Chapter 38: Stamped & Binding

"All right," Kanna said with a small smile. "If there’s anything else you want to add or change, tell me now."

She reached into her suitcase and pulled out something. It was a stamp, its case made of dark wood, with the familiar figure of Lady Justice carved into the surface.

"You said law and contracts don’t hold much weight in this world," Gideon said, pointing at it.

"But that stamp must still mean something, right?"

"You’re sharp, Gideon," Kanna replied.

She opened the stamp, revealing the underside. A scale was carved into it, surrounded by small letters etched in a precise circle.

Gideon had to narrow his eyes to make it out, but Delilah spoke before he could ask.

"That’s the symbol of the Confederacy of Jurisprudence, a guild made up of lawyers, judges, and anyone who used to work with the law."

"Delilah’s right," Kanna confirmed. "Though these days, we’re usually hired by major factions for formality more than anything else."

"Formality?" Gideon shook his head. "Is the law really that meaningless in a post-apocalyptic world?"

"Not entirely," Kanna said calmly. "Some factions genuinely respect contracts. Others look for loopholes and betray their partners through them."

She paused. "Law and order are like humanity itself. As long as people exist, law follows in some form."

"I see," Gideon said, nodding.

"Then let me ask you this, Mrs. Lawyer. Which factions are trustworthy enough to work with?"

Kanna laughed softly. "That kind of information is expensive, Mr. Landlord as I have to renew my membership in the Confederacy every year, and it costs a lot."

Gideon shrugged. For now, Freebound would be supplying him with information anyway. That was enough.

Negotiating contracts already made his head ache when he tried to squeeze every possible benefit out of them.

Besides, Kanna worked for Freebound. The agreement they had reached was balanced, at least by the standards of this world.

"All right," Kanna said, pointing across the documents. "Sign here, and here."

Gideon and Jade followed her instructions. Once they were done, Kanna pressed the stamp down firmly, the Confederacy’s seal marking the contract as valid.

She let out a long breath. "Finally. That’s done."

Rubbing her stomach, she leaned back into the sofa. Killian gathered the documents, handing copies to Gideon while carefully storing the rest.

"Do you want to lie down for a bit?" Killian said with a frown.

"I told you it’s dangerous to travel too far when you’re pregnant."

"It’s fine," Kanna replied lightly. "Pregnant women actually need to move more when they’re close to labor."

Killian sighed. "Your feet are swollen."

He glanced at Gideon. "It’s okay if she puts her feet up, right?"

"That’s fine," Gideon said quickly. "You can also use one of the guest rooms if you want to rest."

He couldn’t help staring for a moment. Kanna’s stomach was already large, probably seven or eight months along.

Unbidden, an image flashed through his mind. Summer and Freya became pregnant with a big belly. Imagining that was enough to make him chuckle as they would become even more needy.

But then another thought made his stomach twist. He didn’t know how to be a father. He’d never had a proper one himself.

A hand touched his shoulder.

"What’s wrong?" Delilah asked quietly.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

Then he looked back at the couple, who were already standing. "You want to rest, right?"

Delilah stepped forward as well, clearly ready to guide them.

Just before Kanna disappeared from sight, she turned back and said, "You should consider getting your own lawyer or notary someday, Gideon."

The suggestion lingered in the air long after she was gone.

Gideon agreed, his gaze drifting to Jade as she drank a glass of cold water and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Damn," she said, setting the glass down. "I’ve never tasted water purified from an aberrant this refreshing before. This is really good."

She glanced at him. "What? Are you thinking of hiring a lawyer now?"

"Something like that."

"That’s the problem, you can’t."

She leaned back slightly. "To officially send a hiring request to the Confederacy of... whatever that long name was, you need to be a recognized faction. That means getting a certificate from the ruined government. The Order of the West."

Gideon ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Yeah, no thanks. I’d rather pass."

He already read lots of books and watch news to know what fucked up things would follow him if they ever found out all of his land resource to the government.

’At least until I have my own defense system,’ he thought.

After that, the mood eased. They chatted casually until Kanna finished resting and was ready to move again.

The group loaded the cores Gideon had requested and exchanged them for about ten liters of soil.

They also give him a three-wheeled vehicle. It wasn’t as heavily modified as Jade’s, but it still looked solid and reliable.

"As for the intel," Jade said as she climbed into her vehicle, "I’ll send it to you later. My guy’s still compiling it into one document."

She added, "And about the skilled workers, I’ve already secured them. They’re tied up with other projects, though, so you’ll need to wait a bit."

"Understood," Gideon said. "It was nice working with you, Jade."

He offered his hand. She raised an eyebrow.

"Huh, so you only flirt with Delilah now? That’s boring."

She slapped his hand aside and grabbed his shirt. Before he could react, she leaned in and kissed him quickly. The sudden contact left him blinking in surprise, especially when her lips felt soft and tasted like vanilla.

’Lipbalm?’

She smirked. "That’s how you flirt. That widow hasn’t been touched in years. Step up your game, Gideon."

He blinked a few more times before chuckling. "Thanks for the advice. And what about you? Any tips on how to get into your heart... and your body?"

"Hmm," Jade said, pretending to think. "Money and power. Lots of both."

"That’s easy," he shrugged. "Just join my faction."

"What faction?" she asked, tilting her head. "What I’ve seen is only a man with fertile land that he didn’t know how to use properly."

Before Gideon could answer, Delilah suddenly approached them.

"Can I go with you?" I still need to move some things from the bunker."

Gideon turned toward her. "Why don’t we go together? I can drive this." He pointed at the vehicle.

Delilah hesitated. "Well, that’s..."

Jade immediately understood. She narrowed her eyes, then suddenly raised her voice.

"Come on, Killian. Don’t we have more important things to do?"

And just like that, everyone moved at once. They climbed into their vehicles and took off, leaving Delilah behind despite her calling out for them to wait.

They were already gone.

"Looks like you don’t have a choice," Gideon said quietly from behind her.

Delilah turned, her expression unreadable.

"...Fine," she said after a moment. "Let’s go."

Gideon smiled, deeply satisfied. Finally, some time alone with her, and a chance to get things moving.