"King Deshret... re... revived? How is that possible?"
For real or for fake?!
That was Setaria's first reaction to what she heard. Utter terror appeared on her face, and the tangled emotions within left her agitated. Still, she forced herself to calm down, managed a faint smile, and spoke as though she did not care:
"You must be joking, Lord Regent. Lord Deshret passed away long, long ago. How could such an absurd story be circulating? Surely some criminals are trying to use King Deshret's name to commit unlawful acts. I must report this to the Akademiya and have it thoroughly investigated."
Yucheng merely smiled at Setaria's righteous declaration. "You've hit the nail on the head, Miss Setaria. I also think the chances of King Deshret returning to life are vanishingly small. The Archon War was no children's game.
"But what surprises me is that, even after being dead for so long, King Deshret still commands such prestige among Sumeru's people. A single unsubstantiated rumor could drive a group of Eremites into a frenzy. It seems Sumeru's problem with regional discrimination can no longer be ignored."
At his words, an awkward smile appeared on Setaria's face, but a trace of gloom rose within her. As Azar's assistant, she desperately wanted to defend her superior, yet her own desert origins and the circumstances its people faced forced her to acknowledge this.
Setaria herself actually knew perfectly well that life was very difficult for the desert people under the Akademiya's rule.
The desert's harsh environment led to scarce water, barren soil, and a sparse population. Their desert origins alone subjected them to endless discrimination, but most importantly, the severe shortage of educational resources meant children in the desert could not receive a good education at all.
They could only remain illiterate for