This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 121 The Foundation of the Mechanical City is Completed (Please Subscribe)

Two and a half months had passed since the construction of the mechanical city began, and by now the foundation should be almost finished.

When Long Er arrived in Loulan, he found that the city had undergone significant changes.

First and foremost are the towering buildings.

Not only were the height and area increased, but the material was also changed from ordinary stone bricks to metal, and many huge gears and axles were mounted on the outside.

Although the city as a whole has not yet been built and the related parts and tools have not yet been put into operation, one can already feel that the city is the outline of a tool.

Secondly, the area extending 30 kilometers outward from the city center is disconnected from the outside world.

From the air, it looks like a line, but up close, it's a crack about five meters wide.

There are many working puppets working in the cracks.

The earth-style ninja continued digging underground, while the work puppets carried up the fallen rocks and soil.

"Loulan's original area was over 2,000 square kilometers, and with the open space outside, it totals 5,000 square kilometers. This way, even if the people of Sunagakure and Loulan live together, there will still be spare space for future use." Ebizo reported the specific work situation to Ryuji.

"How long until the foundation is completely dug?"

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

"Three days," Ebizo explained. "Only the area beneath the dragon vein remains unexcavated. We're worried that a complete break in the foundation from the earth would affect the dragon vein, so we can only resume work after you arrive."

This was also what Ryuji told him before he left.

To ensure the safety of the dragon vein, he needed to place the Ring of Ugo the instant the foundation was disconnected from the earth, so that the foundation could form a small continent.

"As expected of a senior, experience really pays off!" Long Er chuckled and flattered the other party, then said, "You just need to arrange for people to dig. Just let me know in advance when the Ring of Ugo needs to be placed."

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements right now."

"Wait a minute." Ryuji called out to Ebizo, who was about to leave. Seeing that Ebizo had turned around, he said, "I've been researching a little gadget lately and I need some poison to suppress life force. Could you help me out, Ebizo-senpai?"

Ebizo thought for a moment and asked, "Approximately what level? Are there any specific requirements?"

"I've written down the specific requirements here, take a look!" Ryuji handed him the relevant information about the seed cells.

Ebizo glanced at it briefly and then returned it to Ryuji. "My sister knows more about biological matters, but the poison you need is very simple. I'll go arrange the foundation digging first, and then I'll prepare the poison for you."

"no problem."

Ryuji nodded in satisfaction as he watched Ebizo leave.

Although Ebizo is not as famous as Granny Chiyo, he is indeed a puppeteer of the same caliber as Granny Chiyo.

She may not be as good as Chiyo in medical ninjutsu, but she is far superior in poison research.

If Sasori's puppetry skills were taught by Chiyo, then his knowledge of poison was taught by Ebizo.

Asking him for help is the same.

Afterwards, Ryuji wandered around Loulan.

In the city of towering towers, there are no dancing puppets, no music, no colorful ribbons sprayed at any time, and no balloons released into the sky; only the Loulan people living their own lives.

Compared to when An Lushan was alive, it lacked the dreamlike and fairytale atmosphere and became more realistic.

"Ryuji?"

An unexpected voice came from behind, both strange and familiar.

Ryuji looked over at the sound and saw a young girl standing by the roadside, looking at him with surprise and delight. Her distinctive red hair immediately reminded him of her identity.

—Sarah.

The former Loulan queen changed out of her princess gown and into a simple long robe and cotton coat. However, her exquisite beauty was not concealed in the slightest; instead, the robe, which concealed her figure, gave her a more approachable, girl-next-door charm.

"When did you get back?"

Sarah ran over and asked happily.

Long Er scratched his head and laughed, "Just got back."

"About the foundation?"

"……Um."

"So, you have to leave immediately after finishing the foundation work?"

Looking at the expectant girl, Ryuji hesitated for a moment, then nodded and admitted, "Yes, I was originally the leader of the Sunagakure delegation sent to Konoha, but some urgent matters came up, so I rushed back."

"I see!"

The girl hesitated for a moment, but quickly perked up. "Then let me entertain you for the time being!"

"???"

Long Er was a little confused.

He remembered that when he last left Loulan, Sarah had kept her distance from him.

Why are you being so enthusiastic towards me after not seeing me for a while?

I didn't do anything!

Could it be that I've grown more handsome over time?

Seemingly sensing what Ryuji was thinking, Sara couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't overthink it, I just wanted to thank you."

"grateful?"

Long Er was even more confused.

Have I done anything good that Sarah needs to thank me for?

Or is it that I do good deeds in my dreams, sleepwalking while dreaming, and doing things that I myself don't even know about?

"Thank you for saving Loulan."

Sarah thanked her softly, her face flushing slightly with embarrassment.

Long Er paused for a moment, then suddenly realized.

Indeed, because of itself, Loulan will become history.

However, if he doesn't come, Loulan will become a tool for An Lushan to dominate the ninja world, and its final fate is unknown.

Even with Naruto's help to defeat An Lushan, Loulan would ultimately be destroyed in the war.

He did indeed destroy Loulan, but he also liberated Loulan.

Sarah was taught by her mother from a young age... In her eyes, Loulan was where the people of Loulan lived, not these towering buildings.

Ryuji took away this country, but he also liberated it.

Although Sara initially kept her distance from Ryuji, it was because their relationship was one of plunderer and plundered, and Ryuji's aggressiveness and undisguised ambition to seize Loulan were also factors.

It's normal to feel fear and distrust towards him.

However, as Ryuji fulfilled the conditions she set for him and kept his promise, her feelings towards him improved.

Furthermore, her harmonious life with the Sunagakure ninjas made her realize that there was nothing wrong with it, and she began to accept and identify with her identity as a member of Sunagakure.

After accepting the change in identity, one's perspective on things also changes.

Ryuji used to be an enemy, but now he's a comrade in the same village.

The more assertive and fierce he is, the more reliable and safe he is to his companions.

After thinking it through, Ryuji gladly accepted the invitation.

The two of them traveled together in Loulan.

Sara took Long Er to the ruins of the ancient Loulan, the original city of Loulan before An Lushan arrived.

Unlike the magnificent and towering Loulan of today, most of the buildings there were dilapidated and collapsed, and the area was overgrown with green grass.

But it is spacious, quiet and pleasant, with a sense of wonder and beauty reminiscent of a fairy tale.

Hmm, we could consider developing it into a tourist area in the future.

The two strolled around the streets for a while, buying local specialties and eating delicious food... although these things would later become Sunagakure's specialties and common items.

But it's still quite rare now.

The two played until after 8 p.m., when Ebizo delivered the specially made poison formula before saying goodbye to each other.

……

After obtaining the poison, Ryuji did not go to the laboratory in his personal space.

He needed to wait for Ebizo's possible arrival to inform him before installing the Ugo Ring.

So we temporarily borrowed An Lushan's old studio. Anyway, it's just for testing and adjustments, so we don't need any fancy equipment.

Time passed slowly.

The next day at noon, Long Er successfully developed the seed cells.

As long as you bury it in the soil, it will immediately grow into a sapling. As long as you water it every day, it will grow very quickly. In just six months, it will grow into a mature tree of about five meters.

It's even more explosive than using Jin Ke La (a popular Chinese herbal medicine).

Furthermore, since its main nutrients come from the vitality of cactus cells, there is no need to worry that it will deplete the water of other plants, causing the earth to dry out and crack when planted on a large scale.

Ryuji immediately informed the Third Kazekage of this matter through his spiritual ocean, instructing him to send someone with the seeds to the Daimyo to request sponsorship.

After all, the goal is to cultivate the entire desert, which requires an astronomical number of seeds. Even if Long Er were to sell himself, he wouldn't be able to come up with that many resources!

Moreover, this is something that benefits the foundation of the Land of Wind. If he, as the daimyo, doesn't spend his own money, why would he expect the people working for him to pay him?

However, he figured that Da Ming didn't have much money left.

After all, he had already emptied his savings to invest in the construction of the city.

However, Ryuji didn't pay any attention to it.

Such a large-scale project is not something that can be completed in one or two years, so it's not a big deal to implement it a few years later.

He simply wanted to inform the Daming Prefecture about this plan so that they could formulate a corresponding financial plan.

Otherwise, you might not have money even after several years.

Day three.

Ebizo sent someone to inform him that the foundation had reached the final stage of excavation and that the connection between the foundation and the earth could be severed at any time.

Ryuji begins assembling the Ring of Ugo.

All the parts were already prepared: a ten-meter diameter ring, a pattern of the twelve constellations, a pattern of cosmic stars connected by mercury lines, and a six-pointed star array embedded in the very center of the soil.

When Ryuji embedded the positive and negative six-pointed star array, the Ring of Ugo emitted a dazzling light that shot straight into the sky, and everyone in the ninja world could see a beam of light breaking through the atmosphere.

Fortunately, it was daytime, not nighttime, so the beams of light weren't too conspicuous.

Apart from those with strong perception or those who happened to be looking up in the direction the pillar of light was rising, the rest of the people did not notice it.

At least, the intelligence departments of each ninja village received the relevant information and sent people to investigate.

And Konoha...

Located on the front line of the Land of Grass.

Minato gazed solemnly at the direction in which the pillar of light rose.

He knew that location was near Loulan.

Thinking of the Dragon Vein that had fallen into the hands of Sunagakure, and of Ryuji who left Konoha half a month ago, he vaguely guessed that Sunagakure was up to something big.

He knew Ryuji's abilities and the terror of the dragon veins... If they could create such a commotion, then what Sunagakure was doing must be significant.

But even if you know, what can you do?

Konoha is mired in war and doesn't know when it will be able to break free; they are powerless to stop it.

……

"Earth Release: Earth Split Palm!"

As two hundred ninjas used ninjutsu together, the earth, located a thousand meters deep, completely broke apart.

The mysterious ring placed on the ground gradually sank into the light until it disappeared completely.

— Foundation construction completed.

(End of this chapter)