Chapter 66 Three Days

Chapter 66: 66 Three Days

66 Three Days

After the meeting, the Medusas’ territory immediately entered a state of preparation.

There were no grand speeches, nor was there time to mourn the dead.

As soon as the decisions were made, messengers began crossing the caves, warriors were assigned new positions, and workers were sent to the destroyed areas.

Ten days. That was the amount of time they had.

The problem was that the Medusas did not have enough people to accomplish everything necessary for the impending war.

They needed to rebuild walls, repair formations, restore plantations, produce food, cultivate medicinal herbs, and treat the wounded.

At the same time, thousands of warriors needed to rest, train, and prepare for a battle that could determine the survival of their entire race.

At the center of the territory, the distribution of resources began to be organized.

"Reduce the amount of food given to each family."

The order made several Medusas raise their heads.

"Reduce the food? Until when?"

"Until we can calculate exactly what remains. We cannot afford to waste anything. The army will need food."

A woman pressed the empty container against her chest.

"And the young ones? They need to be properly fed."

The woman responsible for the distribution looked away for a moment.

"If we continue distributing food as before, your children will have food for a few days. After that, no one will have any. How will the army defend us with empty stomachs?"

The woman fell silent.

There was no cruelty in that answer, only simple and harsh mathematics. The medicinal herbs were also separated and reorganized.

"The best ones go to the seriously wounded," Chen Ruyue said, examining a small box of herbs. "The others can be used to treat minor injuries."

Su Meilin looked at the pile beside her.

"And these?"

"They are damaged."

"Not completely."

Chen Ruyue looked at her.

Su Meilin pointed at a darkened leaf.

"If we remove this part, we can still use the rest to deal with simple injuries."

Chen Ruyue examined the herb again and nodded.

"You’re right."

Guo Han, who was nearby, added:

"Save the best ones for the cultivators."

Chen Ruyue frowned.

"The civilians need them too."

"I know, but the cultivators are more important."

Guo Han pointed toward the wounded occupying a cave.

"But if we lose our cultivators, we will lose our main defense, and when that happens, the civilians will die in large numbers soon afterward. Therefore, it is better to protect the cultivators."

Lian Yue remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking:

"We should not separate the two as if one life were worth more than another."

The three looked at her.

"We need both," Lian Yue continued. "The warriors to fight and the people to keep the territory alive."

Zhao Ming crossed his arms.

"And we need to decide where each one will be used. Otherwise, this discussion will have been meaningless."

His expression hardened.

"I still think it is a mistake for us to remain in this territory. After all..."

"...Five of us have already died, and I have no intention of being the next."

The atmosphere grew heavy. A Medusa who was working alongside the human cultivators looked at them and asked:

"And you still intend to fight for us? Even though your companions have died and this fight has nothing to do with you?"

Zhao Ming answered immediately:

"If it were up to me, I would already be far away from here, to tell you the truth. But unfortunately, here we are, with ten days standing between us and death."

Lian Yue turned her face toward him.

"Stop being an alarmist. We won’t die. If there truly is no other way, at the very least, we will save our own lives."

Zhao Ming took a deep breath and nodded.

"I agree."

Guo Han placed a finger on the map.

"If the enemies attack from three sides, we won’t be able to concentrate all the cultivators in a single position."

"At least you are not thinking of fleeing. In that case, we will divide our forces," one of the elders said.

"That also means weakening each defense," Guo Han replied.

The elder narrowed her eyes.

"Do you have a better solution?"

Guo Han fell silent.

"I haven’t thought about it enough yet."

The words seemed to weigh more heavily than any argument. While the discussion continued, Ariselle entered the cave.

Her face was tired, but her posture remained firm.

"How are the supplies?"

Nysara answered:

"Worse than we expected."

"How long?"

"If the population continues receiving food normally, perhaps six days."

Ariselle’s expression changed.

"Six?"

"If we reduce the portions, we can reach nine or ten."

Ariselle closed her eyes for a moment.

"And after that?"

Nysara did not answer.

The queen opened her eyes.

"I understand."

Thesira entered shortly afterward.

"We have another problem."

Ariselle turned toward her.

"The scouts?"

"Yes. They spotted more groups of enemies gathering."

"How many?"

"They couldn’t count them all."

Silence returned.

"But is there an estimate?"

"More than five thousand."

Ariselle slowly tightened her fingers.

"And the elite cultivators?"

"The same fifteen at the tenth level of Profound Nascent are still among them. There may be others we have yet to identify."

Lian Yue took a deep breath.

"So we don’t merely have a numerical disadvantage."

Thesira nodded.

"We have a very large disadvantage in elite strength."

Ariselle looked at the four elders.

"Send the envoys."

Mirevra asked:

"To the Earth Elementals?"

"To them and to the Fire Elementals as quickly as possible. They will only have two days to return."

Vaelra let out a short laugh.

"And you truly believe either of them will come to our aid?"

Ariselle stared at the elder.

"Who knows? Probably not."

Her answer surprised everyone.

"But I believe not trying would be worse than simply..."

Mirevra slowly nodded.

"The Earth Elementals avoid territorial conflicts. We will have difficulty convincing them."

"Not to mention that they received the inheritance from the mausoleum, making their territory the strongest race’s territory. And judging by what they have demonstrated, they have no interest in the other mausoleums."

"I wonder what the queen has in mind to make them move and provide assistance to us Medusas."

"Then offer them a reason good enough to do so."

"What?"

Ariselle fell silent, and for several seconds, no one found an answer.

Thesira then said:

"Perhaps it isn’t a matter of convincing them to fight for us."

Everyone looked at her.

"Perhaps we should show them what will happen if the Beastmen and Lizardmen win."

Vaelra frowned.

"Is that a threat against them? The strongest race?"

"No."

Thesira answered coldly.

"It’s a consequence. Whether they are the strongest or not, if two bloodthirsty races take our territory and mausoleums, it will only be a matter of time before they turn their attention toward them."

Part 2

As the envoys departed, new reports constantly reached the troops about the monsters.

With every passing hour, the enemy seemed closer. It was during one of these meetings that Ariselle looked at Yun Che.

He was leaning against a pillar, silent since the beginning.

"Necromancer."

He raised his eyes.

"Yes?"

"You heard everything."

"I did."

Only a single word escaped from behind the white mask.

"Then tell us. What do you intend to do? You are not bound by an agreement like the cultivators of the Profound Flower Sect."

Everyone turned their attention toward him. Lian Yue watched his white mask. Until now, he had refused to say what had happened on the tenth floor of the mausoleum.

Guo Han waited, curiosity visible in his eyes. He also wondered why this genius of alchemy was still in this doomed territory.

Even Vaelra remained silent.

Yun Che took several seconds before answering.

"I still haven’t decided what to do. Your problem is your problem, and I have my own problems to deal with at the moment. But perhaps we can solve each other’s problems."

"Or I can leave this territory at any moment. In any case, I still haven’t decided what to do."

Vaelra let out an irritated sigh. How could a mere cultivator at the Tempered Body realm dare to speak like that?

Wait a moment.

Wasn’t he at the Profound Elemental realm?

It didn’t matter. An ant was still an ant, regardless of whether it was large or small.

"After all this, that’s your answer?"

Yun Che looked at her.

"Would you prefer a lie?"

The elder froze.

"If I said I would save you, would you believe me? I would be lying. If I said I would abandon you, I would be lying about that too."

Ariselle asked:

"Then what exactly are you doing here? What is your agenda?"

Yun Che shifted his eyes toward the map.

"Observing. When I make a decision, I will tell you."

The answer pleased no one, but he offered no further explanation. Shortly afterward, he left the meeting.

Outside, the territory seemed even quieter.

Yun Che walked among them without saying anything, and a small grave caught his attention.

A woman was kneeling before it. She was no longer crying.

That was worse than simply screaming and letting everything out.

Yun Che continued walking and then stopped in front of a destroyed defensive formation.

Broken spirit crystals were scattered across the ground. He looked at them and thought of the Grand Alchemist’s Mausoleum.

[System Warning]

[ cultivation regression ]

[Core deterioration]

[Current Realm: Tempered Body 2nd Stage]

[Beginning core analysis]

[Three days until collapse]

Three days.