"Is that so..." Rodney thought for a moment, then asked the owner, "Do you just wait for it to rain? Have you never thought of digging wells to draw up groundwater, or using other methods to obtain fresh water?"
The owner shook his head. "There's only one well in town. Normally, after it rained several times a year, the groundwater in the well was enough for everyone's daily drinking needs. But it hasn't rained for over a year, so it was used up long ago. It's precisely because there's almost no fresh water left that everyone chose to leave. As for the other methods you mentioned, I know nothing about them. We've always relied on rain and groundwater."
Rodney fell silent. Logically speaking, since they were near the coast, they could obtain fresh water through distillation. Although drinking too much distilled water was bad for the human body, it could greatly reduce their need for fresh water in the short term and solve the immediate crisis. Yet the people here seemed completely unaware of this.
He could tell that this world's technological tree had clearly grown crooked. Moreover, because of the seas and their relative isolation from the outside world, many people lived very different lives. Some seemed to be in the modern era, some in the Middle Ages, and some were even in ancient times.
Their daily lives were not particularly colorful, and technology was used to serve the upper classes. Ordinary people rarely came into contact with it. They continued using things passed down since ancient times, right up to the present day.
There were even cyborgs capable of firing lasers, yet some people still lived as though they were in ancient times.
He really had no idea how this had happened. Wasn't technology supposed to serve humanity?
The people of this world seemed to devote all their energy to warfare without sparing a thought for ordinary civilians. Productivity was low, and human life was so worthless. What the hell was wrong with them?
Damn it!
Rodney exhaled. He wasn't a science student, and starting a technological revolution in this world was even more impossible. He could only do what was within his ability.
His values clashed completely with those of this world. Even though he had gradually adapted to part of it, he still felt uncomfortable in some ways.
He stood up and asked, "Boss, do you have any concave glass? A pot lid will do, too. Concave glass would be best."
"Concave glass? Let me think. I do have some. What do you want it for?"
"Just conducting an experiment." Rodney smiled.
The owner brought out a glass dish. It seemed to be used for serving food, and it was quite large.
He also asked the owner for two basins, one large and one small.
He went to the banks of the Santara River, filled the large basin halfway with seawater, placed the small basin inside it, and buried the whole thing in the sand. Then he placed the concave side of the glass over the large basin, covering it.
He left it exposed to the sun.
The curious owner asked, "Guest, what are you doing?"
"Obtaining fresh water from seawater," Rodney replied.
His words shocked the owner. "F-from seawater, you can obtain fresh water? Guest, you aren't joking, are you?" Influenced by the lack of technology, the owner had no understanding of distilled water. However, they did know how to distill fresh water from the sand.
They still relied on the heavens to survive. If it rained, they lived; if it didn't, nine out of ten would die. The water in the sand was ultimately too limited.
Although the concave glass scattered the sunlight, the sand and the scorching sun caused the seawater to evaporate rapidly. The water vapor rose and was blocked by the concave glass. Rodney spat out a mouthful of cool water, causing the hot vapor to cool and condense into droplets.
Because of the curve of the glass, the droplets moved toward the center and eventually fell into the small basin. Meanwhile, his own water kept evaporating.
Half a basin of water evaporated quickly. When Rodney swept away the sand on one side and removed the scorching glass and the two basins, the small basin was already full of warm distilled water. A layer of salt crystals coated the surface of the large basin, while a paste of water and salt remained at the bottom.
He handed the distilled water to the owner and said, "Give it a try."
The owner's hands trembled as he took a sip.
It was bland, without even the slightest trace of the sea's salty bitterness. It tasted somewhat different from the water he usually drank, but there was no doubt that it was fresh water.
Fresh water—he had really obtained it from seawater?
His eyes filled with tears. Cradling the water, he began to cry. "If—if only you had come a little sooner, a little sooner... Then so many people wouldn't have left, and even more wouldn't have died."
Rodney said, "Although this is fresh water, drinking it for a long time isn't good for the human body. Make sure to eat more vegetables and other foods." Distilled water contained few of the trace elements the human body needed, so drinking too much of it was not beneficial. However, those nutrients could be replenished in other ways.
"Oh, right. Remember to store some ice at night."
The temperature difference between day and night in the desert was enormous. Daytime temperatures of forty or fifty degrees and subzero temperatures at night were perfectly normal. Cooling the distilled water was a crucial step. His water was only cooler than the steam, so it would be best to use ice.
He wrote down the materials and steps needed to make distilled water on a sheet of paper and handed it to the owner.
The owner treated it like a priceless treasure. To people like them, who knew nothing of this method, it was as precious as life itself.
Having water in the desert meant they could survive.
They no longer needed to live at the mercy of the sky.
Everything was thanks to the person standing before him.
"Guest, may I ask your name?"
"Jotaro J. Rodney. Remember every step written there, and ideally have a better collector made." Rodney had rested enough and was preparing to leave.
"Lord Rodney, are you leaving? Could you stay a few more days? Once everyone knows what you've done, you'll surely become famous and be hailed as a national hero like Lord Crocodile," the owner said sincerely.
He believed Rodney would become an even greater hero than Crocodile. Crocodile protected the people, but Rodney's method could save even more lives. If it spread, it would surely save many people.
"No need. It's only a small matter. I still have more important things to do." Rodney raised the sail and left with the sand skiff.
Watching his departing figure, the owner firmed his resolve. He would make sure the name Rodney was praised throughout Alabasta.
Rodney had barely left Alubarna when he stopped the sand skiff.
A giant ocher turtle, as large as a house, stood in his way.
A seat with a sun umbrella was strapped to the turtle's back. Two people, a man and a woman, sat on it.
The man had dark skin and wore a brown coat. A white number "5" was printed on the left side of his chest and the lower right corner of the coat. He wore his hair in dreadlocks and had on sunglasses. He looked like a rock singer.
The woman held a small parasol and wore a lemon-yellow pencil skirt decorated with sliced lemon patterns. She wore a yellow hat and was a fashionable, beautiful woman. When she smiled, she gave off an air of schadenfreude.
The woman looked at the wanted poster in her hand, which showed Rodney's former face, and said with a smile, "Oh my, we found him. It's just a pity the wanted poster has been withdrawn. Three million berries would have been quite a nice bit of pocket money. What a shame."
The man beside her said, "Let's skip the pointless chatter, Miss Valentine. Once we kill him, we'll have completed the mission."
Miss Valentine said unhappily, "We came all the way here just to kill this guy? The sun is practically ruining my skin."
Mr. 5 remained expressionless. He stuck a finger into his nose, picked out a clump of snot, rolled it between his fingers, and aimed it at Rodney. "Killing him is just a simple matter. It'll be easy."
He flicked his finger, sending the snot flying.
Snot Bomb!
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted, kicking up a huge cloud of sand. A kunai fitted with an Explosive Tag flew out and embedded itself in their seat. The Explosive Tag caught fire, and Mr. 5 immediately grabbed it.
The Explosive Tag detonated. Other than turning his hand blackened, it did nothing to him.
He said smugly, "I'm the Bomb Man who ate the Paramecia Explosion-Explosion Fruit. Explosions are useless against me."
Miss Valentine laughed from the side. "Was that his last struggle? Mr. 5, how pathetic."
"That's how the weak are. Our mission is com—" Mr. 5 shoved Miss Valentine aside with one hand as several Shuriken whizzed past and embedded themselves in the sand behind them.
He turned his head and saw Rodney standing there completely unharmed. Rodney smiled and said, "Surprise, motherfucker!"
Before you continue