Chapter 19: Luo De's True Thoughts

Farming in the desert.

This is not an easy task.

Even though A Ru Cun has water and land, and is called by other desert people a treasure land flowing with gold, the grain output here is only just enough for the villagers themselves to fill their stomachs.

Moreover, much of A Ru Cun's grain still has to be used as reserve supplies, to prevent the problem of running out of food when disaster strikes.

Therefore, they have to buy some cheap grain from the Academy each year to make up the shortfall.

Moreover, after observing this for a period of time,

Luo De also discovered a problem.

That is, A Ru Cun does not raise livestock.

Including the crocodiles that desert tribespeople most like to raise, they also do not raise them.

For this reason,

Luo De went to ask Atiya and them.

The reply they got was simply that they had no money to do it.

Whether raising herbivorous livestock or meat-eating crocodiles, both require a large investment.

A Ru Cun's income is all used to maintain the villagers' livelihood.

Indeed, raising livestock and crocodiles would indeed bring considerable profit, but just this initial investment is more than the law-abiding A Ru Cun can afford.

Regarding this point,

Luo De could only say regretfully,

Conservative thinking has harmed itself.

Yes, it is conservative thinking.

The elders of A Ru Cun, like the desert people, are extremely hostile toward the people of the Rainforest Region.

Before Kantisi became the Guardian, the whole of A Ru Cun was an extremely closed and traditional desert village, clinging to its own little plot of land and living the same life year after year.

Until a few years ago, when Kantisi formally took up the shield and spear that symbolize the Guardian.

She and Village Chief Uncle Anpu secretly plotted, successfully bringing rainforest merchants into A Ru Cun, and over several years turned A Ru Cun into a trade hub of the desert.

It was precisely that first transaction.

The retired old guardians in the village angrily surrounded the homes of Uncle Anpu and Kantisi, demanding that they must drive the rainforest merchants out of A Ru Cun.

The result was that Kantisi used her personal strength to make these people shut their mouths.

"Only with big fists is there hard truth."

"No matter where you go, it's the same."

Every time he thinks of this, Luo De can't help but want to laugh.

A Ru Cun's development is plain to see, and all of this is inseparable from this strong-willed Guardian.

However, although they have opened up this business,

but A Ru Cun can only rely on business to maintain its livelihood, and this business is extremely concerned with the face of Xu Mi Cheng.

Even Luo De, an outsider, can see that.

A Ru Cun's current prosperity is entirely built on the Academy's permission for them to trade with the Rainforest Region.

If the village remains as it is now, with no side businesses, given the Academy's attitude toward desert people, the hidden danger remains very great.

From this perspective,

A Ru Cun is even inferior to the Tanite desert tribe.

As for hostility toward the Rainforest Region, the tribespeople are certainly no less than A Ru Cun.

Other desert tribes,

Not robbing merchants is already considered giving them face; expecting them to engage in legitimate business is pure fantasy.

Only the Tanite tribe is an exception.

After the elder named Babie'er came to power, they began trading with the Rainforest Region and chose their main trading partners in the Adventurers' Association, which the Academy cannot fully control.

Just like that.

Relying on trade, smuggling, hunting, robbery, and genuine desert farming, they swiftly became the desert region's foremost great tribe, with a host of hungry small tribes attached under them.

Although Luo De hates the Tanite tribe to the bone,

he cannot help but admit one point.

That is, the Tanite tribe's this Babie'er is absolutely deserving of the title of a true warlord, whether in vision or means, far surpassing the leaders of other forces in the desert region.

To say something unpleasant,

Kantisi still needs to take into account the opinions of these elders in the village, while Babie'er has no scruples at all, even wanting to slaughter all those old things to facilitate his rise to power.

This is also why Luo De has always clearly resented the Tanite tribe but cannot take revenge.

With such a leader, the tribe's strength can be imagined.

Luo De does not think that, with his current abilities, he could, like that yellow-haired Traveler, effortlessly annihilate that tribe without breaking a sweat.

Therefore, before he possesses absolutely great personal strength, if he wants to take revenge on the Tanite tribe, he still needs A Ru Cun's support.

So how can he gain A Ru Cun's support?

The first thing Luo De thought of.

Is farming.

Don't look at the fact that A Ru Cun now produces enough grain each year to be self-sufficient.

Actually, their farming methods are very backward.

In itself, the fertility of desert land is insufficient, and they also do not know crop rotation; the yearly harvest's reliance on the Fertility Blessing can be said to be very high.

This is also another major hidden danger for A Ru Cun.

If the Academy cuts off the Fertility Blessing, then A Ru Cun will immediately fall into a food crisis.

What Luo De is doing now.

It is through the experimental field at his home, first testing out crops suitable for farming in A Ru Cun, then figuring out how to utilize the severely eroded land around the village, to expand A Ru Cun's food production.

Speaking of this matter.

Luo De also has to be fortunate about another matter.

As said before.

A Ru Cun is the place where the Academy exiles scholars.

Although these scholars have been expelled, they still maintain the Academy scholars' consistent arrogant attitude, completely disdaining the goodwill shown by A Ru Cun.

Luo De knows that among these scholars there is a scholar of the Vital Discourse school.

The so-called Vital Discourse school.

This is a school founded at the beginning of Sumeru's establishment, personally created by the Sumeru deity, the Great Merciful Tree King; the earliest sages of the Vital Discourse school even followed the Great Merciful Tree King in researching how to cultivate rainforests, and their specialized fields include biology, ecology, medicine, and various other sub-disciplines.

Putting it in simpler terms.

The students of this school are either farming or engaged in animal husbandry.

If that Vital Discourse scholar were willing to help A Ru Cun.

Then the drawback of A Ru Cun relying solely on the Fertility Blessing to repeatedly plant the same few crops could have been improved long ago.

But he ended up doing nothing.

What's even more infuriating is.

Although A Ru Cun daily provides him with good food and drink, and even gave him the best house in the village, he instead moved alone to a desolate mountain far from A Ru Cun, stubbornly refusing to set foot in the village at all.

This works out well for Luo De.

He doesn't need to think much; he knows that Kantisi and Uncle Anpu surely also know where A Ru Cun's current problem lies.

Otherwise, why would he constantly go with a warm face to a cold butt, daily trying to curry favor with that Vital Discourse scholar, yet still keep getting turned away at the door.

"Hah—"

After a whole day of work, Luo De wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at the already ridged land before him, he chuckled and said: "Grow, grow quickly; once you all grow, my good days will come."

(End of chapter)