A few days later.
In the study on the castle's upper floor.
Bookshelves occupied three walls of the study, reaching all the way to the ceiling. They were crammed with precious books collected by generations of clan leaders.
This was the private study of Jihl, the clan leader. It had excellent natural light and was as large as a small classroom.
The children of the Valley of the Wind did indeed receive their basic education here, taught literacy and general knowledge about various trades by the elders.
Valuing education and broadening one's horizons were principles passed down among the Valley of the Wind's leaders for generations.
Growing up surrounded by those values, Nausicaä had developed a love of reading and a habit of putting things into practice.
This time, however, no book could offer her a ready-made answer to the problem she faced.
"Mr. Tree, I still don't think this is right." Sitting at the heavy wooden desk piled high with books, Nausicaä was arguing with Mu En through their mental link.
Over the past few days, through Beruto and Nausicaä's combined efforts, the "grace crops" grown with prayers had filled the storerooms on the castle's lower floor and the granaries beside the fields.
The wheat and potatoes were enough to feed the people of the Valley of the Wind for half a year.
But Mu En argued that instead of distributing the food directly, they should give priority to rewarding those who had made outstanding contributions. This was the reason for their argument.
"Everyone in the Valley of the Wind is working hard to survive. Using food to reward and punish people, dividing them into ranks, goes against our traditions."
"Perhaps some people have been slacking off lately, but that's because the famine has left everyone without hope. As long as you perform a miracle and solve the food problem..."
Mu En's merciless voice, however, rang out directly in her mind.
"This takes care of it this time, but what about the next?"
"A gift given at no cost will only make them think this land is naturally supposed to provide for them, rather than that they must work together to maintain their home."
"You have to understand, Nausicaä, not everyone thinks the way you do or sees as far as you do."
In Mu En's view, the Valley of the Wind was basically a somewhat more civilized primitive tribe at present.
The clan leader stood at the top of the entire tribe, with all authority and military power firmly in his hands.
For example, the clan leader alone decided how weapons were made and stored, how reserve food was distributed, and who was appointed to which position.
The massive, sturdy base of the castle ensured his control over these matters. Without the clan leader's orders, the villagers couldn't even take a single bullet out.
Below the clan leader, elders were selected by the clan leader, and foremen were chosen by the elders.
There were no standards for these selections; they were made almost entirely on the basis of experience and personal impressions.
As for laws and the like, there was even less to speak of.
All disputes were judged according to so-called "moral standards," and in the end, whether a person was guilty came down entirely to a word from the clan leader.
It was a system of management that prioritized survival and stability while neglecting the potential for development.
There were no stable paths for advancement, no competition or sense of crisis, and a lack of creativity and motivation. There wasn't even a clear standard for right and wrong.
If things went on like this, everyone would come to believe an illusion.
All of this was only natural.
It had always been this way and always would be. As long as I do my job well-or even if I don't-the village will go on forever.
The clan leader's efforts? The resources provided by the environment? Hadn't those always been what we were "supposed" to have?
It was a dangerous idea. Once they encountered an irresistible external force, order would quickly collapse.
"Nausicaä, think carefully about what you've been through lately. Is everyone here really doing their utmost to survive?"
"If they were truly anxious only because of the famine, they should understand that the root cause of the food shortage is Tolmekia's exploitation, and that your policy could prevent another disaster in the future."
"Anyone with eyes can see how hard you've worked."
"So what are the people deliberately spreading rumors and turning their accusations on you really thinking?"
Looking at the beautiful girl, her brow tightly furrowed as she fell silent, Mu En sighed inwardly.
He hadn't wanted to put it so bluntly and had hoped Nausicaä would figure it out for herself.
But he had realized that the Nausicaä of today was not yet the Chosen One from the original story, who had endured countless hardships and acted decisively in battle.
With her father Jihl shielding her from hardship, she still held on to some naive ideas.
And now, there was no more time for her to mature slowly.
Although he had dozens of followers, Mu En's Rune reserves were still running at a deficit.
He had calculated that it would take the power of faith supplied by at least ten ordinary blessed individuals, or more than a hundred devout followers, to reverse his energy deficit and keep him from withering.
As for someone as exceptionally gifted as Nausicaä, he could hardly count on finding another.
After converting two blessed individuals in succession and making a series of expenditures, Mu En's Rune reserves had fallen to an extremely dangerous level. He could no longer bless new subjects.
He needed an opportunity to make the entire Valley of the Wind-or at least most of its people-quickly become believers from the bottom of their hearts.
Only then could he turn his deficit into a surplus and truly establish a foothold here.
He also had a feeling that once the number of blessed individuals or followers reached a certain point, his Erdtree body would certainly undergo some kind of change.
He couldn't say exactly what that change would be, but it would definitely be beneficial.
One week: that was the deadline Mu En had calculated for putting his plan into action, as well as the time he had left to live.
Fortunately, news that "the Erdtree will save the Valley of the Wind" had already spread throughout the valley.
Although many people were skeptical, they couldn't even go and confirm it for themselves.
The burned forest had been sealed off on orders so that Beruto could use it to ripen the grain.
But the more it was kept from them, the more curious people became.
Mu En's original plan was to take this opportunity to hold a celebration involving the entire village.
Besides displaying his power, he would give priority in distributing the ripened food to the villagers who had remained at their posts and supported the clan leader through the hard times, especially those who had taken part in the forest disaster relief.
This would serve as the first step in reforming the contribution system.
As for those who were content with the status quo, habitually lazy, or even spread rumors, maintaining their current rations at just enough to keep them from starving would suffice.
That they were allowed to live at all was already a result of the Valley of the Wind's simple, honest customs and Nausicaä's kind heart.
By seizing this opportunity, he could gain faith, establish Nausicaä's authority, and use the momentum to implement the new system.
And those grace crops were the best guarantee that the plan could be carried out.
During a famine, no one could refuse a steaming, fragrant bowl of wheat porridge.
In his previous life, the Yellow Turban leader who had rallied people with "talisman water" had long since proven that.
As for why he was in such a hurry to do this...
It was naturally because of the information Mu En had previously heard about the Sea of Corruption's forest.
In the face of the Sea of Corruption's threat, the Valley of the Wind's current loose system would be unable to withstand a single blow.
He didn't want to sit and wait for death.