Chapter 234: Another Desolation

"How are they still going?" Melisandre finally stepped out of her large tent after sending her report to the Witch Realm, only to find the men still seemingly enjoying their game.

She had expected them to stop once they got tired, but none of them was showing any sign of giving up yet.

Many of the Witches were still watching too, some even cheering for their Shadows to get back up and keep trying.

The camp had an atmosphere she had never experienced in all her years here.

Usually, the Underworld’s gloomy surroundings made life feel dull. The crimson sky never changed, giving them no day or night, while ash covered the ground wherever they looked.

They found small ways to pass the time, of course. A game here, a conversation there, anything to keep their spirits from sinking too low.

But she had never seen everyone take part in something like this, seemingly enjoying themselves enough to forget how much time had passed.

"Strange, isn’t it?" Renna approached from behind, having stayed to watch from the beginning.

Melisandre turned toward her, noticing her smile. "You seem to be enjoying it too."

They had known each other for quite a while and had even gone on a few missions together in the Underworld, yet she could count the times she had seen Renna smile like this.

As far as she knew, Renna had lost almost everyone in her life. She was a lonely girl who seemed to have little joy left in living.

Now she looked as if she had found a reason again.

"I’m just glad he hasn’t changed," Renna replied, remembering their old days together.

When they first met, he had been someone who could find something to enjoy in almost anything.

Even after she lost her mother, Magna had taught her that her life wasn’t over, that there was always something worth pursuing.

"I don’t know how he does it, but he always finds a way to have fun and get everyone else to join in, even on the worst days. It’s like he sees life as a game."

That was how he had approached teaching her to control her Bloodline Trait too. He had called it a game, saying that even if it didn’t work, they would still have fun and learn something from trying.

"A game, huh?" The word felt strange to Melisandre, but another look at the training made her understand.

A Shadow had just been sent flying, only to jump to his feet and run back with the same energy as before.

The men seemed to be enjoying the challenge, while the Witches laughed and cheered from the sides.

After so long seeing them look depressed, Melisandre was pleased to see them like this, even if she hadn’t quite noticed that feeling herself.

But as the camp’s leader, she had too many problems waiting for her to enjoy the moment for long.

"I just sent the report to the main base. If we’re lucky, we’ll get a reply in a week or so," she told Renna with a sigh.

Since the loss of the Tower, which had handled communication between realms, sending even a single message had become difficult and unreliable.

She had sent a raven made of Grak Steel, using the same method as before. Whether it survived the journey and reached its destination was now a matter of luck.

"What about our food and mana supplies?" Renna asked, her smile fading as they returned to the camp’s problems.

They had a few farms in the Underworld where they regularly harvested resources, including mana-rich food.

Normally, they sent 90% of the harvest to the Witch Realm, keeping the remaining 10% for the camp.

Recently, though, the farms had been producing so little that the harvests weren’t even enough for their own needs.

Much of that had been caused by the Devoring Desolation. Its aimless wandering had destroyed several farms, while its aura dried up water sources and left the remaining crops without water.

Bringing it under control should have allowed the farms to recover, but another problem was already taking its place.

Melisandre frowned down at the ash beneath her feet. "The soil is becoming more contaminated every day. We stopped the Devoring Desolation, but the threat from the Bleeding Desolation is growing faster now."

The Underworld had 7 Desolations, each ruling its own territory.

Until now, the Witches had only managed to explore and establish farms within the Devoring Desolation’s region.

They had never attempted to fight the others or enter their lands. Whatever resources they might find there wouldn’t be worth the losses.

But lately, those 7 territory bosses had begun invading one another’s lands, causing small conflicts between them.

The Bleeding Desolation was among the most invasive. It had begun spreading into this region long ago, leaving the ash around them as one sign of its invasion.

Melisandre crouched and dug through that ash with her hand.

A little farther down, she uncovered soil that still looked normal.

She took a handful before standing again. "The soil is burning faster every day. If this continues, all the fertile soil we have left will turn to ash in less than a month."

Once that happened, there would be nowhere left for them to farm.

There were also crops that grew only in ash, but there were so few varieties and their yields were so low that relying on them alone wouldn’t even meet the camp’s needs.

So losing the farms meant more than going hungry. Without the resources they grew, they would also be unable to make the pills and potions needed to restore their mana.

Their natural mana regeneration was painfully slow. Without those supplies, staying alive in the Underworld would be impossible.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Renna could only see 2 choices.

They could leave the Underworld entirely and search for somewhere else to establish their farms.

Or they could find a way to stop the Bleeding Desolation before it destroyed the soil they had left.

Neither choice was easy. If they could find suitable land elsewhere, they wouldn’t have bothered with the Underworld’s dry, infertile soil in the first place.

The second option was even harder. If they decided to fight, they couldn’t expect it to be as simple as dealing with the Devoring Desolation.

"I don’t know. All we can do for now is wait for my report to reach them and hope they reply soon."

Even Melisandre didn’t have the authority to make that decision. For something this serious, they had to wait for the orders of the 5 Grand Witches.

Renna agreed. Although she was second in command after Melisandre, she had no solution or suggestion to offer either.

Still, another matter came to mind. "What about the Devoring Desolation’s body? The ice has probably melted by now. We should do something before it starts healing."

The monster had still been alive when they left it, even if only barely.

It wasn’t known for healing quickly, since it had to start devouring again to recover. But a week was a long time, and if they waited that long, it could become a threat again.

Melisandre seemed to have been thinking about the same thing, since she already had an answer ready. "My preparations are almost complete. I’ll take care of it myself."