Chapter113

"The river ends in the southern part of Sargassum State. The water is full of salt, but it has nowhere to go. It collects at the lower end and then flows back into the river, so the salt keeps building up."

"Salt content…" Leif repeated the words softly and looked at Elara with clear eyes.

Her explanation really did sound similar to the findings of Sargassum State's scholars. In fact, her logic was even simpler and easier to follow. The young man sitting nearby, dressed in green and sipping tea, had been half-listening. Now that the conversation paused, he looked at Elara and asked,

"If Your Highness can understand the cause so clearly, do you also have a solution?"

Leif, who had been lost in thought over what Elara just said, immediately came back to his senses. His clear amber eyes locked onto her, and even his usually upright and slender back leaned slightly forward.

The way he looked at her made Elara think of a well-bred Persian cat who had just become curious. It made her want to smile a little. She found herself wondering if all men in female-led countries were this elegant and yet had something adorable about them.

"If Your Highness really has a way to solve this deep-rooted problem in Sargassum, please don't keep it to yourself. The people have suffered from the salt for too long. Many have died because of it. Every time I see it, I can't bear it. If you really have a way, no matter what your conditions are, the Zhaiyun Court and Sargassum State will do everything we can to meet them."

As he spoke, Leif slowly got up and bent into a respectful half-kneel toward Elara.

It was clear that he was a kind person. Though he was not born with the Sargassum surname, and his life had been filled with hardship and twists, he had only returned to Sargassum to be named heir shortly before coming of age.

This was exactly what Elara wanted from him, though the time was not yet right for her to make the deal she had planned.

So when Leif leaned forward to salute her, she stood up and reached across the small table to support his arm.

"You don't need to go that far," she said, steadying his arm. Only then did she notice how thin his wrist was. He was nearly an adult, but his wrist wasn't even thicker than hers.

Leif froze slightly, looking at the slender pale hand holding his. Except for his mother, he had never been in contact with any other women in his life.

Her skin was cool, and the chill spread from where they touched. He remembered hearing from his attendants that the Plumera royal princess was said to be in poor health.

Elara helped him back to his seat and let go of his hand, returning to her place. Then she leaned her chin on her palm and smiled at him with a look that seemed sincere, yet hard to read.

"Just like you didn't let the chaos within Plumera and the difficulty of transporting goods stop you from bringing us the salt we badly needed in Marigold County, I can't turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people of Sargassum."

What she said sounded almost perfect. If her two top secretaries from her past life had been here, they would have quietly applauded. She rarely used words that sounded kind, and whenever she did, it always meant she had big plans.

Elara continued without waiting for a response, "I do have a way to fix the salt flooding of the Bidai River. Consider it my thanks to you for personally bringing salt to Marigold County. I don't want anything in return."

Leif stared at her, the reflection of her figure shining in his amber eyes. He wasn't someone who liked taking advantage of others. After so many years in business, he understood the importance of fair exchange.

But seeing the seriousness on the girl's face, he parted his lips slightly but didn't speak. In the end, he just bowed to her again.

"Then I thank Your Highness on behalf of the people of Sargassum."

Elara didn't keep them guessing. She had a servant bring over a map of the Plumera State and another of Sargassum State. She laid them flat on the table between the three of them. Then she used her finger to gently point to the most flood-prone section of the Bidai River downstream.

"Whenever Bidai floods, I assume Sargassum uses the old method of blocking it off upstream?"

"Yes."

At this point in history, flood control methods were still very basic. Most of them relied on blocking the water.

"But there's actually a simpler way. Instead of blocking, which is time-consuming, expensive, and often ineffective, wouldn't it be better to divert it?" Elara looked at Leif.

"Divert rather than block…" Leif softly repeated the words a few times, almost tasting them on his tongue. His eyes slowly lit up.

But after a few seconds, his brows furrowed again. He pointed to the flooded area in the south of Sargassum.

"But this is already the end of the riverbed. There's no other river nearby that can hold the extra water. Where can it be diverted to?"

Elara's smile widened. Her finger slid from the south of Sargassum into the southern part of the Plumera Kingdom, right into the heart of Marigold County.

"The Qinggan River flows through my territory in the Plumera State, Your Highness. It's the largest river in the southern part of our country. It definitely has the capacity to absorb water from the Bidai River. Also, Qinggan and Bidai are not far from each other, so digging a connecting channel would take at most a year.

As long as the connection is made, if Bidai floods again in the future, the water can flow straight into the Qinggan River. It would follow the riverbed downstream and won't spill over into the surrounding areas of Sargassum State again."

Leif's eyes followed Elara's pale finger as it moved across the map. His frown slowly eased, and his eyes brightened again.

He had to admit that her plan was truly brilliant.

First, no one had ever thought that draining would be better than blocking. Second, although Qinggan River could handle Bidai's water, it was still within the Plumera State. Without Elara bringing it up herself, even if they came up with the idea later, they would still have to go through diplomatic negotiations. That would waste a lot of money, energy, and time, and the result might still not work out.

But with Elara here, just one sentence from her solved the issue of the two states needing to negotiate. That alone made this plan already half feasible.

This issue had troubled Sargassum State for so long, yet she fixed it so lightly with just a few words.

Leif followed the path of her slender finger and imagined what would happen if the river channel really got dug. Bidai and Qinggan would connect, and during flood season, the people in the southern region of Sargassum State would no longer have to suffer the loss of their homes and loved ones.

Thinking about that made his chest feel a little warm.

He had been abandoned as a child and lived on the streets since the age of five. People bullied him until he was finally brought back home at the age of fourteen.

He knew too well what it felt like to be alone, with no family, and completely helpless.

That's why, once he returned to Sargassum State and became the heir, he built Zhaiyun Workshop and kept working to help the displaced people. He wanted everyone to have an income and a home they would never lose again.

But the severe salt and flood damage to the vast land of Sargassum made his dream difficult.

Now, someone had so easily helped him solve part of the problem.

Leif's clear eyes moved back to Elara again, just in time to meet her calm gaze and slight smile.

Her eyes curved gently, the emotion inside them was mild, and any feelings that passed through seemed faint. It was as if the plan she just explained wasn't something that could save countless lives, but just a simple idea.

He thought back to how she looked at him when she first walked in. Her eyes were gentle and calm, with a quiet smile and clear light. Unlike other women from male-dominated countries, she didn't seem affected by the flower mark on his forehead.

Suddenly, his mind replayed the words she had said downstairs when she saved that boy with a similar flower mark.

[She must be someone who knows how to care for men…]

His friend's teasing words echoed in his ears again. Leif's lashes trembled a little. He quickly lowered his gaze and turned his eyes away.

His light pink lips pressed together slightly, and his hand under the table clenched a bit. He warned himself not to overthink things.

After a few seconds of silence, he raised his hand and took a few sips of tea. Once he calmed the strange feelings in his chest, he looked at Elara again and said,

"If the Princess supports it, diverting the river would certainly be a huge benefit to Sargassum State. But as you mentioned, the Bidai River contains a lot of salt. If it flows into the Qinggan River, will Qinggan end up becoming just as salty?"

Elara had already thought about this. In fact, that was the true reason she suggested the plan in the first place.

She rested her chin on one hand and answered him firmly, "No, it won't. Don't worry. Since I dared to bring it up, I've already considered the consequences."

"The Qinggan River flows entirely within Plumera State. After it leaves the state, it runs through the borders of two other southern countries, then goes underground and eventually flows into the southern sea. It won't affect any populated areas along the way."

"Then I thank Your Highness again." Leif lowered his eyes and raised his teacup toward Elara. "Although you said you don't want any reward, such a kind act deserves thanks. Please accept the salt shipment we sent to Marigold County as a small gift from Sargassum. If you don't, I won't feel right about it."

Elara looked at the serious and refined young man in front of her. Her heart warmed, but she still refused with a smile.

"Even though it was my idea, I only had to say a few words. The real work is up to your people in Sargassum. You'll be the ones digging channels and doing the hard part. There's no need for this. But if you really feel uncomfortable about it, I do have another business matter I'd like to discuss with you."

When Leif heard that, he finally lifted his eyes again. "Please go ahead."

Elara picked up the teapot and poured more tea for the three of them. Then she set it down and said, "Besides solving the flood problem, I also have a way to quickly treat land that's been lightly affected by salt. This includes areas hit by Bidai's floods or any place with mild salinity. With this method, the land can become usable for farming again much faster."

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Leif lean forward slightly, as if ready to speak.

But she raised a hand to stop him. "Wait. Let me finish my terms first."

She turned her gaze to the cold, quiet marketplace outside the window.

"You both know that Gao Qiong and those corrupt officials and greedy merchants who worked with him were dealt with a few days ago. That's because Marigold County has been corrupt for too long. Too many people were stealing and abusing power. When I started cleaning things up, I almost emptied out the whole market area. Even if I cut taxes now, it'll still take time before the business sector recovers. Right now, we can't even find stable sources for regular goods."