Jade, of course, could not refuse. Seeds were as valuable as land itself. Even a single bag was outrageously expensive, rarer than diamonds, since almost all plant life in the world had died out.
Only the eastern and southern continents were rumored to still have living crops, simply because they had not suffered the apocalypse as severely as the west and north.
But greed ruled this world. Instead of sharing what remained, powerful elites hoarded resources and controlled distribution so tightly that even large factions like Freebound struggled just to obtain seeds or fertile soil. Food was power, and power was survival.
Jade reached out and firmly shook Gideon's hand. "Then it is settled. We will return tomorrow with the goods, so make sure you are ready."
She did not ask anymore where the seeds came from. Gideon understood that much. Some questions were better left unanswered, especially when both sides benefited.
Still, he remained cautious. Trust didn't come easily in a world like this. But judging from the fact that the Pathmadre herself had rushed here simply to retrieve Summer, it was clear that Delilah and her daughters held real value to Freebound.
Summer had already mentioned that her mother and Jade were close.
"For now, I don't need to worry," Gideon thought.
As the afternoon passed, they decided to prepare the Glowbats. Their bodies had to be processed quickly. The fungal growth on their backs caused the meat to harden like bark if it was not removed in time.
Kilian had already started working on that while Gideon stayed inside with Delilah and her daughters.
Up close, the fungus looked surprisingly ordinary. White, cup-shaped caps spread across the bat's body, some nearly twenty centimeters wide, resembling mushrooms that grew on dead trees.
"This looks just like oyster mushrooms," Gideon murmured, picking one up.
Delilah immediately took one from the basked "That is a ghost fungus. It glows at night and it is poisonous. You can't eat that."
She pointed at the bat's wings instead. "Only this part is edible."
Gideon dropped the mushroom without hesitation. "The wings? They feel thin, almost like dried leaves."
"They harden when boiled," Delilah explained while lowering several wings into a pot. "That is why they are good for soup."
The smell that rose was strange but not unpleasant.
"I heard bats carry diseases," Gideon said carefully. "Is that really safe? I still have Rootpod meat."
Delilah looked at him flatly. "Do you think we have the luxury to be picky? If you are offering the Rootpod meat, I would put it in this soup to enhance the taste and texture."
"Then we don't need to eat the bat, right?"
Gideon said quickly, already pulling the meat from storage.
He had quietly stocked the food storage earlier with Rootpod meat, tendrils, spices, and preserved ingredients purchased from the Infinite Shop.
He made sure to do it slowly, so no one questioned where everything came from.
"We don't waste food. But if you are afraid, you can skip it."
She glanced at him. "All that muscle looks impressive, with that body you should be able to survive from 'disease', but is it just for show?"
"What?" Gideon frowned.
She only smiled, which somehow irritated him even more.
"Fine, give me the bat wings. I am not scared of diseases like Ebola, SARS, MERS, or rabies."
"Good," Delilah replied, clearly amused. "I cooked plenty, so make sure you finish it."
Her grin made Gideon grit his teeth. At that point, it was no longer about hunger. It was a matter of pride.
So here he was, sitting at the head of the dining table, waiting for the bat soup Delilah had cooked, mentally preparing himself for whatever fate decided to throw at him.
As expected, Delilah soon arrived carrying a large pot. The moment she set it down, both Kilian and Jade practically lit up, their expressions openly excited.
"Oh hell yeah, Delilah's special bat soup!"
"What?" Gideon asked, glancing at them. "Is it really that good?"
"Of course it is," Jade said enthusiastically.
"She's an amazing cook. Can't you smell that? That's heaven right there."
Gideon lowered his gaze to the suspiciously brown soup, bits of green floating in it from the Rootpod tendrils. Despite his doubts, the aroma really was tempting. It was a scent he had never experienced before.
Delilah started ladling the soup into everyone's bowls, except Gideon.
"The rest is for you," she said calmly as she sat beside him. "You did say you would eat everything, right?"
"Well, yeah. Of course."
"Good."
She smiled again, and Gideon instantly knew she was enjoying this far too much.
Swallowing nervously, he poured a generous amount into his own bowl. The soup was thick, and pieces of bat wing meat were clearly visible.
Still, seeing how happily everyone else was eating, he finally scooped some up and tasted it.
His eyes widened the moment the broth hit his tongue.
It was savory and creamy, though he couldn't quite tell where that richness came from. The smell became even stronger when it reached his mouth, oddly reminding him of truffle oil.
The meat itself had a texture similar to chicken cartilage, yet carried a faint mushroom-like flavor, while the Rootpod tendrils tasted surprisingly close to green beans.
"So?" Delilah asked, watching him closely. "How is it?"
Gideon snapped back to reality, quickly masking his reaction.
"It's… not bad. Just so-so."
Delilah burst out laughing, clearly seeing straight through him, and Gideon felt his ears heat up in embarrassment.
Before he realized it, half the pot was gone. Gideon leaned back in his chair, completely defeated.
His stomach was painfully full, bloated to the point where he looked embarrassingly close to pregnant.
It was uncomfortable, borderline miserable. Giving up, he dragged himself outside to the garden, collapsed onto a bench, and undid the hook of his trousers to give his stomach some room.
"Shit… I feel terrible," he muttered, squinting against the sunlight. "But damn, that was delicious."
Suddenly, someone sat down beside him and gently placed his head on something soft and warm.
The sunlight blinded him, and for a moment all he could see was shadow and that large breast that blocked her face.
"Freya?" he asked uncertainly.
"Close enough."
Gideon groaned when he recognized Delilah's voice. Of course. He half expected her to start scolding him, or worse, threatening him again about staying away from her daughters, something he already knew none of them would actually listen to.
"If you're here to mock me, just leave," he said tiredly. "I know you hate me."
"I don't hate you, I came to thank you for protecting Summer."
Gideon's eyes widened in genuine surprise.
"But don't misunderstand, I won't let you take her so easily. At least not until I know you better."