Chapter 103: Drowned In Work

After that, Gideon headed to the construction zone as the digging finally began. He knew Eugene would likely cause trouble in the future, but for some reason, he trusted his residents to stand on his side.

Before he could go any further, Daphne stopped him.

"Gideon, oh, I mean, Chief. Aria asked me to work with her, right? Where is she now?" she asked, clearly excited, already itching to start.

Gideon glanced at her. "What about your grandpa? Will he be alright?"

"Of course! He’s been pestering me to get out of the house already. And honestly, he’s as healthy as a horse! He doesn’t even need his cane anymore."

She paused for a moment, thinking. "The staff at Climber Rift Hospital is really amazing."

Gideon chuckled softly. "Alright, come with me. Aria’s busy recording and counting the food supply. You can help her there."

"Okay!"

She nodded quickly and walked beside him, her steps light and energetic. As they moved through the area, Daphne looked around with clear amazement, watching everyone work together without a single complaint.

"You know, those kids are never this diligent," she said.

"They usually just run around while everyone else is busy setting up tents or cooking. Especially that brat, Luke. He’s the laziest of all."

She pointed ahead.

A boy with tan skin and a scar across his face stood in the middle of a small group of children, acting like their leader while giving them instructions on clearing out stones.

There were only about five of them, but the sight was oddly amusing.

"Well, they’re still kids," Gideon said. "I think I’ll build them a proper playground so they can burn off their energy."

"Good! I’ll help you with the plants." She leaned slightly closer to him and lowered her voice. "But don’t tell my grandpa. He’ll get mad."

"You can make trees?" Gideon asked, raising a brow.

So far, he had only seen her power once, when she used vines to restrain the Devourer. He had no idea how far her abilities could go.

"Only small ones," Daphne admitted. "But I can help with crops too. I can make buds grow faster so you can plant them earlier."

"Can you make them bear fruit faster?"

She shook her head. "That’s hard. Leaves and bark are different from fruits, right? It takes a lot of stamina, and if you’re planning a full farm, it’s not worth it. It’s much more efficient if I just help the buds sprout."

"I see... but can your power grow stronger?" Gideon asked. "Like, improve over time?"

He already suspected the answer. Most abilities didn’t stay stagnant.

"It can," she said with a small sigh. "But my grandpa never lets me use it properly, so it hasn’t really grown. I can feel it, though... it wants to be used."

She raised her hand and slowly clenched it, as if trying to grasp something invisible.

Gideon reached out and patted her shoulder. "From now on, use it as much as you want. If your grandpa scolds you, tell me. I’ll deal with him."

Daphne’s eyes widened. "Really? Thank you, Gideon! I owe you so much!"

She almost started jumping in place, her excitement spilling out so easily that it made Gideon chuckle.

At moments like this, it was obvious.

Daphne was still just a kid.

’She’ll probably get along with Freya just fine,’ he thought.

They separated not long after that since their work areas were different.

William planned to build temporary toilets without using a drainage pipe system, relying instead on pit latrines since everything was meant to be temporary.

That meant digging two to three meters deep and placing them far enough from groundwater to avoid contamination.

After that, the pits would be lined to prevent collapse, with a layer of gravel at the bottom to reduce odor.

It was similar to what the residents had already made, but deeper, more controlled, and designed to decompose waste more efficiently.

This time, it also included proper structure, shade, and an actual toilet setup instead of just a hole in the ground.

So now, Gideon stood there in full PPE, shovel in hand, ready to dig.

They only had two excavators, and both were occupied elsewhere, so this part had to be done the old-fashioned way.

Everyone looked a bit stunned when they saw him join in. After all, he was the boss. People like him didn’t usually come down to do manual labor.

Even Aaron raised a brow, a cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth.

"The hell? You’re seriously doing this kind of work?"

"What kind of work?" Gideon replied without looking at him. "Everyone’s doing it. We’re short on manpower, so why shouldn’t I?"

"Don’t you have paperwork or something?"

"I’m not Jade... now keep working."

Gideon continued shoveling, his movements steady and efficient. He worked faster than most of them and didn’t even seem tired.

Aaron, on the other hand, was already struggling. He had taken off his PPE and even his shirt, sweat pouring down his body as he had just stepped out of a shower.

"Shit... I think I’m getting weaker," Aaron muttered as his pace slowed. By now, they had already dug about two meters down.

"I think this is enough. Let’s move to the next pit," Gideon said, planting his shovel before climbing out.

Someone reached out a hand to help him up.

It was Kilian.

"Damn, you’re not even sweating," Kilian said, eyeing him. "What, are your clothes some kind of special gear you summoned too?"

"You’re wearing the same thing I am," Gideon replied with a chuckle and he joked. "What, don’t tell me you don’t feel the cold airflow from the air conditioner inside?"

Kilian shrugged. "Nope. I just got used to the heat and locked in."

He moved on to the next spot, with Aaron dragging himself along behind him.

"Oh, right," Kilian added with a smirk. "Or is it because Delilah rejected you?"

Gideon stopped mid-motion and turned to him.

"I didn’t get rejected. I didn’t even pursue her."

"Then what about the room you gave her?" Kilian shot back. "And the food storage that’s always filled with stuff she likes?"

Gideon snorted. "That room is her office. She needs it to work. I’m planning to give Freya her own workshop and Summer whatever she wants to."

He glanced at him. "Hell, I even gave your wife a room. Does that mean I’m pursuing your wife?"

"Hey, watch it," Kilian said, crossing his arms. "My wife would never cheat. She loves me."

Then he smirked again. "And I saw you yesterday, walking around like you just got your heart crushed after talking to her. Just admit it. She rejected you, and now you’re burying yourself in work to forget it."

"That’s a stretch," Gideon said, going back to digging. "I was just interested. She wasn’t. That’s it."

"Yeah, that’s exactly what someone who got rejected would say," Aaron chimed in.

"Anyway, why don’t we hit the pub after this? It’ll be fun, especially teasing someone who’s clearly heartbroken."

Gideon rolled his eyes. "I’m not paying for anything. Also, if you want to go, after we are at least done with these toilets."

"I will," Kilian said immediately with a grin. "My wife’s taking care of the baby now that she’s doing better, so I finally get a break."

"Deal! Let’s go!" Aaron suddenly picked up his pace, shoveling with renewed energy. "Let’s get this done today!"

Gideon just groaned under his breath. He didn’t like where this was going.

But... he did need a break and it was impossible to have everything done in a day anyway.