Chapter 190: Hope City

The people brought by Kantisi.

Apart from the already screened Red King radicals and those who thought the radicals were too conservative, the Red King moderates, the rest were all research-oriented personnel, including many Academy students.

For example, Ka Wei was holding the land data provided by Luo De, studying the design plans of New Oasis City together with other Miao Lun School scholars.

By the way.

New Oasis City is not the name of this city.

Its true name is Hope City.

This name was chosen by Luo De.

As soon as this name was announced, it immediately sparked many protests.

The tribespeople were fine; they had no strong opinion about what the city should be called. However, the Red King's followers wanted the city to have a name related to the Red King, or at least use the ancient city name Ju'er City from the original Red King's kingdom, which would also be acceptable.

But Luo De ignored all of these protests.

However, saying he ignored them does not mean he completely disregarded people or simply gave them the cold shoulder.

In fact.

When dealing with these relatively extreme Red King followers, Luo De's attitude was mainly to soothe emotions, using various grand principles and real circumstances to first stabilize their emotions, prevent them from being too impatient, then gradually persuade them, bit by bit suppressing their loud slogan of reforging the Red King's glory.

As for how to suppress these people's voices,

There is a very simple method.

People chatter only because they are full and idle.

Therefore, the method Luo De came up with was to make it so they couldn't stay idle even if they wanted to.

The yields from developing New Oasis's land depend entirely on personal ability.

This is not a welfare benefit aimed solely at the desert tribe.

The people of A Ru Cun also implement this policy.

Using this strategy,

The first wave of protests from the Red King followers subsided amidst the tribespeople's day-and-night hard labor.

There was no way.

The agricultural land Luo De allocated was just that much.

If they didn't hurry to seize it, it would be taken over by those outsiders.

However.

Everyone shared a common goal, so conflict between them was inevitable.

Those who came from A Ru Cun here were basically Red King followers with relatively or extremely radical ideas, and their firm faith made them extremely contemptuous of the tribespeople's attitude, who obviously worship the Flower God but now bow to the Dendro Archon.

Moreover, both sides are now competing for land ownership.

Thus, the first physical clash occurred on the fourth day after the Red King followers settled in New Oasis.

Upon hearing this news, Luo De and Kantisi did not step forward to stop it immediately; instead, they chose to stand aside and coldly observe.

The Red King followers from A Ru Cun were very united.

The tribespeople who huddled together for warmth were likewise very united.

As the quarrel escalated, what was originally a small-scale conflict grew increasingly fierce as more people from both sides joined, and even many scholars busy with work ran over to watch the spectacle.

This conflict.

Continued until someone drew a weapon, turning the physical clash into a large-scale bloody incident.

Finally, someone came to their senses.

This person was the first to defect, the matriarch of the Amna Tribe, Fadena.

When she realized the situation was step by step heading toward an uncontrollable outcome, she disregarded her own weak strength, risking being hacked to death by the two sides at any moment, and forcibly pulled her tribespeople out of the melee one by one.

Then her premonition came true.

It looked like the two sides' armed conflict was about to turn into a melee of a thousand people.

Luo De and Kantisi, who had been observing for a long time, appeared.

They also did not make any moves.

They simply stood between the two groups, coldly glancing at the instigators, and their imposing presence silenced the whole crowd, so no one dared utter a word.

After that,

The wounded were sent for treatment, and after returning their workload doubled.

All uninjured tribespeople were punished to haul bricks at the construction site for a month, land development was halted, and the daily meat ration they had been guaranteed was canceled.

In comparison.

Not being able to eat meat is just a minor matter.

What most vexed these tribespeople was

the limited reclamation time Luo De gave them—only three months total—meant that halting work for one month equated to losing one month's worth of land.

Had it not been that the Red King followers received the same punishment,

they would truly have been vomiting blood over this conflict.

Among these,

the only ones not punished were

Fadena's Amna Tribe.

With Luo De's approval,

they could not only continue to develop land for their tribe while others couldn't, but their original daily meat ration was also increased to two meals per day.

"In Hope City, I do not want to see anyone clash over the so-called 'unfairness.'"

"This time is merely a minor punishment."

If there is a next time.

I will exile all participants back to the desert, whether from A Ru Cun or Hope City; such people are not welcome.

This is what Luo De announced publicly after the incident.

Afterwards, except for Fadena, the remaining nine tribal matriarchs and the leaders who caused trouble in A Ru Cun were all sent by Luo De and Kantisi to the newly built solitary confinement room to reflect.

After this major upheaval.

The radical Red King followers became far more obedient, all working in an orderly fashion according to Luo De and Kantisi's assignments, and their private talk temporarily ceased, giving Luo De much peace.

As for this city named Hope.

Luo De and Nadixa harbored great expectations.

Therefore, in planning, they largely referenced the main design of Xu Mi Cheng.

The most important of these buildings is the Academy Desert Branch built around the Oasis Source.

This is the Academy's first official branch.

It is also a crucial part of Nadixa's plan to spread the Academy's research achievements across the desert.

Naturally, such an important matter could not be handled by Ka Wei alone.

Under Nadixa's coordination.

The sage of the Academy's Mystic Discourse School personally led the students and scholars of Chahefuluo Academy, together with a mighty corps of engineers, to Hope City, where they painstakingly engaged in the heavy and complex urban design planning.

The other Five Great Academies also, under Nadixa's mobilization, successively sent members and scholars to provide technical assistance.

A new city comparable in scale to Xu Mi Cheng was established.

It involved every aspect.

For the scholars, this was an excellent opportunity to apply what they had learned.

Luo De called this opportunity to apply learning an 'internship'.

This name was unanimously approved by the scholars.

And those who came together with these scholars.

Also, the Academy specially prepared professional research equipment for their studies, as well as various materials and essential supplies from its stores or purchases.

To prevent anyone from embezzling these important supplies.

Chief Discipline Officer Saino personally led a team of discipline officers to escort the scholars and supplies from Xu Mi Cheng, passing through the rainforest region and half the desert, safely delivering both people and supplies to Oasis City.

Afterward, some of the discipline officers remained here, while Saino continued to shuttle between Xu Mi Cheng and Hope City, acting as guards and overseers for the supply convoys.

As for why a hundred‑person discipline officer team was left behind.

As Saino put it.

Too many scholars have gathered here; who knows if someone might violate the Academy's prohibitions, so a necessary presence cannot be omitted.

Luo De accepted this lame excuse.

Besides the Academy's aid.

Keen‑smelling merchants also swarmed in.

The fastest to act was still Duoli.

This richest merchant of Xu Mi Cheng, who made a fortune through cooperation with Luo De over the past two years.

Thus, upon hearing that Luo De and the Dendro Archon were planning a new city in the desert, she immediately mobilized a large batch of supplies through her chamber of commerce—from building materials to food, from pack beasts to workers—everything was ready.

However, these supplies were not given free to Hope City; they were sold to the Academy for payment, then sent to Hope City in the Academy's name.

This is not because Duoli feared losing face to the Academy by stealing the spotlight; it is simply because she lost the bet she made with Luo De.

The scale‑rot disease had indeed disappeared.

According to the contract, Luo De would henceforth buy everything from her at a permanent 50 % discount.

If it were another merchant.

In dealing with such a contract, they would surely raise the price first then give a discount, guaranteeing they would never lose money and might even make a small profit.

But Duoli, though a profiteer, had not yet sunk to the point of having no scruples.

To avoid losing money.

Her countermeasure was.

She bundled everything Luo De might buy from her and sold it all to the Academy.

Anyway, the Academy's stockpile would surely be insufficient to build a city.

So, while the Academy was purchasing supplies everywhere, she would sell the goods to them at a 9.5 % discount, still making a tidy profit.

Of course.

Duoli and Luo De's cooperation could not be satisfied with just this amount of supplies.

After arranging the first batch of supplies, she delegated the sales to her subordinates and personally went to the desert to discuss with Luo De her investment in Hope City.

Duoli's ideas were few.

She merely hoped to exchange her investment for a prime location in Hope City.

Duoli's nose for business opportunities was far sharper than that of other merchants.

Upon learning that the Dendro Archon also participated in Hope City's construction, she realized something.

This city built in the desert will surely become an extremely important transportation hub, possibly even altering the patterns of the rainforest and desert.

She, having realized this.

She decisively sought out Luo De and explained her idea to him.

Luo De did not refuse.

It was not an excessive request to begin with.

Now, building Hope City requires massive injections of funds and resources to maintain progress; relying solely on those from A Ru Cun, even a century would not suffice to build this city.

So Luo De originally planned to promise that golden plot adjacent to the Academy in Hope City, in exchange for sufficient funds to build the city.

Now Duo Li is willing to take on this role; it can be said to be a win-win deal for everyone, so why not?

Regarding the construction of Hope City,

The Academy's stance can be said to be very appropriate.

Not only do they grant every request, they also spare no effort in sending scholars and resources over, making people envious.

Regarding this situation,

Kantisi merely gave a brief description of Hope City's current state according to what Luo De had taught her.

As Luo De expected.

The elderly still holding power in the village are like a disturbed nest, constantly yelling at each other day after day.

"'A group of rainforest people care more than we desert folk.'"

The impact of that sentence is not ordinary.

The originally stingy old guardians ordered the warehouse opened, taking out all their treasures passed down through generations; anything Hope City could use, they sent over, one by one.

These relics from the Red King era arrived, causing the Academy's scholars to be overjoyed.

Especially the scholars of the Marvelous Theory School.

You should know that the Red King era's mechanical techniques are recognized as leading-edge technology ahead of several eras in Teyvat.

Don't think the Red King civilization has long since fallen.

But merely through excavating Red King relics and conducting archaeological-style research, the Academy can benefit greatly.

Previously, under Luo De's proposal,

Kantisi once, within her ability, opened part of the warehouse and gave the resources inside to Hu Lu Shan and Ka Wei for research.

And with Hu Lu Shan's profound expertise in Red King mechanical techniques, she actually managed to study from these mechanisms an energy construction method suitable for desert use.

Luo De was not in Sumeru during that time.

She and Ka Wei collaborated to create the first prototype machine that, without causing damage, can draw elemental energy from the ley lines and convert it into an energy substance.

The energy conversion efficiency of this prototype machine is very poor.

The experimental notes Luo De looked at recorded that this prototype machine's energy conversion rate was less than two digits; in practice, it could only power small devices such as lamps, anything more would be too much of a burden.

Now, with the united efforts of the Marvelous Theory School scholars,

The technology of this ley‑line energy machine has successfully iterated to the fifth generation, its energy conversion efficiency has jumped from a single digit to thirty percent, as measured by actual tests; the fifth‑generation ley‑line energy machine is fully capable of driving a large piece of equipment.

In the design plans for Hope City,

The factory that manufactures the ley‑line energy machine is, aside from the Academy branch, the most important basic facility, and its priority is scheduled in the first batch of constructions that need to be completed as soon as possible.

However, because the research resources Kantisi previously provided are still insufficient, research on the ley‑line energy machine has recently stalled.

This batch of mechanisms from A Ru Cun has arrived just in time.

Time passes day by day in this busyness.

When Hope City's construction reached the fourth month,

Looking afar, one can see various different aspects appearing in this oasis.

The outermost zone is the city's fringe area, where tribespeople and some A Ru Cun villagers are responsible for external land reclamation and building outer roads; the inner zone is the energy factory under construction together with various supporting facilities, while the laying of inner‑city roads and energy transmission belts is proceeding in full swing; further inward are the residential area and basic infrastructure under Ka Wei's responsibility, including schools, hospitals, public toilets, etc., which at a glance already have a rudimentary form; at the very center stands the Academy branch built around the oasis source, the emblems of the six colleges have already been posted, the laboratories belonging to each college have all been completed, and from time to time one can see hurried scholars coming and going.

The disputes and noises of the early construction period are no longer heard; whether scholars, tribespeople, or believers of the Red King, everyone is working hard to personally build this place that can bless descendants and allow people to live in peace and work happily, an ideal land.

(End of chapter)