Elaine said she would explain everything after treating Gideon’s wounds first. So he sat on the bed while she worked carefully, wiping the cuts on his feet with alcohol.
"Hmm," Gideon muttered. "So alcohol and proper supplies still exist, huh?"
Elaine lifted her brows, confused. Summer answered instead.
"He has amnesia. Freya found him in the Deliric Desert."
Elaine paused, then gave a faint, skeptical hum. "Amnesia, yet skilled in martial combat and able to survive that desert. I see."
Her tone carried clear doubt as she applied disinfectant and wrapped his feet.
"She’s not wrong," Gideon said. "I don’t remember anything. I just fight on instinct. Muscle memory, I guess."
He tried to sound casual, but Elaine’s gaze lingered on him longer than necessary. She did not comment, though it was obvious she was not fully convinced.
After finishing the bandage, Elaine moved to a shelf and unfolded a map on the table. She pointed to a marked area.
"This place is hidden and not claimed by any faction," she explained. "I found it by accident while traveling between settlements to treat patients. I got lost."
Summer frowned. "There has to be a drawback. No place stays unknown forever, not even from the Pathfinder."
Elaine nodded. "It’s close to an oasis. You already know what that means."
"Aberrants above C-rank have thermal vision," she continued. "If you are alone, it’s manageable. Their perception isn’t very precise. But if a large group settles there, it becomes dangerous."
"But you’re safe here," Gideon said. He tapped the map lightly. "That place doesn’t look safe at all. Aberrants should be gathering there."
Elaine shook her head. "Usually only one dominant species occupies an oasis. They form packs and drive other Aberrants away."
She gestured around the clinic. "This settlement is safe because Freebound protects it. They patrol regularly and keep Aberrants from getting close."
Summer added, "It’s common knowledge. The closer you are to an oasis, the stronger the Aberrants. That area is guarded by an S-rank."
"And most land around here is already claimed," she continued. "Even the bunker I live in is part of Freebound territory."
"I see," Gideon murmured, rubbing his chin. "So it’s risky."
He still did not know whether planting the Seed of Aaru would generate a protective barrier. If it did, being close to an oasis might actually work in his favor.
’System, does the Seed of Aaru create a barrier?’ he thought.
[Yes. A protective barrier will activate automatically once the Seed of Aaru is planted. Its strength scales with the host’s lord level, which is currently level 10.]
Gideon crossed his arms.
He did not have many people to bring into the Safe Zone yet. Only Summer and her family. Even if more joined later, he was confident he would be strong enough by then to deal with an S-rank Aberrant.
The A-rank Rootpod had been dangerous, but manageable. With access to the Infinite Shop, even overpriced magic scrolls gave him options.
Fighting Aberrants was still easier than fighting factions.
"Guess it’s a gamble," Gideon said at last. Then he nodded. "But it’s worth it."
"Are you crazy? You want to go there now?" Summer blurted out when she saw Gideon already moving.
"Yeah," Gideon replied without stopping. "You want to sell the core, right? I’ll wait for you, then bring you back to the bunker. After that, I’ll visit the area."
He glanced at Elaine. "Can I borrow the map?"
Elaine hesitated, then handed it to him anyway. "You’re still injured. At least wait until it heals a bit."
"It’s fine. We can hunt for cores tomorrow." Gideon pushed himself upright.
He was limping, but the pain had dulled enough that it no longer slowed him much. The building collapse had torn muscle, not bone, and he counted that as luck.
"I’m coming with you." Summer stood at the same time and closed the distance between them. "I’m not leaving you alone. You don’t know this world yet. I’ll guide you."
Gideon looked at her sideways. "You won’t toss me in as bait again if we run into another A-rank, right?"
She smacked his arm. "Of course not. We’ll avoid aberrants and move quietly. With your legs like that, you need me to protect you or you will be eaten alive by the aberrant."
Gideon almost considered exaggerating the injury in his feet even more so he got to stick to Summer even more. But since he needed to plant it today, he dropped the thought.
Summer leaned closer, her voice lowering. "I think I’ll give the core to Elaine. She’s helped my family too many times. We can sell the meat and everything else."
The hesitation showed on her face. That core was something they fought for. Letting it go was not easy.
Elaine saw it anyway. "You don’t have to," she said gently. "Like Gideon said, we can hunt tomorrow. I’ll help you."
She paused, then added, quieter, "Thank you. Both of you. If you need anything, I’ll return it. I owe you my life."
Summer inhaled, clearly ready to argue, but Gideon already knew where that would lead. He covered her mouth before it could spiral.
"Tomorrow afternoon," he said. "We’ll come back here."
Elaine nodded.
Summer tried to protest through his hand, but he dragged her out of the clinic before it turned into another stubborn standoff.
She complained the entire way back through the market. Even when they slipped into a narrow alley formed by a split in the canyon walls, she did not stop. Gideon opened his storage and laid out what they planned to sell.
That changed fast.
The seller returned with three crates of ammunition packed with mixed rounds, then casually added ten grenades on top. By the time they left, they were carrying far more than expected.
Delilah was not there when they arrived. Only Freya waited inside, clearly confused by the amount of ammo they brought back. They gave her the Blackstag excuse.
"You really don’t want to come with us?" Gideon asked.
Freya groaned. "Mom told me to guard the bunker for now. I can’t."
Summer laughed, clearly enjoying it. "What a shame. Guess I’ll have Gideon all to myself."
After that, they headed for the new area known as the White Death.