My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse-Chapter 982 - 980 Ethan’s Suggestion

Duke’s deep, magnetic voice suddenly echoed through the cabin, carrying a hint of strain. Startled mid-bite, Kisha froze with a fried chicken leg between her teeth and snapped her gaze toward the door.

Duke was standing there.

For a brief moment, his expression was dark, almost as if he had just walked in on his wife cheating. But the sight of her eating so enthusiastically softened his features. He walked over and sat beside her.

"Lucky I came back as soon as I could," he said.

"Why are you back so soon?" Kisha exclaimed.

"So soon?" Duke frowned. "I’ve been gone for two and a half hours. That’s already twenty-five hours here. I was discussing the project with Engineer Steel and inspecting the lab. Didn’t you notice the time?"

"That long?!" Kisha muttered. "No wonder I’m starving..."

With a flick of her mind, she used telekinesis to bring over a bowl and a pair of chopsticks, placing them neatly in front of Duke.

"Here," she said, nudging the food toward him. "Eat with me."

"Good, I’m starving too, and this looks absolutely delicious. Lucky I came home as soon as I did, otherwise, I might not have even seen a shadow of the food you cooked," Duke joked as he scooped rice into his bowl.

On his way back, he had spotted Zeus pacing anxiously, tongue lolling out, and even Bell buzzing around looking hungry. He had rushed straight to the cabin, thinking that if he were even a second later, someone might snatch all the food before he got a bite. Not that he was worried about his wife finishing all the food, but with the aroma drifting so far, he half-feared Zeus might act cute with Kisha and swipe a piece for itself.

After taking his first bite of the sweet-and-sour spare ribs and slowly savoring the flavor, Duke suddenly remembered something. "Wait... don’t tell me you’ve been refining pills all this time and only came back to eat just now?"

"Um..." Kisha replied, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel as she chewed. The vegetables were perfectly cooked, not greasy or overdone, and she loved the crunch of the cabbage and carrots, paired with the chewy baby octopus. Each bite helped cleanse her palate after tasting the rich fried chicken.

"Wha..." Duke was dumbfounded again. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the level of focus required to perform such repetitive, strenuous work for nearly twenty-five hours straight. Even accounting for the time Kisha spent cooking, she must have spent at least twenty-three hours refining pills, hours of relentless concentration she didn’t even realize had passed.

"Then... how are you feeling?" Duke asked again, his eyes carefully studying Kisha’s expression, searching for any sign of fatigue so he could urge her to rest.

"Not really that tired. The Alchemy Furnace did most of the work, actually. I mostly just monitored the refining process and controlled my Spiritual Silver Flame to melt the ingredients, that’s about it."

Kisha didn’t hide the process from Duke; she openly admitted it. And it was the truth. She didn’t want him thinking she was some sort of prodigy in pill refinement; she just had an overpowered tool that made the work easier. Honestly, it was money well spent. This was easily one of her most satisfying purchases so far.

"Even so, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard," Duke said gently. "After we’re done eating, take a nap, at least for a while." He placed another chicken leg into Kisha’s bowl as he spoke.

"Alright," Kisha replied, her eyes crinkling happily as she accepted it, a sweet smile playing on her lips. In return, she added an even larger piece of spare rib to Duke’s bowl, urging him to eat more as well.

After that, neither of them spoke. They simply ate in comfortable silence, sharing the warmth of the moment.

After they finished eating, Kisha didn’t say a word before Duke quietly took over the chore of washing the dishes. He didn’t even use the dishwasher this time; sometimes, washing dishes by hand helped him clear his mind, letting unnecessary thoughts slip away as the steady rhythm calmed him.

Meanwhile, Kisha settled onto the sofa. From her inventory, she took out a Nintendo console she had picked up during one of their supply runs and launched the game ’Animal Crossing’. The gentle farming game soothed her nerves; unlike action RPGs, it didn’t spark competitiveness or trigger an adrenaline rush, and it was exactly what she needed since she was planning to nap soon. She needed calm, not excitement.

She played lazily, resting and letting her stomach settle, waiting for Duke to finish up in the kitchen. Once he was done, they would nap together for two hours before continuing with the rest of their day.

Kisha continued playing for another half hour while Duke finished cleaning the kitchenette and neatly arranged the dishes. Once he was done, he gently pulled her up from the sofa. They took a short walk through the flower field, letting the quiet ease settle in, before returning to the cabin. After showering, they drew the blackout curtains and slept for two solid hours.

When they woke up, Duke headed out to City A’s hidden base. He needed to select several of his most trusted men and led them to the site chosen for the construction of the employees’ dormitory.

The reason he spent nearly three hours outside wasn’t just for the lab’s inspection, nor was it because of talking with Engineer Steel; it was also because he consulted the civil engineers from HOPE Base.

After showing them the territory’s blueprint sketch that he made, Duke used the territory’s interface to estimate the land’s measurements, relayed the data to the engineers, and gave them time to draft a design and determine the most suitable location.

Since Kisha’s territory space was free from typhoons, earthquakes, and many other environmental hazards, Duke didn’t need to worry about mudslides, flooding, or similar natural disasters, so none of those factors had to be accounted for.

The island also received fairly even sunlight throughout, eliminating concerns about sun orientation or shadowing. Earthquakes posed no threat either, which meant the engineers didn’t need to conduct an on-site inspection for structural safety.

Because of this, Duke didn’t bring them into the territory; the civil engineers had to rely solely on the data he provided and coordinate with the architects for the dormitory’s design.

After laying out his requirements, Duke left. The next step was manpower. Before construction could begin, the designated area for the employees’ dormitory had to be cleared, large trees removed, boulders broken down, and the ground leveled.

The engineers’ only strict requirement was that the land must have a solid foundation, so they handed Duke a checklist of items to verify: the geotechnical properties of the soil, the site’s topography, and any potential environmental hazards.

Since there were no environmental hazards to consider within Kisha’s territory space, that final requirement was eliminated. Duke had already shown the engineers the topographical blueprint of the territory, so they pointed out several ideal locations for construction. Duke’s purpose in coming with his men was to examine the geotechnical properties of the soil at each of those selected sites.

He needed to confirm that the plots had suitable soil density and moisture content, factors that directly affected the stability of the foundation and ensured the building’s longevity. Once all the tests were completed and verified, Duke could submit the finalized data to the engineers. Thanks to the territory’s interface, these checks were almost effortless for him.

After returning to the hidden base, Duke’s sudden emergence from the forest after several days immediately startled Ethan. He jogged over at once, his eyes instinctively searching past Duke, clearly hoping Kisha would appear as well. When Duke noticed Ethan’s expectant gaze lingering behind him, he spoke first.

"She’s busy. She’ll be away a little longer."

The light in Ethan’s eyes dimmed at once, though he quickly looked back up at Duke, a question written plainly on his face. "Where’s my sister?" he asked.

"Busy studying medicine," Duke replied simply. He wasn’t exactly lying, after all; he regarded alchemy as another form of healing. In one way or another, it was still medicine.

Hearing this, Ethan’s eyes lit up once more as an idea struck him. "If that’s the case, why don’t we let Elios mentor her in medicine?" he added eagerly. "You know better than anyone that Elios is a prodigy in medicine, and there would be no better mentor for her than him. He’d definitely take good care of our sister."

Ethan wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Ever since they’d discovered Kisha was truly their sister, everyone in the family had wanted to grow closer to her. They’d all imagined that once the truth came out, she would stay by their side, spending more time with them, and slowly filling in the years they’d lost. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

But reality was far less gentle.