It was already evening when the refugees were transported to the People of the Mountain.
Leviathan lay motionless outside the canyon, serving as a large transport vehicle, its dark purple scales bearing the handprints of several children.
Cursed Arm Hassan stood at the entrance to the canyon, watching the crowd gradually climb down from Leviathan's back, a twitch appearing at the corner of his mouth beneath his hood.
Nearly eight hundred refugees.
More than 800 people who need food, water, and shelter.
The People of the Mountain itself was already short of supplies.
The original inhabitants, plus the three Chaldea from before, were barely enough to sustain them.
Now there are suddenly over eight hundred more mouths to feed.
"..."
Cursed Arm Hassan, remained silent for three seconds, then turned and walked into the depths of the canyon.
He needs to attend a meeting.
In the central open space of the camp, several wooden tables were pushed together.
Cursed Arm Hassan, sat at the head of the table, while Mayuri, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Mash sat opposite him.
Several key members of the People of the Mountain, as well as Hassan of the Hundred Faces, were also standing around.
That's the situation.
Cursed Arm Hassan's voice was hoarse and deep.
"We can't ignore these people, but we can't afford to support so many."
"The food reserves are only enough to feed the original residents for half a month. With an additional 800 mouths to feed, it will only last for three days at most."
"The water supply is also insufficient. The stream in the canyon has a very small flow, and it's barely managing to stay afloat."
"Needless to say, accommodations are scarce; tents and stone huts are limited, and many people will have to sleep outdoors tonight."
After saying Cursed Arm Hassan leaned back in his chair, waiting for Chaldea's response.
Ritsuka Fujimaru frowned as she pondered.
Mash sat quietly beside her, her purple eyes filled with worry.
Mayuri is yawning.
She fought a battle today, used a Spacequake, and flew dozens of kilometers. Now she's sleepy.
"... So why did you call me here?"
"Discuss solutions."
"Oh."
Mayuri rubbed her eyes.
"There isn't enough food, not enough water, and not enough shelter."
"Right."
"Isn't that simple?"
Mayuri leaned back in her chair, looking completely at ease.
"Doesn't the Pharaoh have everything? His territory is overflowing with resources."
Let's go ask him for it.
"If he doesn't give it to us, it proves he's a bad guy. Dealing with him will fix this Singularity."
"Then there's no need to worry about the refugees' basic needs anymore."
There was silence for three seconds in the open space.
Cursed Arm Hassan tilted his hood slightly.
Hassan of the Hundred Faces, wearing a skull mask, stared at Mayuri for two seconds.
Ritsuka Fujimaru's lips twitched slightly.
"... Such a simple and straightforward solution."
"It feels like the difficulty of this Singularity has suddenly increased from EX level to E level."
Mayuri shrugged.
Do you have any objections?
"... No? No, there is!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru her hand.
"The Pharaoh has an army, and he himself is quite powerful!"
Didn't Leviathan defeat the Lion King?
"That's the Lion King! The Pharaoh isn't necessarily weaker than the Lion King!"
"We'll talk about it if we can't win."
Ritsuka Fujimaru wanted to refute, but found that she really didn't have anything to refute.
From Mayuri's perspective, this is indeed a possible solution.
Although it's a very unreasonable proposal.
"I think..." Mash said softly, "Miss Mayuri's words aren't entirely without merit."
" Mash, do you think so too?!"
"Because we do need supplies, and the Pharaoh does have them."
Ritsuka Fujimaru sighed.
She looked at Cursed Arm Hassan.
What do you think?
Cursed Arm Hassan tapped his fingers twice on the table.
"If the Pharaoh is willing to provide supplies to these refugees, we can temporarily refrain from provoking him."
"But if he's unwilling, there's nothing we can do."
"While this proposal is crude, it is logically the fastest solution."
Ritsuka Fujimaru sighed again.
"Alright... let's discuss the specific action plan later."
"Let's think about how to solve our accommodation problem for tonight."
"There's no need to worry about that."
Cursed Arm Hassan's tone suddenly changed.
"Because someone has already solved half of the problem for us."
"What's the meaning?"
"Shortly after your return, three new guests arrived at the camp."
Cursed Arm Hassan, stood up.
"Go see for yourselves."
On the west side of the camp, there was an open space that was originally used to store miscellaneous items.
A huge area has now been cleared out.
A large pot sat on the campfire, its contents bubbling and steaming.
A fragrant aroma of rice wafted over.
Ritsuka Fujimaru's nose twitched.
"It smells so good."
Three people were standing next to the large pot.
The first one was a woman dressed as a monk.
Her long black hair cascaded down from her shoulders to her waist; her face was delicate and dignified, her features possessing a transcendent, sanctity-like quality.
She was draped in a brocade robe, radiant and dazzling, and her nine-ringed staff rested against a rock.
Wearing a Vairocana hat, the overall look is that of a standard monk.
If it weren't for his voice, judging solely from his appearance and demeanor, one would completely mistake him for a dignified high monk.
"Amitabha Buddha, we have new guests again."
Her voice was gentle and Mercy, possessing an approachable quality that made people want to relax.
"This humble monk's Dharma name Xuanzang, and I come from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East."
Ritsuka Fujimaru paused for a moment.
" Xuanzang?"
Master Xuanzang?
Who is Tang Sanzang from Journey to the West?
"Yes, it's that Xuanzang."
Ritsuka Fujimaru opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.
"You are... Tang Sanzang? That Tang Sanzang?"
"Yes."
The one from Journey to the West?
"If that's how you call it, then I guess so."
Ritsuka Fujimaru looked at Mash.
Mash also looked bewildered.
Mayuri didn't react much; she just smelled the aroma of rice and her stomach growled.
When will that porridge be ready?
"It'll be ready soon." The Master Xuanzang smiled gently.
Another person standing next to the large pot spoke up.
"Don't rush, don't rush, there's plenty!"
This is a man with long green hair.
He was about 1.85 meters tall, with a strong and well-proportioned physique, and his eyes held a hearty smile.
But what he was doing at that moment was constantly scooping rice out of a seemingly ordinary cloth bag.
The rice bag didn't look very big, about the size of a schoolbag.
But this person had already taken out at least twenty kilograms of rice from it, and was still taking more.
The bag seemed to have no bottom.
My name is Tawara Touta.
The green-haired man introduced himself while scooping rice.
"I was taken in as a disciple by the Master Xuanzang. However, I'm not a very good disciple; besides cooking, I don't seem to be of any other use."
"His ability is ' Endless Rice Bag '," the Master Xuanzang added, "Which can summon large quantities of high-quality, edible rice."
"With him around, we don't have to worry about food."
Tawara Touta chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
"Hehe, I'm glad I could help."
As Ritsuka Fujimaru watched the cloth bag continuously emptying rice, her common sense kept collapsing and rebuilding in her mind.
"How much can you take from that bag?"
"I don't know." Tawara Touta shook his head. "I've never emptied my pockets."
"Never...?"
"Hmm. The most outrageous time was when I searched for three days and three nights. I finally fell asleep, and when I woke up, the bag was still full."
"..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru decided not to investigate further.
There are too many illogical things in this Singularity; she's become numb.
Then her gaze shifted to the third person.
That person stood quietly in the corner the whole time.
She had long purple hair, brown skin, and a slender, graceful figure.
He wore a white skull mask that concealed all his expressions.
She was dressed in dark-colored clothing, and her overall look exuded a mysterious aura unique to Middle Eastern assassins.
If she hadn't been standing there, Ritsuka Fujimaru wouldn't have even noticed her.
"Who is this...?"
" Hassan of Serenity."
The Master Xuanzang introduced her to the monk.
"She and Tawara Touta were previously captured by the Round Table Army and imprisoned in a prison fortress."
"We've been looking for an opportunity to rescue them, but the prison fortress is too heavily guarded, and we haven't been able to succeed."
"But for some reason, all the Round Table Army stationed there suddenly withdrew today."
Ritsuka Fujimaru taken aback.
"They've all been evacuated?"
"Yes. Not a single person was left."
"Why?"
The Master Xuanzang glanced at Ritsuka Fujimaru, his eyes carrying a meaningful look.
"It's probably because something big happened in the Holy City."
Ritsuka Fujimaru blinked.
A major incident has occurred in the Holy City.
Isn't that exactly what they do?
The Lion King was destroyed by Leviathan, the barrier of the Holy City collapsed, and the Knights of the Round Table were either dead or wounded.
The Purification Knights stationed elsewhere have probably received orders to return to defend the Holy City.
" The Purification Knights, led by Lancelot, returned to defend the Holy City. They did not kill the two Servant they had captured before leaving."
The Master Xuanzang continued.
"After I arrived, I rescued them from the prison."
" Hassan of Serenity suggested we return to the People of the Mountain' camp together, so here we are."
"We returned a little later than you did with the refugees."
Ritsuka Fujimaru nodded.
So that's how it is.
Lancelot.
Yet another Knights of the Round Table.
If Lancelot leads the Purification Knights back to defend the Holy City...
But now the Lion King is gone, and they won't see him again if they go back.
"So what are they doing now...?"
"I don't know." The Master Xuanzang shook his head. "We haven't been paying attention to the Holy City's movements since we left the prison fortress."
Ritsuka Fujimaru did not ask any further questions.
The most important thing now is to solve the refugee problem.