Chapter 162: Chapter 162 I give in, I come to seek refuge here
Chapter 162 I give in, I come to seek refuge here
The morning in the northern part of the Land of Rain was shrouded in mist as usual.
Compared to the chaos in the south, the north is obviously much more peaceful.
All one could see were vague white shadows rolling up disordered air currents. Those were white doves flying to various parts of the ninja world, flapping their wings in the fog.
Since reaching a tacit understanding with Hanzo, Kumokawa no longer deliberately suppresses and hides his power, and City of Dawn has now expanded several times.
Although not everyone in the City of Dawn is a ninja, the number of people is comparable to that of the Amegakure Village, and the number is still growing exponentially, which naturally attracted many bold businessmen.
"What do you think the white pigeons raised in City of Dawn are used for?"
A tall, handsome man in his twenties who was wearing strange sunglasses spoke.
"This... is probably used to deliver mail?" The old man next to the man shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Oyashiro En-sama, I have only lived here for two months, and I don't know what those pigeons are used for."
"Sending a letter?"
Oyashiro En smacked his lips without commenting, and said with a lighthearted and lively smile: "Well, maybe, but I always feel that those pigeons are very smart."
As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at the city gate in front of him.
Dark shadows gathered in front of the gate of City of Dawn. The morning sun illuminated the heavy and dark gate, and also shone on the cheeks of those people. Everyone's face was hazy and falsely beautiful.
Ding, Ding, Ding!
The morning bells rang, and all the city gates opened on time. It was still dawn.
All kinds of people line up to enter the city. Although there is no city tax like the capital of the Land of Rain, routine inspections are required and entry is prohibited without credentials.
However, although it was only early morning, the city had already woken up and many shops could be seen open.
Maybe it was because the distance was too far, so no other sounds could be heard, making the city seem cold and deserted.
No, or should I say a strange feeling?
The city seemed to be looking down upon these strangers from a high position, coldly considering whether to swallow them up or spit them out in disgust.
But after a while, this feeling was broken.
Because the people in front had already entered the city, what they saw were two guards standing in front of the city.
Oyashiro En stopped his wandering thoughts and handed the letter with "Waki Real Estate" written on it to the two of them.
As he spoke, he walked past the two black-robed guards and into the city, but he glanced behind him as he passed by them.
Under the sunglasses, the devilish horizontal pupils appeared, and a blood-red light flashed by.
Seeing the red hair of the two guards covered in their hoods, the man couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, and a hint of depth flashed across his eyes.
The next moment, when the two guards turned around as if they had noticed something, they only saw the man's lazy and slack back.
"Oyashiro En-sama?" the old man following behind asked in a low voice.
"...Ahaha, sorry, sorry, I was distracted. I thought we arrived at the capital of the Land of Fire." Oyashiro En smiled and looked left and right.
It's very clean.
What catches the eye are rows of shops and stalls, with pedestrians coming and going everywhere, some carrying loads on their shoulders, some pushing carts, both mobile and fixed vendors.
Although the buildings on both sides of the street still have the style unique to this weeping country, they are obviously planned and arranged in an orderly manner. There is no sign of the neglected and stinking scene like the capital of the Land of Rain.
"Have you arranged for people to help clean up the garbage and swill?" Oyashiro En asked casually, "Is it charged by month or by day?"
Unexpectedly, the old man shook his head and said with a smile: "How could it be? There are people vying for it. If it weren't for Kumokawa-sama's rule, I might have to pay for 'Yexiang'."
"As for the garbage, there are indeed people who manage and clean it up. If there is garbage or a messy place, we will ask nearby residents or vendors to clean it up immediately. Each person is responsible for his or her own area. There will be fines for littering."
"Yexiang? You mean 'filthy things'?" Oyashiro En raised an eyebrow, "I help people clean up, and I have to pay them money?"
"Yes, I think it's called the Agricultural Research and Development Department? I think that's the name. They said calling it 'feces' sounds too ugly, so the name 'Yexiang' became popular."
The old man scratched his head and smiled naively, "They have found a way to turn 'Yexiang' into a usable fertilizer, which can make crops grow better and is also very cheap. Many businessmen like to buy this fertilizer to fertilize their fields."
However, not everyone can buy and sell.
The residential area is divided into more than ten "sewers", which require public bidding. The bidding price varies according to the area. Only those who pass the qualification review can participate in the bidding, and they will be responsible for centralized processing and distribution.
After hearing all these rules, Oyashiro En was stunned a few times, and subconsciously asked: "Do you also use this kind of fertilizer?"
The old man shook his head and said, "The environment of the Land of Rain is not suitable for soil cultivation, so we in the City of Dawn use soilless cultivation. We have a special nutrient solution and do not need fertilizer."
In other words, you don't use the fertilizer made from pickled food yourself, but sell it to merchants from other countries, and those merchants happily pay for it?
Realizing this, Oyashiro En's smiling face couldn't help but twitch, and his whole worldview was shattered.
Everyone hates the dirty things that need to be cleaned by force, but here it has become a formalized industry and people are scrambling for it?
The owner of this city has a strange way of thinking.
However, it also shows the other party's business acumen and control over the city.
Oyashiro En's company is called "Waki Real Estate", and real estate refers to land and fixed objects on the land, including various buildings such as houses, bridges, TV towers, underground drainage facilities, etc.
So he naturally knew that even in a big country, no businessman was willing to spend money on the construction of infrastructure such as roads and canals.
Although the nobles of the big country hate the excrement in the city, they don't even think about taking a penny out of their pockets.
Even if he brought the methods of sewage disposal and fertilizer production to the big country, it would be useless. Once the nobles knew that he wanted to collect feces and use "Yexiang" to grow crops, they would not support him.
They would rather exploit the common people, or at worst force the merchants to deal with filth, than eat vegetables grown with fertilizer.
But here...
"It seems there are no 'poor' people."
Oyashiro En looked at the residents who were talking and laughing in the shops along the street, especially the thin and dark construction workers. Although they were covered in mud, they were very energetic and much stronger than civilians in other countries.
The "poor" people he mentioned are the poor civilians who are barely clothed. Even in big countries there are such people. They are thin, dull, and lifeless, like unthinking human tools, barely surviving like zombies.
As for the people here, judging only from their mental outlook and health, even if they are not as good as the fat and big-eared nobles, they can at least be compared with the slightly wealthy businessmen. There are no people living in extreme poverty.
"This is the rule set by Kumokawa-sama. If there are refugees, they will be arranged to cultivate the land. They will be allocated land, lent seeds, and rented farming tools. These things need to be repaid in installments."
"Anyone can earn enough food through labor, and all children, when they reach age, can go to school and receive education for free, regardless of whether they have the talent to become a ninja or not."
The old man also heard what Oyashiro En said, and smiled with a tone full of recognition and admiration: "I heard that the south is still in chaos and there are still many refugees. If Kumokawa-sama can become a daimyo, he will definitely make the south as prosperous as here."
Hearing this, Oyashiro En's expression became a little stiff.
My goodness, he even dared to say such "rebellious" words. The South is the territory of the Amegakure Village and Hanzo, and the daimyo is the "lord" recognized and protected by both samurai and ninja.
An ordinary civilian dares to have such an idea. Should we say that he is ignorant and fearless, or that "Kumokawa-sama" is too popular?
"I see."
Oyashiro En scratched his stubble and thought to himself, "No wonder the spy I sent lost contact with me."
It's not just because there are checkpoints along the way and strict checks on outsiders, but also because this is the place that "ordinary people" dream of, and under the collective prevention and control, no spies can hide.
As he observed along the way, Oyashiro En's little thoughts became less and less, and he had made up his mind to honestly play the role of a businessman.
joke.
This place is obviously not as simple as the intelligence said.
The barrier covering the entire city, the gatekeeper who seemed to be the Uzumaki clan, the hidden chakra in the air, the vague sense of surveillance around...
One might be a coincidence, but when so many coincidences come together, there is only one possibility.
"The Sky Legion that defeated Konoha." Oyashiro En's eyes flickered, but he still couldn't hide his surprise in his heart, "I didn't expect them to hide here, and they are hidden so well."
No one would have thought that the "Sky Legion" that caused Konoha to suffer a great loss and even affected the entire war situation would be hiding in the northern part of the Land of Rain and would be related to the recently famous "City of Dawn".
"Leave that damn mission to the idiots." Oyashiro En muttered, "If I didn't have Ketsuryūgan and the identity of a businessman, I would have really fallen into the trap."
Just like this, thinking with hope, the two of them passed by an alley, and Oyashiro En suddenly stopped.
"Sir? What's wrong?" The old man was stunned and asked in confusion.
"...Ah, it's not that easy to dodge after all?"
Oyashiro En scratched his cheek, sighed with a headache, looked at the old man beside him and smiled: "Sorry for bothering you, you don't have to lead the way from now on."
After saying that, without paying any attention to the stunned old man, he turned and walked into the alley, his figure gradually swallowed by the shadows.
Until the deepest part of the alley, a kunai was drawn out from the sleeve of Oyashiro En and fell into his hand.
The kunai that was swung out of his head collided with the dagger that was slashed from the darkness.
BANG!!
They attacked almost at the same time and blocked the opponent's dagger attack at the same time. The force of the dagger's impact made Oyashiro En feel numb in his palm, but he was sure that the opponent did not gain any advantage.
"I have no ill intentions, can you..." Oyashiro En tried to get closer to him.
But the attacking dagger was blocked, and the figure in front of him did not stop for a moment, and took advantage of the rebound of the shock to swing the dagger back in a circle, and slashed upwards. The dagger was heavy, sharp and merciless, with unparalleled killing power, fast and fierce, and the whistling wind could feel the power infused in the blade.
Oyashiro En couldn't help but curse in his heart. He calmed down, planted his legs firmly on the ground, and drew a line with his hand. The speed was so fast that it was difficult for a normal person to catch it with the naked eye.
The wind from the kunai blocked the attack of the dagger like a wall, and the blade was used to catch the blade. While the kunai slashed down, it hit back the dagger coming from below with the strength of a giant mountain reaching the sky!
Clang!!
The blade made a sharp sound and sparks flew.
However, looking at the expressionless yet immature face in the sudden flame, Oyashiro En stared blankly at the figure in front of him and blurted out: "A little kid?"
He could clearly feel that the power of the exchange was truly terrifying, and the two quick, short and fierce moves made him think that the opponent was a character with physical fitness comparable to his.
However, the face in front of him was obviously not what he expected.
Nagato was not angry at being called a kid, but his pair of eyes covered by the black cloth seemed to have a materialized cold gaze. He slashed across the blade and cut towards Oyashiro En in front of him. The right hand holding the dagger suddenly exerted force, and the huge force of the cut flew into the sky.
Bang!!
Oyashiro En subconsciously kicked out at thunderous speed, kicking the opponent's wrist and forcing some distance between them.
This kick made him feel like he was kicking an extremely hard rock, and he couldn't help but step back less than half a step before he could steady himself.
"A survivor of the Chinoike clan, a sinner who massacred his entire clan in revenge for his wife."
Nagato slowly raised the dagger in front of him, with the blade pointing to the sky. His black robe was blown by the wind in the dim morning light. His cold murderous intent was directed at the man in front of him as he spoke: "In your eyes, I am a brat, but what are you? A rat that is even worse than a brat?"
Hearing the kid in front of him talking about his pain, Oyashiro En's casual attitude instantly froze, and a cold look flashed in his eyes behind the visor.
But after hearing the next sentence, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
"By the way, do you know a guy named Miyagi?" Nagato asked coldly.
Miyagi?
"I know him, of course I know him, the guy who managed to escape from me and went to Kirigakure."
Oyashiro En put away his kunai, raised his hands, and said with a slick smile: "I chased him for half a year, hiding in the Kirigakure Village, and he died inexplicably. Now it seems that it was you who did it. It can be regarded as helping me solve a problem."
"So, I admit defeat. I come to seek refuge here. I come to remind you and help you solve your problems."
At this point, he scratched his head and said distressedly: "I felt very sincere at first, but now it seems that dealing with those idiots doesn't seem to require my reminders and help at all."
(End of this chapter)