"What are your thoughts on the orders issued by the Divine Tree?"
"Encourage childbirth, introduce new population, establish an outpost on the Sea of Corruption, and send caravans to participate in the upcoming large gathering."
"These are the top priorities we must complete before the end of the calm season and the arrival of the storm season."
In the castle hall, Mito, sitting in the main seat, scanned the long table with his one eye and felt a sense of satisfaction.
Thanks to the governance plan devised by the Divine Tree, he was finally able to escape from the overwhelming state of being a "housekeeper".
The complex system envisioned by Mu En could not be achieved overnight, just like that equally massive industrial plan.
However, building a well-defined leadership team from the very basics is still feasible.
In the past, as the "chief steward" assisting the clan leader, Mito had too many things to manage.
Training soldiers, mediating disputes, negotiating with caravans, analyzing intelligence, maintaining and repairing buildings, and even dealing with people who received less than half a sack of grain—they would all come to him for a judgment.
By the end of the day, dealing with these trivial matters would consume most of their energy, while the truly important matters concerning the survival of the valley would often be delayed.
Now, his position is clearly defined as "General Manager" and "Assistant Instructor," with only three core responsibilities:
To accurately convey the will of Nausicaä and the Erdtree, to coordinate and supervise the work progress of the other elders, and to assist the Yupa in training soldiers.
This greatly reduced his workload and increased his efficiency.
In order to communicate directly with the Divine Tree and improve efficiency, both of these new elders were granted blessings.
On the left side of the long table sat a woman with her blonde hair tied up at the back of her head, dressed in a green cloth robe; she was none other than Eliana, who was in charge of people's livelihood and internal affairs.
This former queen has transformed herself into Nausicaä's right-hand woman.
Even though she doesn't know how to govern a country, she has accumulated political knowledge over the years in the palace, which is more than enough to apply to the small village of Valley of the Wind.
Interestingly, because of this position, she received the blessing before her own son.
The second "newcomer" was a red-faced old man with bushy eyebrows that almost covered his eyes.
His name is Trudeau. He is the newly promoted elder of trade and commerce, and also the former head of the Valley of the Wind. He is very knowledgeable about the market conditions, prices, and negotiation skills of various countries.
The positions of the agricultural elder Beruto, the industrial elder Gol, and the medical elder Tia were all vacant.
The first two are now fully focused on the new tasks Mu En has assigned them, while the last one never participates in these activities.
So, apart from the clerk and assistant, the only people in the hall were Mito, the two new elders, and Yupa.
Yupa was not part of the " Council of Elders "; his position was equal to that of Mito, that of "Bishop."
"Lord Mito, I have a question."
Eliana spoke first, closing the booklet in front of her that recorded the valley's population, families, and resource allocation, and looked up at Mito.
"I have no objection to continuing to bring in Pejite refugees, but I have a different view on encouraging childbirth."
"You should be aware that the population of the countries in the Sea of Corruption has been slowly declining in recent decades, mainly due to the high infant mortality rate caused by the Sea of Corruption Disease."
Her words silenced the council chamber for a moment.
Sea of Corruption Disease is a general term for various illnesses caused by miasma invading the body.
This includes, but is not limited to, limb stiffness, skin lesions, skeletal deformities, asthma, etc.
What Eliana didn't know was that Nausicaä's ten unseen siblings had all perished from the Sea of Corruption Disease, a shared pain in the hearts of the people of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
"Even with Fawley like work-point subsidies to encourage childbirth, the results are unlikely to be very satisfactory."
Mito showed no surprise; he had already discussed this issue with the Divine Tree.
"There's no need to worry excessively. The Divine Tree believes that the Sea of Corruption Disease is most likely caused by long-term consumption of contaminated, toxic crops."
"After being ripened through Incantations, the crops contain almost no toxins, greatly increasing the chances of children born in the Valley of the Wind growing up healthy."
"I see, that's good then."
Eliana's furrowed brows relaxed slightly. She glanced down and jotted down a few notes in the booklet, then didn't ask any further questions.
" Mito." This time it was Yupa spoke.
"Isn't it a bit too risky to establish an outpost on the edge of the Sea of Corruption, or even organize people to explore it in depth?"
He had a deep conversation with Nausicaä's grandmother, the wise old woman, and learned of her concerns about the " Erdtree possibly being in conflict with the Sea of Corruption."
But Yupa still decided to stay and train soldiers for the Erdtree.
The people of the Valley of the Wind have a strange, indifferent attitude towards the Sea of Corruption.
This is likely related to the fact that they are descendants of the "those who instigated the Sea of Corruption " and want to atone for their ancestors' sins.
But Yupa different.
For many years he traveled to the countries of the Sea of Corruption in order to find a way for humanity to continue on this polluted land.
Now, he seems to have found the answer.
" Yupa Yuba, you can rest assured about that."
"Those explorers from Pejite have been venturing into the Sea of Corruption for almost a hundred years, and they still live in peace with the insect swarm."
"Besides, it's not like we haven't been in there before. This time, we're just turning sporadic exploration into regular activity and setting up a convenient base for resting in the future."
Mito answered confidently.
In the past, the Valley of the Wind would occasionally venture into the Sea of Corruption to collect materials; the distance of thirty kilometers could be reached in just over an hour with the help of Horseclaw.
Now, Mu En is demanding an increase in the frequency of explorations, primarily to test the insect swarm's tolerance for the expansion of human activity.
If all goes well, then the Valley of the Wind has no reason to let go of this vast treasure trove of unknown resources right next to its doorstep.
Yupa remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Okay, I'll go with the exploration team when they set off; I'm quite familiar with that area."
He raised his hand and pressed down on the brim of his hat to hide the smile on his lips.
Back when Nausicaä first sneaked into the Sea of Corruption, causing chaos throughout the entire valley, wasn't the mastermind behind it all his teacher?
"Lord Mito, there's one more thing," Trudeau said, raising an eyebrow as he continued.
"We must depart for the Joint Gathering in the Mining Town before the end of September, but the composition of the caravan, its size, and the selection of guards are still undecided."
The old merchant was clearly getting anxious. The large gathering was held annually and was the most important occasion for trade and intelligence exchange among the nations of the Sea of Corruption. If he missed it, he would have to wait another year.
Mito nodded and said, "This matter has been largely settled. I'll have my assistant give you the plan later."
Under Mu En's instructions, Valley of the Wind's objective for this conference has been clearly defined:
By using " Blessed Crops " as a flagship product to gain a foothold, they can exchange Valley of the Wind for metals, chemical raw materials, precision machine tool parts, and even potential access to technical data or talent.
"On your end, first, thoroughly compile a list of all the goods we can provide, especially samples and estimates of the Blessed Crops."
Trudeau nodded repeatedly, took out a charcoal pencil and a small notebook from his pocket, and immediately began to write and draw.
Under Mito's coordination, several orders were issued, and the meeting proceeded very smoothly.
After the meeting, Mito called Yupa.
" Yupa Yuba, please wait a moment. There is something the Divine Tree needs to discuss with you privately."