By the time Gabriel found out, Youfei's death was irreversible.
After coming here, Gabriel showed Amber the last research notes written by Youfei, but this so-called "research notes" did not contain any text related to the research. It was all about a mother's love for her child. Every word between the lines highlighted what kind of mother Youfei was.
There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version
There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version
"...Believe me, little Luna, your mother really loves you very much, and she didn't come back to see you because she is temporarily busy." Amber finally calmed down and decided to add another layer of cover-up on this lie.
"Little Luna, if you don't believe me, go ask your father. He will definitely tell you what kind of person your mother is."
In any case, little Jade is still too young. Her current reaction is essentially a lack of "love". The truth must not be told to her at this time.
...At least, wait until she truly finds a sense of belonging here and is filled with love before telling her all this.
Looking at little Jade who wiped her tears hard and nodded, Amber's mood became a little depressed. She did overlook this point because she was too busy to pay attention to the above matters.
But perhaps she was helpless - the problem of the desert was real. Tragedies like the one that happened to Little Jade had actually been repeated countless times among the people of the sand. She still had a long way to go. Amber naturally didn't want to see an incident like the one that happened to Little Jade again.
"From now on, at least make time to spend with the children every once in a while." Amber made up her mind silently, and she hugged little Jade tightly again.
"Little Luna, if you want, you can call me 'Auntie'. If your mother were still alive, we would definitely become like sisters. I'm still young, so just call me Auntie."
Little Jade nodded vigorously. After she recovered, she was called away by Yi who pulled her back to class. As she walked, she looked back at Amber, and Amber kept watching her return to the classroom.
Now only Hart and Amber were left. Hart, a grown-up, actually had red eyes, which immediately drew Amber's surprised look.
"It seems that you miss your family." Aji sat on Amber's shoulder and whispered to her quietly. Amber understood.
"Hey..." Hart rubbed his eyes shyly, "Seeing that child suddenly reminded me of my wife and son."
"Well, I heard from Dixia that your son just turned three recently?"
"Dixie, why do you keep telling everyone?" Hart sighed and nodded. "That was a month ago. My wife stopped doing dangerous work like this after we got married to take care of our son. As for me... Honestly, I don't have any special skills besides fighting. I can only use violence to earn money to support my family."
There was a hint of apology in Hart's voice, an apology to his wife and children at home. If possible, he would not want to do such a risky job. Who wouldn't want to do this if they can earn money safely?
Therein lies the problem... There are many people in the Sand who have no special skills other than fighting like him. They either do manual labor with low salary - they also have to be careful about being cheated by some people because they cannot read, or they can be like him and be a mercenary, guard or something like that.
"This is why I do this." Amber smiled as she led Hart in one direction. "Hart, imagine that one day the desert becomes an oasis. The people of the sand won't have to work so hard to have enough to eat. They can also receive an education like the people of the forest and become scholars, businessmen, or other professionals."
Hart followed Amber's words and imagined that as a mercenary of the Blazing Beast Hunter, he was one of the rare people who had actually entered the rainforest. The "desert full of oases" as described by Amber was probably no different from a rainforest.
By then, people can farm in the desert, and he can sleep in the wheat fields for the rest of his life. He won't have to risk his life like he does now, and he can eat hot white bread and flatbreads. His son won't have to repeat his mistakes and become a mercenary living on the edge of a knife, but can be a safe and respected scholar, which is much better than him.
He could also be like the people of the forest, working from sunrise to sunset, and seeing his wife and children warmly lying on the bed when he returned home every night, instead of being away for months at a time like he is now; these... beautiful things are a bit unrealistic.
"Ha... those are really too beautiful, too beautiful to be realistic." Hart took a deep breath and broke away from his fantasy. They had already walked to the front of the experimental plot. Instead of shrinking, this experimental plot was "spreading" outward. The grass was slowly growing around it along this plot of land. It wouldn't be long before the sand would turn into soil.
If someone had said those words like Amber in the past, Hart would never have believed it, but now he didn't think Amber was lying, and the scene before him was proof of it.
Hart never understood as much as he did now why Amber was revered as the "messenger of the Red King". On one hand, there was the current life in the desert, and on the other hand, there was the life he had imagined before. What else was there to worry about?
"As for the branch tribe, the new team will probably arrive tomorrow, Lord God's Messenger." Hart reported to Amber, his tone full of genuine respect.
"Well, I'm sorry to bother you with these tasks, Hart." Amber has become accustomed to this title and the "responsibility" behind this title. No matter what, she will have to shoulder all of this.
The two chatted for a few more words until Farusan came over, and Hart returned to his guard duty in the village.
"Amber, take a look at this sprinkler system." Half a month has passed since Falushan came here. This half month is also the time when the Chi Nian clan has undergone a great change. The area around the oasis was originally a bit bare, but now date palm trees have been planted in an orderly manner, and it has become a forest.
Amber's idea was to first plant date palms and caragana extensively using plant growth agents. Assuming Gabriel did not interfere with the Eye of the Grass God, and only sprayed the growth agents intermittently, it would take six months for a batch of date palms to grow from small seedlings to two-meter-tall trees. Gabriel could quickly grow a batch of date palm seeds into seedlings. In addition, under Amber's influence, all clans were willing to cultivate date palm seedlings, so the reserve of seedlings was not a problem.
After six months, a one-month follow-up treatment can be started, spraying the improved soil stabilizer and sowing grass seeds. A crop is formed every eight months, which can transform an area into an oasis-like environment. After another two months or so, the soil can slowly change from sand to mud. As the base number of sapling sources and the number of people involved increase, this process will only get faster and faster.
Amber's preliminary estimate is that it will only take 5 years to complete the environmental transformation of the entire wind erosion area. Then it will take another 5 years to complete the environmental transformation of the entire desert by taking the wind erosion area as the starting point and uniting all the forces that can be united.
Thanks to elemental power, this process can be compressed to less than a generation. By then, the shortage of resources will be cut off in this generation, and the spiral of pain will lose its most fundamental driving force.
But this is not enough to completely defeat it. The contradiction between the desert and the rainforest has been slowly forged over a long period of time. The environment can change, but these may only be slowly forgotten through the iteration of two or three generations.
——Amber never thought of confronting the rainforest head-on. This would not work. Perhaps the thing the Sand People are most proud of is their military force, but these so-called "military forces" are completely insignificant in the face of "knowledge". Only peaceful development can give them a glimmer of hope. In order for the Sand People to officially integrate with "civilization" in the future, perhaps she also needs to make some plans.
"Well... it looks pretty good." Amber looked at the set of drawings handed to her by Falusan. During this period, Falusan also taught her a lot of mechanical knowledge. Although it was still not enough for Amber to design something like a drip irrigation system, fortunately, Amber was able to understand the set of drawings designed by Falusan.
Yes, it is sprinkler irrigation, not drip irrigation. It's not that Amber doesn't want to, but it is not allowed at the moment. Although Teyvat already has preliminary plastic-like materials, they are not very mature. Producing plastic pipes for nozzles is already the limit, let alone drip irrigation.
We can't use metal pipes. This kind of design is probably only possible in Fontaine. There's no such thing as an industrial lathe in Xumi...
In essence, the other aspect is determined by demand. Thanks to the elemental force, Amber initially estimates that the first phase of governance can be completed in 5 years. By then, there will be enough water to participate in the water cycle, and the climate will change accordingly. At that time, there will not be such a shortage of water as it is now. In the final analysis, the demand is not that great.
The desert surface cannot hold water, but the underground water is not necessarily that scarce. The passage leading to the ruins has been dug, and it is not that difficult to draw water from the underground "natural well". The number of residents in the desert is far less than that in the forest. If groundwater can really be collected, there is no need to worry about water shortage for a long time. The inevitable initial water investment in environmental governance is actually obtained through similar methods.
This also has the support of Aru Village. Aru Village has a water pumping device that comes from the Red King Ruins. The water pumped out forms an artificial waterfall, which can be described as "constant". After Candice discussed with several people in the village, and after Amber has shown such results, they promised that the water consumed in participating in the governance can be purchased from Aru Village at a suitable price.
It can be said that the entire Lower Wind Erosion Area was united together to accomplish a great thing.
Chapter 39: Net
"I've really troubled you recently, Falusan." Amber looked at the water pump on the drawing. She proposed the concept and requirements, and then Falusan completed the design. Now it is the fifth version. Compared with the previous versions, the complex design has been eliminated as much as possible. The structure has been simplified to the maximum extent while ensuring sufficient performance. The probability of failure and the difficulty of maintenance are reduced to the greatest extent possible, and the difficulty of manufacturing is also reduced.
Today's water pumps are driven by energy blocks. When necessary, an external earth vein energy extraction device can be used to extract earth vein energy on the spot. The entire water pump is about the size of a backpack, and the external earth vein energy extraction device is only as big as a waist bag when folded up. It can be carried and operated by one person.
As for the orders for plastic water pipes, they have to be handed over to Wadiye, who has the right connections. As for funds, they are not a problem. With the previous income from the Red Crown Clan and his own savings, it will not be a problem in the short term. After the initial governance is completed and there are some freers, he can make money through mining. Not to mention other places, there are still many minerals in the wind erosion area.
As for making a lot of money from the new elemental weapons... this is impossible for the time being. Amber has controlled its production to an extremely low level. Otherwise, Wadiye would not have passed the review of the disciplinary officer so quickly.
The money earned from it can only offset some daily expenses for the time being. Perhaps when the Chi Nian clan becomes stronger and no longer needs to be so cautious, some of the restrictions on it can be lifted.
"It's not a big deal." Falushan tucked the hair that had flown to the side of her face behind her ears. This amount of work was really nothing to her. She just regarded it as a "rehabilitation exercise". With her recuperation and thinking about the design of the water pump for half a month, the dizziness that came from time to time at the beginning has now been alleviated by half. The most she has is occasional tinnitus and mild dizziness, which is no longer a problem.
"According to Wadiye's news, a disciplinary officer will probably come to confirm your identity soon. How are you feeling recently?" Amber chatted with Farusan while approaching a building next to the library. There were several batches of books that the Wadiye caravan had previously transported. Most of the bookshelves in the library are now full. Except for books related to basic education, the rest are mostly literary works. As for professional books, it is actually not easy to get reliable ones on the market. For these, you have to look at the library collection of the House of Religion.
Amber advocates that the people of the Sand read more, and now that life has become relatively stable, many members of the Chi Nian clan have taken reading as a pastime, which is a good phenomenon. However, compared to those relatively profound literary works with some philosophy, the people of the Sand prefer myths and novels similar to Water Margin - the only reason is that they have a low reading threshold and are more attractive in terms of storytelling.
"Physically, I've gotten much better recently. If you ask me what I think about this... Honestly, it's still hard for me to believe that a hundred years have already passed."
"A hundred years... When I go back, everything will be different. I envy the spirit in you that can face all this so calmly." Falushan looked at Aji who was sitting on Amber's shoulder and daydreaming. She often reacted like this when Aji was not interested in the topic.
"...What?" Aji came back to her senses after feeling Falusan's gaze. She looked at Falusan's slightly gloomy expression and smiled a little frivolously, "Are you thinking about me?"
"Shut up--" Amber knocked Aji's head lightly in annoyance, and Aji immediately covered his head. This little Zhenling always relied on his deceptive appearance to confuse those beautiful big sisters. Amber remembered clearly that she had teased him twice in a row.
"Ah--" Ah Ji let out a strange cry of pain, which further highlighted her calmness in facing the new environment. Looking at Ah Ji's reaction, Falushan suddenly felt that perhaps the current situation was not as bad as she thought.
Ah Ji has completely treated the present as a new world and is getting used to it, so it is not the same for me. If I change my mindset and my way of thinking, my mentality will naturally improve a lot.
"Huh..." Falushan took a deep breath. Seeing Amber stop, she stopped too. The two of them had already reached the door of the room. From inside came the smell of medical alcohol and various herbs, which also revealed the purpose of this room - a medical clinic.
"Lord Messenger of God." As Amber pushed the door open, the old woman who was sitting at the counter preparing medicines stood up and handed her luggage to Amber. She was Masala, the leader of the traveling clan who had previously joined the Chi Nian clan. Educating children was her side job, and now her main job was managing the clinic.
Masala has been traveling in the desert for a long time and is knowledgeable. He has studied prescriptions for many diseases and is a rare talent.
"Thank you for your hard work, Masala. How is the person who was stung by the scorpion before?" Amber greeted Masala. Injuries and accidents are commonplace in a dangerous environment like the desert. People are often stung and poisoned by scorpions. Masala happens to be quite knowledgeable about treating scorpion poisons.
"After two courses of anti-toxins, there's no major problem. He's awake. He'll need about a week of rest and proper exercise to flush out the remaining toxins, and he'll be fully recovered."
"Well, I'll go over and take a look." Amber nodded. The unlucky guy who was stung by the scorpion and poisoned was carried here for help by a strong man. One of them was called A Luo and the other was called Singh. The one who was poisoned was A Luo, and Singh was now a member of the hunting team helping to hunt for food in exchange for shelter during this period.
Amber had already learned the news about the two of them from Singh, and now that Luo had woken up, it was a good opportunity to ask him again.
Amber lifted the curtain that separated the injury area from the medical area. There were more than ten straw mats inside, and A Luo was lying on one of them. He had already sat up against the wall and was looking towards the curtain. Obviously, he was attracted by the sound of conversation.
"Amber eyes, an air of distinction, and that mysterious creature on his shoulder, this must be the Lord Messenger of God himself!"
There was some excitement in A Luo's eyes, as if he had seen someone he admired. He threw back the quilt and stood up with some difficulty, holding on to the wall. The purple mark on his right leg had mostly faded compared to when he first came here, and the rest was no longer a problem.
"Your Excellency the Messenger of God!" A Luo's tone and attitude were quite respectful. He seemed to be trying to salute, but before his legs had fully recovered, he fell to the ground again, and his butt made "intimate contact" with the ground.
"No need to be so formal, just sit here. Your injury hasn't healed yet." Amber walked forward and sat on the straw mat opposite A Luo. A Luo nodded vigorously when he heard Amber's words, and then he seemed to suddenly remember something and asked anxiously.
"Lord Divine Envoy, have you seen Brother Tiger? He... he should be the one who came with me!"
"Don't worry, the person you mentioned is fine now." It was Falushan who responded to A Luo's words. She had her own plans when she followed Amber here. "What Singer said earlier about what happened in Kawanyi, is it true?"
Falushan asked A Luo rather urgently. She didn't really want to believe this - she couldn't imagine that the original Church Order would become what it is now, with disciplinary officers colluding with wealthy businessmen without any bottom line, bending the law for personal gain and defying the Church Order... If the Church Order cannot protect the rights that Xumi people should have as human beings, then does the Church Order still have the "justice" it represents?
"Hmm..." Hearing that Singer was fine, A Luo breathed a sigh of relief. He had originally planned to lead Singer, but when he was almost there, he was stung by a poisonous scorpion and ended up causing trouble for Singer.
Hearing Falushan's question, Ah Luo paused for a moment. He thought for a moment before speaking: "If you mean that the businessman colluded with the disciplinary officer, I don't know...but it's true that he used the contract to deceive me."
As A Luo finished speaking, a deep disappointment flashed in Falushan's eyes - disappointment in the current Ministry of Education.
Although A Luo said that he did not know about the collusion between the wealthy businessman and the disciplinary officers, the existence of this blatant act of contempt for the order itself speaks for itself - if it were not for the disciplinary officers' poor supervision or even connivance, such a thing would never have happened.
"Aren't those businessmen afraid of being reported? How can they be so bold?" Falushan was quite upset, and the answer to her question came from the voice coming from outside the curtain.
"Let me answer this question." Singer lifted the curtain and walked over from behind. It was almost noon, and his morning hunting work was just over. He had just put down his bow and arrow and bag and came here, and happened to hear Falushan's words through the curtain.
Compared to the beginning, his voice and mental state were obviously much calmer. The life in the Chinanian clan made him feel obviously different. Singer could not imagine that after five years, some clans in the desert could change so much. He now loved the feeling of sitting under the orderly planted date palms of the Chinanian clan to enjoy the cool air - this is life.
"Brother Hu!" A Luo became excited when he saw Singer. He tried to stand up again, but was pushed down by Singer.
"Alright, let's not get into all this nonsense between you and me. Just sit down and rest." Singer sat down next to Ah Ji and nodded slightly to Amber. "Your Excellency the Divine Envoy really keeps your word. I'll trouble you to take good care of Ah Luo these days."
"It's okay, it's just my duty." Amber nodded. Singer had just arrived here, and it was difficult to confirm the identities of the two people through verbal explanation. So Amber suggested that Singer join the hunting team to help in exchange for rescuing A Luo, and at the same time, she also asked Abdul to observe Singer's character.
After two or three days, I had a preliminary understanding. Judging from their current performance, Singh and A Luo did not seem to be threatening at all. There was nothing wrong with the emotions that Amber sensed.
"Then I'll start talking."
Chapter 40: The Judgment That Will Come
Seeing that everyone around him had stopped talking and was ready to listen, Singh told them his experience in detail.
The expressions of the people present varied as Singer spoke, but most of them were not very pleasant. The naked oppression described by the parties involved always seemed so cruel and darker than ordinary people could imagine.
"—As for why no one reported it...it's because the Sand People wanted to cross the Kawan Station and enter the rainforest. Besides sneaking through, they could only pass through the inspection of the disciplinary officer stationed at the Kawan Station. As long as they didn't get caught by the disciplinary officer, there would be no need to report it."
"And can the local disciplinary officers who are in cahoots with wealthy businessmen allow these people of the sand to pass the review?"
As Singh spoke, Falusan felt for a moment that a huge "net" was unfolding in front of her. It was this net that enveloped Kawanyi and oppressed the people of sand here. Falusan asked herself what she would do if she were a person of sand in the same situation - the answer was that she would be suffocated by this naturally unbalanced environment.
"...This is too much!" Falushan said indignantly. Ah Ji, who was sitting on Amber's shoulder, actually agreed for a moment. She was actually excited about such a thing.
"This method is not very clever. If the High Court itself does not have their people... then the only possibility left is that the High Court does not pay attention to Kawanyi at all. Either of these two possibilities is quite... pathetic." Aji spread his hands, with some helplessness in his eyes. He did not expect that after so long, some things still have not changed.
"When religious decrees cannot provide protection, then private revenge is justified and even sacred. I don't think this young man has done anything wrong." Aji shrugged and stated his opinion lightly. Falusan and Amber naturally agreed, but now they were obviously thinking in different directions.
After all...Singer really killed someone this time.
"A Luo was clearly about to be beaten to death, so Singh should be considered a brave man, but..." Falushan paused as she pondered, "But...the businessman who followed could have just thrown him aside and run away. Although that might not be a safe approach, killing someone directly does carry the possibility of being held accountable under the Fatwa."
"I don't know much about the Fatwa, and to be honest, there's nothing I can do." Amber sighed. She undoubtedly stood on Singer's side in this matter, but at the same time, if someone from the Fatwa really came, she could not directly conflict with the Fatwa.
It's nothing... If the House of Lords is pushed to the level of the enemy by himself, it will be an unprecedented huge crisis.
"Why is it so..." A Luo felt a little disappointed when he heard this. He didn't understand those complicated orders, but from an ordinary person's perspective, Singh took action to protect himself and to resist the oppression against himself. How could he not blame the disciplinary officers and businessmen, but instead judge Singh?
"Haha, it doesn't matter, this is enough." Faced with the current predicament, Singer seemed unconcerned. He laughed happily and looked at Farusan.
"A Luo is right... There are good people in the forest, and I have witnessed everything that the Lord God's Messenger has done here."
"Teach the people of the Sand to read and unite the surrounding people of the Sand to pool their efforts to control the desert. I now understand why so many people are willing to follow the Lord Messenger of God. After successfully controlling the desert, they will no longer lack food and clothing. Learning to read and write will also give them a starting point for the pursuit of knowledge. By then, the people of the Sand will be no worse off than the people of the Forest!"
Singer's voice was full of energy, his face was a little red, and he was obviously in a very high mood.
"I have avenged Kan Ruiba, and I have no regrets. After seeing all this, it would be worth it even if I die!" Singer put his hand on A Luo's shoulder, comforting A Luo's reluctant mood.
"..." Amber just remained silent when she saw this. She was also in a dilemma facing this situation. Her connections were not strong enough to provide Singer with a way out, but just watching him die...how cruel it was.
"There's nothing to regret about my death. I just hope that no other Sand People will experience a tragedy like mine again. Five years! Five whole years! And how many five-year periods can a person have in his lifetime?" Singh recalled those five years, when he was locked up in a small sawmill, working and living there for five whole years - and that was when the other party didn't resort to trickery after the contract expired.
And considering the merchant's behavior of defying the edict, would he extend it for another five years?
Five years later, another five years. How many five years are there in life?
Singh had almost given up hope, but now he saw "hope" here, a hope that belonged exclusively to the people of the sand. Although he probably wouldn't be lucky enough to witness the coming of the new era with his own eyes, it wasn't bad either.
"...tragic, yet respectable." Ah Ji muttered to herself. As a historian, she had easy access to history. Usually, there were many such people at major turning points in history - awakened people who were limited by the times, but eventually fought against the constraints. If such people could survive, they would surely achieve great things. Unfortunately... their hope of survival was slim.
"No! I have to think of a way!" Falushan stood up and walked towards the library. She remembered that there were books about decrees in the library. Maybe there was a way!
As soon as she walked out of the clinic, she saw the white-haired young man wearing the badge of a Grand Disciplinary Officer approaching the place under the vigilance of several Blazing Beast Hunter mercenaries.
Dixia was rushing over here, as if to deliver a message. She passed Falushan and ran into the house. Falushan's heart tightened as she looked at the scene in front of her.
Is there no...possibility at all?
……
"Lord Seno, what important mission do you have coming here on this occasion?" Hart spoke to Seno while guiding him on the road.
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