Chapter 3040: Revitalization Plan, Aid Projects

"The Ailan development plan passed by the Alliance is completely controlled by Yierlan; we have no say at all. If not for the check provided by Siluwende, Ailan would have been annexed by them long ago. As for purchasing grain from other countries—"

Speaking of this, Tuomeidisi could not help but sigh, "The Ailan region is sandwiched between Yierlan and Siluwende. Without their consent, how could it be possible to obtain grain from elsewhere?"

Actually, it is not absolutely impossible; for instance, using a Storage Magic Artifact, a Portal, or even a Void Warehouse could transport grain, but such methods are, without exception, extremely costly.

Ailan's grain shortage is not just a minor issue, but a demand accumulated over years by millions of people. For the transport of such bulk goods, the most common methods remain traditional ones, such as shipping or land transport.

In emergencies, deploying a Magic Ship is also possible; the cost is slightly higher than traditional methods, but when spread out, it is not much more expensive, and it is still much cheaper than things like Portals.

But the problem is that whether using traditional transport or a Magic Ship, one must pass through the territory or airspace of Yierlan and Siluwende, and one still needs to obtain the other party's consent.

But if the other party were to agree, wouldn't it be more convenient to purchase directly from Yierlan or Siluwende? Why take the long way around to purchase from other countries?

This is the crux of Ailan's greatest predicament at present.

"So you want to buy grain by skimming the subsidies of Computing Power Pool users?"

"Not entirely. Ailan's biggest problem right now is not actually grain. The Alliance still has Observers remaining within Ailan; neither Yierlan nor Siluwende would truly let the people of Ailan starve to death in droves. Grain can still be bought from them, it's just that the price is very high."

Mentioning the Ailan seizure of Computing Power Pool subsidies again, Tuomeidisi still felt somewhat apprehensive, and only when discussing the many problems Ailan faced did he return to normal.

"Ailan's biggest problem now is uneven development. Currently, our legally recognized territory by the Alliance is much larger than Evereska's, and our total population is comparable to theirs, but we lack many industries entirely. Grain is just one of them."

"Therefore, the Seven Elders decided to learn from Evereska. We cannot look too far ahead for the future, but at least for the foreseeable present, we must find a way to achieve self-sufficiency."

"Wait." Xia Duo interrupted Tuomeidisi's explanation and asked curiously, "You say the Ailan Seven Elders want Ailan to learn from Evereska? Learn what from them?"

Although Xia Duo spends a lot of time in Evereska now, he could not immediately think of any aspect of Evereska that Ailan could learn from to change its current situation.

Regarding this, Tuomeidisi did not hide anything and generously stated Ailan's domestic strategy: "There are mainly two aspects: one is Intensive Agriculture, and the other is to Popularize Magic."

The former refers to Evereska's large farms in the northeast and southwest valleys, which can produce enough grain, melons, fruits, and vegetables to satisfy the entire population of Evereska.

Those two large farms use a Mythallar to control the seasons, temperature, and various environmental parameters. Under normal production conditions, most crops can be harvested once a month.

Through this method, even with very scarce arable land, Evereska not only satisfies its own needs but can also export to other countries for profit.

It mainly exports brewing grain to Danzo, as well as a small amount of premium fruits and vegetables to other Elf countries.

As for Popularizing Magic, it is something the Ailan side realized from some of Evereska's recent actions. Coupled with the fact that Computing Power Pool subsidies are directly related to the total number of Mages, Ailan has also adopted this development strategy.

Since they were already prepared to do so, there was naturally no need to hide it from Xia Duo, but Xia Duo was still quite puzzled, "I can understand Intensive Agriculture, but Popularizing Magic—are you really determined to fleece me?"

"No, no, Consultant Xia Duo, Popularizing Magic can indeed reap more from the Computing Power Pool subsidies, but what we want is not just that; we want a larger body of Mages who can be used to develop those industries we are short of," Tuomeidisi explained hurriedly.

"That is not good! In my view, Computing Power Pool subsidies and a Mage's personal income are completely different things; you should not be levying additional taxes!"

This was the first time since meeting Tuomeidisi that Xia Duo clearly expressed his attitude toward Ailan's new domestic policy. Not only that, he further stated:

"If the Ailan side insists on doing this, then I can only forbid your country's Computing Power Pool Sub-network from connecting to the Main Network!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Tuomeidisi immediately let out a wail, "No, Consultant Xia Duo, you cannot do that!"

One of the development strategies formulated by the Ailan Seven Elders, Popularizing Magic, must use the Public Computing Power Pool. Although it may not be the entire network, if they lose the qualification to connect to the Main Network, how would Ailan maintain its existing Sub-network internally?

Not to mention, whether or not one connects to the Main Network is directly related to the enhancement effect of the Computing Power Pool, which is something Ailan absolutely cannot give up.

"Why can I not do that? It is nothing more than losing the revenue from your Sub-network; this is completely within my capacity to bear. You must know that you were the ones who violated the rules first; I am merely following your line of thinking."

However, after saying these words, Xia Duo's tone softened somewhat. He was not truly trying to go against Ailan, but rather wanted to help Ailan. Of course, if he happened to discover traces of the Illuminati and thwart their conspiracy in the process, that was also his due.

"While the Computing Power Pool subsidies are certainly not a small sum for Ailan right now, there is no need for your vision to be so narrow. By bluntly taking away the benefits that should belong to the Mages, how do you expect them to feel?"

At this point, Xia Duo finally began to offer strategies for Ailan, "Since you want to Popularize Magic, why not establish some rewards to encourage the growth of new Mages?"

"And the best way for new Mages to grow is by utilizing the advanced functions of the Computing Power Pool. This way, their subsidies will naturally be spent, but these spent subsidies will still return to Ailan in the form of a share, and then continue to be used as rewards."

"A share is not as much as the subsidy!" Tuomeidisi muttered in a low voice.

The bulk of the share goes to the Alliance side, and what Ailan can actually obtain is only a small portion; instead, the subsidy is much larger. But the Ailan side could not possibly seize all of the Mages' subsidies, so when calculated comprehensively, the difference is not that great.

But in this process, the Mages have already used the advanced functions of the Computing Power Pool and received rewards from the Ailan authorities, while also developing a sense of goodwill toward the Ailan authorities, rather than the resentment caused by seizing the subsidies as before.

Therefore, Tuomeidisi only muttered in a low voice rather than proposing it directly, wanting to obtain more help from Xia Duo by appearing aggrieved.

Xia Duo was well aware of this, and subsequently stated his true plan.