Replanting

Vivian stared at the old map, conceptualizing for a whole night before finally designating various zones.

The next day, the faint light of dawn struggled to pierce the perpetual thin mist of the Territory of Evernight, casting vague shadows upon the ruins.

And with it, the temporary camp began to gradually awaken.

Vivian stood in a clearing that had been simply tidied up, gazing at the hundred or so former Evernight warriors before her.

Their builds were not particularly strong; in fact, compared to professional soldiers like scouts, they were remarkably slender.

They were special individuals within the army who were relatively frail in physique but possessed an affinity for the land or plants.

These were all wood-element demons belonging to the Territory of Evernight.

Among these demons, some were “Woodland Goblins” with skin as rough as bark; some were “Forest Banshees” with hair like vines and eyes the color of tender buds; and a few were “Root Guardians” with small roots entwined around their arms, their presence as steady as ancient trees.

Most of them seemed somewhat uneasy.

After all, they were still regular combat personnel, accustomed to fighting or providing support, and had never imagined that one day they would be entrusted with the heavy responsibility of being “farmers.”

Or rather, although they were wood-element demons, they had never tried to care for plants.

In the army, they usually served as jungle scouts or in hidden ambushes.

Vivian’s gaze swept over them, her crimson eyes showing no hint of contempt.

Her tone was exceptionally grave and precise.

“Everyone, from this day forward, the power in your hands will be more precious than swords! This land is the foundation of our survival, and you will be the pioneers who awaken its vitality!”

With that, Vivian pointed to several piles of things stacked nearby—

A pile of moldy grain emitting a damp, musty smell, with a dull color and even some strange fuzz growing on it; a large quantity of relatively intact huge stones and broken pillars excavated from deep within the ruins; and broken pottery shards that the logistics team had collected and cleaned overnight.

“Your first task is them!”

Vivian pointed to the pile of moldy grain, her voice firm and decisive.

“They can no longer be eaten, but their ‘decay’ will become the nourishment for new life! Elia!”

“Yes!”

Elia immediately stepped forward, holding a crude blueprint that had been rushed overnight—it was a simple diagram of a “fungus bed” structure that Vivian had sketched from memory.

“Crush this moldy grain! Mix it with one-third deep humus soil dug from beneath the ruins, and then add a small amount of our remaining, relatively clean plant ash!”

Vivian issued the command.

“Then, use these stones and wood to build semi-enclosed ‘fungus cellars’ in a shady, damp place! They don’t need to be exquisite, just sturdy and able to retain heat and moisture! Spread this mixed ‘fertilizer’ inside, at least a foot thick!”

Vivian’s orders were clear and specific, and the wood-element demons immediately sprang into action.

They used rough stone hammers to crush the moldy grain.

The Forest Banshees carefully guided the mixing process, their slender fingers brushing over the soil as if feeling the faint life force within.

Meanwhile, the other demon soldiers, under Elia’s command, began to move stones and wood, clanging and banging as they started to build crude stone and wood sheds.

The air was filled with a strong smell of mold and earthy musk, but Vivian didn’t find it inappropriate.

On the contrary, she strangely felt a sense of new life.

“Next,” Vivian turned to the few plant-element demons with the steadiest presences, holding several packages carefully wrapped in clean cloth.

Inside were well-preserved shadow fungus spores from the warehouse.

“These spores are one of our future food sources—spread them evenly and gently on the prepared ‘fertilizer’ beds!”

“We understand, Lady Demon Lord.”

An elderly Root Guardian extended his root-covered hand and accepted the package with extreme solemnity.

He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, as if communicating with those tiny lives, then slowly opened his eyes, which held an almost sacred focus.

He then carefully unwrapped the package and began to evenly sprinkle the spores, as fine as dust and shimmering with a faint, ghostly light, onto the fungus bed filled with the mixture.

The other few plant-element demons also held their breath, releasing their natural mana to guide the spores to connect with the nutrient-rich soil.

Their mana was like an invisible sweet dew, quietly seeping into the fungus bed.

To be honest, the moldy grain was a blessing in disguise.

After all, the area around the Demon Lord’s Castle had already been developed quite a bit.

Without this batch of moldy grain as fertilizer, they would have had to find another piece of land to cultivate.

But now, with this batch of grain as a fertilizer base, they could plant right near the ruins of the Demon Lord’s Castle, which saved a lot of time.

“Maintain darkness, moisture, and the temperature… needs to be kept stable at a cool level.”

Vivian instructed carefully.

“Your power is the best thermostat and growth catalyst! Take turns on duty, constantly perceive the changes in the fungus beds, and use your mana to nourish and guide them! Tell me, how soon can we see the hope of a harvest?”

The elderly Root Guardian, sensing the faint life within the fungus bed, showed a thoughtful expression on his rough face.

“Reporting to you, Lady Demon Lord… with sufficient mana and suitable ‘food,’ plus our round-the-clock guidance… at the earliest… ten days! In ten days, we might see the first mycelia spread into a network! We can harvest within twenty days at the earliest!”

“Ten days for mycelia… twenty days for harvest…”

Vivian nodded.

A harvest in twenty days was much faster than any traditional crop!

Although mushrooms couldn’t be a staple food, their short growth cycle could quickly fill the gap in food variety and provide something called “hope,” so planting mushrooms was still a very important choice.

“Good! For these ten days, this fungus cellar is our lifeline! I’m leaving it to you!”

“Yes! Please rest assured, Lady Demon Lord!”

After nodding, Vivian gave a deep nod of acknowledgment to the Root Guardian and the others before heading to another area without stopping.

Besides planting mushrooms, they also needed to plant a staple food—the best choice was naturally moonbeans.

However, the growing conditions were a bit more demanding than for mushrooms, and they needed to be sown at night.

So during the day, the other demons were ordered to clear wasteland and spread fertilizer, waiting for the other wood-element demons to come in the afternoon to control the nutrients, preparing to continue sowing the moonbean seeds at night.

A little further away, the soldiers were clumsily using some makeshift farm tools to cultivate the land, digging out the nutrient-rich black soil from deep below and then spreading fertilizer again.