"They don't look too happy," Raj muttered, standing beside Vaidya.
From the edge of the camp, he scanned the wary faces of the locals. Suspicion clouded their eyes—their gazes sharp, untrusting. It wasn't surprising. With resources dwindling, integrating strangers into a camp was always met with resistance. But seeing the open hostility still made Raj uneasy.
"They'll come around," Vaidya replied confidently. "As long as I'm here, no one will touch you or your people."
He patted Raj's shoulder reassuringly before gesturing toward the camp.
"I've already assigned a few young soldiers to guide everyone to the northern side of the camp. They'll help your people settle in. We were planning to open a vegetable patch there anyway, so it's as good a place as any for them to start fresh."
Raj's brows lifted in surprise. "Growing your own food? Have you found a way to improve the yield?"
