Building a Safe Zone with My Harem In The Post-Apocalyptic World-Chapter 111: Spreading Fast

Gideon’s first destination after arriving at Climber Rift was the Mercenary Guild. He wanted to check if there were any new commissions he could take.

The last time he had been here, Lucia had suggested that he buy a "dove" and register an address so they could send him updates directly. He hadn’t decided yet.

Should I just buy a small condo here... or maybe something bigger as a proper address? He thought as they walked through the area.

Summer stayed close to him, still clinging to his arm.

At least she hadn’t reached the stage of asking for strange food or unreasonable cravings yet.

"What do you want to do now?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"Hm... I want to check for new commissions if possible," Gideon replied.

"And I’ll sell the Devourer’s scales and fangs." He paused for a moment before adding, "I also need more staff."

"If you’re looking for workers, the pub is your best bet," Summer said, looking around the busy market.

"There are always people there who hate their current jobs."

"That’s actually a good idea," Gideon nodded. "I’ll try recruiting that way."

He glanced at her. "Do you want anything?"

Summer hesitated, her face turning slightly red. "N-no... nothing..." She looked away for a moment before speaking again, quieter this time.

"But... back then, there used to be a lot of nursery stores with cute clothes. I don’t remember much, but... do you think they still have something like that here?"

Gideon already knew the answer, and she probably did too.

"Don’t you think it’s a bit early to worry about that?" he said lightly.

"But if you want, I can put in a request through the guild to build a nursery room. What do you think?"

Summer’s eyes lit up immediately. "Really? But we don’t even know the baby’s gender yet..."

"It doesn’t matter," Gideon said with a shrug. "They’re babies."

Summer frowned at him. "You can be really annoying sometimes."

Gideon only shrugged again as they reached the entrance of the Mercenary Guild.

Before they could even step inside, Lucia had already come out to greet them.

"Welcome, Mr. Remington. Are you here to take another commission?"

Her smile was even brighter than before, almost dazzling. Whether it was her long blonde hair catching the light or her sexy curves, she somehow looked even more striking than the last time he saw her.

Summer noticed it immediately.

Gideon didn’t even get the chance to say anything before she jabbed her elbow sharply into his ribs, making him flinch.

He let out a small chuckle and casually placed his hand around her waist.

"Yes," he said, as if nothing had happened. "I’m also here to buy and sell a few things."

Lucia’s expression didn’t change at all. "Of course. Please, follow me."

She turned, leading them inside, while Summer stayed close to Gideon, her grip on him just a little tighter than before.

They stepped inside, and Lucia guided them to the same room Gideon had used before. This time, however, Lin Yue wasn’t there.

"I’ll bring you the available commissions. Please wait here. Another staff member will come in with refreshments. Alcohol or non-alcohol?" she asked politely.

"Non-alcohol," Gideon answered.

Lucia gave a small nod and left the room, but Summer immediately frowned once the door closed.

"You can’t drink alcohol. You’re pregnant," Gideon added.

"It’s not about that," she muttered, crossing her arms and shifting slightly away from him.

"Oh? So you’re jealous of her," he said with a grin.

"You don’t have to worry. Even if she becomes my lover, you’ll still have your own place in my heart."

"Don’t say it like I’m already dead! Ugh, you’re so annoying!" she snapped, scooting even farther away, only for Gideon to move closer again.

"Come on, Summer. You can share with your sister, so why not with someone else?"

He didn’t just mean Lucia.

Elaine, the others... maybe even Delilah.

Before Summer could respond, a knock came from the door. Gideon called for them to enter, and a staff member pushed in a trolley filled with drinks and snacks.

There were soft drinks, mocktails, and neatly arranged plates, but what caught Summer’s attention instantly was the chocolate.

Her eyes widened, and she visibly swallowed.

"Is that real chocolate?" she asked, almost in disbelief.

"Yes, miss. We make sure all refreshments for our top suppliers are free from aberrant contamination," the staff replied with a slight bow before leaving the room.

"Oh wow..."

"You can eat all of it if you want," Gideon said casually.

Instead of reaching for it, Summer only pouted more deeply, clearly annoyed, and turned her head away, refusing to touch anything.

Gideon chuckled and picked up the single bar of chocolate.

It was small, but even something like this could be traded for a house in Climber Rift. That was how rare it had become.

"Maybe I should start selling chocolate too," he murmured while unwrapping it.

Summer gulped audibly.

Gideon grinned. "This must taste amazing."

He deliberately moved the chocolate toward his mouth at an unbearably slow pace.

"Ugh!" Summer finally snapped, grabbing his wrist. "Gi-give it to me!"

She leaned forward and took a bite straight from his hand.

The moment the chocolate melted on her tongue, she closed her eyes, letting out a soft sound as the sweetness spread, mixed with a slight bitterness that only made it better.

Her expression softened immediately, all her frustration replaced with pure satisfaction.

Gideon watched her and chuckled. "You really can’t be helped."

Not long after, the door opened again, and Lucia returned with several documents in hand.

She placed them neatly on the table before sitting across from them, her posture straight as she began explaining.

"Recently, we’ve received several requests for chili," she said. "Most of them prefer seedlings along with suitable soil."

"Hm... I can supply that at a good price," Gideon replied.

"Of course. Our pricing is always adjusted based on demand and supply," Lucia said smoothly.

"There are also multiple requests for Verdant Devourer scales and fangs. It seems the news about its defeat by a new hero has already spread quite widely."

Gideon was caught off guard for two reasons. If he accepted that commission, his identity would become easier to trace, and at the same time, the growing rumors about the "hero" and his Safe Zone spreading faster than his territory could develop started to bother him.

People really can’t keep their mouths shut, can they? He thought, irritation creeping in. There’s no way I can take that request.

"Wow, that’s new to me," he said instead, keeping his tone casual. "What’s this hero like? He must be pretty strong to take down something like that."

Lucia nodded. "Absolutely. Some people even think he has a superpower. There are already a few claiming to be him, but none of them can actually prove it." She gave a small shake of her head, clearly unimpressed by those attempts.

Gideon simply nodded along, letting the topic move forward without drawing attention to himself.

As the conversation continued, he asked about the process of submitting commissions, especially for hiring construction workers and additional staff for what he vaguely referred to as "his friend’s place."

However, it quickly became clear that an address was required for any formal agent’s request that involved working in place, something he couldn’t provide.

In the end, he chose to take several commissions instead and planned to return later with the completed work.

***

Elaine and Delilah arrived at the Freebound HQ early in the morning and went straight to Jade’s office without bothering to knock.

The moment they stepped inside, they were greeted by chaos.

Documents were piled everywhere, stacked across the desk, spilling onto chairs, and even scattered across the floor, all waiting to be reviewed and stamped. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

And in the middle of it all was Jade.

The Pathmadre had completely collapsed. Her upper body was slumped over the desk, her cheek pressed against the papers, eyes wide open but completely unfocused, as if her soul had already left her body.

"Jade?" Delilah called cautiously as she stepped closer and lightly tapped her head.

"Don’t... don’t ask anything from me anymore," Jade muttered weakly without moving. "I can’t... I can’t possibly read all of this..."

Elaine glanced around the room before raising a brow. "Where’s Kilian and the others? Aren’t they usually helping you with this?"

"Kilian took a few days off to deal with his baby," Jade replied, her voice dull and lifeless.

"Jacob is still busy processing the Devourer’s scales and fangs and cleaning up the aftermath..."

She let out a long breath. "The rest are occupied with winter preparations."

"Ah, I see," Delilah said, shaking her head slightly. "So you kept putting it off, and now your work has piled up enough to fill an entire room."

Jade didn’t even deny it.

"Anyway, we’re not here for that," Delilah continued, her tone sharpening slightly as she reached into her pocket and placed a small item on the table.

An eagle pin.

"It’s the Eagle Union. They took a job from Skull Fang."

Elaine followed by placing a torn, bloodstained mask beside it, the skull symbol still clearly visible despite the damage.

Jade’s eyes slowly focused.

Then, suddenly, she pushed herself up from the table, staring at the items before looking back at the two of them.

"They wouldn’t be that desperate," she said, disbelief creeping into her voice. "Especially not to the point of taking a request from a low-tier faction like Skull Fang."