In the north-western outskirts of Draj lie a series of dome shaped clay-brick structures, where those with
keen sense of smell wrinkle their noses. Carts and wagons of different size and shape come and go,
transporting shovel upon shovel of dung. The finer citizens would never dream of setting foot within a
mile-radius of Chao’s Dung Repository, run by the Nibenese entrepreneur Chao Chin, and when one of
the infamous slave child dung collectors close, pulling their wooden carts along, most Draji wrinkle their
noses and walk away, leaving the dung collectors to go about their business undisturbed.
The dung collectors carry large, flat and square-headed shovels, which they use to scrape up fresh heaps
of dung left behind by animals moving about within the city. While viewed as the lowliest of slaves by
the populace at whole, the templars responsible for waste removal recognize the value of the dung
collectors’ work. Chao Chin is paid 1 bit per cartload of dung his slaves bring back to the dome-shaped
repositories. While the government’s meager funding is enough to keep the slaves fed, the profits from
Chao Chin’s enterprise come from his customers who pay him to take the dung off his hands - the price
depends on the amount and type of dung. The most experienced dung collectors are valued for their
ability to distinguish dung from different creatures and how much time has passed since the dung was
dropped by the animal in question, and thus they are treated slightly better than their less experienced
peers.
Dung is excellent manure, and when mixed with water is used by Draji corn farmers to improve the
nutrient levels of the soil of the verdant belts of the mud flat surrounding the city. Bakeries, restaurants
and most Draji homes use dried kank dung as fuel for the ovens in their kitchens (other types of dung
from other creatures are sometimes used to add a certain flavor and scent to a meal, but the more refined
noble kitchens use charcoal to fuel their ovens). Construction workers value the thick fibrous dung left
behind by the inix for its properties as a sealant and plaster in Draj’s pueblos; and the huge dung cakes
left behind by mekillots are used for paper production. In areas of extreme poverty they even use
“chewing dung” as a treat, made from heavily spiced near-white erdlu dung, which has a definitely
lighter taste compared to for example the pitch black dung of the inix.
Working for Chao Chin is hard work and he demands efficiency and results. A dung collector who does
not fill at least one cart of dung in a day will go without food that day. This strict practice is enforced
with an iron hand. Chao Chin does not see the value in whipping a slave until he is unable to carry out
his duties efficiently, but instead has disobedient slaves assigned to isolated work posts, such as
collecting the slaves’ own dung from the repository slave pens. This policy yields sufficient results, and
Chao Chin has no intention of changing well-working established routines.