"They were all talking at once, full of curiosity about Zhou Yi."
Zhou Yi replied briefly, "I have special abilities, so I can be active under the Dead Sea. Don't mind such a trifle."
Chen Shi said warmly, "Welcome to your arrival, Chairman! Please come in!"
Inside Fishing City, there was a well-preserved business street in antique style, with many houses built on both sides where the Bone People settled.
The mayor of Small Mountain Town was An Hong, a female Bone Man. Like the other Bone People here, she wore a thick coat to protect her fragile body very well.
An Hong's voice still retained some feminine qualities.
"I heard you are looking for materials from the undersea relics. We can have the Bone Fish help you collect them. You only need to pay us a little compensation. Small Mountain Town is very experienced in this respect."
An Hong started making a business deal as soon as they met.
Zhou Yi considered the offer in his mind.
The residents of Small Mountain Town were locals here; having them find the watch shop would probably be faster.
He nodded at once, "I indeed have this in mind."
The Bone Man mayor said happily, "Whatever you need, as long as it's nearby, we can find it for you."
"Watches. I'm collecting a type of watch for a friend."
Zhou Yi took out an oily pen from his pocket, drew a crown on a notebook, then wrote down the "ROLEX" logo.
He tore out the page and handed it to her, "I am looking for watches with this mark. Any model will do; as long as I confirm it's genuine, I'll give 100 Light Seeds each. But they need to be undamaged, in perfect condition."
In the Dead Sea, items like watches produced during the Wasteland Era weren't in much demand on the market.
The price Zhou Yi offered was already very high.
The Bone Man mayor examined it closely, then handed it to the other Bone People behind her, "If we find such watches, we will keep them safe and wait for you to come over."
"Pleasure doing business."
Zhou Yi shook hands with her.
After negotiating the work, he relaxed, "Actually, our company also has two Bone People employees. I only knew that most Bone People would live on land; I didn't expect to find settlers in the Dead Sea."
An Hong chuckled, "There are also many different ethnicities within the Bone People, due to the differences in living environments, leading to different states of life. The ones you mentioned are the Land Clans of Bone People, we are the Sea Clan, settled in the Dead Sea, but we are much fewer in number."
"There are more towns on land, and more kinds of labor to engage in. The Land Clans are usually more adventurous and willing to pioneer, whereas we Sea Clans prefer a quieter and simpler life, not fond of getting involved in complex and changing environments."
"However, there is always a transformation between us; a member of the Land Clans might become part of the Sea Clan, and a Sea Clan member tired of this place might go to live on land."
The Bone Man mayor said, "We have lived with Bone Fish for many years. I can't believe you have managed to get Bone Fish to transport goods; it truly overturns our understanding. Bone Fish are very lazy creatures; as soon as they get some bones, they lose motivation, only willing to move again when they want bones."
"How did you persuade them?"
Zhou Yi was surprised, "Can you talk to Bone Fish?"
"That's not possible. However, we can use our own bones to temporarily build bridges, examine their physical condition, and ascertain if they are hungry or healthy."
"We provide them with bones, repair their damaged bones, and they live with us. After a long time, through years of training and nurturing, they know that they can exchange bones for tools, so they will also look for things everywhere."
"But that's about it."
An Hong said enviously, "But our experience is incomparable to yours. They're all Bone Fish, so why the difference? If the Bone Fish here could deliver things like yours... that would be great."
Zhou Yi thought to himself, could wild ones be the same as domesticated ones?
Taming wild animals takes a long time.
You have to start training them from when they are just fry; education should begin from infancy.
The special ability of the Bone Men in Small Mountain Town did indeed stir something in Zhou Yi's heart.
After a brief contemplation, he said, "You can conduct physical examinations on the Bone Fish and understand their health... I would like to invite two residents from here to the delivery center to work as Bone Fish Physiotherapists. With two people, they can keep each other company, and our work schedule is four days on, one day off."
"This way, the company and Small Mountain Town can communicate more conveniently, and we can get information about the watch immediately. The size of the delivery center is still expanding; I think we will have a lot of cooperation. What does the mayor think?"
"That would be very good."
An Hong asked the Bone People around her, "Who is willing to go?"
The Bone Man Chen Shi was the first to raise his hand, "Me."
The other townspeople bowed their heads in silence.
It seemed that the Sea Clan indeed did not wish to leave their hometown.
An Hong then looked towards Zhou Yi, "Then Chen Shi and I will go together."
Zhou Yi was taken aback, "Won't there be a problem with Small Mountain Town?"
"There won't be any problems; life in our town is very simple."
An Hong turned back and said, "For convenience in handling affairs, from now on, I will no longer serve as the mayor, Zhao Xiao."
A tall Bone Man stepped forward.
"I can't do it! I really can't!"
"I have already decided."
"Ah... well... okay, then."
The Bone Man who had been appointed as mayor seemed downcast, a picture of gloom, while the rest of the Bone People in the town seemed relieved.
After arranging for her successor, An Hong said, "Chen Shi and I will go to the company with you right now."
Zhou Yi felt a weird sensation in his heart.
It felt as if she had long since stopped wanting to be mayor.
On the way back, An Hong's words confirmed Zhou Yi's guess.
"The good thing about Small Mountain Town is that everyone lives a plain and calm life, there are few conflicts and troubles, and everyone has good relations in private, but the downside is also here. For example, no one wants to go pick up the various things from the Divine Era Relics; they fed the Bone Fish to help look for them, but in the end, no one wanted to do it."
"Routine patrols in the vicinity, they each find a place to lie down as soon as they go out, each one delaying and shirking, always talking of aching all over and being uncomfortable... The one who suffers the most is the mayor."
An Hong said through gritted teeth, "I was from the Land, worn out by all the fierce competition of land life, so I came here, wanting to live a peaceful and simple life."
"But as soon as I arrived, I was singled out by the old mayor to be the new mayor. The mayor is there to serve and worry about everyone; if you do a poor job, you'll be criticized by everyone, and the only right you have is to leave or appoint a new mayor when there's a newcomer... Being called the mayor, it's more like a long-term laborer without pay." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel·fıre·net
"If the mayor isn't responsible, the whole settlement will be in danger."
"This is why the Sea Clan is getting fewer and fewer, disappearing everywhere. Without responsibility, without expectations, without hope... In the end, it only turns into complete numbness. Perhaps some Bone People think it's not bad, dying naturally without any pressure, but this is not what I want. I've put up with them for a long time, and now I have finally found an opportunity to get away, with a better choice."
The Bone Man said bitterly, "I can work hard, I can run around for everyone, but that doesn't mean I should do these tasks, do people with a sense of responsibility deserve to be ordered around by everyone, the more you do the more mistakes you make? I can't accept that."
Zhou Yi shook his head when he heard this.
The peaceful utopia, the Peach Blossom Spring, only existed in fantasy.
Even when resources were right at their doorstep, one still had to pick them up. But the Bone People of Small Mountain Town, too lazy even to bend at the waist, relied on the mayor as a full-time nanny, leading a publicly-funded retirement life on the sea floor.
Zhou Yi, however, felt fortunate.
Had it been a group of hardworking and united Bone People, the resources of the nearby cities would have long been emptied out, and he would never have had the chance to come here and pick and choose.
If only there could be more Small Mountain Towns on the sea floor.