After Nausicaä finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the conference room.
Immediately afterwards, various low-volume murmurs of surprise spread rapidly.
"Great! Our people are saved!"
"Did I hear that right? Valley of the Wind is going to become a philanthropist?"
Those " Blessed Crops " aren't exactly cheap—
None of you here are children. Although the nations of the Sea of Corruption nominally help each other, none of them will provide large-scale aid to another country without considering the cost, especially when they themselves are also under pressure.
After these days of fermentation, the " Blessed Crops " of the Valley of the Wind have already become famous. Even those of high status, such as representatives of various countries, have heard about them from their subordinates or merchants.
The key point is that the price of these Blessed Crops" is actually not cheap—unlike grape juice, which is priced far below market value, these specialty crops are priced higher than ordinary agricultural products.
The Valley of the Wind is willing to lower its prices and sell to those impoverished little countries. Where do they get so much food?
Those who have paid close attention have observed that the total number of orders signed at the gathering alone is already close to the limit that the Valley of the Wind can supply; even tens of thousands of acres of fertile land cannot produce any more grain.
Even the major powers haven't recovered from the conscription, so why would they have surplus grain to do charity?
Nausicaä remained unfazed by the questioning glances coming from all directions.
"In fact, the Valley of the Wind has recently been exploring the Sea of Corruption and has established a small outpost."
Therefore, we hope to cooperate with countries that have large factories to order a batch of equipment for defense and transportation.
And a large amount of basic materials.
She turned slightly to signal, Trudeau stepped forward, presenting a pre-prepared list of parchment items with both hands.
Nausicaä took it and unfolded it towards the representatives on both sides of the long table.
The list includes many mission-related products, such as sheet metal, machine parts, fuel, standard firearms, and even a medium-sized cargo aircraft.
After presenting the list, Nausicaä said nothing more and simply waited calmly for everyone's reaction.
The news about exploring the Sea of Corruption has aroused the interest of many representatives. The Valley of the Wind is adjacent to the Sea of Corruption, and its geographical location can be described as excellent.
However, the people of the Valley of the Wind have always followed conservative tribal rules and have been cautious about large-scale expeditions into the Sea of Corruption. They have never attracted and supported groups of explorers as vigorously as the Pejite did back then.
If Valley of the Wind were to change its strategy and become willing to create and develop exploration outposts, it could very well become another highly sought-after gathering place for explorers.
Could it be that the traditionally conservative Valley of the Wind has finally seen the light?
"Etc!"
Where there is interest, there is bound to be a threat. A sharp voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the nascent discussion.
"That sounds nice, but who knows what your motives are? What if you use these methods to maliciously drive down grain prices and disrupt the normal grain trade of us ordinary merchants?"
"Furthermore, based on past production levels, your grain reserves are simply insufficient to supply so many countries. Isn't this just empty talk and deceiving everyone here?"
As everyone looked over, they saw that the speaker came from a small country located at the intersection of several trade routes, whose main livelihood depended on providing resting places for passing caravans.
Leveraging its geographical advantages, this country is particularly adept at buying and selling to profit from price differences. The Valley of the Wind's announcement of supplying large quantities of food at low prices clearly threatens its market share.
His words immediately drew angry glares from representatives of several famine-stricken countries, including Waji Valley.
When someone is finally willing to lend a helping hand, you jump out and accuse them of disrupting the market and being a fraudster?
But to be fair, the representative's criticisms are actually somewhat valid.
Given the limited output capacity of the land, and considering the amount needed to support its own consumption, fulfill commercial orders, and also the food shortages of several small countries, it certainly sounds like an exaggeration.
Just as Nausicaä was about to explain, Haideng across from her coughed softly, and everyone fell silent.
As the chairman of the Commercial Federation and a powerful minister in the Kingdom of Pejite, his words clearly carry significant weight.
Haideng turned his gaze to Nausicaä and offered his opinion.
"Your Highness Nausicaä, I've heard rumors that your Blessed Crops are based on ancient technology? Perhaps more specific details would help dispel any doubts."
"Of course, I was just about to explain the basis for our confidence in aiding our allies," Nausicaä replied calmly.
"In fact, we discovered and restored several ancient technologies during our exploration of the Sea of Corruption, among which the Blessed Crops were one."
"Through special cultivation methods, these crops can mature in a very short time and, like Liquid Field, are not limited by land or season, and even have higher yields per unit area."
"As for the purpose, aiding our allies is one of the meanings of the Covenant between the nations of the Sea of Corruption, and it is also the path guided by the doctrine of the ' Erdtree ' that we believe in—to help our compatriots in need to the best of our ability."
When Nausicaä used the alliance and faith as a shield, the representative curled his lip.
Besides the covenant of mutual assistance, the diverse beliefs of various nations also constituted "political correctness" in the Conference of Nations; he could not risk offending the majority by opposing tradition.
As for when the Valley of the Wind switched from worshipping the "wind" to believing in the " Erdtree "—who cares? In this land that has integrated countless generations of civilizations, even the strangest beliefs are not surprising.
Haideng nodded thoughtfully, then asked with curiosity, "I see. So, Your Highness, you've actually acquired other new technologies?"
I am very interested in the wisdom and ingenuity of our ancient ancestors. If it's convenient, could you share some more details?
Beneath Pejite lies the ruins of the largest ancient industrial city in the country, and their fascination with ancient technology is well-known.
As a key figure in Pejite's inner circle, it was perfectly normal for Haideng to show curiosity.
Nausicaä smiled obligingly and said frankly, "Chairman Haideng is indeed astute. Besides crop technology, we do have several other practical technologies."
"For example, methods to enhance basic physical fitness; medical techniques to effectively heal external injuries; and even effective treatments for 'Sea of Corruption Disease."
The conference room erupted in an uproar.
Everyone here knows what the Sea of Corruption Disease means. If the Valley of the Wind truly possesses the technology related to it, even just "alleviating" it would be enough to overturn the existing power structure among nations!
Even Mayor Gore, who seemed indifferent to the progress of the meeting, was now rapidly assessing the value of the information Nausicaä had provided with his deep gaze.
Despite the sudden surge of cheers, Nausicaä remained calm, as if she were a star on stage, the center of attention.
However, these technologies are still in the exploration and verification stage. Valley of the Wind plans to make these technologies a unique feature of its country's future and currently has no intention of transferring them to other countries.
Of course, for friendly countries willing to establish in-depth cooperation with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, we do not rule out giving them priority access to experience opportunities.
Haideng promptly picked up the conversation, affirming, "Understandable. Caution is necessary for such an important discovery."
"Regarding the needs on your country's list, Pejite is very interested. Perhaps we can discuss them in detail after the meeting."
These words are almost tantamount to Pejite's public support for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
Nausicaä naturally expressed her gratitude verbally and bowed slightly in thanks.
Only a few people could understand the meaning of their conversation: good things exist, but they won't be sold for money; Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind needs like-minded allies.
Food aid is the key, while ancient technology is the tempting bait.
With Haideng's words, the atmosphere in the meeting room immediately shifted subtly.
Not only did representatives from several other towns with industrial capabilities begin whispering among themselves, clearly showing interest in cooperation, but even some representatives who were originally just bystanders had a gleam of desire and greed in their eyes.
After Nausicaä sat down, a sly smile appeared on her face.
I'm not afraid you'll want it, I'm just afraid you won't be interested.
All these so-called "ancient technologies" are actually the divine power of the Erdtree.
Once people begin to come into contact with and rely on these miraculous powers, faith can naturally permeate the inhabitants of various countries.
Her stunt in working with Haideng to pull off this charade was worthwhile; she had achieved her goal.