Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World-Chapter 216: Alliance with the Hamsters

Even if the hamsters hadn’t brought this up, Kim Haru would have. After all, the more they upgraded their abilities, the larger their spatial compartments would grow, enabling them to carry more items.

Aside from that, the discussion also covered living conditions for the hamsters.

First, they couldn’t be caged; they needed a free, open space to move around. Secondly, every hamster had unique preferences for their nesting spots. Additionally, they wanted materials like wood shavings or cotton balls for warmth during the winter.

While Kim Haru could provide wood shavings for the small hamster, the rest of the group would have to wait for now. Cotton balls, on the other hand, seemed easier to source, and the hamsters didn’t require a large quantity.

Lastly, the conversation turned to food. Each hamster had its own preferences, but they were universally drawn to clean, virus-free water and food. The humans promised that whatever the hamsters were fed in the future would match what humans ate.

In other words, if humans ate normal food, the hamsters would also get normal food. If humans had to resort to mutated food, then the hamsters would receive mutated food as well.

Kim Haru’s group didn’t guarantee that they’d always provide normal food, not because they doubted Pyeongseong Safe Zone’s ability to supply it, but because they had to consider unforeseen circumstances. For example, if they were traveling and couldn’t find enough untainted food, they needed to prepare for such possibilities.

As for the hamsters’ responsibilities, they were straightforward: they had to act as spatial storage, taking in and retrieving items as directed. They couldn’t run off with the stored goods, secretly keep anything for themselves, or conceal items inside their spatial compartments. Of course, not harming humans was a fundamental rule.

With these terms set, the collaboration between humans and hamsters officially began.

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After such a long negotiation, both the humans and the hamsters expressed satisfaction.

To ensure trust between the two sides, Kim Haru proposed establishing a contract-based arbitration organization. If any disputes, conflicts, or cases of deception or harm arose between humans and the spatial hamsters, this organization would mediate and deliver fair judgments.

For both parties to feel secure, the human side would be represented by the Pyeongseong Safe Zone Commander and Kim Haru, along with individuals deemed trustworthy by the hamsters. On the hamster side, the intermediaries would include the little hamster and several spatial hamster elders.

This suggestion was well-received by both sides. As for the finer details, they agreed to discuss and finalize them later.

Kim Haru had no idea that this proposal, intended merely to reassure the spatial hamsters, would one day evolve into a colossal organization in the apocalypse. This organization would become a beacon of trust for both humans and non-humans, a utopia of hope capable of stabilizing the entire world with its influence.

For now, this future institution was only a fledgling idea. After securing the cooperation of the spatial hamsters, Kim Haru and his group didn’t linger. They had a simple breakfast of dry rations before loading the car with people and hamsters and heading back.

The apple tree didn’t return to Kim Haru’s system backpack this time. It leisurely followed behind the car. The hamster tribe that didn’t like riding in the vehicle climbed onto the apple tree’s branches and was carried along invisibly by the tree.

The remaining hamsters found comfortable spots inside the car. The little hamster no longer stayed in Kim Haru’s pocket, instead joining its companions on the apple tree, chirping away about who-knows-what.

Things had been resolved faster than expected, so the return trip wasn’t rushed. On one hand, the group knew they had plenty of time. On the other, they didn’t want to risk any of the tiny hamsters accidentally falling out of the car.

This saved Kim Haru the trouble of asking them to slow down to wait for the apple tree trailing behind.

The journey there had taken a full day, but the return trip lasted an entire day and night. By the following morning, the car finally entered the Pyeongseong Safe Zone.

Sleeping in a moving vehicle was far from comfortable. Unlike the other ability users, Kim Haru didn’t have any special powers to keep him energized. After handing the hamsters over to Moon Baein, he waved them off, activated his teleportation device, and returned to his small farm. Find adventures at novelbuddy

The first thing he did? Take a long, satisfying bath before diving straight into bed.

He slept until the afternoon.

"Hyung, I left your lunch in the microwave. Should I heat it up for you now or wait a bit?" Go Okrim immediately approached when she saw him wake up. "The apple tree has already returned to the orchard. The small hamster said it wanted to play with its companions in the safety zone for a while and asked me to pick it up tonight."

Kim Haru hummed in acknowledgment. He didn’t trouble Go Okrim further and microwaved the meal himself, combining lunch and dinner into one hearty meal.

Over the past few months, Go Okrim’s cooking skills have improved significantly. Ever since he met Hwa Jian, he often visited the safety zone to learn cooking techniques from him. Although Hwa Jian was a man, his culinary skills were exceptional. Even with just cabbage, he could prepare several dishes with different flavors that one wouldn’t tire of eating.

After studying under Hwa Jian for so long, Go Okrim’s talent in cooking began to shine. His proficiency improved rapidly, completely dispelling Kim Haru’s earlier thought of hiring a chef.

Today’s lunch, prepared by Go Okrim, consisted of tofu jjigae (Korean spicy soft tofu stew) and Gamja-tang (Korean pork and potato stew). Both dishes were perfect with rice. The strong seasoning of the pork effectively masked the slight taste of mutated pork, and when paired with ordinary potatoes, the dish tasted completely normal.

Kim Haru cleaned his plate, leaving no trace of food behind.

After finishing his meal, he opened the windows of the wooden cabin to let in some fresh air.