Chapter 67

"So as long as we find a high water vein, that dried-up river can have water again?"

"Once a spring eye higher than the riverbed is opened, theoretically that's how it works."

Batu Nan didn't dare guarantee it either; there are many problems involved in this.

Digging a deep well and opening a stable spring eye to revitalize an entire river — the difficulty between the two is absolutely not on the same level.

"In that case, let us help you then."

Broly said.

"Eh?!"

Hearing this, whether it was the other children or Batu Nan, they all froze for a moment.

"I admit this kid has some strength, but finding water veins is technical work; a child like you can't help."

Batu Nan shook his head; he had thrown his entire capital from years of digging deep wells into this, and for ten years he hadn't even gotten a promising start, afterward barely scraping by doing private water business to maintain his life and continue water vein exploration near the riverbed.

"Who said Big Bro is alone?"

The children in the room, hearing his words, instantly became displeased.

These people all revolve around Broly, following him as he moves forward.

"A bunch of kids is the same thing."

Batu Nan held his forehead; this matter isn't something numbers help with, it needs people with professional knowledge, but the problem is ideals can't withstand reality — those idealistic companions he once gathered have long since bowed their heads under reality's pressure.

"We have money."

"Money also... eh, what did you say, how much money do you have?"

"Twenty million or so."

"Hiss~"

Batu Nan sucked in a sharp breath, immediately pressing his palms together, a look of utter sincerity.

"Sorry, I spoke too loudly just now; please, you must lend me a hand."

"No problem, this project Wang Duo Yu invested in."

Broly spoke the line that floated up in his mind; the children were a bit puzzled.

"Big Bro, who is Wang Duo Yu?"

"Don't know, maybe it's a fish."

"Tasty?"

"Never eaten it."

"Batu Nan, where did you drag this fool from?"

"Shh, the Gold Master is right behind me."

"Uh, I mean great benefactor, who went to support your absurd idea?"

"You mind where I dragged them from; just answer one question, are you coming or not?"

"If there's money to make why wouldn't I do it, but now the Kati Xi Oasis Religion is powerful, many believe their talk, doing this we have to be low-key."

"Nonsense, I've been chased on the run for three years, naturally I know to keep a low profile."

With Broly's sudden investment, Batu Nan's spring-eye excavation venture gained massive support.

In two days' time, Batu Nan summoned a batch of his old partners, hiring them with money.

A group of people sneaking around, at the place he judged had high-terrain water veins, began digging.

Broly's team followed Batu Nan, and while getting along with this group, they heard about this man Batu Nan's past.

Batu Nan and the others were experts invited by local aristocrats twelve years ago after the Kaxisi Region lacked water, to survey water veins and dig deep wells.

Among them Batu Nan's eye was the most vicious; digging deep wells he hit the mark every time, and at that time iron smelting needed large amounts of water, so he was chased after by many aristocrats.

However, when Batu Nan expanded the deep-well digging business to the commoner class, various places in the Kaxisi Region gradually enacted laws prohibiting private well digging.

"Back then, we lost our well-digging jobs, and Batu Nan was the one mixing best among us; if he had left directly then, relying on the money earned from digging large numbers of deep wells, it would've been enough for him to be a wealthy landlord for the rest of his life, pity, that guy's brain short-circuited, talking about reviving the Kati Xi River..."

"I just wanted more people to have water to drink."

"That's something big shots should consider, what's it got to do with a well-digger like you?"

"It's all those people's fault for not supporting my plan."

【46】 "Support you? Hell would freeze over first; back then the rich and big shots all started making money selling water, you want to revive the Kati Xi River, if it really revived, who would their well water be sold to?"

"You'd be lucky if it could support you — back then the rich and powerful were already making money by relying on selling water; if you want to revive the Kati Xi River, and it really does revive, who would their well water be sold to?"

"Batu Nan, just count your blessings in secret; it's just that your plan is too absurd, until now there's no sign of realization, those big shots either treat you as a clown or have forgotten you, otherwise they'd definitely make you have an accident."

"Damn it, I will definitely make this river revive again, let those bastards see that I, Batu Nan, am not someone who just talks, my name is destined to be carved on this soon-to-revive riverbed."

"What about us?"

Broly asked from the side.

"Of course, as supporters of this great plan, your names will also definitely be carved on the riverbed, however, only after my name."

Batu Nan insisted on this point very firmly.

"If the Kati Xi River really revives, for Kati Xi it's definitely a major earthquake, but Batu Nan, if you want fame go get famous yourself, don't drag us into it, we... still want to live ordinary lives."

An old well digger said; if Batu Nan hadn't paid enough money this time he wouldn't have come to do this life-risking job. "Broly, you really want to drag our names into this?"

Merad pulled the boy aside and asked.

"Is there a problem?"

Broly was a bit confused.

"I can already imagine the scene of our names appearing on the Assassin Guild's commission forms."

Merad rubbed his temples, a bit of a headache.

Three days ago, when she went to comfort the girl, the entire team made a large investment behind her back.

By the time Merad discovered it, the money had already been thrown by Broly to that guy called Batu Nan.

Reviving the Kati Xi River sounds like a great thing, but for an individual, this is a thankless task.

If it can't be revived, the money is like throwing it into water and skipping stones — the kind that makes no sound at all.

If it really can be revived, it means directly standing on the opposite side of the aristocratic class that benefits from the water-scarce environment in the entire Kathisi Region.

Are those people strong? They're not strong; Merad could personally go assassinate them and easily kill a dozen such guys.

But those people have money; blocking someone's livelihood is akin to killing their parents. If the Kati Xi River is truly revived, those guys will definitely send people to investigate.

Unless after digging out the spring eye, they silence everyone else; otherwise, with so many eyes watching, this group of people who funded Batu Nan to revive the river will definitely be exposed. What follows is nothing more than making the Empire's Wanted List and the bounty lists of various assassination organizations.

But can they silence them? Merad could do such a thing without any psychological burden, but this matter itself wasn't led by her, and even the money wasn't hers, yet she also couldn't do anything about it.

After all, if she really did something, once others found out, they would definitely reject her.

Traveling together for so many days, Merad also didn't want to be hated by these girls; as for the boys, except for Broly, the others didn't care.

Merad had also asked Broly why he did this kind of thankless thing, and the reply she got was: "If there's water, the people on this side should be able to live a bit happier."

Pure and acting on whim — this is Merad's latest evaluation of Broly. Just happened to meet a well digger, and the well digger happened to have an unreliable river revival plan.

Upon learning of it, Broly felt that if this plan were realized, it might let the people of the Kathisi Region live a bit happier, so he directly invested a large sum, not considering at all whether the plan could succeed, nor considering what consequences there would be if the plan succeeded.

Just because he wanted to do it, he did it.

Merad must admit, Broly answering this question at that time was truly extremely attractive, possessing pure goodwill toward others, like a treasure making her salivate.

But Merad is ultimately an assassin who has been in contact with the dark side since childhood; she felt this was asking for trouble, and wanted to drag the others along to make Broly change his mind.

The result was that the others all agreed with both hands and feet raised to Broly's idea. Akame and the others, who had tasted the sufferings of the mortal world, had such high trust in Broly that their thoughts were highly assimilated with Broly's. As long as Broly acknowledged something, they would also acknowledge it.

Merad was a bit speechless. When she wanted to seek help from Esdeath to persuade Broly to change his mind, she instead got from this Northern girl who believes in survival of the fittest:

"Very interesting. The strong should be like him (Broly), changing this world at will. You say there will be enemies? Eh, isn't that even better?"

She almost forgot Esdeath is a battle maniac; her thinking itself isn't quite the same as normal people. Enemies only make her more excited.

Fine, not a single person in the whole team was willing to accompany her to persuade Broly to change his mind. So she could only risk being mocked by Barbara on her own organization's commission form, throwing away her reputation (not a typo) to accompany the boy she fancied. Embarrassment is embarrassment then.

If a spring eye is really struck, and the Kathisi aristocrats investigate her after striking the spring eye and truly dare to put her on the Assassin Guild's bounty list.

Then she doesn't mind accepting her own commission and going to deliver a head — whether it's delivering her own head or making the other party's head fall, that's hard to say.

However, avoiding embarrassment is still better than not avoiding it.

"Broly, doing good deeds and leaving your true name is too tacky. Why don't we learn from some Righteous Thief Groups or Righteous Armies and leave cool nicknames instead?"

Broly thought for a bit, felt Merad's words made a lot of sense, and nodded: "Then my nickname will be Red Scarf Who Does Good Deeds Without Leaving a Name."

Merad: "???"

Once her proposal came out, the other children instantly got interested. While things were bustling on Batu Nan's side, they intensely discussed what kind of nicknames to leave.

During the journey here, these children had also heard many stories of Righteous Thief Groups and Righteous Armies. Although funding the digging of a spring eye seems unrelated to those two, since they might leave a name, of course they had to come up with resounding nicknames.

"I'll be called Red Scarf Who Does Good Deeds Without Leaving a Name No. 3; Big Sister is No. 2."

Black Pupil said decisively.

"Then I'll be No. 4."

Main said.

"What kind of nicknames are these?"

Just as things were noisy on Broly's side with them calling out nicknames, a group of children prepared to form a multi-person Red Scarf squad that does good deeds without leaving names, with him as leader.

On Batu Nan's side, someone also spoke to him: "Batu Nan, where exactly did you find those kids' Gold Master?"

"You might not believe it if I say it — they took the initiative to seek me out."

"Then you'd better be careful. If they find out you took the money but can't dig out a spring eye, they might come looking for trouble."

"Rest assured, I have a premonition — I'm about to find it!"

"Tch, you said this three years ago, and three years later you're still saying it. If finding a water vein in high terrain were really that easy, would you have needed to ruin your family searching until now?"

The well digger digging soil in the pit finished speaking, and down went an iron shovel.

Pfft — he got sprayed in the face by water gushing from the ground.

"Water's out! Water's out!"

Face dripping wet, he lay on the edge of the pit and shouted excitedly.

(Chapter End)