"So many people." Gallop's face was full of wonder.
Beside him, Katherine said dismissively, "I heard someone found a stalk of thornless black bamboo here recently. Once the news got out, everyone went crazy. Apparently, lots of people have been coming here even from far away."
"Thornless black bamboo! That fellow really lucked out!" Gallop looked thoroughly envious.
Thornless black bamboo was an exceptionally rare plant. It generally grew to about three meters tall, slightly thicker than a baby's wrist, without a single branch along its length. It was not especially hard, but it possessed outstanding flexibility. A spear made from a stalk of thornless black bamboo was the weapon every technique-focused, spear-wielding Flexible Assassin dreamed of owning. There were quoted prices for it on the market, but none to buy.
Katherine curled her lip. "There are even more people hoping to try their luck." A trace of jealousy inevitably crept into her words. She, too, was a spear-wielding Flexible Assassin, yet she had never owned a weapon that truly suited her. Her current flexible spear was made from bindwood. Though supple enough, it lacked that strength beneath the softness.
Gallop was worse off than she was; he could not even settle on a regular weapon. Over the years, countless people had plowed through the outer reaches of the Hundred Abysses who knew how many times. All the suitable plants had long since been swept clean. Finding a fine material like thornless black bamboo now took far more than ordinary luck.
For any Flexible Assassin with a little ability, the importance of a weapon was beyond question. That was why so many people flocked to the Hundred Abysses. It was not the only place in the Hundred Abyss Prefecture that produced materials, but the finest materials could be found there.