stonecrandall Chapter 59 Ruins of the Land of Whirlpools
Chapter 59 Ruins of the Land of Whirlpools
In an unknown fishing village, Mo Jingxian and Hinata Ayako, disguised, went unnoticed by anyone.
The division of the farming team into three groups greatly ensured the success rate of intelligence escort.
Of course, Captain Akimichi took full responsibility for the risks and the fact that he had to access the intelligence in advance.
Mo Jingxian chose to travel by sea.
Starting from the Land of Waves, follow the coastline in an arc, and finally arrive at the territory of the Land of Fire.
The route is fine; many merchant ships use this route, making it a busy transport route.
After disguising themselves, the two successfully reached a fishing village not far from the border.
Actually, he didn't choose this route blindly; the Land of Whirlpools happened to be right in the middle of the route.
Going there to take a look was also one of the purposes of Mo Jingxian's trip.
As described in the original work, one day in the future, Orochimaru found the Grim Reaper Mask in the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, which enabled him to successfully cast the "Reaper Death Seal".
So he wanted to try his luck, especially since he had a glare-free guy by his side, which greatly increased his chances of success.
When they arrived at the fishing village pier closest to the Land of Whirlpools, they encountered a little trouble.
No one was willing to go, and Mo Jingxian had already doubled the hiring price, but it still didn't work.
"Sir," the old fisherman said, binding the oar handle, "it's not that I'm unwilling to earn this money, I'm afraid I won't live to enjoy it."
Mo Jingxian frowned. This was the third fisherman to reject him today, and their excuses were exactly the same.
"Grandpa, can you tell me why?"
Mo Jingxian was still unwilling to give up; she couldn't very well run across the sea to get there.
He felt something was missing because he couldn't go to the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools to see them for himself.
The old fisherman waved his hand: "There are wronged spirits over there. No one who goes there has ever come back. They're all left in the sea."
The old man was very secretive and only gave a brief reply before falling silent.
No matter how much Mo Jingxian promised to protect his safety, the old fisherman just kept his head down and worked.
Well, it seems he's determined not to go there, so Mo Jingxian had no choice but to give up.
"Well..." Before leaving, Mo Jingxian added, "Do you know who would dare go over there? Could you point them in the right direction?"
As he spoke, he placed five hundred taels of silver on the edge of the boat next to the old man.
The old fisherman looked at the two boys and girls, then glanced at the coins.
"Hey, why take such a risk at such a young age?" He carefully put away the five hundred taels of silver and pointed east: "At the end of this street, look for 'Big Deer.' He's the only one here who dares to take your business."
"Thanks, you're always busy."
The fishing village pier is small, less than 100 meters long from east to west.
Following the direction of their fingers, the two quickly found the fisherman named "Big Deer".
He was in his thirties, with dark, shiny skin, and thick calluses on his palms that spoke volumes about his background and experience.
Mo Jingxian repeated the request, and he did not immediately refuse.
"Okay." Da Lu glanced at the two of them a few times. "I'll only take you ten miles east of the island; I won't go ashore."
Mo Jingxian thought about it and agreed, since the two of them could easily get through the rest of the journey anyway.
So he readily agreed.
"And one more condition," Da Lu added.
"Fifty thousand taels, not a single coin less."
"Why don't you just rob me?" Ayako exclaimed angrily, the price had increased almost tenfold.
"Take it or leave it."
Da Lu's attitude was clear: he was certain the two of them had to go.
"Alright." Mo Jingxian tugged at Lingzi's sleeve, signaling her to be quiet.
"I can give you the money, but you must leave immediately. Can you do that?"
Da Lu stared at Mo Jingxian with a sidelong glance, without saying a word.
Mo Jingxian smiled, took out some coins, and handed them over.
He took the bills and counted them carefully twice, one by one. After confirming that there were no errors, he nodded and said, "Let's go."
A small boat drifts on the sea, its hull only large enough for three people.
Fortunately, there was no wind or waves today, the water was calm, and several seabirds were circling overhead.
Da Lu was highly skilled and daring, or as some might say, he was willing to die for money, and dared to set sail in a light boat.
Although this place is not far from the Land of Whirlpools, it is still dozens of nautical miles away, and it is easy to be stranded here if you encounter a storm.
But his boat-handling skills were undeniable; he was both steady and fast.
While admiring the seascape along the way, Mo Jingxian also devoted half of her attention to the deer.
The reason I did this was because a message had just been refreshed on the panel.
[Reputation points from Watanabe Koyanagi Maru +20]
interesting.
Mo Jingxian didn't think she was so universally loved that people would instantly like her at first glance.
Where does reputation value come from?
It seems there's only one explanation left.
However, he didn't expose it immediately; he wasn't in a hurry and it would be best to talk about it when they arrived at the destination.
The boat was hired in the morning, before the sun began to set and golden light spread across the water.
"Hey, are you sure you can handle this? When will you get there?"
Mo Jingxian was ready to confront him directly and had no interest in playing along.
It's estimated that this place isn't far from the Land of Whirlpools.
"We've arrived." Ooshika, or rather Watanabe Koyanagi-maru, removed his disguise, revealing his true, ferocious face.
A kunai was pointed at the two of them:
"Hand over all the money, and I'll spare your lives!"
Mo Jingxian and Hinata Ayako exchanged a glance. It was all because they had disguised themselves so well that even the ninjas hadn't noticed anything unusual about them.
"If I give you all the money, will you really spare our lives?" Ayako shrugged, looking pitiful.
Seeing that she was in a playful mood, Mo Jingxian didn't expose her and played a minor supporting role on the side.
A lewd glint flashed in Da Lu's eyes as he licked his lips: "Of course, I always keep my word."
"I don't believe it!"
"Huh? You son of a bitch..."
After some time, Mo Jingxian steered the small boat forward, swaying precariously.
Even without strong winds, he had nearly capsized several times, but his skills had improved.
They were now less than ten nautical miles from the Land of Whirlpools, so the two decided to take a relaxing road trip.
"It's all your fault." Hinata Ayako couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the robber's choked expression.
She glared at Mo Jingxian: "You don't know anything about acting. You ruined the whole thing with just one sentence."
Mo Jingxian pursed her lips and remained silent.
Hmph! Woman.
Of course, Shika, who only had the strength of a genin, posed no threat to the two and was easily captured.
With a little trickery, Da Lu confessed everything.
He was a ninja from Kirigakure, who usually disguised himself as a fisherman to act as an informant.
There are many others like him, scattered across various docks and fishing villages.
Besides his regular job, he occasionally does some low-risk business, and he's really mastered the art of generating revenue.
This time, however, they ran into a brick wall and truly became water ghosts.
Mo Jingxian figured the Hidden Mist ninjas would soon discover his disappearance, but he didn't take it to heart.
The disappearance of a single informant wouldn't warrant a major operation from the Hidden Mist Village, and ordinary investigation teams posed no threat to the two.
Even if a master were to arrive later, the two of them would have already made their escape.
Having successfully landed, the two towed the small boat ashore and settled it, then leisurely stepped onto their homeland of the Land of Whirlpools.
The island is very large, surrounded by mountains, with a basin in the middle where the Whirlpool Clan once lived.
The hill wasn't high, and after the two climbed over several hills, they saw the site of the Whirlpool.
Standing on high ground, a scene of a dilapidated city unfolds before your eyes.
The city walls were cracked, most of the buildings had collapsed, and the ground was blasted with scars of varying sizes by ninjutsu.
The Land of Whirlpools was fortunate to have found a place where they could settle down and make a living.
At the same time, it is also very unfortunate that it is sandwiched between several major powers, and the seeds of destruction have already been sown.
A thought flashed through Mo Jingxian's mind, and she hurried toward the old site.
Broken stone slabs, collapsed buildings, and scattered dilapidated houses—everything before our eyes testifies to the brutality of the war at that time.
Deathly silence became the dominant color here.
The desolation of uninhabited places is more unsettling than fear itself.
Mo Jingxian and Lingzi searched the city but found no valuable clues.
Night falls.
The two lit a campfire and spent the night in a corner of a broken wall.
The search continued the next day, but there was nothing.
It seems the ninjas who destroyed the country must have searched very thoroughly, perhaps even scraping the ground three feet deep.
Mo Jingxian retrieved her hazy memories and went through them again.
Orochimaru did indeed obtain the Shinigami Mask here. I don't remember the scene very clearly, but it seemed to be a confined space.
The cities of the Land of Whirlpools were captured, and everything that could be taken was taken.
Even if there were any omissions, they are now scattered throughout the ninja world along with the remnants of the Uzumaki clan.
The only place where the Grim Reaper's mask is kept could not possibly be known to most people, including the survivors of the vortex.
Based on this, it can be inferred that the location may have been a place for sacrifice, prayer, or some kind of ritual.
The scope of the incident is unlikely to be too wide; it should be limited to those who were previously involved or at the top of the vortex.
Following this line of thought, the storage location must meet several conditions.
First, you need to be discreet, ideally avoiding the sight of most people.
Secondly... it shouldn't be too far from the city, so it's convenient to pick up and take.
Since it is some kind of ritual, there should be requirements for the environment, or certain considerations for orientation, celestial phenomena, etc., but he currently has too little information to deduce what it is.
When Orochimaru summoned the Shinigami, he had already mastered the "Reanimation Jutsu," so it's easy to guess where he got the information from.
Therefore, the storage location should be on this island, but it is very likely not in the city.
Whirlpool Island covers an area of over 100 square kilometers, making it virtually impossible to find – like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Mo Jingxian looked around and finally fixed her gaze on the surrounding mountains.
"Walk!"
He headed towards the highest peak, with Ayako silently following beside him.
One hour later.
Mo Jingxian stood on the mountaintop, taking in the entire island.
The mountains are scattered, and although none of them are very high, the peaks are still lush and green.
Although it is now winter, the temperature on the island can still be kept above ten degrees Celsius.
and many more!
Mo Jingxian grasped the key details.
To maintain this temperature...
It must be like this.
Besides the warm air brought by ocean currents, there must also be underground heat sources, otherwise the island's temperature could not be sustained.
An active volcano.
It's not on land; it must be underwater, and not far from this island.
The scalding seawater seeped into the ground, effectively giving Whirlpool Island geothermal energy.
What about the places the water flows through?
It is not natural that a large number of caves will form, and with a little modification, they can become ready-made places of worship.