Chapter 58: Planning

At the center of the Ruins of Demon King Castle, just outside the largest tent, Sig was focused on his training, doing perfect push-ups.

The constant heavy remarks he heard in his ears were as familiar to him as eating a regular meal.

He’d long gotten used to them, and didn’t find them strange anymore.

Sensing something, he glanced up slightly and saw a filthy man running toward him in a bizarre way, his expression twisted.

Instinctively, Sig grew alert, his body tensing with fright as he stopped his workout and immediately prepared a killing move.

“Aminos, what the hell is that thing.”

A formless Space Slash shot out, so fast it was invisible to the naked eye.

Unexpectedly, there was no bloody smell, just a few explosions in the crotch area, and a Revival Totem bounced out.

When it smacked him in the face, he finally understood, clicking his tongue in annoyance and tapping his forehead.

He looked speechlessly at Gerard, who had been sent flying by the powerful force and landed heavily at the Slave Gathering Point.

So it was the Hero. I thought some powerful monster had snuck in silently and scared me half to death.

Next time, be more careful, or you’ll have more Space Slashes than you can handle.

After all that, he felt much lighter.

Standing up and stretching, he didn’t feel any guilt about accidentally injuring Gerard—he had it coming.

Apologize?

Do you think you’re Emilia or something… Actually, that’s not quite right, forget it, not worth talking about.

Still, he’d wasted a few more Revival Totems. What a loss.

He brushed the filth off his body, patting the dust away with both hands, and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument.

His attitude improved a lot after their conversation, and he felt more at ease with her.

“All right, that’s enough. Besides, it’s getting late. Emilia, you’d better hurry and go direct the slaves to work. I believe you can do your best….”

He was about to sneak off for a perfectly reasonable and legal break, but his sleeve was gently tugged by the silver-haired girl.

She looked delicate and pitiful, her teary eyes fully playing up her feminine charms, and she softly pleaded with him.

Like a fragile piece of porcelain, she made people want to protect her.

“Um… Sig, didn’t you promise to keep me company before? You said you would.”

“All right, all right.”

Though Sig, as a Sigman, wasn’t usually swayed by this, he frowned at the sight, remembering his promise to her.

He couldn’t help but hold his forehead, feeling a headache, but in the end, he nodded in agreement. He couldn’t go back on his word.

“Come on, come on, I’ll go with you, all right? By the way, how’s the militia coming along? Don’t tell me you haven’t started yet. From now on, call me Lord.”

With the feeling of being forced to work overtime, he yawned and led the way, bringing up a topic to talk about—strictly business, no personal matters. Personal things were settled in private.

During work hours, they had to stick to their titles and talk shop.

Soon, she got into character too, sticking close behind him like a secretary and reporting on the situation.

“Um, Sig… Lord, I’m already preparing for Militia Training. I’m selecting suitable candidates, and I hope you can come take a look.”

“And as for those carefully chosen slaves under you, I’ll make time to give them proper guidance. If possible, I’d like to add them to the militia. That way, they can receive training and gain some real combat experience.”

She paused, took a deep breath, and continued.

“And then there’s the issue of food and water. I’ll try to make the territory self-sufficient as soon as possible, so we don’t have to buy from outside anymore. In the future, we might even be able to export food. But the process will take some time, and I’m still testing and selecting food types to maximize yield and survival rates. After all, Demon Tribe Territory land and water are very unique, having been eroded by Black Fog. I can’t make judgments based on past experience. By the way, Sig, what kinds of food do your Demon Tribe usually eat, and what water sources do you use? Could you give me some references?”

“Not bad, not bad.”

It was clear to Sig that she was capable and organized—he nodded, giving her high praise. Even as an outsider, he could see how much effort she put in.

Faced with her reasonable questions, he answered honestly.

He had nothing to hide, so he raised his hand and pointed into the distance.

He gestured to the area outside the Ruins of Demon King Castle, shrouded in Black Fog.

In the shadows, countless monsters and members of the Insect Tribe stared hungrily at this place, as if waiting for a chance to break in and slaughter everyone.

Only their fear of the last Demon King kept them from making a move.

“As for food, we just use whatever we find around here. What else can we do? Can’t say much about the taste, but at least it’s edible.”

He spoke as if it were as ordinary as eating or drinking. After all, he’d eaten who knows how much over the past century.

At first, it was hard to get used to, but after eating enough, he adapted. Compared to starving, staying alive was a better deal.

The land here had long lost most of its original function due to pollution, but Sig believed Emilia could solve it. It wasn’t laziness, it was trust.

As for water, he thought for a moment, then pointed to a pool of flowing black water not far away. Its end wasn’t visible, and a few creatures that had accidentally drunk from it now lay motionless on the riverbank, probably not breathing—just sleeping.

“Our Demon Tribe usually uses that water source. But it’s polluted, so it’s undrinkable now. Back before the Demon Tribe was wiped out, we had people who maintained it. Now, with no one left, it naturally became like this. Sigh.”

“…I see. That’s really beyond what I imagined.”

This once again overturned Emilia’s understanding. In her mind, monsters and the Insect Tribe were inedible, tasted terrible, and were poisonous.

Eating too much would kill you, and even a little would paralyze your body, make you weak, and worsen your health.

So… how did the Demon Tribe manage it? Was it a special constitution, or some unique processing method? She couldn’t figure it out.

To be safe, she wouldn’t consider hunting monsters or the Insect Tribe… unless absolutely necessary. Better not to dwell on it.

Fortunately, there was still some room to maneuver regarding water sources. Sig had just mentioned that the water source used to be drinkable. Not having drinkable water would be a major disaster.

She glanced worriedly at Sig’s crotch, which was swaying and bulging.

There was still some water stored, but it would only last a few more days at most. The clean water source was too far away.

“What are you staring at my crotch for? You’re not up to something, are you? No need to be so curious. My Armstrong Rotating Acceleration Cannon just can’t hold back the fire, that’s all.”

He made a light joke to ease the mood, shrugged expressionlessly, and patted the girl’s fragrant shoulder, taking the initiative to help answer her questions.

“Anything else you want to ask? Emilia, just say it.”

“No, nothing for now. I plan to train up the militia and then send them to solve the water source problem—go into the Black Fog, find the source of the pollution, and eliminate it to restore the water. But first, I need to train those talented slaves and turn them into a sharp spear to minimize casualties. After all, water is too important. If possible, I hope you can go with us as our last line of defense.”

At this moment, Emilia simply described her plan, mumbling to herself. She knew Sig could solve the problem, but she didn’t want to rely on him for everything.

The people here needed to grow, to overcome difficulties on their own, and eventually surpass Sig—even challenge the entire world….

Maybe that was Sig’s goal too. In the end, she still hoped he would go with them, at least as a safeguard.

He smiled faintly and replied softly, with no objections and a touch of sincerity.

“All right. I’m looking forward to it.”