"Considering the air humidity, wind direction, and surface evaporation rate here... well, taking everything into account, a single rainstorm would cost 600 million Beli, and a complete solution would take about a month, totaling at least 2 billion Berries, no less."
The meteorologist from Visalia, Ge'andi, is discussing prices with the King of the Xishazhi Kingdom.
A year ago, the climate on Xishazhi Island became problematic. Despite being a summer island, it became arid and rainless. Ultimately, the royal family decided to ask a meteorologist from Visalia to solve the problem and published a "bounty" in the newspaper.
Six months later, the Visalia finally "floated" over, and bubble ships sailed down, landing directly in the Royal Palace. The Visalia didn't move very fast, and to find them, you usually had to advertise directly in the newspapers. As for whether the Visalia would actually come... that was up to luck!
In this situation, Visalia's asking price is quite high.
Of course, the Visalia aren't just greedy for money. If they happen to pass by and see islands with abnormal weather affecting the lives of their inhabitants, and if the problem can be solved technically, they won't hesitate to help. In such cases, the fees are usually quite Token of Appreciation, depending on the wealth of the islanders.
However, if you specifically arrange to come, you naturally have the money to pay...
Normally, this kind of transaction with varying prices could easily make paying customers unhappy, but Visalia is an exclusive business, and demand already exceeds supply, so there's nothing to worry about.
As expected, the king of Xishazhi finally agreed and paid two billion in one lump sum, indicating that he had raised the money in advance.
After all, 600 million is just a single rain shower; it can only alleviate the drought, not cure it. Although it shortens the drought period, the people still have to grit their teeth and endure it for another two years. Considering the situation back home, the King of Xishazhi still chose to be fleeced...
That's considered lucky.
Visalia can't solve all climate problems; after all, they are just meteorologists, not "gods."
They analyzed the situation on Xishazhi Island and concluded that the climate anomalies there were within a correctable range.
If it were Alabasta...
Not only is the land too vast, but... drought is a normal phenomenon in Alabasta, and forcing rain once or twice won't change anything; on the contrary, it may bring more problems.
Visalia, having been paid to do his job, began using various instruments to create thunderclouds...
But just then, a young man wearing monocle, an academic gown, and holding a book in one hand suddenly appeared in front of the Royal Palace square.
The guards of King Xishazhi immediately tensed up. "Who goes there?"
The scholars from Visalia, who were standing nearby, were also interrupted and looked at the man with some hesitation.
"As you can see, I am a wandering scholar... My hometown people call me Seven." Sig's face was filled with a thirst for knowledge and the brilliance of reason.
Ge'andi:...
Good grief, dressed up like this just to prove he's a scholar? Doesn't he think it's pretentious?
In contrast, although Ge'andi had a Whitebeard and looked quite learned, his robe looked like pajamas, and he wasn't as professional as "Seven".
"Wandering scholar, have you come to Xishazhi because of the drought here as well?" the King of Xishazhi asked, pretending not to notice the awkwardness.
"No, I heard that Visalia will be coming to Xishazhi. I've long heard that Visalia is the highest institution of meteorology, and I would like to study Visalia for a while. I wonder if I will be able to do so." Sig's voice was filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Ge'andi was taken aback by what he heard; he hadn't expected that the purpose of the visit was still Visalia.
"Well... Visalia doesn't rule out meteorologists joining, but unless they already have a deep understanding of meteorology, they won't gain anything even in Visalia." Although Ge'andi found the guy in front of him suspicious, he still expressed Visalia's attitude.
Both Visalia and the former Ohara were places of learning.
Compared to the various factions' mastery of the essential techniques of "military force," these scholarly Holy Land were not so secretive about the dissemination of knowledge.
Just like Ohara did back then, it welcomed foreign historians...
After all, if you learn Armament Haki, Fish-Man Karate, and the Six Powers... people might worry you'll turn around and help the enemy. But what if you study history and meteorology?
Does Visalia have to worry about stealing business?
What limits their ability to use meteorology to help others is not the number of scholars, but "Visalia"—the island and its instruments are often needed!
They also lacked the resources to rebuild a Visalia.
As for individual meteorologists, there's very little they can do...
Moreover, even if someone were to build a second Visalia, the demand from countries at sea that need meteorological assistance would still be insufficient, a situation that Visalia would be happy to see.
"I have mastered almost all the meteorological knowledge I could find, which is why I am wandering in pursuit of Visalia," Sig, unabashedly fabricating his persona.
Of course, the fact that someone could "wander" alone on the Grand Line is highly suspicious!
Seeing Ge'andi's skeptical look, Seven explained in simple terms the climate type of Xishazhi and why it "shouldn't" be arid.
As for why it's drought-prone when it shouldn't be?
That's the effect of abnormal weather Grand Line!
While generally speaking, unusually changeable weather has a far smaller impact on islands than on the sea, there are always exceptions.
As for the subsequent analysis and solutions, that falls under the category of advanced climate knowledge...
Seeing this, Ge'andi asked Seven some basic questions, and seeing that he answered them fluently, he finally believed that he was indeed a climate scientist.
Afterwards Ge'andi called Seven closer and gave him a brief introduction to the large instrument in front of them—its effect was to create thunderclouds, which reminded Sig of the Cloud Dial on the Sky Island.
In comparison, the Cloud Dial on the Sky Island have a more direct effect and are readily available "biological" materials.
If Cloud Dial are also creations of the Moon person, then the technology of the Visalia is currently several levels behind that of the Moon person. However, the difference is that the Visalia are able to manufacture their own equipment and know how to use it scientifically, while the Sky Island's use of Cloud Dial is already very primitive and rudimentary.
If Visalia represents the Industrial Age, then Sky Island represents the Age of Atomic Energy, or even more advanced technology... only after the mass extinction, the technology has been lost, and only some "convenient tools" can be found that can be used directly.
Sig has only recently read a few easily accessible meteorology books, plus some meteorology books he happened to come across while trying to pass the role of "Reader" and "Knowledge Keeper," so his knowledge isn't very advanced.
However, his strength lay in his strong comprehension skills, especially since he had previously seen and used various Cloud Dial, so he quickly understood what Ge'andi was saying.
The Cloud Dial of Sky Island can only be used on the White Sea, but Visalia's instruments can create thunderclouds on the Blue Sea. The principle behind this is a "coating" technique; the Oldest One thunderclouds produced resemble bubbles...