Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

Chapter 198 The hometown of the sacred tree, the beautiful Loulan welcomes you
In the camp of the Loulan tribe.

The fluffy curly-haired girl and the shiny boiled egg walked side by side on the only street in the camp, which was not very busy. The curly-haired girl looked around curiously.

Along the way, Uchiha Gin discovered that the residents who settled here, although poor in material terms, had smiles on their faces and their words were full of love for a better life, which made him sigh at the simple customs of the people here.

"Mr. Yin is indeed a great traveler. He has so much experience!"

Along the way, the well-informed Uchiha Gin gave the guide Shamon a lot of information about the customs and practices of other countries.

The eyes of this boy who had never seen the world lit up after hearing what he said, and he was amazed. There was a hint of respect in his eyes when he looked at Uchiha Gin.

"Hey! Not worth mentioning~"

Anyway, these are all things that Uchiha Gin saw on TV and in comic books, and each one of them has a documentary record, so he has no burden in bragging about it.

"Whenever Mr. Yin is ready to leave, we can help escort him."

Uchiha Gin pretended to buy some supplies and looked anxious to leave, which made the monk who was still unsatisfied let go of the last bit of vigilance in his heart. He then asked,
"Boss, pack this little doll for me. Um. I'll set off after I purchase enough supplies. After all..."

Pointing at the simple-looking ancient dolls on the stall, Uchiha Gin turned his head, pretending to think, then he looked embarrassed and spoke hesitantly.

"What exactly?"

Hearing Uchiha Gin hesitate to speak, the simple-minded Shamon hurriedly asked, not realizing that he had been tricked.

"Alas, I was embarrassed to say it, but since you asked, I will tell you."

Uchiha Gin paused, a mysterious expression on his face, and whispered to Shamon,

"First of all, I have no intention of looking down on anyone, but as you know, I am a traveler and am only interested in the secrets of various places."

Looking at Shamon's puzzled look, Uchiha Gin suppressed the smile in his heart and continued to explain,
"Excuse me, your tribe doesn't seem to have any interesting secrets, so I have no interest in staying here. Next, I want to go back to my hometown in the Fire Nation and report my safety to my family."

"Huh? Who are you looking down on?"

A simple method of provoking someone can bring you unexpected surprises.

This tactic has always been effective against the simple natives.

The veins on Shamen's shiny forehead bulged, and then instantly turned red, representing shame and anger. With an indignant look on his face, he stared at Uchiha Gin, who had a sincere expression, and a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes.
"Brother Shamen, don't take it personally. If you have the chance to visit my hometown someday, I'll take you to see the local specialties."

Patting the monk on the shoulder, the sincerity in Uchiha Gin's eyes was visible to the naked eye, which made the bald man's anger nowhere to vent, and the struggle in his eyes became stronger.
"Mr. Yin, in fact, we in Loulan also have a secret that has been passed down for many years."

In the end, Shamon, who had never experienced the dangers of society, told Uchiha Gin all his family secrets without reservation.
"Really? Tell me about it~"

Uchiha Gin cooperated and showed an appearance of overflowing curiosity, which greatly satisfied Shamon's vanity. He pointed in the direction of the center of the camp and motioned for him to follow him.

"Legend has it that a thousand years ago, the Kingdom of Wind was a vast fertile land with a pleasant climate, abundant water and grass. Until one day, a huge sacred tree grew on this land."

As Shamon walked, he told Uchiha Gin, who was following behind him, a story that had been passed down for thousands of years.
Sacred tree? Could it be the one our ancestors had?

This was the first time that Uchiha Gin heard the story about the sacred tree from the natives. He frowned. As expected, the dragon veins hidden deep in Loulan were closely related to the Otsutsuki clan.

"At first, people saw this wonder and came to worship it, thinking it was a manifestation of the gods. But as time went on, local residents discovered that although the sacred tree was growing more and more luxuriant, the fertile soil where it took root was becoming increasingly barren. This change swept across the entire Kingdom of Wind like a plague."

The monk walking in front did not notice Uchiha Gin's strange expression. He just felt that the other party was shocked by the secret he told, so he continued to talk to himself.

“The residents at the foot of the sacred tree were unable to adapt to this change and had no choice but to leave their hometown with great pain. However, a small group of people chose to stay and hold on in this desert.”

The monk who was leading the way suddenly stopped and pointed ahead. Uchiha Gin also raised his head from his thoughts and saw a tall black spire in the direction he pointed.

The tower is surrounded by thick stone walls, and several burly guards are patrolling in front of the door. It can be seen that this is a forbidden area of ​​Loulan.

"here it is?"

Even without activating his super perception, Uchiha Gin could still feel the profound power contained within the pagoda, and the surrounding space was stirred by ripples from this overflowing power.

"Perhaps the people who stayed here moved the gods. One morning, everyone woke up from their sleep and found that the once sturdy sacred tree had disappeared. If it weren't for the bottomless pit left on the ground, everyone would have thought it was just a long nightmare."

After a short stop in front of the tower, Shamen led Uchiha Gin toward the gate of the black tower. The patrolling guards, upon seeing the newcomers, all looked respectful and consciously made way for them. "Brother Shamen, it seems that your identity is not as simple as a guard captain, right?"

After sensing the patrolling guards for a while, Uchiha Gin discovered that these people were not as weak as the ones guarding the gate outside the camp. They were at least at the level of Jonin.

I just didn't expect that there were so many masters hidden in such a barren place. Then he set his eyes on the monk in front of him, and asked slowly with a moderate "shock" in his tone,

"I originally just wanted to get along with you as an ordinary person, but I didn't expect to be met with suspicion in return."

The bald man Shamen became more and more excited as he spoke, the curve of his mouth almost unable to be suppressed, his two small eyes were full of arrogance, and he walked into the black tower with Uchiha Gin in a swagger, turned around, raised his hands high, and announced loudly,

"Alright! I won't pretend anymore. I'm going to be frank. I'm Shamen, the guardian of Loulan, a member of the dragon-protecting clan that has guarded the dragon veins for generations~"

Uh. Brother Shamenlao, I think you are really crazy about being in the circle, there are too many dramas.

Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes secretly and grumbled in his heart.

"Huh? I didn't expect that Shamen Laodi is from the Baolong clan. I'm so sorry~"

However, as a qualified supporting actor, Uchiha Gin naturally demonstrated his qualified professional qualities and applauded to show his respect.

"Hehe~ I didn't expect that the reputation of our Baolong clan has spread to other countries."

Shamen was greatly pleased with Uchiha Gin's compliment, and the ecstasy in his eyes almost burst out from his dragon claws.

“No, I don’t. This is the first time I’ve heard it. But it doesn’t matter. This name sounds very impressive.”

I love to tell the truth, Tietie~
"Pfft! Then what are you clapping for?"

Shamen was so angry that his blood almost flowed backwards. He finally managed to calm down and complained to Uchiha Gin with an uneasy look on his face.
"Hey guys, you're all brothers. By the way, you haven't finished your story yet. What happened after the sacred tree disappeared?"

Uchiha Gin used the buddy card to offset Shamon's negative emotions and eliminate the other party's dissatisfaction.

"Ahem. Mr. Yin, look at this pit. This is the relic left behind after the sacred tree disappeared."

Since the other party was so enthusiastic, Uchiha Gin no longer refused. He stuck his head out and looked towards the bottom of the pit. He saw a blue light surging at the bottom. Even from such a distance, he could feel the mysterious power of it.

"What's the one below?"

Frowning, Uchiha Gin pointed at the blue halo below and asked,
"After the sacred tree disappeared, the people who stayed behind discovered a force in the pit. This force nourished the surrounding environment and created an oasis. So the grateful people guarded the pit and built a camp on it, thus forming a tribe."

The monk raised his hand and pointed to the mural inside the black tower, which depicted the history of the people who guarded the pit and thrived under the protection of this power.
But what surprised Uchiha Gin the most was that in the very center of the mural, there was a giant dragon painted on it, and at the feet of the dragon, countless Loulan ancestors were kneeling.

"Brother Shamen, where did that dragon come from?"

"Mr. Yin, that is the power lurking underground in the pit. Because it often appears in the form of a dragon, we Loulan people call it the Dragon Vein."

I really didn't expect that the dragon vein is actually related to the sacred tree of the Otsutsuki clan. I just don't know whether it is a companion of the sacred tree, or it is the original power produced by the origin of the earth to resist the erosion of the sacred tree.

"In order to prevent the power of the dragon vein from being coveted by evil people, the ancestors of Loulan instructed their descendants to defend this place for generations."

After telling the ancient secrets of Loulan, Shamen's narrow eyes were filled with reverence. He raised his hand and touched the tattoo on his head, and said to Uchiha Gin who was thinking,
"To commemorate myself as a member of the dragon-protecting clan that guards the dragon veins, I specially got a dragon tattoo on my body. Isn't it cool?"

"Well, it suits you well."

It is difficult for Uchiha Gin to comment on this point. After all, people have different aesthetic tastes, and one cannot force one's own aesthetic taste on others.

After visiting the dragon vein, the two did not stay for long. After all, this was a forbidden area of ​​Loulan. It was already a very presumptuous act for Shamen to bring Uchiha Gin in to get close to the dragon vein.

"So, the secrets of our Loulan are not inferior to those of other countries, right?"

After walking out of the black tower, Shamon proudly raised his bald eyebrows at Uchiha Gin, with a simple smile on his lips.

"It's incredible indeed. I'll take note of it and help promote your Loulan tourism when I get back. Don't forget to give me a cut if it becomes popular~"

(End of this chapter)