With Iskander's firsthand account, even Setaria, who was from the Desert, felt this was an unsolvable problem.
His village, Aaru Village, was able to become the largest settlement in the Desert region precisely because it was located near the edge of the Desert and rainforest, where water resources were relatively abundant, and more importantly, there was Caravan Ribat nearby to replenish supplies.
But what about settlements deeper in the Desert? They had no reliance whatsoever and could only strictly limit their population based on the water resources within the settlement. If there was only enough water for a hundred people, then the 101st person had to leave the tribe, and this 101st person would either be a young adult or an elder from the tribe.
The former could at least go to other tribes or the rainforest region to find another way to live, or at worst, join the Eremites in the Desert and become a mercenary who lived on the edge of a knife. This was the fundamental reason for the large number of Eremites in the Desert region. As for the latter, their fate was much more tragic.
Setaria carefully considered the current economic structure of Sumeru City to see what industries could be replicated in the Desert region.
Agriculture? Not really! The soil was too barren, and developing agriculture in the Desert would be a futile effort.
Industry? Even worse! Other things might be fine, but if the developed industry polluted precious water resources, it would definitely be a counterproductive move.
Service industry? Most residents in the Desert were struggling, so who would they serve? The wealthy ones were those Eremites mercenaries, who were accustomed to enjoying themselves in Caravan Ribat, Port Ormos, or Sumeru City after completing a job, and would never spend their Mora in the Desert region.
Tourism? Developing attractions like King Deshret's Mausoleum and the Hall of Truth in the Desert was a good idea, but it was hard to say whether the vicious Eremites in the Desert would threaten tourists, what would happen if the harsh and complex environment of the Desert caused tourist casualties, and whether the increasing number of tourists would harm the local environment.
Thinking this way, Iskander's earlier words seemed to make sense.
Everyone present quickly understood this point and immediately agreed with Iskander's view. Instead of investing a large amount of resources in the Desert region without knowing how to develop it, it would be more effective to build libraries or classrooms in the various settlements in the Desert. The effect would be most obvious, and it wouldn't cost much money. As for people and teaching materials, the various academies could provide them.
Setaria also felt a bit dejected at this, and she had to admit that the harsh environment of the Desert indeed greatly limited local development, and even with a large investment of resources, the results might be minimal.
Just then, Nahida looked at Miyashiro, and after receiving his nod of approval, she calmly said, "I understand the reasons put forward by the Logic School sage. If this is the only problem, then this problem is easy to solve."
Everyone present, upon hearing Lesser Lord Kusanali's answer, immediately widened their eyes, full of disbelief. What did she mean? What did she mean by 'this problem is easy to solve'? That was the harsh Desert!
At this moment, some scholars finally realized the problem they had overlooked earlier, which was that Lesser Lord Kusanali was a god, not a human. Problems that humans could not solve did not mean that gods could not solve them.
At this moment, Miyashiro's figure had also walked onto the high platform and stood beside Nahida. Lesser Lord Kusanali generously stated, "Everyone, the reason I invited the Inazuma Regent to attend this meeting today is not merely to express gratitude for his previous contributions to Sumeru, but to discuss the future of Sumeru.
After personally witnessing the Regent's ability to manipulate trees to support the entire Sumeru City, I realized one thing: the Regent possesses the ability to transform the Desert!
After I had an in-depth conversation with him, the Regent admitted that he has the ability to turn the Desert into a forest, and he is very willing to help Sumeru."
Everyone was incredibly surprised to hear this. Turn the Desert into a forest? This must be a joke, right? How could that be possible?
Miyashiro scanned the crowd, and seeing their incredulous expressions, he didn't waste any words. He simply stomped his foot lightly on the high platform, and everyone present felt the ground beneath their feet begin to tremble.
On both sides of the high platform, the hard, flat floor instantly shattered and buckled, and two branches broke through the soil, then immediately rapidly swelled and grew, taking root, sprouting, branching, and leafing out. They suddenly grew into lush, leafy trees in the House of Daena of the Akademiya, one on the left and one on the right, complementing each other and remarkably fitting the layout of the House of Daena.
Seeing this scene beyond their comprehension, everyone was dumbfounded. Some bolder Amurta School and Spantamad School scholars had already rushed to the base of these two large trees and began to study them firsthand, their eyes full of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.
"This is simply a miracle!"
"This ability is simply too suitable for Sumeru. Why isn't he a Sumeru native?"
"Dendro Archon above, how was this done?"
"I've studied plants for most of my life, and I never thought I'd have my eyes opened today!"
"I wonder if there's a chance to pick some leaves or break off a branch to study it properly."
"Oh? That thought of yours is too impolite. You should at least wait until he leaves, and by the way, help me pick some too."
Compared to the excited gazes of the other scholars, Alhaitham, as the Acting Grand Sage, looked at Miyashiro with very complex emotions. First, he disclosed information to him, then found him a helper, helped Lesser Lord Kusanali defeat the false god Balladeer, used divine power to support the collapsing Sumeru City, and now he was going to help Sumeru turn the Desert into a forest.
If Miyashiro were a Sumeru native, having made so many contributions to Sumeru, Alhaitham could generously let Miyashiro hold an important position in Sumeru, and could even recommend him to become Sumeru's Grand Sage, as he didn't care about that position anyway.
But he was not a Sumeru native; he was the Inazuma Regent. With such a high official position, having made such immense contributions in Sumeru, what was he trying to do? What was he plotting?
Was he merely doing good deeds without seeking recognition? Alhaitham would never entertain such an unrealistic idea.
Miyashiro had put so much effort and invested so much in Sumeru; how could he not expect a return? If that were the case, what kind of response should Sumeru make to be worthy of Miyashiro's efforts?
Alhaitham suddenly felt a chill down his spine, feeling that this Inazuma Regent, who regarded him as one of his pawns, was finally about to reveal his sharp fangs and begin to feast on the fat meat of Sumeru.
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