CHAPTER 272: CHAPTER 272 PLANNING

If a massive caravan filled with more horses and people were attacked by monsters or bandits, the guards wouldn’t be able to respond quickly enough, leaving dangerous gaps in their defenses.

Those gaps could easily be exploited, leading to either the destruction of goods or, worse, the loss of lives. Neither outcome would benefit them, especially now that they knew certain people were already stirring trouble from the shadows.

"I spoke with the team leaders overseeing the harvest," Levi replied to Addison’s question. "They estimate it will take another three days of nonstop work to finish gathering all the grains, and about three more days after that to complete the vegetable harvest."

There were at least five team leaders, each in charge of around two dozen people, and each group was assigned to a specific section of the farmland. Since the land spanned more than a hundred dozen acres, dividing it into sections allowed every team to strategize how to tackle the harvest each season while ensuring that everyone worked consistently without slacking off.

By keeping the team sizes balanced—not too large but not too small—each leader could effectively monitor progress and make sure their members stayed on quota. In addition, every leader was responsible for estimating how long it would take to harvest their assigned section and managing their group to stay on track with the overall harvest timeline.

"Hmmm, so that means it’ll still take about a week to finish everything here. If we leave now, our second trip would coincide with them wrapping up the harvest, and we could evacuate the rest of the people at that time, right?" Addison asked as she glanced around.

"Then why don’t we have the people at the checkpoint prepare fresh horses for us? That way, we can continue forward with fewer breaks. Besides, on this first trip, we’ll be bringing the herd of farm animals along, which will definitely slow us down."

"Instead of four days, the return journey might take the full seven. And even after we get back here for the second round, we’ll still need to transport the remaining animals, the crops, and the rest of the pack members. That’ll make things even more difficult..."

As she spoke, Addison’s mind was already turning over the logistics, carefully calculating how long it would take to move the caravan, supplies, and people to their designated destination.

And more than that, transporting everything would not only make the return journey far more difficult but also consume precious time.

By the time they reached the next pack nearby, nearly a month would have passed, and completing the task there would take yet another month. If that were the case, could the mages maintaining the barrier even hold out that long?

They had already been straining for weeks, and the effort had exhausted every mage stationed here before, just to keep the locust swarm contained. Yet, despite their efforts, the swarm kept multiplying.

Even with Elric’s presence, even if his power surpassed that of all the others combined, he could not sustain the barrier indefinitely. And dropping the biochemical solution wasn’t an option until every neighboring pack was evacuated.

No one knew how toxic the substance truly was, and risking lives without certainty was something they couldn’t afford.

"What about the treatment agent the Alchemist was working on? Has there been any progress with that?" Addison asked, her tone sharp with concern. "If we follow the normal path, it will take at least three months to completely evacuate everyone in this area before we can proceed with dropping the biochemical. That timeline won’t be favorable for the mages—or for Elric."

"But at the same time, we can’t just send the other packs to the designated sites for the temporary granaries and warehouses on their own. They could be attacked by bandits, monsters, or even the same people who ambushed us the other day. That would jeopardize our food supply."

"If the people after me are truly orchestrating all of this to destabilize the kingdom, then it makes perfect sense why they targeted the granaries first. By cutting off our supplies, they weaken the werewolves’ ability to sustain their numbers."

"If that’s the case, it’s not far-fetched to think they’ll go after the caravans transporting the supplies before they ever reach the temporary storage. Which means... letting the other packs move their own goods without protection would be walking them straight into a trap."

As she spoke, Addison’s thoughts spilled out in a steady stream, her eyes distant with speculation. Zion, Maxwell, and Levi exchanged glances but said nothing; they, too, had reached the same conclusion.

"Then, what do you suggest we do?" Maxwell finally asked after carefully weighing the situation. Their options were indeed limited.

"How about this?" Zion interjected, breaking the silence. "We set up a temporary settlement where we can gather all the farm animals, harvested crops, and grains, along with the people from the different packs. They can stay there and guard the supplies while we return here to deal with the locust swarm."

"Once the Alchemist finishes the treatment agent, we’ll use it to restore the land. While we wait for the treatment agent to work as it restores the soil, we can start transporting the goods to the actual designated location near the Royal Capital."

"This way, we won’t waste time going back and forth before making progress. The mages won’t have to drain themselves holding the barrier for so long, and when it comes time for the return trip, they’ll still have enough strength left to help escort the supplies, giving us another layer of protection. Don’t you think that’s a much better plan?"

Addison’s eyes lit up as she listened to Zion’s plan.

’No wonder this man managed to establish his own trade routes with the elves and other species, his mind truly shines when it mattered most.’

"That’s a brilliant idea," she said, her tone full of approval. "And once we finish dealing with the locust swarm here, it will be even easier to open a teleportation gate in a secure location and let the packs and supplies cross directly to the designated site."

"That way, we’ll have more people protecting the goods while the main group continues moving from pack to pack, escorting and assisting. It would be time-efficient, and we could also make use of the pack members’ hands as additional manpower."

"This way, we can prevent those attackers from scheming against us or trying to overwhelm us with numbers, like they did when they pushed us onto that dangerous path. And once the swarm is gone, we won’t have any reservations about using the portals, after all, the only reason we avoided them in the first place was the fear of a locust slipping through."

Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction at Zion’s suggestion, and she kept nodding as if already envisioning it in action. Watching this rare, unguarded side of her, Zion couldn’t help but feel drawn in. A smile slipped onto his face before he realized it.

"It’s definitely a solid plan," Maxwell agreed with a nod. "We’d save time by avoiding all the back-and-forth, and the other packs could remain behind to guard the supplies while we assist the mages with the locust swarm."