"Now, those who made outstanding contributions to this mission will be commended. Those whose names are called, please step forward."
A simple yet profound ceremony is taking place in the Golden Forest.
The new immigrants have quickly established themselves in the Valley of the Wind, while also providing a considerable amount of faith.
Nourished by these Rune, Mu En's body has grown to ten meters tall, almost level with the surrounding trees, and the range of his "domain" has expanded once again.
Even from the outskirts of the forest, you can see the flowing golden light here.
Under the Erdtree, the Blessed Warrior stood in formation, their spines ramrod straight.
The award ceremony, which had been delayed for several days due to the resettlement of refugees, finally began.
Nausicaä stood before them, responsible for reading out the list of award recipients.
" Kamlin, your command during the operation was excellent. You successfully escorted all 174 refugees to the Valley of the Wind, and the resettlement mission was also completed perfectly. Your performance was outstanding."
Kamlin stepped forward, his expression calm, showing no surprise at the outcome.
" Elphias Doge, you killed the most enemies in the battle and were the first to breach the enemy's fortress gate. Your bravery is commendable."
When young Elphias Doge stepped forward, he was breathing heavily, clearly not expecting to receive a reward.
" Por led from the front in battle, rescued his comrades in time, and ultimately captured the enemy leader, Ohara."
"The rescue operation you led has achieved all default objectives; no one on our side was killed."
Por's lips twitched, seemingly amused by Elphias Doge's performance, but he suppressed his laughter after remembering the occasion.
"You may now step forward to receive the blessings of the Divine Tree." Nausicaä nodded slightly to the group and stepped aside to make way for the tree.
The other Blessed Warrior cast envious glances at him, focusing on his back as he walked to the tree and stood at attention again.
"You have done well," Mu En's voice resounded in the three souls, "Now, I bestow upon you a second blessing as a reward."
As the words fell, three Blessed Dew slowly dripped from the tips of the Erdtree.
Although it was far less powerful than the " Divine Descent " used on Nausicaä before, which could instantly boost her strength.
However, Blessed Dew are gentler and can be directly absorbed by the body.
Dewdrops settled between the three people's eyebrows, and a faint golden glow emanated from them.
A moment later, they opened their eyes almost simultaneously, looked at each other, and each caught an irrepressible surprise in the other's eyes.
The second time I received the Blessed Dew, the improvement was equally comprehensive and significant.
Muscle strength, nerve reflexes, sensory acuity, and even the speed of thought processes have all been enhanced once again.
"Thank you for your blessing, Divine Tree!" The three bowed in unison.
Mu En was quite satisfied with their reaction.
He was never stingy with rewards as long as the assigned task was completed beautifully.
Occasional praise and recognition have a visible boost to the morale of the entire team, and the eyes of the Blessed Warrior lined up at the back have become noticeably more fervent.
Although two blessings cannot transform the Blessed into Golden Folk, the soul energy gained from killing enemies, along with diligent training and tempering, will make a difference.
It is believed that the first Golden Folk to rise through their own efforts will emerge from among these people.
After the ceremony, only Nausicaä remained in front of the tree.
She took out a roll of thick paper tied with a thin string from her pocket; these were the various reports she had compiled and organized over the past few days.
" Mr. Tree, this is a summary of the development status of Valley of the Wind." She unfolded the scroll, which was covered with neat handwriting and concise charts.
"Okay, sit down and let's talk."
Nausicaä did as instructed, leaning against the rough yet warm golden bark and sitting down.
Through this contact, Mu En could also vaguely sense the softness and warmth of the girl's body.
Their current relationship is similar to that of the "god-man" and the "king" in the Lands Between, almost like that of partners.
However, Mu En's status is slightly higher than those so-called gods; he is the "rule" itself.
"First of all, the food problem has been completely solved..."
In less than a month since Mu En's arrival, the Valley of the Wind has completely shaken off the shadow of famine, not only regaining its former vitality but also becoming more prosperous than before.
The five newly expanded granaries were all completed two days ago. Based on the current storage of new grain, even without further ripening of any crops, it is enough to feed the Valley of the Wind for more than six months.
The new warehouse was completed so quickly thanks to the carpenters and bricklayers who were working non-stop.
The cost is that, in order to accelerate the ripening of these crops, a quarter of the Valley of the Wind's usable land is now in a state of barrenness, even with the restriction that each piece of land can only be ripened once.
Beruto estimates that these lands will need to be left fallow for at least a year to recover.
As for replacing traditional farming with liquid farming, it still seems like a long way off at present.
According to several farmers from Pejite, not to mention the complex nutrient solution they're trying to make, the Valley of the Wind can't even build a decent water pump right now.
Even if the Erdtree's Favor are used to omit all other processes, the lack of a chemical industry cannot be ignored.
Fortunately, Valley of the Wind currently has a relatively large land reserve.
The cleanup of the contaminated soil is only halfway complete, and a large amount of fertile land will be cleared in the future.
"As long as crop rotation is arranged reasonably, especially by replanting soybeans on land that has been artificially ripened, there is no need to worry about land becoming barren, as long as the population does not exceed three thousand," Nausicaä concluded.
Mu En understood; this was the advantage of having several capable subordinates.
His Golden Order offers the possibility of a leap in productivity, but how to implement it specifically and how to achieve sustainable development still requires planning by people like Beruto and Gol.
"Then there's the industrial sector..."
The weapons workshop and blacksmith shop on the lower level of the castle were no longer sufficient, especially after Mu En proposed to build basic industry from scratch, such as making machine tools.
Gol is preparing to rebuild a factory outside the castle foundation.
In addition, the weapons workshop is attempting to repair and replicate the Storm Assault Rifle, but Gol believes this can be put on hold for now.
The captured ammunition is sufficient; as long as we do not initiate war with other countries, it is more than enough to arm the entire Valley of the Wind militia.
The most important thing right now is to gradually break away from relying on caravans to buy weapon parts and to manufacture and maintain firearms ourselves.
Nausicaä's gaze fell on the last part of the report, and her tone became lighter:
"The progress of all these tasks is inseparable from the contributions of the new immigrants."
The immigrants brought many surprises to Valley of the Wind, which is why she was happy.
The experience gained from excavating ruins and the exquisite craftsmanship in the workshops are things that the Valley of the Wind originally lacked.
Their enthusiasm for their work exceeded Nausicaä and Mu En's expectations.
These people are efficient and decisive in their work, and their efficiency is no less than that of the Blessed.
Many people volunteer to take on heavier tasks or work overtime to earn more task points.
If it weren't for the fact that there are still many job vacancies in the Valley of the Wind, Mu En would be worried that the new and old residents would get caught up in unnecessary "involution".
Mu En guessed that this was related to his display of divine power, supporting the children of immigrants, and treating them the same as the residents of the Valley of the Wind.
Such a safe and secure living environment where everyone is equal is simply a fantasy in the Kingdom of Pejite.
Overall, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is currently thriving and in a very favorable situation.
After the report, Nausicaä did not leave immediately, but chatted with Mu En.
They talked about the books they'd recently read, complained about Grandpa Mito secretly asking Beruto for cooking tips, and exchanged some Sea of Corruption) stories with Eliana...
At the same time, she was also enjoying the time she spent alone with " Mr. Tree ".
Unlike others, Nausicaä never regarded Mu En as a high and mighty god.
In her heart, this calm, witty, and intelligent man was not only a benefactor but also a close companion.
According to the tradition of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, she is actually of marriageable age.
If Mr. Tree weren't a tree, perhaps...
"Your Highness Nausicaä! Divine Tree!"
Good times are always fleeting.
Gol's voice came from afar, Nausicaä immediately stood up, raised her hand and patted her slightly feverish cheeks to calm her somewhat agitated emotions.
Although they wanted to stay here forever, both of them still had many tasks to do.
Surviving in this wasteland is never an easy task.
They cannot afford to relax for a moment until the golden light truly illuminates the entire world.