"Dabao, hmm, looks about seventy percent like me, black-haired boy. Help me search from above," Moses said to Crow Dabao perched on his shoulder.
Crow Dabao nodded with a "Caw~" and pushed off Moses' shoulder with its talons, spreading its wings to take flight.
"According to Dadan's directions, it should be near the 'Uncertain Terminal' area."
Moses stood on a wooden suspension bridge spanning a hundred-meter-deep canyon, gazing at the distant forest before striding forward.
Above him, a majestic white-necked crow circled in the sky, scouting the area as Moses walked through the lush green woods.
Towering trees.
All manner of strange flowers and plants.
Stepping on protruding stones to cross crystal-clear streams.
The endless forest brimmed with the primal essence of life.
Breathing in the fragrant scents of flora.
An irresistible urge to shout welled up in his heart.
Unlike Drum Island's perpetual winter.
Here the seasons flowed normally, with abundant vegetation. It was currently autumn, and Moses' State of Oneness made him feel exceptionally at ease in this environment.
Just then, Crow Dabao descended from the sky, landing on the ground not far from Moses.
Moving with stealthy steps, it suddenly snatched up a three-centimeter-long black bee in its beak—squishing it with a juicy pop.
Moses blinked and approached, stopping five meters away.
Because from the earth emerged at least a hundred plump black bees, swarming around Crow Dabao with gleaming stingers—yet none could get close.
Flapping its wings to generate gusts of wind, Crow Dabao kept them at bay.
Its sharp beak struck with unerring accuracy. Moses narrowed his eyes, unsurprised by the crow's gluttonous behavior.
Just natural curiosity.
A crow's instinct.
Why should he suppress its nature?
Besides, it wasn't like he wasn't benefiting too.
Moses clearly saw a glistening, earthy-brown substance oozing from cracks in the soil beneath Crow Dabao's feet.
Wild honey.
Catching whiffs of the faintly sweet aroma in the air, Moses couldn't suppress a grin. "What a good bird, always bringing benefits to its own."
Several plans for a bountiful harvest already formed in Moses' mind. The simplest would undoubtedly be a fire attack.
But heaven values all living things.
Since they were playing thieves, they might as well spare the bees.
Where deadly poison exists within a hundred steps, its antidote can surely be found.
Though not entirely accurate, the rough saying held truth.
Moses' sharp eyes immediately spotted something useful—a pond where converging streams collected, its surface covered by broad lotus leaves no smaller than one meter in diameter.
Some were yellowish, but serviceable.
With light steps, Moses reached the riverbank and waded into the crystal-clear water in his sandals.
Just two meters from shore, the water reached his calves.
Gripping Cold Dew, he submerged it and gave a gentle slice—freeing the broad leaves above.
After gathering several perfectly round, clean lotus leaves, Moses returned ashore. Folding two leaves into forty-five-degree fans, he hurried back to the bee swarm.
Swinging the fan-shaped leaves in wide arcs, he created a "pitter-patter" like rain on banana leaves—using precisely controlled force to swat the bees.
Injuring without killing.
Minutes later, the ground was littered with a layer of plump black bees.
Crow Dabao and Moses worked in perfect sync, with Dabao flapping his wings around Moses like a chicken to shoo away the still-attacking bees, daring to peck at any that persisted.
Moses held the Cold Dew dagger in his right hand, inserting it into a crack in the ground to deftly pry open a chunk of soil, revealing a honeycomb oozing with amber-colored honey.
After wiping the dirt off Cold Dew on his clothes, Moses began carefully cutting sections of the honeycomb still occupied by bees.
Open lotus leaves started wrapping around the harvest.
This was a rich honeycomb. Moses collected two-thirds of it, filling five large lotus-leaf pouches with honeycomb.
The remainder was left untouched. He covered it with soil, leaving gaps, following the path of sustainable development.
With the collection complete, Moses glanced at the bees that were already regaining their vigor and taking flight. He called out to Crow Dabao and quickly made his exit.
Having eaten at least a hundred bees, Crow Dabao had indulged his cravings but still seemed reluctant to leave, muttering:
"Crow... knew... should bring... Xiao Niu... this sweet... bug... very... tasty."
Moving away from the honeycomb, Moses carried not only the five pouches of honey but also a large chunk of honeycomb. He broke off a piece and handed it to Crow Dabao, who flew beside him, laughing:
"Five pouches. We'll keep one for ourselves and take the rest back for Crow Xiao Niu to try."
Hearing this, Crow Dabao let out a cheerful "Caw caw!" and replied:
"Me... good. Niu... like... thanks."
"Speaking of which, Dabao, you should really put in more effort. Stop speaking in broken phrases—aim for smooth, coherent sentences. You don't practice enough, and that's no good. If you're bad, practice more."
"Crow... know." Dabao nodded, pecking at another piece of honeycomb Moses handed him, tilting his head back to swallow it. "Tasty. Sweet."
Then he flew to a nearby pond, gulped down a few mouthfuls of clear water, and returned. "Too much... greasy."
Moses chuckled as he ate his own piece of honeycomb. "Had enough? If so, let's get back to work."
"Okay... one more... piece."
This time, Moses tore off a larger chunk and handed it over. Crow Dabao snatched it with his claws and soared into the sky.
Walking through the forest,
Moses glanced at the honeycomb in his hand.
Appraisal
[F+ Grade Wild Honey]: A natural sweetener, a gift from nature. Regular consumption can relieve fatigue, improve sleep, nourish the liver, and enhance digestive function.
Well, it made sense. Something this easy to obtain probably wasn't top-tier.
But flaws couldn't obscure its merits.
Even low-grade treasures were still treasures.
"This counts as a cultivation resource. Long-term consumption can improve physical constitution."
"There are so many treasures in this world. It's reigniting my thirst for adventure."
He snacked on honeycomb as he walked, switching to wild fruits or gulping from mountain springs when the sweetness became too cloying.
Half an hour later,
Moses continuously extended his Observation Haki, yet for some reason, he couldn't sense Ace's presence at all.
Only after leaving the forest and reaching a small hill did he see, in the distance, towering curved city walls and a smog-shrouded mountain of garbage outside them.
The Gray Terminal
A no-man's-land between the Goa Kingdom and the Corvo Mountains.
Calling it a no-man's-land was almost too generous—it was more like a dumping ground for the desperate, the worthless, thugs, pirates, and bandits.
Most of the people here survived on the trash dumped from the city.
"That brat Ace still made his way here, huh?"
Observation Haki detected a familiar presence within the garbage mountain. Moses waved upward, and Crow Dabao descended.
Handing over five lotus-leaf bundles tied with vines he'd gathered along the way to Crow Dabao, who gripped them tightly with his claws.
"What's up, Mei?"
"I found him. I'm going to check it out. You hold onto these."
With that, Moses walked down the earthen slope and entered the garbage mountain.
Surveying the mountainous piles of debris before him, Moses thought silently:
"Are the nobles of the Goa Kingdom pigs? How can they produce so much trash?"
Breathing in the lingering stench of burning garbage, Moses navigated through the ruins.
Every now and then, he spotted scavengers digging through the trash—faces numb, clothes tattered, yet their eyes brimming with wariness and cruelty.
A pitiful crowd who knew nothing of tomorrow.
People living amidst garbage, devoid of hope for the future.
No, they did have hope.
Their hope likely lay in digging up something valuable from the trash.
And once they found it, a bloody struggle would probably ensue.
Moses glanced at their faces—adults, children, men, women, even the elderly.
His expression remained calm, devoid of pity. The path to Mount Corvo or other forests was right there.
The road to truly living had always been there; they simply chose to turn a blind eye.
As for the wild beasts in the mountains?
What a joke.
There weren't that many dangerous beasts around. With determination, they were never an obstacle.
Following the presence detected by Observation Haki, Moses climbed to the top of a garbage heap formed by collapsed buildings.
Looking down, he saw:
"Brat, that's ours. Hand it back."
"You're asking for death."
"Enough talk. Let's get them."
Three adults, armed with small knives, were threatening two kids around five or six years old—or more accurately, the tattered cloth bags they carried.
The bags bulged, their loosely tied openings revealing an assortment of junk.
One kid wore a top hat with goggles, a blue noble-style coat, and black boots.
The other was dressed in a high-quality red short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and black cloth shoes.
The blond kid in the hat gripped a steel pipe.
Moses' gaze lingered on him for only a few seconds before shifting to the black-haired boy.
Ace.
"Tch. In this place, nothing belongs to anyone. Here, fists do the talking."
Ace glared fiercely at the three men, the razor-sharp axe in his hand gleaming coldly.
"If you're not afraid to die, come at me. Let's see who's first to test how sharp this axe is."
The three adults' eyes burned with malice. If they backed down from a runt who barely reached their waists, how could they keep surviving here?
Exchanging glances, they saw the same ruthlessness and resolve in each other's eyes. The next moment, they charged forward, knives in hand.
The fight was about to erupt!
A flicker of tension crossed Ace's eyes before he suddenly barked, "Sabo, execute Plan B!"
The next second, both of them pulled out handfuls of wall dust from their pockets and flung it at the faces of the three charging men.
No one expected such a dirty trick. Two of the three were hit squarely, while the third, having rushed forward half a beat slower, managed to raise his arms in time to shield his face.
The two who got dusted panicked instantly.
"Ah!! My eyes, you bastards—fighting dirty!"
"Quick, fall back!"
"No retreating! Charge! It's just wall dust, not lime. Don't let them escape!"
The unharmed man barked sharply, grabbing one of his retreating companions and shoving him forcefully toward Ace.
In an instant, Ace found himself staring at the man stumbling toward him in terror.
Ace froze, unsure whether to swing his axe or not. That split-second hesitation cost him—the shoved man crashed into him, sending him tumbling onto his backside.
The instigator's eyes flashed with malice as he lunged forward, bending down to slash at Ace's face with a small knife.
Ace's gaze sharpened. Half-kneeling, he locked onto his attacker, ready to counter.
Beside him, the boy named Sabo was momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events. He shouted urgently:
"Ace, watch out!!"
Just then, a glint of cold steel shot down from above—thud!—followed by a dull impact.
Clang! The knife in the attacker's hand fell to the ground with a sharp ring.
"AAAAAH!!!" The man clutched his right arm with his left, howling in agony. "My—my hand!"
Seizing the opening, Ace's eyes hardened. He kicked off the ground, rising swiftly, and swung his axe in a deadly arc—slash!—burying it deep into the man's chest.
Splat! A spray of blood splashed across Ace's face as the man was sent flying backward.
Seeing this, Sabo steadied himself. Gripping his iron pipe, he swung it hard at the dazed man still rubbing his eyes in front of him.
Wham! A skull-cracking blow.
Whack! A face-smashing strike.
Thud! The man crumpled to the ground.
Ace wiped the blood from his face and turned to the unlucky fool who'd been shoved earlier. He stepped forward and kicked him square in the face.
Crunch! The man was knocked out cold.
With all three enemies down, Ace immediately looked up at the ruined building behind them.
The sunlight was blinding, forcing him to shield his eyes with his left hand. But when his vision cleared, there was nothing—just empty space.
Ace frowned. "Who just saved me?" he muttered in confusion.
Then he turned to Sabo. "You okay, Sabo?"
Sabo walked over and yanked the object embedded in the man's arm. His eyes widened as he examined it.
"A... scalpel?"
Ace moved closer, studying it skeptically. "This blade looks high-quality. Maybe even better than my axe. Who's rich enough to just throw it away?"
He glanced at his blond companion. "Sabo, you know them?"
"Huh? No idea!" Sabo blinked at Ace, exasperated. "That thing was clearly meant to save you. Why would it have anything to do with me?"
"And Ace, what was that earlier? Why didn't you dodge or strike back? That was way too dangerous!"
Ace looked a bit sheepish, turning his face away awkwardly. "I've never actually chopped anyone with an axe before. I wasn't even sure if I should swing it just now. Sorry!"
Sabo stared at Ace blankly for a moment before his expression darkened. Suddenly, he glared and roared:
"Then why the hell are you playing with an axe?! Pulling that stunt mid-battle is terrifying, you know?! You nearly scared me to death just now!"
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Sabo then asked, "So what do we do with these three? They're already like this. Do we... finish them off?"
"You kill them?" Ace nudged him with his shoulder, his gaze wavering. "I've never killed anyone before."
Sabo fumed, "Neither have I! Didn't you say you had? Were you lying to me?"
Ace turned his face away again, clicking his tongue. "Does killing hunted prey count?"
Sabo: "So are you gonna kill them or not?"
Ace: "I'm not ready yet."
Sabo: "You need to prepare for this?"
Ace: "Well, why don't you kill one first and show me how it's done?"
Sabo: "No way, you do it."
Ace: "Then I won't either."
The two stared at each other. A few seconds later, they spoke in unison:
"Then let's not kill any of them."