The castle hall is now very lively, with people sitting on both sides of the long table.
The leaders of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind gathered to prepare for the three teams' expedition.
Aside from Beruto was still focused on his own little corner of the Valley of the Valley of the Wind, even Nausicaä's great-grandmother, the old woman with extraordinary mental strength, was absent.
After all, this mission is related to the future of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
This was also the last and most important meeting held in the valley recently.
In the main seat, Nausicaä sat beneath a gold and red tapestry, smiling as she watched the noisy elders.
She reached out and touched the wood grain on the table; the wear and tear recorded over a hundred years of council history in the Valley of the Wind.
This long table hasn't been full in a long time, and the castle hall hasn't been this lively in a long time either.
The last time such a scene occurred was probably when Father Jihl had just taken over as chieftain, and everyone was celebrating in a grand manner.
The elders' commotion was, of course, for a reason.
Of course, it's not like the "Odd Little Country" series, where a tiny country has hundreds of departments and endless back-and-forth disputes over interests.
Instead, everyone felt that their own mission was more important to the Valley of the Wind, and they were debating the allocation of manpower.
"My artisans are waiting for materials. Without iron and copper, how can we make weapons? They must be prioritized for the caravans!"
A short, stocky old man with a thick beard slammed his hand on the table; it was Elder Gol, the craftsman.
"Are weapons more important than food? Do you know how much work each textile worker and construction worker in the valley has to do?" As an elder of the people, Eliana immediately retorted.
"You two, stop arguing! Let's decide who will be on the first team!"
Once again, it was Mito who made the decision, and the noise subsided as his one eye swept across the room.
The highly respected one-eyed veteran had long been seen as a pillar of strength by everyone.
Mito pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and unfolded it; it was a full-color map he had brought back from Tolmekia.
(Topographical map of the vicinity of the Sea of Corruption, note: this map is oriented with west at the top, east at the bottom, south on the left, and north on the right...)
The first team was the vanguard expedition heading west to the Sea of Corruption.
The goal is to conduct stable, long-term searches for materials from the Sea of Corruption and ancient civilization relics, contributing to the development of the Valley of the Wind.
Mu En even considered creating a second Explorers' City; after all, it was another world, and the Explorers' Guild was the perfect match.
Of course, that's all in the future; right now, we need to take the first step.
"My suggestion is that a Blessed should serve as the eyes of the Divine Tree, and the people led by Yupa, along with the people of the Valley who have experience walking the Sea of Corruption, should form an advance team."
He raised his head and looked at Yupa sitting opposite him.
Yupa nodded with his arms crossed, indicating that he had no objection.
"This team of ten has set off for the edge of the Sea of Corruption, thirty kilometers west of the Valley of the Wind, to establish an outpost and conduct various tests."
"If there are no problems, send a second batch of Blessed, craftsmen, and stonemasons to establish a permanent base."
Gol stroked his beard. "Are ten people enough? Although there are fewer insects on the edge of the Sea of Corruption, it's still not exactly safe."
"That's enough. Too many people will only hinder our movement," the experienced Yupa said. "Our goal this time is to clear a path. We only need to bring tents and two weeks' worth of rations."
"Should we only send one Blessed? Wouldn't that be too risky?" Eliana suggested.
In Pejite, she often heard of expeditions with hundreds of members, fully armed to the teeth, only to have a handful return or even be wiped out.
"The power of the Erdtree might trigger a reaction in the Sea of Corruption. If we only send one Blessed, it will be easier to evacuate if problems arise. If the Sea of Corruption doesn't react abnormally, the Divine Tree will send a second team directly."
Mito explained to everyone.
The elders looked at each other, but ultimately nodded in agreement with the plan; this was the least controversial team.
With a clear objective, a streamlined team, manageable risks, and Yupa leading the team, everyone felt reassured.
But after Mito rolled up the parchment, the atmosphere in the hall became heavy again.
" The Valley of the Wind must treat the matter of the second team, which is tasked with helping and guiding the Pejite refugees, with utmost care."
Eliana spoke first, not giving anyone else a chance to interrupt.
"We cannot rule out the possibility that among them are others like ' Insect Claw,' who outwardly appear to be refugees but are actually plotting to destroy the settlements of the various kingdoms of the Sea of Corruption."
"It would be best to send all the Blessed Warrior, divided into multiple groups, to wipe out the sand bandits."
This elderly resident is most concerned about the labor shortage in various industries within the valley.
Since her son Lucian became the Blessed, the former queen has been completely at ease and has become a member of the Valley of the Wind.
Although she didn't understand what was so good about her son's insistence on becoming Blessed Warrior and fighting.
But her son has dreams, so as his mother, she has to worry about them.
As for how to keep Lucian safe?
Before he reaches adulthood and meets the requirements for military service, wouldn't it be better to just make the Valley of the Wind so powerful that there are no more battles to fight?
Therefore, she had no qualms about poaching members from the Kingdom of Pejite, which had overthrown the former royal family.
However, some people were unhappy that she wanted to take all the Blessed Warrior with her.
Trade elder Trudeau face flushed (though he was naturally red-faced), argued with her.
"Don't you know that Joint Gathering are places where countries scheme against each other?" Trudeau slammed his fist on the table.
"If we can't demonstrate sufficient strength, no one will consider the Valley of the Wind an ally! As one of the few lands in the Sea of Corruption kingdoms that can directly grow food, do you think no one covets this place?"
Gol chimed in, "Yes, if we can't acquire enough industrial raw materials, the Valley of the Wind won't be able to develop its own industry and break free from the restrictions of caravans."
Eliana confidently replied that she really didn't know.
As the queens of the second most powerful nation in the Sea of Corruption, they were always the ones feared; when had they ever feared anyone?
"Now that the Valley of the Wind is protected by the Divine Tree, its potential is definitely no less than Pejite of Semo in its prime. Why have you all become so timid?"
The former queen raised her chin, inadvertently revealing an air of authority.
"Besides, what's the use of a developed industry? Building houses, making clothes, processing soybean oil, and other trivial matters all require people. Without production, what will your workers eat and wear?"
"Didn't the Divine Tree already say that population is the most important thing?"
Eliana's domineering presence left everyone momentarily speechless.
He could only sigh inwardly, thinking, "Truly worthy of being the wife of the King of Explorers Deus; she has indeed revealed her shrewish true colors."
Then, Trudeau dropped a bombshell.
"Her Highness is to accompany the assembly," he said, staring at Eliana. "If something happens to her, can you bear the responsibility?"
The castle hall fell silent instantly.