In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

Rod waved to her.

Also following them were Dixia and Farusan.

soon.

Rod then showed them the effects of this 'soil binder'.

After the loose sand was mixed with this soil binder and watered, it became as sticky as mud in just over ten minutes. Except for the color of sand, it was no longer visible as sand.

"Wha...?"

Setare grabbed a handful of soil herself, and her expression immediately changed.

The ability to transform loose sand into soil that can retain moisture is nothing short of miraculous.

"If this thing were widely adopted, wouldn't the desert no longer need to rely on the bounty of fertility?"

Setare muttered to herself, her eyes glazed over.

Abundant blessings.

This is an iron chain that the Church of Jesus has tied to the heads of the desert people.

Desert dwellers cannot live without this as long as they want to have enough to eat.

The bountiful benefits are only available to the Church.

If Rhodes' use of grass slimes instead of the Blessing of Fertile Lands was enough to allow Aru Village to break free from part of its dependence on the Order of the Church.

Now that Rhodes has developed this soil adhesive, once it is widely adopted, the entire desert region will benefit from it and will no longer be subject to the restrictions imposed by the Council on food issues.

After all, grass slimes are not endless; the vast desert land cannot be fertile enough with just them.

The soil binder from Rhodes is different.

Listen to what he just said.

By mixing this stuff with sand and then watering it, the desert can be turned into soil. Although the soil produced in this way is not yet fertile, when combined with the new fertilizer he developed, it can improve the fertility of soils with insufficient fertility to a level similar to that of slime fields.

It's not as fertile as some other lands, but in the desert region, it's more than enough.

"Now I understand why you became the Crimson King's messenger."

Setare sighed, completely convinced of Rhodes's superiority.

then

She then said to Rhodes, "I'm going back to the Church."

After saying that, she gave a wink to Dixia and Farusan, who were chattering away nearby.

Rhodes understood.

He stepped forward and said to Desia and Farusan, "Desia, I forgot something at the alchemy table. Could you go with me to get it?"

same.

He also gave Dixia a wink.

After understanding his meaning, Dixia took Farusan away.

Setare then said, "I already know what I can do, junior. Thank you, thank you for giving me a chance to make up for the guilt in my heart."

"Oh?"

Rod shook the mud off his hands and said slowly, "Senior, do you really know what you're going to do?"

"Ok?"

"what do you mean?"

Unexpectedly, Rhodes not only did not agree with her words, but also questioned her. Setare frowned and said, "Of course I know. When I return to the Church, I will persuade my old friends and prepare the supplies needed for Aru Village. Once everything is ready, I will resign from my position in the Church and join them in helping with the construction of Aru Village."

"You're quite decisive, senior."

"The position of assistant to the great sage, which everyone desires but cannot obtain, is now being given up so easily."

Rod gave a thumbs-up, then abruptly changed the subject, shaking his head and saying, "But senior, you're wrong. You've gone down the wrong path again."

"Wrong again?"

Setare was taken aback.

I was willing to sacrifice my bright future to help Aru Village develop, so how could I be wrong?

Then she heard Rhodes ask her two questions in quick succession: "Is Aru Village the entire desert? Senior, is it Aru Village that you've wronged all these years?"

Rhodes's words were sharp and left Setare with absolutely no chance to save face.

The rhetorical question, "Have you wronged Aru Village all these years?" caused Setare's pupils to shrink sharply.

Continuing on this topic, Rhodes pressed on, saying, "Over the years, you have helped the Great Sage formulate numerous policies targeting the desert, making the desert people's living conditions increasingly difficult. Over the years, you have not only ignored the goodwill extended to you by your homeland, but you have even vented your guilt towards your homeland on innocent people. Setare, do you think that such sins can be repaid by simply helping Aru Village?"

"what do you want to say in the end?"

Setare's expression kept changing, and her voice gradually turned cold.

If she still doesn't realize that Rhodes had ulterior motives for saying those words, then she's truly wasted her time as the Great Sage's assistant.

However, Rhodes, who had just been speaking aggressively, suddenly laughed: "What I'm saying is very simple. Why don't you think about how to help all the desert people instead of just using Aru Village to atone for your sins?"

"To help all the people of the desert?"

Upon hearing this, Setare frowned and said decisively, "I'm sorry, I can't do that with my abilities."

"No, you can do it."

Rhodes shook his finger and laughed, "Solving a problem doesn't necessarily mean going in the direction of finding the answer. We can also solve the problem from its source."

"For example, overthrowing the Great Sage and re-establishing the rules of the Council of the Sages."

As soon as she finished speaking, Setare's pupils dilated sharply, and she stared intently at Rhodes, whose tone was incredibly relaxed, as if he were talking about something trivial.

(End of this chapter)

132. Chapter 130: Rhodes, the Killer of the Dead Zone.

Chapter 130: Rhodes, the Killer of the Dead Zone.

Setare is gone.

She left with her promise.

Rhodes was very satisfied with what she had promised.

After a fierce internal struggle, the great sage's assistant, who felt deeply guilty towards the desert, finally agreed to Rhodes's request.

"Looks like it's going well."

Standing with Rhode at the village entrance, Desia looked at Rhode's barely suppressed smile and laughed as well.

"It went even more smoothly than I expected."

Rhodes was telling the truth.

His initial thought was that, if all else failed, he would assume the identity of the Crimson King's messenger to exert divine pressure on her, or simply have Naxida possess him.

However, both of these methods have significant hidden dangers.

Setare is an exceptionally determined person; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to stand by and help the Church of Jesus for several years to suppress the desert, despite the pangs of conscience.

The key is.

She is also a person without faith.

These kinds of people are the most troublesome.

Having no faith means that her identity as the Red King's messenger can only suppress her, but cannot convince her through her faith in the gods.

It would be even more unrealistic to have Narcida possess and control her.

Let's set aside whether Naxi Da is willing or not.

The fact that the Great Sage is already wary of Narcida means that this tactic is unlikely to work. If Narcida accidentally manages to control Setare and enters an area that can shield her, then they will be completely doomed.

Moreover, even though Narcida and the Traveler only used a few people to disguise themselves as followers of the Red King in the game, they managed to break down her psychological defenses in one fell swoop.

But still the same sentence.

Games are games, reality is reality.

Rod and Setare have been in contact for a long time.

I know very well just how thick the walls of this person's heart are.

To truly convince Setare to submit to her inner guilt and fight against the Great Sage for the future of the desert, relying solely on faith—something intangible and ethereal—is useless.

Therefore, while fully igniting her sense of guilt, there also needs to be something that can truly move her.

The Red King's gift is a good thing.

Rhodes made a promise.

He made the promise in his capacity as the Red King's messenger.

If Setare is willing to assist him in restoring justice to the desert, the Red King will not only forgive her past sins but also bestow his blessings upon her.

This promise is very easy to keep.

Anyway, with Narcida around, once she's freed, giving Setare anything in the name of the Red King will be considered as Rhodes fulfilling the contract.

And through Nasita's mind-reading ability.

Rhodes doesn't need to worry that Setare is saying one thing and meaning another, and then going back to the Church to report him.

In short.

Just one sentence.

It went very smoothly, extremely smoothly.

A sharp spike planted next to the Great Sage was all it took to take care of him.

Now all we need to do is figure out how to gain control of the void and get rid of those densely packed guards.

In the game, this plan was achieved through Elhesen's cunning and skillful maneuvering, which ultimately allowed them to steal control of the void from the Great Sage.