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

"without"

Rod opened the wooden box in his hand with a strange expression: "She just gave me one thing."

Just as that fern revealed its form.

Before Nasita could react, Patishalan, who was actually the Great Tree King in disguise, immediately showed great joy. She even swayed her flower branches toward the ferns, and a fragrance wafted from the flower buds.

"This is!?"

Upon seeing this, Naxi Da's eyes lit up.

She had never seen a plant with such a high concentration of elemental energy.

In addition, she had previously been in contact with Appepp's Oasis Heart and was very familiar with Appepp's elemental forms.

Therefore, she recognized it after only a little scrutiny.

The fern in Rod's hand.

It is something that shares the same origin as the oasis within Appepp's body.

in other words.

These are the plants that grow in that oasis.

"This thing is very valuable."

Having figured out the origin of the fern, Nasita instantly realized the true value of the gift Appepp had given to Rhodes.

It's important to know that this was before Appepp was cured.

The oasis within her body had long since been transformed into apocalypse under the influence of forbidden knowledge.

To explain it in simpler terms.

That means that before today, there was not a single oasis left in Appepp's body. The fern in Rod's hand was actually a new sprout that grew after the oasis was rebuilt.

what does this mean?

This means that, theoretically, this fern could also be called by another name.

“The source of the oasis, or the source of life.”

Nasita took a deep breath and slowly uttered two names.

"The Source of the Oasis?"

"The source of life?"

".you mean?"

Through Nasita's explanation, Rhodes quickly understood.

This fern was the first new shoot to emerge from the oasis within Apep's body. No matter how the oasis evolved afterward, it could not have been separated from the growth and evolution of these new shoots.

Let's make a rough analogy.

The significance of this fern is equivalent to that of the first life at the beginning of time, which is not only profound, but also the most solid manifestation of Apep's elemental power.

Theoretically speaking.

If this thing were placed on the continent of Teyvat, a single blade of grass could evolve into an oasis.

"What does she want to do by giving me such a gift?"

Rod held the wooden box in his hands, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

What is it about him that makes him so valuable to Appepp that he's willing to give up such a treasure, which is considered the source of an oasis?

(End of this chapter)

193. Chapter 184: The Address of Planting the Source of the Oasis

Chapter 184 The Address of Planting the Source of the Oasis

Let's put other things aside for now.

Rhodes and Nasita are now thinking about where to plant this source of oasis.

Regardless of what idea Apep was based on when he sent this source of oasis.

There's no doubt that this fern has the ability to accelerate the regeneration of the Great Tree King.

Now, Nasita has exhausted a great deal of elemental power in her Heart of God in order to treat Apep. She doesn't even have enough energy left to water the Great Tree King, let alone deal with emergencies.

If you use your own elemental power to water it every day.

It takes a long time.

The timing of this oasis source's arrival is perfect.

As for where it's best to plant it.

Naxida's thoughts were still on Aru Village.

Anyway.

Aru Village is now an autonomous territory of Sumeru, and under Rhodes's arrangement, it is still gathering large numbers of desert tribesmen and mercenaries.

The future Aru Village will definitely be more than just a single village.

This is a done deal.

To expand Aru Village to the size of a city or even a super city like Sumeru City, a large amount of resources would need to be invested.

Just like now.

Although, with the help of alchemical potions and various new planting methods, the grain production in Aru Village has increased to a number that was previously unimaginable.

However, such output is based on the premise that Aru Village has been frantically absorbing labor.

If Rhodes or Candice were exploitative capitalists, even if they absorbed several times more labor, the village wouldn't have these problems.

There will be no situation where a group of mercenaries buys up all the food on the market, almost forcing the use of grain reserves.

The problem is that Rhodes and Candice didn't do that.

At least basic fairness exists.

Even the bandits who had attacked the village and were captured were still paid while they did hard labor to atone for their sins.

This behavior can be described as explosive in the entire Sumeru region.

Looking across the entirety of Teyvat, no one would do such a thing.

Bandits have no human rights.

This is a generally accepted fact.

Candice used to think the same way.

Back then, the bandits who fell into her hands didn't even get paid, let alone have the chance to do hard labor; they were simply reborn on the spot.

So when Rhodes said he would pay these people their wages, Candice, like everyone else, didn't understand.

Of course.

Rhodes made this decision not because he was thinking about criminals having human rights, but simply because he wanted to attract more people to Aru Village.

The target group is not these criminal bandits and thieves.

These are the tribespeople and mercenaries that Desia and Tadella are now recruiting in batches.

The original plan for Aru Village has far exceeded expectations and is moving towards even greater goals.

Nasida, who had previously worked with Rhodes on the planning in the dream world, naturally understood what Aru Village needed now.

That is money!

True.

After Rhodes rescued Narcida, people and things related to Rhodes received considerable attention.

Especially his birthplace, Aru Village, as recorded in official records.

After Nasita regained control of the Papacy, she immediately received investment intentions from many wealthy businessmen, led by Dolly.

However, it should be considered that investments require a return.

Once you accept investments from these wealthy businessmen, you have to deliver corresponding returns in return.

After careful consideration, Candice calculated the village's current production capacity and ultimately rejected most of the investment offers, retaining only a limited number of partners.

And as of now.

The biggest financial backer behind Aru Village is not the merchants, but the Religious Council.

only.

The investment from these investors alone has not alleviated the fact that the village's expenses are getting higher and higher.

Short of money.

This whole thing seems to have no end.

In any case, in Rhodes and Nasita's memory, the economic situation of Aru Village had never been good.

They are either in a situation where they are very short of money, or on the road to becoming very short of money.

However, just as Nasita said she would plant the source of the oasis in Aru Village to reduce the village's consumption in improving the land and increasing crop yields.

Rod said something like, "This thing isn't grown in Aru Village."

The site of the Tanit tribe's former settlement was the location he chose.

"Where to?"

Naxida didn't quite understand.

Everything else is negotiable, but why go to a place that was once used as a temporary stop by the tribespeople, instead of continuing to expand the already well-established Aru Village?

"Because the desert is so vast, it shouldn't only have one village, Aru."

Rhodes spoke his mind.

Expanding Aru Village can indeed achieve the highest return with the least investment.