Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Despite the various environmental improvement projects within Star Domain being vigorously pushed forward, conflicts continued to unfold and erupt.

"We protest against Temilton Company's long-term oppression and encroachment of the residents of Northern Third District, and we demand the return of the land and property that rightfully belongs to the local residents!"

On the highway around the frigid Snowy Sky Lake, numerous residents held up signs and slogans, forming a long line to march, voicing their grievances and oppression in front of the media's cameras.

The camera slowly zoomed out, the azure lake below gradually became a vast mirror, and the marching residents on the highway turned into colorful specks.

"We are now reporting the protest march taking place in the Northern Third District, where locals decry what exactly the Temilton Company has done. Let's have our reporter interview and explain."

The scene then shifted to a local resident's home, narrated by a dark-skinned middle-aged couple who spoke about their life experiences over the years and their reasons for protesting.

"Originally, decades ago, the Temilton Company had acquired the local land at extremely low prices and used it as an electric power generation site."

"In the early days, this business did indeed provide unexpected income to the local residents, and the electricity generated made local power much cheaper."

"But recently, due to the Federation Star Domain government's decision to restart the Jade Skirt environmental restoration project, many corporations began signing agreements with residents of the north to acquire land use rights and undertake purification task quotas."

"These agreements allowed many residents to receive significant subsidies and also came with promises of relocating the local populace, benefiting many original inhabitants of the north."

"However, residents of Salt Lake City in the Northern Third District, because most of the surrounding land was acquired by Temilton Company, had no corporations signing agreements with them, received very little subsidy, and Temilton moreover took advantage of this to raise prices, selling the land to other corporate groups at high prices, with none including clauses for relocating the local residents."

"No wonder the locals are so dissatisfied, but is such behavior by Temilton Company currently legal?" The host discussed with the reporter.

"Since the environmental restoration project has only recently been initiated, the Star Domain government has not yet established comprehensive legal protections, meaning that Temilton is not technically breaking the law for the moment."

"This is truly saddening, it seems the local residents must be suffering and unable to accept it. After living in this environment for hundreds of years, they end up unable to get compensation like other northern inhabitants."

"This concludes our introduction to the causes of this incident. After today's protests erupted, Temilton Company has still not responded, and according to some insiders, this company may have already transferred its assets to another Star Domain and no longer plans to deal with subsequent issues in this region."

"This concludes our news report."

The projection TV was turned off, and Hexia sat in the spacious hall's sofa, holding a pristine light-feathered bird in her arms, gently stroking it, her eyes looking down at the floor as if pondering something.

This was Deloris's home, or rather, one of the seaside villas belonging to this wealthy young lady, with the first-floor hall alone spanning several hundred square meters, quite spacious.

After a while, some footsteps came from the spiral staircase not far away.

Deloris came to Hexia's side, holding two freshly mixed glasses of fruit wine, placing the wines on the coffee table before sitting down.

"Not watching the news anymore?"

"Not for now, I get more anxious after watching it." Hexia's pupils closed and then opened again, as if filled with some lament.

"Try to look at it with a broader perspective," Deloris comforted Hexia. "There are many such cases, and if you try to address every single one, you might spend your whole life without finishing."

"I know, but sometimes I can't help wanting to find out what's really going on." Hexia sat up and looked at the clear, transparent fruit wine on the coffee table, with its orange liquid and several ice cubes stacked on top of each other, and a slice of lime perched on the rim.

"It's honey pomelo wine, not very strong, even if Hexia drinks it, she won't get drunk," Deloris said with a teasing look at Hexia.

"I'm not that easily intoxicated," she said, lifting her glass and lightly touching her tongue to it, tasting the flavor.

"If you were serious, Hexia would definitely not get drunk, but you don't look like someone who can handle alcohol," said Deloris, laughing lightly with her hand over her mouth, her body swaying slightly.

"Anyway, let's not talk about that now. Things have been going smoothly lately, right? I saw in the official data that the environmental restoration plan is progressing very rapidly, and many areas have already set their future schedules."

"It's fast, but not perfect," Hexia's brows moved slightly as she spoke of what she knew.

"Some areas with lighter pollution and lower remediation difficulty were quickly claimed by groups willing to take charge, but there has been little interest in more severely damaged areas, like the Northern Second District."

"Not only is the pollution serious in the Northern Second District, but there's also a lot of rubble from past buildings. The cost of clearing the ruins and rebuilding is much higher than those desolate and barren areas," she reflected on the imbalances in the northern regions.

"That does make it very difficult, as businesses are mostly profit-driven," said Deloris, shaking her head slightly, knowing all too well the tendencies of her own kind.

"If it's a publicly traded company, they're even less likely to take on projects with huge investment, high risk, and low returns, because once such plans are announced, the stock price might plummet even before experiencing losses."

"Although everyone curses those big corporations for their greed, when it comes to buying stocks, they definitely still choose those profit-first companies because they offer higher dividends."

Having spoken of the high society's shortcomings, Deloris turned her gaze back to Hexia.

"Do you have any ideas, Hexia? You look like you're about to take this on yourself." After three years of living together, she knew the girl well. If Hexia spoke up, it meant she had been caring about this matter for a long time.

"I do want to address it, but after all, I am just a Songstress, without actual assets to leverage. To ask others to spend great efforts and fortunes on good deeds without much return, that wouldn't be right." She had her own principles to abide by.

"I see…"

After listening, Deloris pondered deeply.

"Even though the Federation offers songstresses generous treatment, it seems there are some restrictions on songstresses controlling substantial assets."

"Because the referee shouldn't enter the field," said Hexia as she stood up and looked through the glass of the outer hall wall towards the distant sea.

"As songstresses, we are already in a position to command and coordinate the forces of many large groups. If we also had vast assets, it could easily change the nature of our role."

"I understand the necessity of these restrictions, but often it feels like having the will without the power, unless..." she trailed off, apparently having thought of something.

"Unless I could directly influence the government of the Federation Star Domain."