In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

He carefully wrapped several sets of lightweight clothing suitable for desert expeditions, water bladders, sand-proof goggles, notebooks and portable stationery for recording, several rolls of blank rubbing paper, a few element fragments for emergencies, and the precious document he had just borrowed, all in waterproof oilcloth and stuffed into a compartment.

As I was tidying up, the sound of a key turning in the lock rang out, followed by the sound of slightly unsteady footsteps.

Kavi pushed open the door and came in, his cheeks flushed and his body carrying the unique smoky atmosphere of the tavern.

As he took off his shoes, he mumbled a complaint: "Today, those guys from the school of thought insist on celebrating the interim results of the spaceship project... Huh?"

His gaze fell on the open suitcase, and he instantly sobered up considerably.

"Are you going out?" he blinked and asked, puzzled.

Without looking up, Elhesen continued packing his luggage, his tone flat: "Yes. Falusan discovered a well-preserved temple of the goddess of flowers in the desert and invited me to come and assist in the investigation."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Wang Yan is there too."

"The Temple of the Flower Goddess?! Wang Yan is there too?!" Kavi's eyes lit up instantly, the lingering effects of the alcohol completely disappearing. He strode up to Elhesen, his voice urgent: "I want to go too!"

After Wang Yan left Sumeru City, Kavi had been busy with the school's internal spaceship project. Now that there has been a breakthrough and the project has been officially launched, he can finally have some time to rest.

Now that I've heard about the relics of the Flower Goddess, how can I resist?

Elhesen finally raised his head and looked at him calmly: "That's a topic for Erossen and Wang Yan. They didn't invite you."

“What does it matter!” Kavi said without hesitation. “I can work for free! I don’t want a single penny of authorship rights!”

He was well aware of the rarity of the Flora ruins, especially the well-preserved temple, and the research value of its architectural structure and decorative art was an irresistible temptation for any scholar of the esoteric school.

Moreover, Wang Yan is his friend, so it was only natural for him to help with the investigation and provide professional advice in the past.

Given Kavi's current reputation in the field of architecture, being listed as an author on one or two papers is not a big deal; the real attraction is his personal participation in firsthand investigations.

Looking at Kavi's eager and serious expression, a barely perceptible smile flashed across Al-Hysen's eyes, but his face remained indifferent.

He did it on purpose, of course.

Otherwise, he could have just said he was going to the desert for research, without mentioning Falushan and Wang Yan at all.

"Whatever you want. Since you've decided to go, pack your bags quickly and leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing this, Kavi's face immediately lit up with a smile: "Great! I'll go prepare right away!"

He immediately turned and rushed back to his room, rummaging through drawers and cabinets, muttering to himself, "Experimental suits, drawing tools, surveying instruments, camera... The temperature difference between day and night in the desert is huge, I need to bring a thick coat... Oh right, I also need to bring some rainforest specialties and snacks for Senior Wang Yan and Senior Falushan..."

Hearing the noise coming from the next room, Al-Hysen shook his head, but a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Nasida's conversation with him was subtle, but Al-Hysen understood what she meant.

The Grass God values ​​Wang Yan's existence highly and, in a sense, hopes to win him over.

Compared to the pursuit of mutual benefits, sometimes the bonds between friends are more precious.

Kavi, though a bit simple-minded and silly, is genuinely kind and a true friend.

...

The next morning, outside Sumeru City.

A spaceship nearly thirty meters long and twelve meters wide was anchored on the ground.

Dozens of men dressed in shorts were carrying loads upstairs, while a manager was assigning tasks.

"So you're going to take a spaceship there." Kavi said with an air of surprise.

"Is this a collaboration between your school and outsiders?" Al-Hysen asked.

Kavi nodded: "Yes, after the spaceship project was suspended due to lack of funding, the school sought external cooperation. Later, Dolly agreed to provide funding, and after the spaceship was successfully built, she also had the first right to use it."

“Then…we’re boarding this wealthy merchant’s ship.” Elhesen nodded and continued walking towards the spaceship.

Kavi chimed in, "Definitely, this is the only completed spaceship at the moment."

It's not just one ship; the Academy has tested it many times before, and there are actually quite a few finished products, but this one is the latest model.

The two approached the spaceship.

A girl wearing a purple round hat inlaid with a large jewel, pink diamond-shaped glasses hanging on her nose, a black midriff-baring tight-fitting top, and her hands covered in puff sleeves, flew down from the airship sitting on a chubby spirit.

"Oh dear, wasn't it said there would only be one passenger? How come there are two? The great Lord Sango Mahabay only charged for one ticket," Dolly said loudly as she looked at the two scholars approaching.

"So you want me to give you more money?" Kavi said irritably.

He and Dolly had a lot of interactions; they were very familiar with each other, and their relationship often fluctuated between good and bad.

"Hehe, no need then. If Scholar Kavi ever comes up with any good opportunities like a toothpaste factory again, be sure to contact me immediately."

Dolly chuckled, then looked around: "The goods will take a while to arrive. You two, come aboard with me first."

The two of them naturally did not refuse and followed Dolly onto the spaceship.

After boarding the ship, Dolly said she had something to do and left.

Kavi, on the other hand, kept explaining every aspect of the spaceship to Elhesen, all of which were designed by their ingenious school of thought.

Al-Hysen didn't really want to listen, but since they were on the same boat, he had no choice but to.

He could only pull out a book at random and start reading.

When someone is talking to you, it's not really polite to look down at a book.

But Kavi was already used to Elhesen's style and continued to talk tirelessly, showing off the technological sophistication of the spaceship.

Dolly didn't reappear until a full half hour later.

"Hehe, two great scholars, the spaceship is about to take off, please get ready."

As soon as the words were spoken, the two felt a slight tremor beneath their feet. The magic array and mechanisms engraved on the bottom of the spaceship began to creak, and an invisible force lifted the massive spaceship slowly into the air.

Al-Hysen finally put away the book in his hand and his gaze fell on the gradually shrinking figure below.

How much did this spaceship cost?

He looked at Kavi.

Kavi glanced at Dolly not far away, leaned close to Elheisen's ear, and whispered, "The School has given Dolly a 20 million Mora allowance, but that doesn't include any follow-up maintenance."

He paused for a moment, then said in a lower voice, "The actual materials used do not exceed five million Mora; the main cost is for technology patent licensing fees."

Al-Hysen didn't care about the price demanded by the "Miao Lun" school, which is normal. For this kind of technique, a profit margin of less than 300% is a loss.

He was thinking that even if the materials cost no more than five million Mora, and the Academy granted the technology for free, it seemed that the desert region couldn't afford it.

Only a big merchant like Dolly could use a spaceship to deliver goods.

"Forget it, these are not things I should consider. Since the Grass Goddess is allowing this project to continue, she must have her reasons."

El-Hysen shook his head.

Kavi stood to the side, watching him shake his head and ponder, somewhat confused about what the man was thinking.

Unable to figure it out, he stopped thinking about it. He turned his gaze to Dolly and approached her: "Old Master Sangge Mahabayi, what's the matter with this trip?"

“Of course, these are the most practical things in the desert,” Dolly patted the crates beside her. “Food, medicine, cloth, books, iron…”

It's not that Dolly doesn't want to produce more high-value-added products; it's just that desert people simply can't afford them.

After all, how much money could desert people possibly have?

Using these practical goods to exchange for rare desert items, such as sandworm resin or monster materials, is the way Dolly makes money.

"Is there anything fun to do?"

"Of course, I recently acquired a set of stonemason tools from the Blackrock Depths in Liyue. Would you like to take a look?"

Dolly's eyes lit up, and she broke into a warm smile.

“Okay, okay.” Kavi also became interested.

Al-Hysen watched from the side, shaking his head slightly. He was certain that the bonus Kavi had just received for completing the project would soon disappear.

However, he didn't stop him; he simply took out a book and quietly began reading.

……

Several days later.

January 8th, sunny, southeast wind.

Wang Yan crawled out of his tent, his handsome face showing signs of fatigue and weariness, but conversely, his eyes were bright.

Outside the camp, Dixia and the members of the Radiant Hunter were training in the open space.

It was called training, but it was actually a group of more than a dozen people attacking Dixia alone. Even so, Dixia had to hold back her strength and not use her elemental power.

Meanwhile, the people of Aru Village had already started a fire in their kitchen and were preparing breakfast;

When the construction team from Aru Village arrived, the first thing they did after leveling the land was to build a kitchen and an outhouse. It can only be said that eating, drinking, and relieving oneself were indeed the most important things.

Wang Yan was about to ask the logistics team's aunt what she was eating today when he suddenly saw a spaceship gradually growing larger in the distant sky.

"Wasn't the spaceship project supposed to be halted?"

Wang Yan's big eyes were filled with great confusion.

Chapter 93 "A Preliminary Exploration of the Symbolic System of the Flower Goddess" (18/20, Seeking First Subscription)

It's impossible that only Wang Yan saw the arrival of the spaceship.

The glowing beasts training nearby, as well as the construction team, also noticed this unexpected visitor.

Some people exclaimed in surprise, some were astonished, and some instinctively picked up weapons.

Fortunately, the spaceship did not approach rashly. It began to descend slowly a few hundred meters away from the camp. When it was a few dozen meters above the ground, a lithe figure jumped off the spaceship.

Wang Yan watched from afar, his eye twitching involuntarily. Although he already knew very well that ordinary people in Teyvat could become inhumanly strong after training.

But seeing the other person jump down from a height of tens of meters so casually still made me a little nervous.

If you had just opened your Wind Wings even once!

The newcomer was unaware of Wang Yan's inner turmoil. He ran all the way to the outer perimeter of the camp and shouted, "We are a caravan under the command of Lord Sangge Mahabay. We are passing by and bringing scholars from the Academy of Teachings here. We will also be conducting trade. If you want to buy anything, you can come to the airship to make your purchases."

As he spoke, the spaceship slowly descended and came to a stop on an open ground a few hundred meters away from the camp.

Upon hearing the shouts of the newcomers, the villagers of Aru in the camp immediately beamed with joy.

In the eyes of the desert people, the other merchants in the rainforest actually have a stable reputation.

Of course, things are much better now. After all, the rainforest and the desert have gradually reconciled, and the Evangelical Fellowship will investigate anyone who tries to make a profiteer in the desert.

In the past, there weren't many caravans that desert people could trust, and the caravan of Lord Sanggo Mahabay was one of them.

You can say Dolly's stuff is expensive, but it's really useful.

The star god Yakoda, the hunter, can attest to this.

In the desert at that time, obtaining supplies was difficult enough, let alone supplies of guaranteed quality.

Therefore, in the rainforest, Dolly's reputation is somewhat associated with being a shrewd businesswoman, but in the desert, Dolly is a perfectly good businesswoman.

The people in the camp stopped training and working, and went back to their tents, took out their savings, and walked towards the airship chatting and laughing.

Erossan also heard the commotion, crawled out of her tent, and glanced at the spaceship in the distance.

"Wow, I didn't expect someone would actually place an order."

She seemed to know very well about the origins of this spaceship.

Wang Yan looked at his mentor with curiosity.

Erosian noticed Wang Yan's gaze and explained, "As mentioned before, the Mystic Theory School has solved the technical problems, but lacks funds. It seems this wealthy businessman solved the funding issue; I wonder how much it cost..."

As she spoke, Erosham's eyes flickered slightly: "I remember that I also have several of my technology patents adopted. I'll have to ask about them later."

She wouldn't be ambiguous when it came to money.

As the two were talking, two other figures walked against the crowd toward the camp; they were Elhesen and Kavi.

Wang Yan spotted his two friends from afar, waved happily, and then went to greet them.

"Elheisen, Kavi!" Wang Yan greeted with a smile, "I really didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."

As soon as Kavi approached, he patted Wang Yan on the shoulder, feigning displeasure: "Hey, Wang Yan, isn't that a bit unfair of you? You discovered such an important Flower Goddess relic, and you only invited Elhesen without even informing me! Aren't we friends?"

He didn't use much force, otherwise Wang Yan wouldn't have been able to withstand a slap from someone from the Earth and Wood Sect.