Day ten, early morning.
Sora had just finished a morning training session and was preparing to return to the oasis for a short rest when he felt a slight stirring in his heart.
A communication jutsu he had left near the Exchange had transmitted a signal of being activated.
"News?"
Sora's spirits lifted. He immediately set off, putting on the Vermilion Bird mask again, and silently slipped towards the Exchange.
...
At the Exchange, the fat man behind the counter saw Sora appear and hurriedly took out a thin scroll from under the counter, pushing it over.
"Customer, your luck is good. The 'Seek Loulan' task, we have a lead."
Sora expressionlessly took the scroll and quickly unrolled it.
The information in the scroll was not particularly detailed, but the key points were clear.
In the southeastern part of the Land of Wind, deep within a vast area of wind-eroded rock formations near the border of the Land of Rivers, a group of about three hundred exiled people had been discovered. They called themselves the 'Loulan Remnants'. They lived in hardship, surviving by gathering small amounts of drought-resistant plants from crevices in the rock formations and catching small creatures like sand scorpions. They were often exploited by nearby Sunagakure patrols.
At the end of the intelligence, bold characters noted.
Through indirect confirmation, there is indeed a young woman named 'Sara' within the group, about eighteen years old. She is revered by some of the elders as 'Her Majesty the Queen', but does not hold actual power, seeming more like a spiritual symbol.
"The location coordinates, and their main recent activity areas, are all marked on it."
The fat man tapped the counter. "As agreed, confirming the existence of 'Sara' and providing the specific location requires triple the payment."
Sora simply glanced over it and knew the authenticity of this intelligence was high. He directly placed the promised triple payment on the counter.
The fat man verified it was correct, a chrysanthemum-like smile appearing on his face. "The customer is decisive! I hope we have another chance to cooperate in the future."
Sora gave a slight nod, put away the intelligence scroll, and turned to leave.
...
Several hours later, an endless, maze-like expanse of huge wind-eroded rock pillars appeared at the edge of Sora's vision.
Sora suppressed his chakra, silently infiltrating the rock formations.
Relying on the route marked in the intelligence and his own powerful sensory abilities, it wasn't long before he saw the group of Loulan remnants.
About three hundred people, in ragged clothes, sallow and thin, most with numb eyes, carrying the gray pallor of long-term malnutrition and lack of hope.
They lived in crude caves dug into the rock walls, conditions extremely harsh.
Sora's gaze soon locked onto a young woman in the center of the group, subtly protected by several older-looking elders.
The girl was young, about eighteen, also wearing rough, heavily patched clothing, but it was relatively clean.
This was the Sara described in the intelligence.
At this moment, she was distributing the small amount of water she had painstakingly collected to the children and elderly in the group.
"She does have a benevolent heart. Unfortunately, in this environment, kindness alone isn't enough to survive."
Sora thought to himself.
...
Soon, night fell.
A few small bonfires were lit in the center of the remnant camp. Most people huddled shivering in caves or makeshift shelters, with only a few responsible for keeping watch.
Sora, like a ghost, avoided all the watchful eyes and silently appeared at the 'royal residence' where Sara stayed.
His appearance startled the two elders guarding the cave entrance. They instinctively wanted to cry out.
"Shh."
Sora made a silencing gesture. A subtle but powerful aura was slightly released, instantly freezing the two elders in place, unable to make any sound, only able to look at this mysterious person who had suddenly appeared wearing a strange mask with terror.
Sara inside the cave was also alarmed. Although a flash of panic crossed her face, she forcibly calmed herself and looked at Sora.
"You... who are you? What do you want?"
Her voice had the clear brightness unique to a young girl, but held more tension and wariness.
Sora ignored the two elders intimidated by his aura. His gaze calmly looked at Sara. He went straight to the point, speaking in a hoarse voice.
"Queen Sara, no need to be nervous. I have come for you, and for your people."
"I have heard that the ancient kingdom of Loulan controlled a powerful force called the 'Dragon Vein'. I am very interested in this power and am willing to offer a price... to buy it."
"Buy... the Dragon Vein?"
Sara was stunned, her eyes full of astonishment, as if she had never heard such an absurd proposal.
The elders beside her also looked at each other, clearly dumbfounded by this statement.
Sora said with a firm tone.
"I have no need to deceive you. Name a price."
Sara was silent for a moment, looking at Sora with complex eyes.
The Dragon Vein, that was the secret guarded by Loulan for generations, and also the root cause that led to its destruction.
Now, Loulan was destroyed. Her group of remnants struggled even to survive. What was the point of guarding a Dragon Vein they couldn't use, one that might instead attract disaster?
She recalled the suffering her clansmen had endured over the years, the relatives who died because of Sunagakure's exploitation, the companions who died wailing in illness and pain due to lack of medicine and treatment...
Survival, letting her clansmen live better lives, that was what she should be doing now.
Thinking this, Sara took a deep breath, raised a hand and spread her fingers, carefully quoting a price that she thought might already be very high.
"Fi... five hundred thousand ryo?"
"Pfft."
Although Sora wore a mask and tried to maintain an inscrutable image, the moment he heard this quote, he almost couldn't hold back from spitting out old blood.
How... how much? Five hundred thousand ryo?
Had he heard correctly?
The mighty Dragon Vein, a super charging station of nearly infinite energy in the Naruto world, a strategic-level resource that allowed a nobody like 'Hundred Legs' to stir up trouble... was worth only five hundred thousand ryo?
This girl... does she have some misunderstanding about the Dragon Vein's value? Or has reality crushed her so much she doesn't dare imagine a higher price?
For a moment, Sora didn't know what to say.
He looked at Sara's eyes, filled with anxiety and expectation. The thoughts in his heart about transactions, and even using a little 'trick' if necessary instantly vanished into thin air.
This was simply like selling a national treasure seal as a brick, and even worrying it might be too expensive and no one would want it.
"What... is, is it too expensive?"
Seeing Sora silent, Sara's heart tightened, her tone couldn't help but carry a bit of panic. "The price... the price we can discuss again..."
Sora.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the speechlessness in his heart and that slight, sense of guilt from getting such a huge bargain.
Sora shook his head, using as steady a tone as possible to say.
"No, at this price. However."
"I will additionally add two million five hundred thousand ryo, as a bit of compensation for your lost homeland. A total of three million ryo."
This amount of money, for Sora, was less than what he could earn by casually taking on a mission. Consider it... forming a good connection, or, buying himself some peace of mind.
"Th... three million ryo?!"
Sara, the elders, and the remnants around who faintly overheard the conversation were all stunned.
They widened their eyes, opened their mouths, as if hearing a fantasy tale.
Three million ryo!
For them, this was simply an unimaginable fortune! Enough for all of them to migrate to a new place, buy land, build houses, and live stably for a long time!
"Re... really? Sir, you... you are not joking?" the elder asked, trembling.
"I never joke."
Sora flicked his wrist, taking out a prepared sealing scroll. He undid the seal. Inside were neatly stacked large amounts of cash notes and some easily portable gold ingots.
"Here is three million ryo. You can count it."
Sara looked at the pile of money, then at Sora's strange Vermilion Bird mask. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions, disbelief, joy of being rescued from desperation, and deep gratitude.
She took a deep breath, faced Sora, and solemnly performed a royal etiquette of the ancient kingdom of Loulan.
"Thank you, sir! The Dragon Vein... it is yours. Although it is sealed by a powerful seal, according to the ancient contract, I, Sara, as the inheritor of the Loulan queen's bloodline, acknowledge your ownership of it."
"That is enough." Sora nodded, handing the scroll to Sara.
Sara carefully took it, holding it as if it were the most precious treasure in the world, which it indeed was, their clan's hope for the future.
"What are your plans next?" Sora asked casually.
"We plan to leave the Land of Wind, and go to the Land of Rivers."
Sara answered, her tone full of anticipation for the future. "The environment there is better, and it's closer to the Land of Fire. Perhaps we can find a place to start anew."
"A good choice." Sora expressed agreement.
The Land of Rivers was different from war-torn countries like the Land of Rain or the Land of Grass. The environment was relatively peaceful, indeed suitable for recuperation and rebuilding.
The transaction was complete and his goal achieved. Sora did not plan to stay any longer.
"Since the transaction is agreed, then, Queen Sara, please come with me."
Sora looked at Sara. "I need you to personally go to the Loulan ruins to complete the final 'handover'."
He needed Sara to personally go to undo, or rather, acknowledge his ownership of the Dragon Vein, to deal with the troublesome bloodline contract part in Namikaze Minato's seal.
Sara understood this too. She nodded and instructed the elder beside her.
"Elder, I leave everyone here to you. Lead everyone, according to our planned route, to the Land of Rivers. I... after I settle the Dragon Vein matter with this sir, will hurry to reunite with you as soon as possible."
The elder, though somewhat worried, also knew this was a necessary step. He respectfully replied.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Please be careful."
Sara took one last look at her people, then turned to look at Sora, her eyes firm.
"Let's go."
Sora nodded, said no more, turned, and walked toward the direction of the Loulan ruins.
Sara finally looked back, waved to the migrating group, then quickly followed Sora's footsteps.
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