"We're running out of water."
Hearing CindyWendy's words, the expressions of everyone in the conference room turned serious.
Tochka. A natural fortress. An impenetrable fortress where a single soldier could defend against a hundred enemies.
However, the fortress has a fatal flaw: there is no drinking water nearby.
CindyWendy continued.
"The number of refugees from all over the empire is staggering, and even if we had enough food, it would be hardly enough to distribute the water."
"Can't we buy it even if we pay more?"
"There is still money left. Although I have used up almost all of my wealth, there is some assistance from the Bourgeois, but I have nothing for sale at the moment."
CindyWendy shook her head at Camus's question.
Dolores spoke up, her tone worried.
"The Leviathan's poisonous people keep cutting the supply lines, so our water isn't getting here. At this rate, we'll be wiped out by starvation before the war even starts."
Humans are 80 percent water.
The amount of water stored in the human body is approximately 50L.
Without doing anything, the body breaks down fat and produces about 0.25 liters of water.
This means that humans can only go for about three days without drinking water, after which dehydration becomes life-threatening as the stomach rebels.
"I wonder if all the people of the empire are here, so many of them."
"It's all because we've been so good at spreading the Ark story. ...But have we taken it a little too far?"
Bianca and Tudor nodded in agreement.
'Fire and water will only avoid this place, and only here will true salvation be achieved.'
The land of salvation in the new revelation.
Dolores, the Night Saint, created a new oracle for the Church and spread it among the people.
The refugees who fled their homes to follow these words have gathered in vast numbers within the walls of Fortress Tochka.
Of course, those who ignored the oracle, those who did not believe, did not come.
The Night Walkers had made every effort to send them to the nearby highlands.
"We've managed to hold out so far, with help coming in from many directions, but we can't do it anymore...."
Even the great CindyWendy raised both hands and feet.
So far, many people besides the Night Walkers have been sending support without realizing it.
Bisamo, led by Lovegood of Themiscyra; alumni of Colosseo, such as Gordon and Underdog; the entire Colosseo staff, including Principal Banshee; the Balak clan of the Western Jungle; Mozgus of Quovadisgar; Adolf of Morg, Demian of the Bourgeois, Isabella of the Baskerville, and many other benefactors from all walks of life have sent food, water, troops, and other manpower, and the refugees of Tochka have been able to live a better life than before, despite their discomfort.
But now things were different.
As the civil war in the empire gradually intensified and the Leviathan family grew in power, there was a disruption in the supply of drinking water.
The vast Tochka Plateau is quickly becoming overwhelmed with refugees.
"There were fights between refugees over water rations again today. The vigilantes are keeping order, but I don't know how long that will last."
Camus's voice was serious.
Dolores spoke with a serious expression on her face as well.
"Judging by the amount of water we have left, I'd say four days, if we conserve and save..., and then it's really over."
After all, there's only four days of water.
If you consider how long humans can survive without water, that's about a week.
Everyone in Tochka has about a week to live.
In the end, everyone's eyes are directed to the highest table in the conference room.
CindyWendy, Camus, and Dolores, the top leaders of the Nightwalkers, also paid attention to a spot higher up than them.
Vikir.
There was a man who was always so expressionless that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Finally, Vikir's mouth opened.
"Hold on."
The words were met with different reactions.
Camus nodded in understanding, Dolores wondered how to convince the others, and Sinclair scratched her head, trying to figure out how to hold on.
CindyWendy just sighs heavily with a 'here we go again' look on her face.
Just then, Piggy, next to her, asks in a cautious tone.
"Vikir. We all believe in you, but I'm sure many of the refugees here don't, and I don't know what to tell them. We can't just tell them to hang in there, can we?"
"But I can only tell them to hold on."
Vikir opened his mouth.
His tone was flat, but still full of conviction.
"You've done a much better job than I expected, and we've been able to gather a lot of people, so I was wrong to be a bit off. But give it a little time and everything will work itself out. I can promise you that."
" ...You're just saying that because you don't think it's possible to wait that little bit longer?"
It was the Chihuahua who interrupted from the side.
He had become Vikir's loyal aide, and he was quick to criticize him.
"Isn't it frustrating for the people around you to keep the plan to yourself? Why don't you share it with the people around you? No, why don't you just wait and see when there's only four days' worth of water left?"
Chihuahua's bluntness caused a few people around him internally delighted.
But Vikir's attitude didn't change.
"I can't help it. If I blurt out my plans too soon, the enemy might get wind of it, and if I tell them, they won't believe me, and our allies might be rattled. I'm hoping they've gotten the hint and will trust me this time."
"Well, you're still as stubborn as ever, even though you're a young man on the outside, you're like a middle-aged man on the inside, so what are you going to do about getting married later!"
Chihuahua's whining caused several of the women around him to flinch.
Vikir, meanwhile, was forced to give in to the Chihuahua's persistent nagging.
"... Is the drinking water situation so bad that we can't even last a week?"
"You've seen and heard, there's still more refugees coming in, and I was being optimistic about four days. In a week or so, this place, Tochka, will be overrun with people who have died of dehydration!"
Collecting dew or squeezing the juice from plants has its limits.
Something terrible could happen before Vikir's solution really came to light.
"It's true, that there's not much we can do but wait."
A look of sadness appears on everyone's faces after hearing Vikir's words.
Just then.
Minpin, in the corner of the room, cautiously raised his hand.
"Mr. Boss... No, Senator. I have something to tell you."
Meeting Vikir's gaze, he pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the desk.
It was a small cage, and inside was something with blue wings flapping about.
Sinclair's eyes widened at Vikir's side.
"That's a nymph, isn't it?"
"That's right, we only just caught it yesterday."
Minpin nodded.
He was a former scout, and the Empire's foremost expert on the ecology of many monsters.
"Nymphs only live where there is water."
Everyone's eyes lit up at Minpin's words.
Even Vikir gestured for Minpin to continue.
Minpin spoke as best he could.
"I found this nymph on a mountain peak not far from Tochka. It's a high, steep, rocky place, and it's so thick with bushes that it's hard to see what's above when you're looking up from below. I thought I'd die several times trying to gather it."
"Why do you think the nymphs live there?"
"Because there's water there, of course, isn't it?"
Minpin said, almost convinced.
"I think there's a volcanic lake on that mountain peak, down in the crater."
A water source. There might be a lake hidden on the other side of Tochka, on top of a jagged mountain peak.
"There's a 99.9% chance there's a lake there, and a nice, clear, freshwater lake at that."
"...Hmmm. So why hasn't it been discovered before now?"
"Well, I saw the nymph's trail and spent days and days tracking it down, and I nearly fell to my death dozens of times. If it took an expert collector like me to find it, no one else could have done it."
Hearing Minpin's answer, Vikir stroked his chin and thought hard.
The presence of a water source near Fort Tochka was something that hadn't been revealed before the regression.
Perhaps it was a butterfly effect of having Minpin as a consignment.
'If this is true, it's a great piece of information.'
Vikir recognized the value of this information.
Camus, studying the map, spoke thoughtfully.
"It's not too far away, and the terrain suggests that if we blast the bedrock enough, we might be able to create a waterway to Tochka."
"Judging by the size of the crater, it looks pretty big and wide, so if there's a water source, I'm guessing it's plentiful."
"Nymphs only live in large lakes with lots of water. There's a lot of potential."
Dolores and Sinclair agreed.
Vikir nodded as well.
Minipin is a talented person who was selected and chosen during his time in the Imperial Capital, so he also trusts Vikir.
Vikir considers for a moment, then nods.
"Very well. We'll change the plan slightly. First, we'll get the water source for this point."
Vikir, who is extremely conservative when it comes to changing plans, decided to do something different this time.
A makeshift. No more, no less, just enough drinking water to last a week or so.
When Vikir's decision was made, CindyWendy smiled broadly, as if all was right with the world.
"Finally, I see a way out! I'll support you with all my might!"
The others all look determined and eager to join the quest for water.
Just then.
"Emergency! Emergency! Emergency!"
An urgent report comes in from the sentry on the watchtower outside the window.
"The Leviathan's poisonous man are attacking up ahead, and there's an unknown number of them!"
It was a report that instantly overturned the excited atmosphere caused by the discovery of the water source.