After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World

The two watched as various emotions seemed to have passed by their captain’s head.

Eventually, the captain did gather himself and looked at the two of them.

”Thank you.” He just said, ”I owe you one.”

Gill felt very awkward with such a display of gratitude, ”Boss, please—”

”This is very valuable, I saved your life because it was my duty and you are my friend.” Garan told him, ”If you can truly let this go, I can promise to send you something of similar value when I can.”

”Boss, you don’t need—” he paused, seeing Garan’s serious expression. ”Sure.”

For a moment, they thought that the captain would merge this second gem.

It was just that…. Garan still didn’t use it.

This baffled the two men.

”One for her absorption and the other one for wearing,” Garan said, clearing their doubts.

Eagle looked at him blankly, finally realizing what this was about. The moment it dawned on him, he slapped his forehead, regretting absorbing the stone so quickly.

He knew how much the captain loved his wife, and he wasn’t surprised he was giving her everything.

He was often away, and the captain used to compensate with everything else when he could.

Every person in the team knew of this because they witnessed his obsession themselves.

For instance, there was once a mission in a submarine. The boss dived to a dangerous depth just to get her a huge pearl.

He also attacked the base of a terrorist group that had been smuggling rare platinum ores—a job he didn’t have to do, but so happened to be nearby.

Eagle thought that he also owed a lot to the captain. How could he enjoy a better space when the boss didn’t?

Garan saw his pitiful expression and had an idea of what was going on in his head.

”Don’t worry, I just don’t need so much space.” He said, very reassuring. ”But Althea is different, she not only had to bring a lot of equipment, she also collected various plants during her experiments.

He looked in a random direction with warm eyes as if seeing her image in front of his eyes. ”I am in pain whenever I see her laboriously bringing so many things to the mountains.

”Her having this would let my heart rest a bit more.” He told them, ”Looking at it this way, this is also for myself.”

He could still remember that one time when he went back without telling her as a surprise, only to find out she was camping somewhere.

He found that she refused accompaniment this time (which he later found out to just be her thick-faced suitors) so she was basically alone in the mountains.

With a tense heart, he tracked her down and followed her. After hours of trekking, his heart finally rested as he saw her well and about.

But his heart constricted again when he saw her carrying a large backpack half her size, arms filled with various items, and her pretty face drenched in sweat.

She accidentally dropped a plant—a delicate one—and her expression of heartbreak, when she saw it was broken, hit his heart.

Garan closed his eyes with a sigh, returning to the present. He patted the man’s shoulder, just before finally standing up.

”Don’t think too much. This is simply a part of who I am now.” He said, ”And I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

…

That night, Garan manifested tools for jewelry making like pliers, wire cutters, scissors, carving tools, and knives.

He also used the bespoke Swiss knife that Althea gave him for their 1st anniversary.

At this time, the team had moved a little and had set up camp in a cave between Guia village and Ferrol Town.

Although there were occasional strong monsters around, the team always went out to clean the surroundings in groups of five.

Now it was his turn to watch camp and he planned to use this time to carve something for his Althea. However, knowing it would take him a while to finish, he told his soldiers to keep sharper watch.

He had always wanted to do this, but he didn’t have the skills at the time. Transferring here, he inexplicably awakened metal as his secondary element.

It took him several hours to complete the intricate design that had been on his mind for years. All the while, he had a determined yet tender expression on his face, hands moving with precision and care, each etching filled with love and thoughtfulness.

A soft smile graced his handsome face as he thought of the wearer and he looked carefully at all the details, making sure there weren’t any imperfections.

The bespoke metal bracelet exuded an air of elegance and craftsmanship, yet felt very intimate, down-to-earth, and obviously crafted with emotion.

Like every other accessory, it was also intricate but not too gaudy, so that she could wear it every day.

The foundation of the bracelet was meticulously crafted and polished to perfection. Engraved on it were subtle hints of wings. Because she was, after all, his angel.

He also added hints of her favorite flower—daisies—the flower symbolizing peace and happiness, her life goal.

Also, the flower’s resiliency as a wildflower added to its charm, and it fit Althea very well.

Finally, he carved their initials together inside, forming a thread tied tightly together.

The stone was held firmly by the most secure bezel setting. It also had a special design that would hide the appearance of the space stone, only visible whenever she wanted to, for safety.

He admired it for a while and smiled. He raised the stone against the night sky and he watched how the brightness from the fire refracted inside, making the stars appear shinier.

If she moved it along a certain direction and looked at certain angles, the sparkles inside would appear like they were moving—as if there were meteors inside.

It was absolutely fascinating.

Whenever he bought Althea jewellery, no matter what kind of gemstone, he didn’t think they gave her beauty any justice at all.

Now he knew why.

It was because they didn’t know about Space Stones yet.