A peaceful, ordinary day was disrupted by a sudden fire.
Beneath the gloomy sky, the villagers who had gone out to prepare for work were all drawn to the commotion.
Among them were farmers, blacksmiths, and miners... but they all had one thing in common: they had endured months without enough to eat.
Even though Erdtree's Favor had temporarily dispelled the weakness hunger had brought upon their bodies, it could not erase the fear of hunger from their hearts.
"Look, it seems... it's all wheat!"
"It's all burned..."
"Mommy, I'm hungry."
Scattered grains of wheat were barely visible among the ruins of the granary.
But now, the grain that was as precious as a priceless treasure to the starving villagers had been reduced to nothing by a fire.
The chief and the elders usually managed the distribution of food, so most villagers did not know exactly how much the Valley of the Wind had in storage.
Only a handful of experienced old farmers had an inkling that the Valley of the Wind could not possibly have had so much grain in storage. What had burned must have been newly arrived grain.
But they were only a small minority.
So, once the shock of the miracle had faded, panic began to spread through the crowd.
So much grain had burned. Did that mean an even worse famine was coming?
Was the Valley of the Wind doomed?
Just as the crowd was growing restless and murmurs filled the air, Nausicaä spoke.
"Everyone of the Valley of the Wind, please listen to me."
At the sound of their princess's calm yet penetrating voice, everyone fell silent as one.
All eyes turned to her. They needed answers about the grain and the divine tree she had spoken of.
"Over the past few months, we have faced many disasters. Every step has been a struggle."
"I'm sure you all know that only too well."
"As for the causes of these incidents and conflicts, I believe everyone has their own answer."
Nausicaä swept her golden eyes over the crowd.
She saw some people nodding vigorously, some wearing bitter expressions, and others averting their eyes, afraid to meet hers.
But she did not continue on that subject. Instead, she changed tack:
"But now, everything has changed. You should all have seen this mark and felt that miraculous power for yourselves."
"This power comes from the Erdtree."
She raised her left hand again, and the tree-shaped mark on her palm gave off a gentle glow.
"That's right. The divine tree has come to the Valley of the Wind, and he came to protect us."
"Our food reserves were already almost gone, and the grain in the granary was bestowed by Lord Divine Tree to help us through this crisis!"
Her words sent the crowd into an uproar.
The warmth of their recent healing still lingered in their bodies, and the miracle of their princess "raising the dead and restoring flesh to bare bones" was still vivid in their minds.
The Erdtree, the rumor that had spread through the Valley of the Wind over the past few days, was not some idle tale made up out of boredom. It really existed!
And the divine tree had not only brought miracles, but also life-saving grain.
If someone were to tell a person about such intangible things as divine trees and miracles, he might not care.
But once his own interests were involved, he would be more fervent than the most devout believer.
Not everyone was happy about this, however.
After witnessing Nausicaä's "divine power," Yiduo had sat dazed on the ground, only now coming back to his senses.
No, this was all wrong!
Wasn't it supposed to be a trick? Why, why had Nausicaä really gained "divine power"?!
Seeing everything go completely off course and the villagers grow more and more fervent, he frantically made covert signals to several faces in the crowd.
Soon, a few dissenting voices rang out.
"But the grain still burned up..."
"The princess just said the castle was out of food. What are we going to do now?"
"Who has actually seen the divine tree? Could this be an act to fool us?"
Those whispers calmed some people down and made them waver.
Indeed, hardly anyone had seen the so-called Erdtree with their own eyes, and the sealed-off forest might well have been a show of mystery.
Sometimes people were just that simple: whatever others told them, they believed.
But as before, those easily led astray were only a minority.
Those easily stirred up were, after all, only a minority. Most people of the Valley of the Wind had received a basic education and placed more faith in what they had seen and heard.
"Who says no one has? I saw it with my own eyes! When the forest was infected, Lord Divine Tree intervened and stopped the Sea of Corruption's infection!"
"Exactly! Look at the wounds on your bodies that have healed. Who dares say this isn't a miracle?"
"You again, Tuoshi! Last time, I heard you talking nonsense about the princess at the tavern!"
Seeing the villagers denounce those stirring up trouble, Nausicaä felt the anger in her heart gradually subside.
This was the "family" she knew, the Valley of the Wind she knew.
"Nausicaä, I've already identified the ringleaders," Mu En's voice rang out.
Mu En had long been on guard, and the moment someone caused a commotion, he identified the ringleaders who were trying to hide themselves.
There were even fewer than he had imagined. Only three people had been the first to incite the crowd.
Now, those few had their heads down, terrified of being punched on the spot like Tuoshi, who had echoed them.
It seemed finding a few bad people in the honest, simple Valley of the Wind really had been difficult for the mastermind.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Tree."
"Don't mention it. It was no trouble."
The situation had been urgent, and she had not had time to tell the elders to watch out for agitators. She had not expected Mu En to have already taken care of it for her.
With the agitators identified, Nausicaä faced the villagers and continued:
"There have been some unpleasant rumors in the valley recently, but I have to admit that some of what was said was true."
"If we had taken precautions early and made suitable arrangements, these tragedies would not have happened."
"As chief, I did fail in my duty."
Seeing Nausicaä blame herself, the crowd immediately protested:
"Your Highness, you've already done very well!"
"That's right! Who doesn't know it's all the fault of those savage Tolmekians?"
Nausicaä lowered both hands, and once the crowd had quieted down, she continued:
"But now, the disaster is behind us."
"On behalf of Lord Divine Tree, I announce that tonight, we will hold a celebration at the edge of the forest to celebrate the Valley of the Wind's new beginning."
Finally, she pointed to the grain that had been salvaged and gave everyone one last reassurance.
"I can tell you all that the food problem has been completely resolved. What burned here was only a drop in the ocean."
"Now, everyone, line up to receive your grain. Starting today, none of you will go hungry again!"
The next moment, led by someone in the crowd, deafening cheers soared into the sky.
"Long live Princess Nausicaä!!!"