The next morning, Setaria, the Grand Sage's assistant, arrived at Vimara Village with his orders.
Even after a night of revelry, many simple villagers were already up early doing their chores, not to mention preparing breakfast for their guests.
Guided by the villagers, Setaria arrived at the highest point of Vimara Village and was stunned by the five luxurious, prominent wooden villas: "Strange! When did the people of Vimara Village build such high-class villas? They seem even better than where I live..."
After much inquiry, Setaria finally met the legendary Inazuma Regent. Seeing his young yet imposing demeanor greatly surprised her; after all, he was the supreme ruler of a nation, and she had expected him to be a rigid and stern old man like Azar!
Setaria respectfully bowed to Miyashiro. Even though Azar inwardly disdained people like Miyashiro who only gained status through force, he still had to maintain appearances, and Setaria's status had not reached Azar's level.
Setaria: "Greetings, esteemed Regent. I am Setaria, assistant to the Grand Sage of the Sumeru Akademiya."
Miyashiro, who had just woken up, still had a bit of morning grumpiness on his face. He unconsciously yawned and said, "Setaria, was it? Welcome. I didn't expect the Grand Sage's choice of assistant to be similar. Is there something the Grand Sage's assistant personally came for?"
Setaria: "The Regent is jesting. Your delegation should have arrived in Sumeru City yesterday. For this, our sage, Khajeh, waited early at Port Ormos in Sumeru City. The Akademiya also prepared a welcoming banquet and comfortable accommodation for you, awaiting the arrival of the Inazuma Delegation.
However, your delegation never appeared. The Grand Sage was very concerned if your delegation had encountered an accident in Sumeru. He specifically ordered Guards to search along the waterways between Sumeru City and Port Ormos, finally discovering your delegation's whereabouts in Vimara Village. Could the Regent please explain what happened?"
Miyashiro: "It's nothing much. It's just that Sumeru's waterway might be old and in disrepair, and our ship has a deeper draft, so it ran aground near Vimara Village and couldn't continue sailing. So, we docked in Vimara Village for repairs."
A hint of surprise appeared on Setaria's face: "So that's what happened. That is indeed a shortcoming on Sumeru's part. I will report it to the Akademiya to widen and deepen the overly narrow river channels.
Then, how long will it take for the Regent's ship to be repaired?"
Miyashiro: "Hmm... about three days?"
Setaria: "Three days?!"
A hint of displeasure appeared on Miyashiro's face: "What? Is there a problem? Repairing hull damage is a major Project. If it's to be repaired, it must be repaired perfectly. Otherwise, how can it sail on the open sea? The winds and waves on the sea are much fiercer than Sumeru's rivers."
Setaria quickly explained: "Regent, if the Inazuma Delegation stays in Vimara Village for three days without entering Sumeru City, I'm afraid it will cause Sumeru's populace to have different views of the Inazuma Delegation. The Grand Sage's meaning is that he hopes you can enter the city as soon as possible.
As for the hull repair work, I can report to the Grand Sage and have him notify the students and scholars of the Kshahrewar School to handle the repairs. Everyone from the Kshahrewar School is a talented student specializing in architecture, guaranteed to perfectly repair the damaged hull within a day."
Miyashiro: "Is that so? I appreciate the Grand Sage's kind offer, but this is Inazuma's own business, and it's not good to rely on others."
Setaria: "No, no, no! The damage to your delegation's ship was due to a problem with Sumeru's waterway; this matter also has some responsibility on our part. Please give us a chance to make amends."
Miyashiro: "Well... alright, but I hope the arrival time in Sumeru City is set for two days later. To be honest, we traveled a long distance from Inazuma to Sumeru, tired from the journey, and perhaps experiencing some acclimatization issues, so our mental state isn't very good. My two secretaries are complaining that their hair is even split.
Meeting Sumeru's officials disheveled would seem disrespectful. Coincidentally, Vimara Village, where we are, is a good place for leisure and recuperation. Resting here for two days to regain our spirits is also out of respect for the Sumeru Akademiya."
Seeing Miyashiro's firm expression, Setaria could only agree for now: "Since that is the case, then we will follow the Regent's wishes. I will return to report to the Grand Sage that your delegation will arrive on the morning of two days from now. Is that acceptable?"
Miyashiro nodded. Setaria saw that Miyashiro had agreed and was about to turn and leave when Miyashiro stopped him.
Miyashiro: "Wait a moment. Since you're already here, stay for breakfast before you go. It won't take much more time. Ayaka, please bring another breakfast."
Ayaka, having received the instruction, nodded and turned to leave. Seeing this, Setaria felt it would be rude to refuse, so he thanked Miyashiro.
Miyashiro looked him over and said, "Judging by Miss Setaria's complexion, you don't look like someone from the rainforest. Are you from the Desert?"
Miyashiro's question hit Setaria's sore spot. If someone from the Akademiya had asked him this question, Setaria would definitely avoid it or choose the identity of a rainforest person.
However, the person asking this question was not from Sumeru. In front of a foreigner, Setaria no longer wanted to consider the distinction between rainforest people and Desert people and generously admitted: "Yes, Regent, I am from Aaru Village in the Desert region."
Miyashiro: "I have heard of Sumeru's regional discrimination. People from the Desert need to put in much greater effort and pay a higher price to receive the same treatment in the Akademiya as those from the rainforest. Since you can serve as the Grand Sage's assistant as a Desert person, it shows that your abilities are exceptionally outstanding and truly remarkable!"
A difficult-to-hide joy appeared on Setaria's face. This was the first time since he joined the Akademiya that he received such high praise and commendation after revealing his identity as someone from the Desert.
While this made him feel very satisfied, a hint of unwillingness also surged in his heart. After all, the status and achievement he had obtained were not based on ability, but on compromise.
After Miyashiro noticed the micro-expression on Setaria's face, the corners of his mouth slightly curved as he said, "I've heard that residents of the Desert either believe in King Deshret or no longer believe in any gods. Which category do you belong to?"
Setaria hesitated, then honestly said, "Working in the Akademiya, believing in Greater Lord Rukkhadevata helps with work, but actually, I should be considered one of those who don't believe in gods, because the god I believed in fell long ago."
Miyashiro: "Speaking of which, when I was at Port Ormos, I heard members of the Eremites discussing and promoting the idea that King Deshret would soon be resurrected. It seems they even made Lesser Lord Kusanali their imaginary enemy. What are your thoughts on this?"
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