The Last Resort

The issue of morale was likely resolved for now.

The next issue was supplies.

“Everyone else, make camp here!

The primary objective is to clear out a safe living area!

Use all available wreckage to build shelters from the wind and rain!

Maintain vigilance on the perimeter!

And… Elia, let’s go check the underground warehouses.”

“Yes, Lady Demon Lord.”

Her commands were concise and powerful, carrying an authority that brooked no argument.

After having her old forces set up camp and clear out a living area, Vivian, along with Elia, Luna, Asi, and several other squad leader-level demons, headed deeper into the ruins.

Although the Demon Lord’s Castle itself had been destroyed in Lucia’s surprise attack, Vivian, walking through the ruins, could still recognize her location based on her memories and certain landmark wreckage.

Soon, their group arrived at the nearest warehouse entrance.

Although the entrance was blocked by countless pieces of rubble, with a light wave of her hand, Vivian used her mana to clear away the debris blocking the path.

Immediately, a pitch-black underground entrance appeared before them.

Without needing any light, the group silently entered the dark underground passage and headed toward the warehouse hidden deep underground.

Even without light, Vivian could still perceive her surroundings in the pure darkness.

Before long, she arrived at the warehouse door.

The once-heavy alloy door was now twisted and deformed, tightly blocked by collapsed boulders and broken metal structures, leaving only a jagged, compressed gap.

“Lady Demon Lord…”

“Step aside.”

Vivian’s voice was flat and calm.

She slowly raised her right hand, and a layer of pitch-black, profound shadow mana that seemed to devour light swirled around her slender fingertips.

There was no earth-shattering commotion, only an invisible force that surged out like a stream of water.

The boulders and metal wreckage, weighing several tons and jammed together, were gently pushed aside as if by an invisible giant hand.

With a dull scraping and rolling sound, they slowly slid to the sides, revealing a pitch-black opening barely large enough for one person to pass through.

But upon opening the warehouse door, what lay inside was not a full stock of supplies, but a mess of rubble and debris!

Huge stones and collapsed tunnel structures completely filled the entire warehouse space, burying everything inside.

Only a few fragments of crushed metal boxes were visible.

“Lady Demon Lord…”

“It’s fine.

It’s to be expected.”

Vivian took a deep breath.

“Let’s go to the next warehouse.

We still have many more storages.

It’s impossible that every single one was destroyed.”

And so, Vivian turned and headed for the next warehouse.

But after opening the next one, Vivian’s face grew a little darker.

Because the warehouse was completely empty.

“What’s going on, Elia?”

“I remember now, Lady Demon Lord.

The grain stored in this warehouse was nearing its expiration date, so it was all sold off.

And the new reserve grain hadn’t been transported in yet…”

“…Fine. Next.”

Sighing silently in her heart, Vivian mustered her spirits and proceeded to the next warehouse.

‘My luck can’t be this bad, can it?

There have to be a few that are well-preserved.

They can’t all be shoddy constructions, right…’

Vivian grumbled to herself but still kept her spirits up.

She believed her luck wouldn’t be that terrible.

But then, the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth warehouses… none of them held what she was looking for.

The third warehouse had been flooded by groundwater, and the fifth had completely collapsed…

The fourth warehouse contained military weapons and armor, while the sixth held medicine and various magical materials—but right now, the most important thing was rations to sustain five thousand demon units!

Although the weapons, medicine, and materials in the two surviving warehouses were also important, they were far from being as crucial as food.

Then, the seventh, eighth, and ninth warehouses… three in a row were also destroyed.

And Vivian’s face grew darker and darker.

“…Damn it, what is with my luck?”

Arriving at the tenth warehouse, Vivian couldn’t help but take a deep breath and pray inwardly.

‘There’s at least a guaranteed pity pull after ten tries, right?

Can’t this warehouse be a little more intact…’

“Hah—”

After letting out a heavy breath, Vivian raised her hand and used her mana to blast open the tightly shut warehouse door.

And what entered her vision was an entire underground warehouse piled high with reserve grain.

Only then did Vivian finally let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, after opening ten underground warehouses in a row, Vivian had finally found one containing food!

“Thank goodness, at least we won’t starve to death—and most importantly… the seeds.”

After letting out a sigh of relief, Vivian didn’t have time to celebrate.

She immediately rushed to inspect the condition of the reserve grain with the others, and also checked the various demonic plant seeds that had been stored in the warehouse in advance.

By a stroke of great luck, although some of the seeds had molded, most of them were still well-preserved.

“Good.

At least one warehouse as a last resort.

This can guarantee a three-month food supply for five thousand people at a minimum.”

Vivian let out another sigh of relief, then immediately went to check the condition of the remaining underground warehouses without stopping—but the situation with the next ones was not optimistic either.

In total, only two warehouses containing grain survived.

All the others were destroyed.

The stored grain in one warehouse had molded because the storage environment had been compromised, but it could still be recycled and used as fertilizer.

“…Elia, Luna, Asi, relay my orders.

Tell the other warriors that we only have three months’ worth of food.”

Vivian held a handful of seeds, pondered for a moment, then turned and spoke to the group.

“Half of the grain needs to be kept in reserve for emergencies—tomorrow, we will replant.”

“As you wish, Lady Demon Lord.”

No one had any objections to Vivian’s simple arrangements and reasoning.

Then, Vivian led the group, looking somewhat crestfallen, out of the underground and back to the surface.

By this time, it was already approaching dusk.

After a full day of labor, the warriors who still had most of their mobility had cleared out a large area of ruins and established a simple living area—though crude, at least they no longer had to sleep in the open.

“Lady Demon Lord, where will you be staying tonight?”

Elia asked loyally.

“I’ll be fine anywhere.

No need to make special arrangements.”

Vivian waved her hand, not particularly concerned about her own living space at the moment.

“Pass on the message.

We will replant the fields tomorrow.”

“Yes, My Lady.”