Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Chapter 198 Hometown of the Divine Tree, the Beautiful Loulan Welcomes You

In the camp of the Loulan tribe.

A head of fluffy curly hair and a shiny braised egg walked side by side on the only street in the camp, which wasn't particularly bustling. The curly-haired man looked around curiously.

As he walked along, Uchiha Gin noticed that although the residents here were poor in material possessions, their faces were full of smiles, and their words were full of love for a good life, which made him sigh at the simple and honest folk customs of this place.

"Mr. Yin truly lives up to his reputation as a great traveler; his experience is truly extensive!"

Along the way, the well-informed Uchiha Gin provided Shamon, who was acting as his guide, with a lot of reverse education on the customs and cultures of other countries.

The naive young man listened with wide eyes, marveling at the sight, and his gaze towards Uchiha Gin held a hint of respect.

"Hey! It's nothing, nothing at all~"

Anyway, these are all things that Gin Uchiha saw on TV and in comic books, and every single one of them is verifiable, so he can boast about them without any burden.

"Mr. Yin, when do you plan to leave? We can help escort you."

Uchiha Gin pretended to buy some supplies, acting as if he was in a hurry to leave. This made Shamon, who was still feeling unsatisfied, lower his last bit of vigilance and then asked,

"Boss, please wrap up this little toy for me. Um... I'll set off after I've purchased enough supplies, after all..."

Pointing to the simple-looking ancient puppets displayed on the stall, Uchiha Gin turned his head, feigning thought in his eyes, then looked embarrassed and began to stammer.

"After all what?"

Hearing Uchiha Gin hesitate, the relatively simple-minded Shamon hurriedly pressed for an answer, completely unaware that he had fallen into a trap.

"Sigh~ I was a little embarrassed to say it, but since you asked, Brother Shamen, I'll tell you."

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

"Let me state upfront that I don't mean to look down on anyone, but as you know, I'm a traveler, only interested in the secrets and mysteries of different places."

Seeing the puzzled look in Shamon's eyes, Uchiha Gin suppressed his laughter and continued to explain.

"Excuse my frankness, but your tribe doesn't seem to have any interesting secrets, so I have no interest in staying any longer. My next step is to go back to my hometown in the Land of Fire and let my family know I'm safe."

"Huh? Who do you think you are!"

A simple provocation can yield unexpected surprises.

This tactic is incredibly effective against the simple and honest local people.

Veins bulged on Shamon's shiny forehead, then instantly turned a deep red, a color signifying shame and indignation. His face contorted with resentment, he stared at the sincere-looking Uchiha Gin, a flicker of struggle in his eyes.

"Brother Shamen, don't take it to heart. If you have the chance to visit my hometown sometime, I'll show you some of our local specialties."

He patted Shamon on the shoulder, the sincerity in Uchiha Gin's eyes clearly visible. This left the bald man with nowhere to vent his anger, and the struggle in his eyes intensified.

"Mr. Yin, actually, our Loulan also has a secret that has been passed down for many years."

Ultimately, the monk, who had not yet experienced the harsh realities of society, revealed his family's secrets to Uchiha Gin without reservation.

"Really? Tell me about it~"

Uchiha Gin cooperated by displaying an expression of overwhelming curiosity, which greatly satisfied Shamon's vanity. Shamon pointed towards the center of the camp, indicating that they should follow him.

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

As Shamon walked, he told Uchiha Gin, who was following behind him, the story that had been passed down for thousands of years.

A sacred tree? Could it be the one from our ancestor?

This was the first time he had heard a story about the Divine Tree from the natives. Uchiha Gin frowned. Sure enough, the dragon vein hidden deep within Loulan was inextricably linked to the Otsutsuki clan.

"At first, people saw this wonder and came to worship, thinking it was a divine manifestation. But as time went by, the local residents discovered that although the sacred tree was becoming more and more lush, the fertile soil in which it was rooted was becoming more and more barren. This change swept through the entire Land of Wind like a plague."

Shamon, walking ahead, didn't notice Uchiha Gin's strange expression. He only sensed that the other was shocked by the secret he was telling, so he continued his narration.

"The residents at the foot of the sacred tree could not adapt to this change and had to leave their hometown with great pain. However, a small group of people chose to stay and persevere in this desert."

Shamon, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped and pointed ahead. Uchiha Gin also looked up from his thoughts, and following the direction Shamon pointed, he saw a towering black spire.

The tower is surrounded by thick stone walls, and several burly guards patrol the entrance, indicating that this is a forbidden area of ​​Loulan.

"here it is?"

Even without activating his super-sensory abilities, Uchiha Gin could sense the profound power contained within the pagoda, and the surrounding space was rippled by this overflowing power.

"Perhaps the people who persevered here moved the gods. One morning, everyone woke up to find that the once magnificent sacred tree had vanished. If it weren't for the bottomless pit left on the ground, everyone would have thought it was just a long nightmare."

After pausing briefly in front of the tower, Shamon led Uchiha Gin toward the Black Tower's gate. The patrolling guards, upon seeing the newcomers, all behaved respectfully and made way for them.

"Shamen, it seems your identity is more than just that of a guard captain, isn't it?"

After briefly sensing the patrolling guards, Uchiha Gin realized that these men were not as weak as the few guards outside the camp; they were at least Jonin level.

He hadn't expected such a barren place to harbor so many experts. He then turned his gaze to the monk ahead, his tone tinged with a hint of shock, and slowly asked,

I only wanted to interact with you as an ordinary person, but instead, I was met with suspicion.

The bald man, Shamen, grew increasingly excited as he spoke, his smile almost impossible to suppress, his small eyes brimming with smugness. He swaggered into the Black Tower with Uchiha Gin, then turned around, raised his hands, and loudly announced…

"Alright! I'll stop pretending and come clean. I am Shamen, the guardian of Loulan, a clan that has protected the dragon vein for generations."

Um, Brother Shamen, I think you've really gone crazy from being a fan. You're overacting.

Uchiha Gin secretly rolled his eyes, thinking to himself.

"Huh? I didn't expect that Brother Shamen is actually a member of the Dragon Guard. My apologies for my overconfidence~"

However, as a qualified straight man, Uchiha Gin naturally demonstrated his professionalism by clapping to show his respect.

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

Shamon was greatly pleased by Uchiha Gin's flattery, his eyes practically radiating smugness from his dragon claws.

"Uh, no, this is the first time I've heard of it, but it's okay, the name sounds really impressive."

I love telling the truth, seriously!

"Pfft! Then what are you clapping for?"

Shamon was so angry that his blood almost turned to mush. He barely managed to calm himself down and, with a displeased expression, he complained to Uchiha Gin.

"Hey everyone, we're all brothers. By the way, you haven't finished your story yet. What happened after the Divine Tree disappeared?"

Uchiha Gin used the buddy card to counteract Shamon's negative emotions and eliminate his dissatisfaction.

"Ahem. Mr. Yin, look at this pit. This is the remnant left after the Divine Tree disappeared."

Since the other party was so enthusiastic, Uchiha Gin stopped refusing and stuck his head out to look at the bottom of the pit. He saw a blue light surging at the very bottom, and he could feel the mysterious power within it even from this distance.

"What's the one below?"

Frowning, Uchiha Gin pointed to the blue aura emanating from below and asked,

"After the sacred tree disappeared, the people who remained discovered a power in the pit. This power nourished the surrounding environment and created large oases. Grateful, the people guarded the pit and built camps on it, which eventually formed a tribe."

The monk raised his hand and pointed to the murals 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, and at the feet of the dragon, countless Loulan ancestors were kneeling in worship.

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

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

It's truly unexpected that the Dragon Vein is related to the Otsutsuki clan's sacred tree. I just don't know if it's a byproduct of the sacred tree or a primordial force produced from the Earth's origin to resist the sacred tree's erosion.

"The ancestors of Loulan, in order to prevent evil people from coveting the power of the dragon vein, instructed their descendants to guard this place for generations."

After recounting the ancient secrets of Loulan, Shamen's narrow eyes filled with reverence. He raised his hand to touch the tattoo on his head and said to Uchiha Gin, who was deep in thought,

"To commemorate becoming a member of the Dragon Guardians, I got a dragon tattoo on my body. Pretty cool, right?"

"We're a good match."

Uchiha Gin couldn't comment on this point, since everyone has different aesthetic tastes, and you can't force your own aesthetics on others.

After visiting the dragon vein, the two did not linger. After all, this was a forbidden area of ​​Loulan, and it was already a great overstepping of boundaries for Shamon to bring Uchiha Gin here to get close to the dragon vein.

"How about it? The secrets of our Loulan are no less fascinating than those of other countries, are they?"

After leaving the Black Tower, Shamon proudly raised his bald eyebrows at Uchiha Gin, a simple smile playing on his lips.

"That's truly unbelievable. I'll write it down carefully and help promote tourism in Loulan when I get back. Don't forget to give me a cut if it becomes popular!"

(End of this chapter)