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"Mr. Victor, thank you so much." Although she was greatly looking forward to seeing the future school of Aaru Village, Setareh still slowed her steps slightly and walked side by side with Victor Wang.
"The decision was made by Lesser Lord Kusanali, the funding was allocated by the Akademiya, and the land was donated by Aaru Village. You should thank them."
"I know it was you who persuaded Lesser Lord Kusanali to exile the Grand Sage here. Only then was Lesser Lord Kusanali able to take advantage of the situation and push the Akademiya to build a school here."
"We're all doing this for a better tomorrow." Victor Wang spoke the North Wing's motto aloud.
"Yes… for a better tomorrow." Setareh echoed.
With a large number of scholars now stationed in Aaru Village—especially with the former Grand Sage personally serving as a teacher without compensation—it would have been unreasonable not to establish a proper school. Thus, after reorganizing the Akademiya, Lesser Lord Kusanali finalized the plan to construct a school in Aaru Village.
With a school, there naturally had to be a principal to manage the teachers.
And Setareh, as a desert dweller whose academic abilities were exceptional enough for the Akademiya to make an exception in admitting her, who had served as the Grand Sage's assistant, and who had voluntarily left the Akademiya to devote herself to education in the desert, possessed both proven competence and character. As such, she was appointed as the principal of Aaru Village's yet-to-be-completed school.
There were also some formerly exiled mad scholars who, after regaining their sanity, chose to remain here—such as Isaac's non-blood-related grandfather. These scholars were also gathered into the school to engage in education and to supervise the Grand Sage and others.
However, transforming the desert was a long-term undertaking, one that could never be accomplished overnight. By the time educated children could contribute meaningfully to the desert, it would take at least five or ten years. As such, assistance in education could only go so far for now.
A faster way to revitalize the desert would be like what Anpu did—bringing in traffic and boosting the economy.
"Um… did you mention the Grand Sage just now? I've heard about the changes at the Sumeru Akademiya even back in Fontaine, but what exactly is the relationship between Mr. Victor, Lesser Lord Kusanali, the Grand Sage, and the school? Could you explain it to me?"
"And this is…?" Setareh looked toward the source of the voice.
"Hello, I'm Charlotte, a reporter from The Steambird of Fontaine. I came to Sumeru to cover the 'Second Teyvat Bubble-Blowing Competition,' but maybe… I could also do a personal interview with Mr. Victor?"
"I see… that's a good thing. Then shall I explain?" Setareh asked Victor Wang for his opinion.
"I don't mind."
Hearing this, Charlotte pulled Setareh aside and began whispering to her… murmur murmur.
Before long, Kaveh arrived at the selected school site with several others. Qi Xiuming had already settled the land across the way for building a milk tea shop, and with Anpu accompanying him, the deed for the school grounds was soon delivered into Kaveh's hands.
With the objective of this trip accomplished, Victor Wang prepared to send Kaveh and Qi Xiuming back to Sumeru City.
It was the same mode of transport as before, the same boat as when they arrived. Only after boarding did Charlotte suddenly realize something. "Eh—wait, didn't you say earlier that you were also going to build a library?"
"That's right."
"Then you wouldn't have… completely forgotten about it, would you?"
Many important things are hidden in the details—such as a person's true character.
Charlotte knew that this Mr. Victor was actually the famed author "Dust." His works had been featured on the Opera Épiclèse's New Year's Eve stage for two consecutive years, and that book, Sherlock Holmes, was wildly popular throughout Fontaine. To put it bluntly, almost everyone owned a copy.
Though she couldn't be called a die-hard fan, Charlotte was indeed a fan of "Dust," and she was extremely curious about him. Thus, she brought out the same professionalism she used when infiltrating criminal dens alone or secretly interviewing shady factories, carefully scrutinizing every detail that might cause "Dust's" public image to collapse.
Victor Wang merely explained casually, "That land is temporarily reserved for someone else. If you're interested, you can chat with Qi Xiuming and Kaveh on the way. I need to hurry on now."
...
"What's going on? What's going on? What's going on? What did you all do in the desert? Kaveh said he couldn't tell me due to professional ethics—ha! He's already shown the blueprints to others, and he thinks I don't know! But that Ningguang actually wants to reach her hand into Sumeru?"
The next morning, Dori came straight to Victor Wang.
According to the plan, she should have followed the clues—first noticing Ningguang's movements based on "the design blueprints Kaveh showed to the building materials boss," then rushing to Aaru Village to snatch the library plot that couldn't be purchased due to "Qi Xiuming's insufficient funds."
Somewhat unexpectedly, Victor Wang asked in return, "You actually came to ask me? No matter how you look at it, I'm Ningguang's collaborator. Is that really appropriate?"
"We've collaborated too, and that big client knows Alice, and I also know Alice. With that connection, can't you even help me with this tiny favor?" Pointing at Victor Wang's bracelet and cloak, Dori said pitifully.
This surprised Victor Wang a little, but after thinking it over, it made sense. Dori and Alice also had a very close cooperative relationship—Alice had even saved Dori's struggling business during its early days. That was why Dori valued this connection so highly and judged whether someone was trustworthy based on the bracelet and cloak.
Ordinary people really couldn't obtain those items.
So, Victor Wang quickly adjusted his demeanor. After hesitating for half a minute, he spoke cautiously, as if leaking a secret:
"At first, I learned through internal channels that the Akademiya planned to build a school in Aaru Village, so I suggested to Ningguang that we take advantage of the situation and build a library.
The appearance of a school will inevitably attract desert dwellers to gather in Aaru Village. That trend is unavoidable, and the customer base will grow.
And if we fully fund the construction of a library and open it to everyone for free, we'll earn a great deal of goodwill.
Just imagine—once you have both customers and reputation, what wouldn't be profitable in an education and culture circle like this?
As long as you don't do anything that destroys your reputation, even competition isn't something to fear. Customers basically won't go elsewhere.
If you can establish a complete commercial chain around the school—handling food, clothing, and daily needs—then for the next hundred years… there'd be more Mora than you could count flowing straight into your pockets."
"That does sound pretty reliable." Dori stared at the ground, pacing back and forth as she calculated nonstop in her mind. "But then why did Ningguang give up? Is she not planning to build that library anymore?"
"To be honest… the talk about insufficient funds is all fake. It's purely because the distance is too far, so Ningguang is still hesitating. If you want to make a move, you'd better seize the opportunity."
Victor Wang spoke very frankly. Ningguang had told Qi Xiuming to "handle it as he saw fit." If Dori, Sumeru's largest local merchant, made it clear that she wouldn't compete for it, then Ningguang really would step in. One way or another, Aaru Village's future would reach a conclusion.
Dori stopped pacing. "But is it really okay to tell me all this so openly?"
"I just want Aaru Village to prosper as soon as possible. No matter how much Ningguang earns, I only get a cut from the milk tea shop and bubble gum profits, so it's fine if you handle this instead."
"Then I'll do it myself. Ningguang is trying to reach into my pocket and grab my Mora—no way am I letting her have it!"
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