Chapter 431: Shurima Development Outlook
While Nasus and Taliyah chatted, the caravan gradually approached their destination, the city of Vikora.
It is still a miracle that such a city could be formed in the depths of the desert, even though it is now desolate and dilapidated.
There is only one reason for this miracle, and that is that there is a precious resource here that is enough to feed the entire population of a city - water.
This is also the reason why Taliyah and her group chose to come here.
The water attracted enough people to form a city.
The nearby desert tribes and the desert merchants heading north would spontaneously gather in this city to replenish their precious water resources.
Therefore, the leader only needs to go to the city of Vikaura to meet various desert tribesmen, find them to understand the detailed situation of the desert, and complete the social background investigation of the eastern part of the Shurima Desert.
So, where does the water for the city of Vikaula come from?
"Mother of Life." Looking at the dry riverbed gradually emerging in front of him, Nasus sighed with a melancholy tone.
This long river that appeared like a miracle in the depths of the desert is the source of water for Vikaula.
However, the part of it that appeared on the surface has completely dried up, leaving only a wide riverbed that is mostly buried by wind and sand, still telling of its former surging power.
Fortunately, although the flow of this river has dried up, it has not completely dried up.
Although the long river on the ground has dried up, the underground river is still flowing quietly.
Here, deep underground water mercifully rises to the surface, forming a small permanent lake. The lake nourishes the oasis, and the oasis nurtures life.
This is also the reason why the declining and dilapidated ancient Vikaura city can still survive to this day.
"Is... this the Mother of Life?" Taliyah had never seen it before, but she also knew this river.
This river is the spiritual totem of all Shurimans and is said to be the source of life that nourishes the land of Shurima.
Its importance is like that of the Nile River to Egypt - that is why it is called the Mother of Life.
The Mother of Life in the story has abundant water and numerous tributaries. Legend has it that it originates from the capital of the Shurima Empire and transports sweet spring water to every corner of the Shurima Desert like a spider web.
The desolate Shurima Desert came to life as a result. Oases were born because of the water, and cities sprang up, eventually creating a prosperous ancient Shurima Empire.
However, every Shuriman who has grown up a little knows:
These beautiful legends are nothing but stories to deceive children.
In reality, the Mother of Life does not have any vast torrents at all. It is good enough that only the outline of a dry riverbed remains, and it is not completely buried by the yellow sand.
"She flows like the sea, nourishing people and the crops they grow with her tides. She is wheat for food and cotton for clothes..."
Sivir next to her was still reciting an ancient Shurima poem praising the Mother of Life with a look of despair.
Taliyah looked at the desolate and decaying scene before her and could not help but ask Nasus, “Mr. Giant.”
"In the ancient poem you taught Sivir, it said that the mother of life is 'wheat grains for food' and 'cotton for clothes'."
"Is it possible to grow crops and cotton in the desert of ancient Shurima?"
Growing crops is very water-intensive, especially cotton.
Scientists in Piltover have long studied that it takes 1 to 1.2 tons of water to produce one kilogram of wheat, and 5.7 tons of water to produce one kilogram of cotton.
Can this dead river really provide so much water?
In this desert, even poplar trees and cacti can barely survive, so how can there be room for delicate crops and cotton?
Taliyah couldn't believe that the ancient legends about the Mother of Life were true.
“Alas.” Nasus sighed deeply.
"This is true." His eyes showed memories: "Our mother of life is far greater than you can imagine."
"Taliyah, in the legends you heard, the Mother of Life originated in the capital of the Shurima Empire, right?"
"Yeah." Taliyah nodded hesitantly.
This is also what she can't understand the most.
The capital of the Shurima Empire is located in the center of the desert, with endless Gobi deserts to the east, west, south and north.
How could a river that can be called the mother of life suddenly emerge in the center of this desert, the dead end of life?
“Because the source of the Mother of Life is not actually the capital of the empire, but the Targon Mountains on the westernmost side of the desert.” Nasus said, “It is the meltwater from the Targon Mountains that never stops all year round that brings the source of life to this desert.”
"Mount Targon?" Taliyah frowned slightly.
She had been to the Targon Mountains.
After she left the tribe, she headed north along the Targon Mountains on the west side of the desert and arrived at the Noxian colony on the northern coast of Shurima.
When passing through the Targon Mountains, Taliyah did see the meltwater from the snow that Nasus had mentioned.
The melted water from the snow-capped mountains rushed down from the high mountains, gathering into countless streams and rivers, flowing eastward into the Shurima Desert.
"But from what I've seen," Taliyah said, "the streams didn't change the environment of the desert after they entered it."
“Maybe they dried up quickly after entering the desert.”
Taliyah did not specifically investigate the hydrological conditions downstream of these streams, but she knew that if these waters really worked, Shurima would not be what it is now.
"What's more, from Mount Targon to Vikora..."
Mount Targon is on the west side of the desert, and Vikola is on the east side of the desert, spanning thousands of kilometers from east to west.
Can the meltwater from the snow mountains really withstand the scorching sun of the desert and travel thousands of kilometers to here without being lost or evaporated?
“Under natural conditions, no,” Nasus replied solemnly, “but in the Shurima Empire, yes.”
"How did you do that?" Taliyah asked anxiously.
If what Nasus said is true, it means that the ecological environment of the desert can actually be changed artificially.
And as long as such a method really exists, then if the ancient Shurimans could do it, then the leaders of today can certainly do it as well.
Taliyah believed so.
She longed for the day when the people of Shurima could see spring again and flowers bloom on the branches.
“No, you can’t.” Nasus just shook his head.
He was not mocking, but sighing: "After the fall of the Shurima Empire, no one in the world can do it anymore."
As he spoke, he began to talk about the basic principles of ancient Shurima's great project of "transmitting water from the west to the east".
"In fact, the meltwater from the snow mountains in the Targon Mountains that is sent to the Shurima Desert is already abundant enough."
"And these waters did not completely dry up after entering the desert. They gathered into three large rivers. The confluence of the three rivers in the lower reaches is the capital of the Shurima Empire."
"Oh?" Taliyah was puzzled. "You mean, the capital of Shurima is actually a place with abundant water resources?"
“No.” Nasus shook his head again. “By the time those rivers reached the imperial capital, they had already completely dried up due to excessive evaporation caused by the high temperatures along the way.”
Although the capital of the Shurima Empire is located at the confluence of three rivers, it is also the end point of the three rivers and is a place with a serious water shortage. Otherwise, it would not be buried under the deep yellow sand and become a forbidden zone for life.
“But this is just an appearance.”
"In the capital of the empire, only the riverbed has dried up."
"Most of the meltwater from Mount Targon was not evaporated by the sun along the way - instead, it gathered deep underground and formed an 'underground ocean' under the Shurima Desert."
Nasus uttered something startling.
Under the arid and water-scarce Shurima Desert, there is actually a vast ocean of freshwater!
“Yes.” Nasus confirmed seriously in the face of Taliyah’s surprised gaze.
But before Taliyah could speak, he poured cold water on her: "But this underground aquifer is too deep."
"With human power, it is impossible to drill through the earth and extract this water from deep underground for use."
"Even if you are the leaders, the science and technology you are so proud of cannot do this now."
Nasus was telling the truth.
Drawing water from deep underground for use throughout Shurima is a project as outrageous as blasting a hole in the Targon mountain range to draw moisture from the west coast to nourish the desert.
Even if the people of Zaun today tightened the screws to pieces, they still couldn’t create such a powerful water pump.
What's more, water pumps also consume energy.
The water extracted from burning alchemical fuel would be more expensive than oil, right?
Leaders are not the big fools in the Middle East, so where would they get so much money to engage in desert agriculture?
"That is to say..." Taliyah figured it out: "In the ancient Shurima Empire, humans not only have the technology to build a 'continental-level water supply center', but also have a nearly unlimited amount of cheap energy to use?"
“That’s right.” Nasus nodded.
Ancient Shurima really does have this kind of black technology.
This "black technology" is...
"The sun disk." A complex look flashed in Nasus' eyes.
The Sun Disk is a magical wonder created by the Protoss who stole the power of the Star-Forging Dragon King.
It can draw infinite energy from the stars in the universe and continuously transport it to Runeland.
The ascenders call this energy astral energy, and they who possess this power become god-warriors and sons of the sun.
The function of the solar disk is not just to create ascenders.
"It is also a huge water pump driven by astral energy, which continuously extracts groundwater from deep underground and transports it to the surface, forming a majestic river that can cover most of the Shurima region."
"So according to legend, the source of the Mother of Life is in the capital of the empire."
"Because this great river does, in a sense, originate in the capital of the empire, in the sun disk."
Taliyah was shocked by the historical truth told by Nasus.
She didn't expect that the ancient Shurima people's way of solving problems would be so simple and crude.
Using the "plug-in" given by the giant god in heaven, he used the nearly unlimited energy of the star world to extract groundwater, and then artificially created a majestic river to nourish the vast land of the Shurima Desert.
And that is exactly the case.
Moreover, Levi already knew this.
Because as a "prophet" who is familiar with the plot, he knows that in the original world line, when Azir was resurrected, the sun disk was also rebuilt.
Later, Sivir took advantage of the resurrected Azir's inattention and left the capital alone in fear.
And not long after she left, she saw "a three-foot-high wall of azure water rushing along an ancient riverbed."
Azir is the Tsar, not the Sea King——
Obviously, this huge tide that appeared out of nowhere was not Azir's personal masterpiece, but came from the great power of the sun disk.
“This…” Taliyah stared at Nasus.
After confirming that he was not joking, she fell silent.
A sun disk? This...
How can the leader learn this?
“That’s why I said you can’t do it.” Nasus sighed.
Not only can the leader not do it, he can't do it either.
After the collapse of the sun disk, the Mother of Life lost its water source, and Shurima was effectively... dead.
It's like a dried corpse with all the blood drained out, and it's impossible to revive it.
Without water, there would be no large oases, no sufficient population, no cities, and no empire.
"In the words of your leaders, productivity determines production relations."
"The productivity level of Shurima has regressed to an extremely low level since the collapse of the sun disk. Shurima's social civilization has irreversibly regressed from the imperial era to the tribal era."
That's why Nasus has been living in seclusion for the past three thousand years.
Because he knew that no matter what he did, he could not save this empire that had turned into a "mummy" due to lack of water.
Without the power of the Sun Disc, Shurima would never return to its former glory.
This was a problem of productivity and the limitations of the natural environment. Even if Nasus was as powerful as a god, he couldn't solve it.
“So I really want to know—” Nasus looked at Taliyah curiously: “How do you, the Wind Leaders, plan to solve the development problems of Shurima?”
"Uh..." Taliyah was stunned by the question.
These development strategy issues and issues on the general direction are generally discussed and controlled by senior leaders.
In order to answer this question, Levi and others must first understand the detailed situation of the Shurima region.
Without knowing any details, and thousands of miles away, you can talk and make comments on the map based on a few stereotypes... It won't work to do your job this way.
That is:
"I have to complete this social survey and go back to make a complete report to my superiors. Finally, after discussion and research by the Supreme Council of Leaders, we can come up with a rough plan."
Helplessly, Taliyah could only admit that she didn't have the answer yet.
“Yeah.” Nasus nodded secretly, not showing any disappointment: “Without investigation, you have no right to speak.”
“To talk less is also a kind of wisdom.”
“But…” Nasus couldn’t think of anything.
Even if he knew the social background and details of the Shurima region, what answers could the Leader give to Shurima's problems?
Could they help dig Azir out of his grave, revive the Shuriman Empire, and rebuild the Sun Disc?
“Taliyah, you are the leader who knows Shurima best right now.”
"In your opinion, is there any way to save Shurima now?"
"Uh..." Taliyah was silent.
She could not find any solution. All that was left in this land was despair.
So Taliya thought about it and said: "The only way is to use the method of poverty alleviation relocation to move the population in the desert out of the desert."
"At least the northern coast of Shurima has the conditions for industrialization."
"Industrialization will greatly increase the population carrying capacity of the land, and the total population in this vast desert is not too large to begin with."
"So the industrialized northern coastal area is enough to accommodate the entire population of Shurima now."
The desert is not meant for human habitation.
Stop hacking each other in there, and just move to the North Shore coastal areas to work in factories.
In addition, the northern coast of Shurima already has many valuable minerals.
The raw materials for the alchemical fuel used by Zaun cars are mainly imported from the north coast of Shurima.
By then, we only need to move the alchemical fuel industry to the northern shore of Shurima, where the raw materials are produced. When industrialization is spread across Runeland, the demand for alchemical fuel in all regions of the world will increase dramatically...
That leader would probably be able to make all of Shurima rich just by selling oil and fuel.
In this case, doesn't that mean Shurima is rising again?
“This…” Nasus was silent.
Taliyah abandoned 95% of the land in Shurima just by opening her mouth.
By then, the entire population of Shurima will be crowded into that 5% of the territory?
Is the Shurima Desert, which once gave rise to a glorious civilization, going to become a wasteland abandoned by humans?
Nasus couldn't accept it emotionally, but...
"This is indeed a good idea." He could only admit that Taliyah had a unique vision.
The best solution to the current problems in the Shurima region is to concentrate all Shurimans in the North Shore area and let them live a modern industrial and civilized life.
“How can we achieve this?” Nasus asked. “There are so many scattered tribes in the desert. It will not be an easy task to move them out of the desert.”
"This...maybe it's not as difficult as I imagined." Taliyah thought about it.
"It is the dream of every desert dweller in Shurima to settle down on the northern shore where there is abundant water."
"As long as we leaders integrate the northern coast of Shurima and prepare to accept immigrants, and then spread the news through desert merchants—"
"I think those desert tribes will move to the north bank on their own initiative without us having to drive them away."
Just like everyone wants to go to Piltover.
From the desert to the north bank, why do we need people to rush here?
"Well, this is indeed feasible." After thinking for a long time, Nasus could only sigh in approval.
He couldn't find any major faults with the leader's theory.
In practice, they have both feasible ways to solve problems and the ability to put their ideas into practice.
"Perhaps these people can really save Shurima?" Nasus thought to himself.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, he believed more and more in the beautiful promises made by the leader.
While he was thinking, Nasus and his companions had unknowingly advanced a long distance.
They rode their horses to the gate of Vikaula and stood under the ancient city.
Because of the drying up of the Mother of Life, the city has now become dilapidated.
Although the outline of the city is still there, looking out from the city gate, one can only see a number of weathered and dilapidated buildings, which give no sense of prosperity and vitality.
However, at this moment...
The streets were unexpectedly lively.
I saw a large group of desert people in shackles, being escorted by the warlord soldiers of Vikaola, walking along the street towards the outside of the city.
They happened to run into Nasus and his group who were entering the city.
“These are…” Taliyah looked at the poor ragged people curiously: “Slaves?”
She stopped a friendly-looking warlord soldier and asked him, "Where are you going?"
"Are you going to sell these slaves to the North Shore?"
Vikaola is an important supply point for desert merchants traveling north, and is also an important cargo distribution center.
Some desert tribes that are unable to travel far will sell their goods to Vikaura, and then through Vikaura 's middlemen, they will travel north through the desert and sell them to the northern coast of Shurima.
Among the goods brought by these desert tribes, the most common commodity was slaves.
So Taliyah instinctively believed that this was a tribal warlord who occupied Vikora and served as a slave dealer, and was escorting their goods to the northern coast of Shurima.
However……
"Go to the north bank?" The warlord looked at her mockingly: "Don't you know yet, kid?"
"Not long ago, a group of guys called Wind Leaders came to the North Shore. Not only did they occupy Beljum, they also..."
Talia investigated along the way, stopping and starting many times and it took a long time.
However, she did not expect that the news of the leader had already reached Vikola in the south before her.
"Anyway, it is said that after the arrival of these leaders, the plantation masters in the major city-states on the northern coast of Shurima were so scared that they released all their slaves."
“Now no one on the entire North Shore dares to engage in the slave trade, let alone continue to buy slaves.”
"Really?" Taliyah was a little surprised.
Only now did she realize that the accident she had caused more than a month ago had brought about such a drastic change in the situation in Shurima.
Although the Leaders only occupied a small city of Beljum, their reputation had already shocked the entire North Coast.
Is the slavery that has lasted for thousands of years in Shurima going to end like this?
Taliyah was instinctively pleased.
but……
“Friend.” After a moment of deep thought, Nasus asked solemnly, “Since no one is buying slaves now, what are you going to do with these slaves?”
Hearing this, Taliyah's smile froze.
She finally realized what was happening.
She suddenly realized that the butterfly effect that the Leader brought to Shurima might not be entirely positive.
Even worse, with the unexpected intervention of the Leader and the sudden end of the slave trade, the situation could have been even worse for the slaves.
After all, just think about it:
What will the seller do with the goods after suddenly losing the buyer?
When the economic crisis comes, how do dairy farmers deal with milk?
"Oh no." Taliyah's heart sank.
“What else can we do?” The warlord looked at Nasus’s huge figure with a bit of awe, then he said impatiently, “Take him outside the city and kill him.”
"You can't keep it alive, can you?"
