novelraw Chapter 169: This is the peak of life
Chapter 169: This is the peak of life
Different guilds packed their weapons into space bags: weapons, beast cores, potions, rare herbs, and much more were stored in various space bags or rings.
The dungeon restriction was open, and daring dungeon raiders used this opportunity to challenge the dungeon test to get a beast for themselves before they left for the surface.
Every nook and cranny, people could be seen packing their belongings; a loud broadcast echoed throughout the oasis city, providing them with directions to the town.
On the brightly lit streets, people could be seen walking in groups of two or three, all heading the same way, filled with both anticipation and doubt about their uncertain future.
Grace was so busy she didn’t even have time to take a sip of water.
Stone was responsible for securing all the important documents and packing the experiment in a ring.
He thought of Ethan and Julian, and a relieved smile spread across his face.
"Finally, I will soon see them. Just hope the locator works as planned, or finding them on the vast surface might be impossible or take years," Stone muttered to himself and frowned when he thought about the possibility of it not working.
Ethan and the others received a different mission: to build a stronghold if they found a safe place for the oasis city people.
They were giving a device: this locator allowed Grace to find their location. It was like a GPS and a tracker combined into one device.
They could only make two because of the time constraint and weren’t completely sure it would work that well—one was given to Ethan while Grace held the other.
Stone quickly but carefully arranged the tube filled with different-colored liquids into a case. Locking it, he placed it inside the space bag.
He walked through the room to check if he was missing anything before moving to the next room to pack.
Grace, on the other hand, had her hands full making sure no one was overlooked. She was so glad that the cities had all been merged into Oasis, or it would have been a lengthy move to the surface.
"Madam, the bombs and other weapons have been loaded into the spaceship."
"Madam, the A-section street has been transferred to town. We’re moving out the next batch."
"Madam, all the crops and food are being loaded into the spaceship, and energy manipulators are already budding the new batch of seeds for the earth users to plant."
Reports after report filled the room, and Grace kept humming mechanically.
She cross-checked the remaining items, and she still needed to check the spaceship to ensure everything was packed and arranged properly.
"Have the dungeon raiders gotten back yet? How many were successful in getting their beast?" Grace asked, just recalling that set of people.
She was tempted to challenge the dungeon too; maybe she’ll do just that after she’s finished with the important part of packing, leaving the rest for her subordinates.
"Out of ten people, at most three succeeded in bringing back a beast egg. But more are still willing to keep trying," the man responded clearly.
"Okay, don’t stop them for now. In two weeks, we’ll be done with packing, then make sure they are aware so they won’t be left behind," Grace instructed and rose to her feet with a stretch.
"Go back to your duties and make sure everyone is informed about the move. If needed, go from house to house to do a thorough check." She gave them her final order and left the room in long strides—her next stop was home. She needed some rest before she broke down.
Back home, the mansion was bustling as Leo was instructing the maids to pack everything into a space ring.
Chairs, weapons, rug, and every single thing at home was being packed except for the bed, which was still in use.
Leo entered his son’s room and packed up the computers, believing he would need them later and that the electricity would turn back on.
He instructed the butler to pack Aaron’s remaining clothes before heading to Eva’s room.
Fortunately, there wasn’t much to pack since Eva didn’t grow up here and didn’t accumulate many belongings.
The thought made Leo disgruntled for a moment before he shook off the feeling. ’When next we meet, I’ll make sure to have a room full of everything she wants,’ he made a firm promise in his heart and began packing the sparse clothes in the wardrobe.
As he exited the room, he heard Grace’s voice downstairs, and his steps quickened.
"You’re back. Let me run you a bath. Bring lunch to our room," Leo instructed the butler before carrying Grace up the stairs.
"Don’t push yourself too hard. You can ask Dad for more men to help with the move—look at the dark circles under your eyes." His tone was full of concern as he looked at his exhausted wife.
A yawn escaped her lips as she buried her face in his neck. "After this week, I’ll hand everything over to others. Don’t worry, I know my limits," Grace murmured, her voice muffled and slightly unclear.
Leo sighed, knowing that no matter what he said, she would keep working.
"Alright, but if you haven’t delegated some work to your subordinates, I’ll personally take over... one or two corpses won’t matter. Useless people who can’t do their jobs well don’t deserve to waste oxygen," Leo muttered in a gloomy tone, his serious expression showing he wasn’t just talking.
Grace pinched his ears. "I promise. Now, get those murderous thoughts out of your head." She conceded, knowing that if she truly let him take over, her subordinates would be on edge—making more mistakes that could cost them their lives.
Leo hissed in pain, hesitation flickering across his face. He felt that with him in charge, things would move faster and she could rest—but under her threatening gaze, he couldn’t help but agree.
"Alright then, keep your word."
He helped her to the bathroom to freshen up, as she told him her idea of challenging the dungeon test.
"I feel like if we don’t go now, we won’t get another chance," Grace muttered, knowing that once they reached the surface, even more hectic work would await them—they’d have to organize everyone and begin construction.
"Alright, after next week then," Leo muttered dazedly, his eyes darkening with desire as they lingered on her mature, toned figure—she looked nothing like her age.
Grace felt his gaze and quickly shoved him out of the bathroom; she was far too exhausted to do anything else.
...
The white mist swirled above the water. The water rippled as a pair of smooth pink toes tapped the surface.
Eva opened her mouth as Ethan fed her a grape.
Julian massaged her shoulders, his fingers creeping toward her chest, but Eva slapped his hands away. "Behave."
She spat out the seed and opened her mouth as Ethan fed her a slice of icy orange.
’This is the peak of life (￣︶￣) hot men serving on both sides, while soaking in a hot spring.’ A blissful smile crossed her face, feeling she could die without regret.
"If you don’t leave the hot spring soon, your skin will cook." Julian pointed out that her skin was already turning red from staying in the water too long.
"Ten more minutes," Eva said breezily, chewing with her eyes closed.
She wanted to linger a little longer, enjoying the soothing feel of the water on her skin.
Ethan popped a grape into his mouth, enjoying the peaceful moment. They deserved some rest after all the fighting they’ve been doing for weeks.
He picked up another piece of fruit to feed her when her head leaned against his shoulder.
"So dizzy..." Hearing her, he quickly lifted her from the water. Droplets ran down his muscular, healthy, darker skin as he carried her to the couch.
Julian followed after him, feeling refreshed and starving. "Cool her down a minute; she stayed in there for a long time." he suggested as he grabbed a towel to dry her hair.
"From the ground we’ve covered, it seems the danger here is manageable, and we can start building the stronghold," Julian said as he ran his hand through her hair, squeezing out the excess water from her tip while rubbing her hair dry.
Ethan fed her some water he had chilled a bit for her to drink. When he finished feeding her water, he turned to Julian.
"Let’s explore deeper for a week; you can easily teleport us back to the shore." Ethan decided that the place he explored wouldn’t contain the Oasis population, though it was smaller due to the massacre; it was still large enough.
Julian hummed in response, after hesitating a bit. "Do you think the news about the surface has been reported to Madam Grace?’’ he asked out loud. Not expecting a response since no one knew anything.
"Ow...you pulled my hair. Loosen up!" Eva hissed, her words snapping Julian out of his thoughts, and he quickly massaged her scalp in apology.
Eva’s complaint gave way to a comfortable sigh. "We just have to build the stronghold—don’t worry about anything else," she muttered, showing she had been listening to them.