CHAPTER 42: ALL STATIONS. HAVE A DRINK

There was nothing else to talk about, so Gideon said goodbye to Noelle. Noelle and Silva nodded. Neither of them escorted Gideon out since Silva still had to help her mother take her medicine.

That afternoon, he had already met Jack and Noelle. An appointment had been set for tonight. Gideon planned to show Jack the bullet blueprint and explain to him what components were inside a bullet.

Previously, Lyra had prepared the blueprint, complete with measurements, material details, and so on. She made two blueprints for their two main rounds, 9mm for the SIG M17 and 5.56mm for the M4A1.

Even so, this was neither a rushed project nor a leisurely one. Gideon knew how complicated it was to make bullets, especially to fit the rifle chamber. He was sure there would be many failures in this project.

I just hope I can handle those failures so they can turn into the success we want.

He walked into the forest to look around, inspecting the watchtowers that had been built. In total there were four towers, two to the north and one each to the east and west. As for the south, Nemora village did not really need one.

Each tower was watched by one person on top, with a shift system in place. That meant at least two guards per tower, one for the day and one for the night.

Earlier, Luke had only ordered them to build the perimeter and towers. He hadn’t had time to teach them an early warning system, such as whistle signals and SOS.

Gideon stood on the eastern side, calling over the young men assigned to guard the tower. The four youths nodded and walked toward Gideon to hear what he wanted.

Slowly, he explained the early warning system to notify the people. In this world, they often used bells to announce things, but bell sounds were too similar to church worship bells in the city.

Gideon decided to use whistles. They were simple and easy to carry. He blew the whistle, startling the four young men in front of him. The sound was sharp and piercing, very different from a bell.

"If you see a problem, blow the whistle three times. Then leave the tower and return to the village," said Gideon.

"We understand."

Only one of the four youths received a whistle. For the others, Gideon took them to the inn. There were plenty of whistles there that could be used as the starting system for danger prevention.

Receiving the small black item, each of them left the place one by one. Gideon nodded in satisfaction. Teaching them was far easier than teaching the wolfkin.

Gideon’s attention shifted to the side, spotting a book inside a half-open nightstand drawer. Curiosity crept over him. He opened the drawer and saw a small black notebook kept there.

Lena’s journal?

That’s right! It wasn’t just any book, but Lena’s daily journal, something like a diary. Gideon sighed and put the notebook back into the drawer.

It wasn’t proper for him to read someone’s diary, even if Lena was part of his team.

Good manners and discipline had to be upheld. That was the principle of a good and responsible soldier.

"Are you done, Ms Lena?" asked someone from the village road.

"Yes. I’ve gathered the herbs I needed."

Lena entered the inn and walked upstairs, holding a wooden basket filled with herbs she had collected. Her steps stopped as soon as she reached her room.

"Hmm... looks like Gideon’s already awake."

Gideon was lucky. He had made it back to his room before Lena saw him. He had also returned the notebook, so Lena wouldn’t suspect anything.

"I have to keep an eye on him. I don’t want his anxiety to relapse," said Lena.

She placed the basket on the bed and opened the door. Lena walked toward Gideon’s room and opened it. Gideon was there, looking at a blueprint drawn by hand on regular paper, a bullet blueprint.

His attention shifted when he saw Lena come into his room. "Lena?"

"So you’re here. I thought you went out."

"I just got back. I went to see Jack and Noelle."

"Noelle?"

"Just to ask her permission about Jack and Sora."

Gideon’s eyes stayed fixed on the book written by Lyra. It wasn’t a diary, but the book they used to draft blueprints. They had to use it since they didn’t have thermal paper.

"Thank you, Lena," murmured Gideon without lifting his eyes.

Lena smiled. She understood what Gideon meant by that thank you. To her, it was clear that he must have read the note she had left for him that morning.

She stepped slowly and sat at the edge of the bed, looking at Gideon’s broad, muscular back through his tactical shirt.

"Keep the medicine. If you need it again, let me know."

"I understand."

"What are you reading?" asked Lena.

"The bullet blueprint. I met Sora and arranged to meet them tonight at the tavern. I want to discuss our agreement with them."

"Hmm... they’re already more than accepted here. It’s only right that they work on our request," said Lena.

"That’s what I think too. There will be many trials where failure and success are both possible," replied Gideon.

"We’ll find out soon enough."

Gideon turned, meeting Lena’s round eyes full of concern, locked on him. He nodded, responding to her last words.

Now it was Gideon’s turn to ask about Lena’s herb-gathering mission. Lena smiled. Ever since she learned about the chemicals and toxins in the river water, she had begun sorting the possible diseases that could spread from those poisons.

There was a saying, prepare the umbrella before it rains. Lena applied that saying well. She prepared medicine even before the illness appeared. That was because she could predict it from the situation.

"For now, I’ve gotten the herbs I needed. Hopefully, there won’t be any autoimmune diseases around here, because those would be difficult to treat," Lena said.

"Right, let’s hope this mission can help them."

Lena went back to her room to start making simple but necessary medicines, like anti-inflammatory remedies and antibiotics.

For more specific diseases, she planned to prepare them directly in Lamia village later.

Gideon was outside, circling around to make sure the village was in good condition. He kept at it until evening and night, when oil lamps lit up the town and homes, with people’s activities centered in the tavern.

Lyra and Luke had already returned to the inn. They had gotten the supplies they needed but hadn’t had time to assemble them yet. Gideon’s team gathered again in his room.

"Don’t assemble it now. Bring the materials to Lamia village. The wolfkin will help," said Gideon.

"The Kitsune will help too. Lady Mitsuko said she would send five kitsune to help me there," added Lena.

"Luke and Lyra, you two rest and relax. I’ll head to the tavern."

"You’re going to drink too?" asked Luke curiously.

"Drinking while talking with Jack."

"Then let’s all go. We need to relax tonight!" said Luke, standing up and raising his hand.

"I don’t drink. But if they have milk, I’ll join," said Lyra, still in her quiet manner.

"I like their drinks enough. I’ll go too," added Lena.

Gideon smiled, standing up from the edge of the bed while holding the blueprint book. If his team wanted to relax and come along, then Gideon couldn’t stop them.

"All right. Let’s go."