As the towers of Jade City rose one after another, Ajin was scavenging.
As a Scavenger who aimed to become a chairman, he had never abandoned his original aspiration.
A senior Scavenger should be able to pick up anything and everything.
The chairman's appearance had opened a dazzling door to him—this profession was also full of prospects and boundless possibilities!
After uncovering the secret kingdom beneath Death Dune and then finding Mouse King Nemo, Ajin felt tremendously inspired.
I was born to do this!
When he was young, he had heard many Scavengers say that the land surrounding the Dead Sea was incredibly precious because of its scarcity. Even a tiny island or a desolate place like Mao Valley Town had most likely seen its days of glory.
The past rulers of these lands might have been some form of powerful life, sea lords, or even Skywalkers. In the even more ancient Divine Era, they might have belonged to the domains of gods. Thɪs chapter is updated by N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
The Mao Valley area had basically been thoroughly investigated.
To the east were the coastal sands, to the west lay the Oasis Side and Death Dune, and behind the Mushroom Forest to the south were the mudflats and the Dead Sea. The only area remaining unexplored was the northern territory, the domain of the Claw Pig Group. Perhaps something could also be found there.
Ajin had always been dragging Ye Zhao around, having him help as translator and guide.
The clawed pigs communicated internally by squealing, which humans could not understand.
Although Building A in Jade City was fitted with a translator machine, and by wearing a coil-shaped transmitter one could converse with Ye Zhao, the number of devices and their transmission range were limited.
If Ajin wanted to inspect the north, he needed Ye Zhao to come along.
The latter was getting quite annoyed with him.
"Ye Bro, Ye Bro, let's go one more time today, just one more time. I think there was something suspicious about that place we visited last time."
"There's nothing suspicious! That is just a public latrine where the clawed pigs defecate! It just became a hole after too much was piled up and buried, allowing the sand rats to take the dung away."
"And that tree, Ye Bro, don't you think it's strange? Which normal tree grows slanted like that? There must be something underneath!"
"That's for back-scratching... Some trees are naturally suited for scratching backs, so the clawed pigs rub against them to scrape off the scabs, dead skin, and clumps of mud, and it also helps with the itching. There's nothing underneath."
"What about that glowing hole in the ground?"
"It's from the rhombic stones, there was a tribal leader before who liked to decorate like that, enjoyed the glowing sensation, showing off oneself. It was the leader of the tribe that attacked Nemo and the others. It died, and now this place is abandoned. The humans of Mao Valley Town moved to Jade City and no one comes here to scavenge anymore, so it's been left behind."
In the end, Ye Zhao said, "No more going north. Don't I know what's there, having grown up in the area? There's nothing, the forest further to the north has only trees, grass, and mushrooms, nothing else. You would be better off checking the material area behind Jade City if you have the time now."
Suddenly energized, Ajin asked, "Ye Bro, have you discovered something?"
"There's a Black Samurai that doesn't seem quite right. It flips through the Dead Sea Documents every day, and sometimes it wanders around as if confirming positions, looking like it might have found some treasure location from the Dead Sea Documents."
Ye Zhao was just giving him an excuse to get rid of him.
But after careful observation, Ajin realized that something was indeed not right.
The Company's Black Samurai, especially the Weapon Master, would usually either polish their swords and spears, or carry stones to run and jump, to temper their own strength.
In addition, they sparred with each other, often engaging in real fights with real weapons in the ruins area, where they weren't shy about drawing blood and getting injured. Many workers passing by would stop to watch, even bringing snacks to eat while watching.
But the one Ye Zhao mentioned was an exception.
It often flipped through a copy of the Dead Sea Documents but clearly couldn't understand it, looking more like a clumsy imitation of the chairman.
Besides, this Weapon Master always sat alone on the ruins, staring blankly at the sky and the distance.
Ajin donned the translator machine's transmitter and went over.
Luckily, although the Black Samurai was an evolved form of the samurai crab, it still retained the language system of the samurai crabs—communicating through tapping on their shells, a language included in the translator.
Ajin asked, "Are you looking for treasure in the document?"
The other said, "Is that so? Perhaps. I am thinking, even if we temper our bodies, it only improves our combat abilities. Even if we reach the limit, we cannot contend against a massive entity like Jade City."
"Different individuals inherently have different strengths and weaknesses."
"So I think, our leader is always looking at this, could it be that such books contain the secrets to real power?"
The Weapon Master lifted the Dead Sea Documents it held in its three claws: "I picked this up from the Dead Sea; the leader didn't want it because it was damaged, so I kept it. Do you know its secret?"
Ajin took it and looked.
There was strange writing on it, as well as some drawings, but he couldn't understand any of it being illiterate.
In the Company, only the chairman could understand the Dead Sea Documents.
"You don't know either?"
The Weapon Master looked somewhat disheartened, its head wrapped in armor turning to look towards the towering Building A of Jade City, at the top of which the chairman resided.
Ajin said, "Why not ask the chairman?"
The Weapon Master shook its head: "The leader's commands only need to be executed, not questioned."
It seemed to be a long-standing custom of the samurai crabs, to obey without question.