Law's recent activities. He had been wandering around the Palo City's ruins and seemed to be very interested in the elusive Stargie's tomb.

"According to the time, she should be arriving there soon."

Netero held a drink cup between his feet, sipping through a long straw that reached his mouth.

"Chairman, are you sure it's a good idea to send her there?" Beans asked with concern.

Slurp…!

Netero finished the drink in one go, then smiled, "I think it's great. If it's her, I believe she's perfect for the job."