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

But considering his notorious reputation...

Even though Fadna knew that with Rhodes's strength there was no need for him to lie to her, she still felt uneasy when she actually arrived at the new oasis.

As far as she knew.

They were not the only tribe that Rhodes personally went to persuade to surrender; there were also three larger tribes.

While those three companies outwardly agreed to join the reclamation of the new oasis, they secretly packed their bags and ran away overnight after Rhodes left.

Fadna had also considered running away like them.

But after careful consideration...

She abandoned that idea and chose to try her luck in this amazing new oasis to see if she could fight for a future for the tribe.

The desert is cruel.

The strong live, the weak die.

This is an iron rule.

No one can disobey.

Fadna's tribe is called Amna. They were formerly one of the vassal tribes of the Tanit tribe and were one of the weakest tribes in the Thousand Valleys Sands region.

Just how weak was the Amna tribe?

They were so weak that the Tanit tribe only needed to send ten warriors, without even needing to bring any Ellion weapons, to easily crush them.

Back when the Tanit tribe still existed.

The requirement for them is to offer Mora regularly. If the Mora is insufficient, they must offer children from their tribe as compensation.

Fadna knew.

These children, forcibly taken to pay off debts, are all trained to be ruthless and heartless, capable of turning their knives on even their own parents without hesitation.

Such a life.

The Amna tribe has been gone for many years.

The shadow that had hung over these tribes, who were originally vassals of Tanit, finally dissipated when the Tanit tribe was wiped out by the people of Aru Village.

But the good days haven't even lasted a few days.

The Red King's messenger, who was identified as a demon in the desert, personally paid a visit.

Although no violence was used, and instead very tempting promises were made, Fadna was still worried that her tribe might have just escaped one danger only to fall into another.

Those tribes that initially agreed to recruit others but immediately ran away did so out of the same concern.

But after discussing with the elders, Fadna finally reached a consensus.

Take a gamble!

If they win the bet, the children of Amna will no longer have to worry about going hungry and being enslaved.

If you lose the bet.

In any case, given the strength of the Amuna tribe, they were destined to be enslaved by others sooner or later. Being enslaved by other large tribes was the same as being enslaved by Aru Village; there was no real difference between them.

They adopted this "what's the use" mentality.

Fadna led her entire tribe, carrying only what little they had, and set off at dawn as agreed with Rhodes. They walked until afternoon, arriving at the giant tree in the very center of the oasis.

"Tsk tsk, so only you came."

Rod greeted him with an expression that said, "I didn't expect this."

He guessed that those tribes and gilded caravans wouldn't listen to his promises so easily.

Moreover, he was prepared that no one would come.

It's quite a pleasant surprise that a tribe from Fadna is willing to come.

"Lord God's Messenger."

"The Amna tribe has a total of 374 people, and they are all here."

Fadna was very humble. Upon meeting him, she immediately knelt down, preparing to perform the prostration ceremony with the same respect she had shown when she met Madam Tanit.

This is the highest form of etiquette for a lower-ranking tribe to pay homage to a higher-ranking tribe.

It is also the only proper etiquette.

The desert has no place for people who are neither arrogant nor humble and have backbone.

If they did not prostrate themselves before their superiors, their fate would be extermination of their tribe and uprooting of their land. Their heads would be used to build skull towers to warn other disobedient tribes, while their corpses would be used as fertilizer to feed fish and cultivate the land.

just.

Before Fadna could fully bow down, having placed herself in a subordinate position, she found that she could not bend down no matter what she did, as if an invisible force was supporting her.

"stand up."

"Here, you don't need to kneel."

Rodel raised his hand, and a gentle breeze swept by, lifting Fadna's kneeling body up. Along with it came the words: "From now on, in the desert, you will no longer need to kneel before anyone else."

However, Fadna did not feel grateful or overjoyed at the fact that she was not allowed to kneel.

Instead, she said with trepidation, "Your Excellency, our Amuna tribe will follow in your footsteps without the slightest disloyalty. Please do not abandon us, please."

Kneeling for too long.

Fadna had long forgotten what it felt like to stand up.

in her cognition.

If those in power do not allow vassal tribes to kneel in worship, it means they do not accept the loyalty of the vassal tribes.

The consequences of such an attitude are predictable.

"Ugh--"

Rhodes didn't criticize Fadna's insistence on kneeling down no matter what, but instead looked at Nasita, who had been watching from the sidelines.

On Nasita's face, he saw a complex mix of emotions, including pity, sorrow, and sympathy.

once Upon a time.

Desert dwellers share the same pride as rainforest people.

Now, in order to survive, they have been reduced to this state.

So Rhodes changed direction and spoke again, "Fadna, I have a question for you."

"Sir, please speak, I will tell you everything I know."

"Whose people do you consider yourself to be?"

".?"

Fadna was stumped by Rhodes' question.

Yes.

Whose people are we?

Fadna instinctively wanted to say that they were the people of Nabu Marikata, the goddess of flowers.

But before he could say it...

She stopped herself from saying that.

The goddess of flowers, Nabu Marikata, has passed away.

Ahmar, the Red King who ruled the desert, has also passed away.

If you look at it this way.

"I'm."

"I am a subject of the Grass God."

"Fadna said cautiously."

She felt very uncertain.

Rod is the messenger of the Red King and the spokesperson for the Grass God, so theoretically, this answer should be correct.

"And what about your tribe?" Rhodes then asked.

"Self, naturally so too."

"What about the other desert dwellers?"

"We are all subjects of the Grass God."

"A very good answer."

Rhodes nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Narcida once more.

then.

Then Nasita, draped in green light, slowly floated up, one hand caressing the source of the oasis, the other placed on her chest, and solemnly announced.

"In the name of the Grass God."

"I declare."

"All people of Mount Sumeru are equal and do not need to kneel before others."

These words were not only spoken to the people of the Amna tribe.

It swept in all directions like a tidal wave.

In an instant.

Everyone living in Sumeru, whether they are locals, foreigners, rainforest dwellers, or desert people, can clearly hear Naxi Da's voice.

The people of the Amna tribe were completely silent, staring in disbelief as Nasita performed her miracle.

They never imagined that the seemingly unremarkable little girl next to Rhodes was actually the Grass God of Sumeru.

What surprised them even more was...

It was astonishing that the Grass God himself issued a divine decree, granting them the status of being able to coexist equally with others.