With Iskandar giving his firsthand account, even Setaria, who came from the desert, felt this was a problem with no solution.
The reason her home, Aaru Village, had become the largest settlement in the desert was that it lay near the boundary between the desert and the rainforest, where water was relatively plentiful. More importantly, Caravan Ribat was nearby to replenish its supplies.
But what about the settlements deeper in the desert? They had nothing to fall back on and could only strictly limit their populations according to the water available in their settlements. If there was only enough drinking water for a hundred people, the hundred and first had to leave the tribe, and that hundred and first person would be either a young, able-bodied adult or an elderly person.
The former could at least head to another tribe or the rainforest to find another way to make a living. Failing that, they could join the Eremites in the desert and become mercenaries who lived on a knife's edge. This was also the fundamental reason there were so many Eremites in the desert. As for the latter, their ending was rather more tragic.
Setaria carefully considered Sumeru City's existing economic structure. Which industries could be replicated in the desert?
Agriculture? Not really! The soil was too barren. Developing agriculture in the desert meant twice the effort for half the results.
Industry? Even worse! Other matters could be worked around, but if industrial development polluted their precious water supplies, the losses would absolutely outweigh the gains.
The service industry? Most desert residents were dirt-poor. Who would they serve? The ones with money were the Eremite mercenaries instead, and they were already accustomed to heading to Caravan Ribat, Port Ormos, or Sumeru City to enjoy themselves after a job. They would