In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

"However, mentor, the problems you mentioned are essentially a lack of funding and a lack of high-quality projects... But with the Academy's technological reserves, surely we don't lack these things?"

Wang Yan still had some doubts.

As the largest academic institution in Teyvat, the Academy's patented technology was enough to support a massive academic system even during the time of Hazard, when commerce was not valued. Now that the Grass God is in power, with the opening up of commerce and entertainment, it should be making even more money.

"You're not wrong. The Order of the Fathers has no shortage of technology and projects." Farusan shook her head slightly. "Since Lord Grass God took office, the Order of the Fathers has been continuously strengthening the transformation of academic achievements. It has earned a lot of money and provided a lot of jobs, but compared with the demand, it is still a drop in the ocean."

Wang Yan was somewhat surprised: "Is the Academy of Teachings really that expensive?"

"It's not that the Order of the Fathers is spending money, it's that the Order of the Fathers is spending money to implement Lord Grass God's decrees." Farusan shook her head, showing no negative emotions. "Compared to the time of Azar, Lord Grass God pays more attention to the situation of ordinary people, and the Order of the Fathers has invested most of its funds in protecting ordinary people."

"For example, at the Health House, you used to have to pay most of the medical expenses yourself. But now, as long as you are a Sumeru person, whether you are a rainforest person or a desert person, you can get more than half of the expenses reimbursed. Some diseases can even be treated for free. These expenses are naturally provided by the Order Institute."

"There is also support for small handicrafts, support for agriculture and animal husbandry, renovation of water conservancy projects, and investment in education in the desert. Each of these is a huge expenditure, and all of this money is provided by the Ministry of Education."

"Including the scholars' welfare, the school's funding, the rainforest maintenance costs, the sand-proof wall maintenance costs, the military expenses for the thirty-person regiment..."

Farusan counted the expenses of the Order of the Church on her fingers for Wang Yan, and finally concluded: "In short, the Order of the Church will never have enough money."

Wang Yan was dumbfounded.

Now I finally understand why Nasita is becoming less and less childlike.

With such an exorbitant bill weighing on you, even the most naive person will be worn away.

But which of these expenses can be eliminated?

Remove investment in people's livelihood? How many good days will people in Sumeru have left?

Cutting off investment in the desert? That's definitely not an option; it's the foundation of stability.

After much thought, Wang Yan realized that the only thing he could slightly limit was the school's funding.

No wonder the six major schools of thought are so careful with their budgets; under these circumstances, every penny must be spent wisely.

"Understood, I'll go talk to Vizier about the project's implementation in a bit," Wang Yan nodded.

Farussan: "Later, have Zakaria and Kavi sign a joint statement saying it's a joint project of the three schools of thought, so we can apply for more funding."

"Okay, I understand."

"Then you should leave now, I still have blueprints to look at."

Fiona started kicking people out.

Wang Yan stood up: "Then I'll be going now. Remember to eat on time, mentor."

"I don't need you to remind me! Hurry up and leave, you stupid apprentice, just looking at you makes me angry~"

……

Despite being kicked out of the house by Faroshan, Wang Yan was in a good mood. According to Faroshan, his project was basically a success.

Wang Yan did not know Vizier Nizam.

However… Wang Yan knew his secretary, Miss Fariha.

When Wang Yan and Khalid signed their employment contract, this young lady was the one who helped him with the housing arrangements in the dormitory area.

"Let's go ask Faliha first."

Wang Yan quickly made a decision and headed towards the place where he had first met Faliha. That was one of her workplaces, and he should be able to find her there.

After crossing the square above Tianbi Pond, Wang Yan approached the stall area on the city gate street and saw Faliha standing in front of a pottery stall, surrounded by a group of onlookers.

The stall owner was a dark-skinned middle-aged man, nervously rubbing his apron with both hands. Opposite him stood a simply dressed woman holding a ceramic bowl with a tiny crack along the rim.

"Miss Fariha, you must be the judge!" the woman said urgently. "I just bought this bowl from here this morning, and it cracked after I filled it with hot soup. It must have been boiled improperly. How could you sell it like this?"

The stall owner immediately retorted, "My pottery is all legitimately sourced from the Vikala trading post, and every batch is inspected. Did you break it when you took it home? Did it crack from the hot water? It doesn't crack that easily!"

Facing the two sides arguing, Fariha remained calm and raised her hand to signal them to calm down.

She has handled countless cases like this.

He reached out and took the ceramic bowl, gently running his fingertips along the cracks, and then carefully examined the texture of the bowl's walls and the glaze against the light.

A moment later, she looked up at the stall owner, her voice clear and firm:

"The crack edges are smooth, without any broken pieces or scratches caused by bumps or knocks. There are tiny air bubbles accumulated on the glaze surface here, which is caused by uneven temperature during firing and moisture left inside the clay body."

"This is a defect in the manufacturing process, a problem with the firing technique, not damage caused by human error during use."

The stall owner turned pale and tried to explain, "I...I really didn't know! Everything looked fine when I bought the goods..."

Farriha shook her head, her tone serious but not harsh: "You sold the goods, so you are responsible for their quality. Whether you knew it or not, selling inferior goods is a violation of the market rules. Now you need to compensate this customer for their loss and accept the punishment according to the regulations."

"A penalty?" The stall owner's forehead was sweating, and his voice trembled. "Miss Faliha, this is just a small business. Could... could you make an exception for the fine? I promise I'll check more carefully next time!"

Farriha pondered for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the other pottery pieces displayed on the stall.

She walked closer and picked up a few pieces to examine them. She found that the glaze on the bottom of two bowls was uneven and the body was too thin, which meant they were obviously defective products from the same batch. However, the pottery next to them did not have similar problems and were all good pottery.

She gently placed the items aside and looked at the stall owner:

"The penalty can be suspended, but you must immediately remove all flawed pottery from your stall and prohibit its sale."

"If there are any random checks or complaints in the future, I will impose penalties in accordance with the regulations and record them—at that time, it will be more than just a fine."

The stall owner, overjoyed, bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Miss Faliha! I'll put it away right away and never sell it again!"

After saying that, he hurriedly picked up the obviously poor-quality vessel to put it away, but after thinking about it, he smashed it on the ground in front of the onlookers.

After smashing everything in front of everyone, he took out some Mora, handed it to the woman with both hands, and sincerely apologized.

The woman took the money, her expression softening, and thanked Fariha, saying, "Thank you for upholding justice; otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do."

A ceramic bowl isn't actually expensive, but the feeling of buying junk and then being ripped off is really unpleasant.

Farriha nodded slightly: "This is the responsibility of the market management. If you notice anything unusual when you make your next purchase, you can report it to me or the patrol of thirty people on the spot."

The woman nodded her thanks again.

The dispute was resolved smoothly, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

As soon as Faliha turned around, she saw Wang Yan standing a few steps away, and a smile immediately appeared on her face: "Long time no see, Wang Yan."

Wang Yan stepped forward: "You resolved a dispute so easily. As expected of you, Faliha."

"Haha, it's just some trivial matter." Faliha waved her hand, then looked at Wang Yan and asked, "Are you going out of town? Or are you going to buy something?"

"No, I came to see you. I have something I want to ask you," Wang Yan said.

Fariha asked curiously, "Looking for me? Let's talk over there first."

She pointed to a small house not far away, which should be her workspace.