Across the entire Main Plane continent, there was only one country untouched by the drought: the Northwest Republic.
The Northwest Republic lay at the continent's far northwestern edge, where the weather had always been cold. Because of that cold, vast quantities of ice and snow had accumulated there, and its groundwater reserves were abundant as well.
Moreover, this land was not fertile. There were few plants or animals, agriculture was underdeveloped, and its water consumption had never been high to begin with. The major water-consuming sectors were all industrial; as long as those were suspended, there was no need to worry about water shortages at all.
The Northwest Republic also had a small population and little demand of its own. So even in this year of great drought, it maintained a relatively stable water supply. There were even tourists who had come all the way to the Northwest Republic simply to enjoy its unlimited supply of clean water.
Sui Xiong had not paid much attention to the Northwest Republic lately. After all, it was not short on water. Yet while he was busy, he received some rather unexpected news.
Double-Headed Stork City, the northernmost city of the Gold Coin Federation, had decided to break away from the Gold Coin Federation and join the Northwest Republic.
"Huh? Why?" Sui Xiong was stunned for a moment upon receiving the news before asking.
"For water," Philex, the Grand Archon responsible for reporting it, sighed and said. "They have always suffered from a lack of water. When they discovered that Black Rye City had an abundant water supply, they were extremely envious. After several discussions, they made this decision."
"They abandoned their country just for water?" Sui Xiong was deeply shocked. "Where's their integrity? Do those ringleaders who decide the city's major policies have