It was difficult to keep a clear head as an addict, but somehow he was granted some of the minor medicines that would soften up his withdrawals, make things easier for him to adjust bit by bit.
He had no idea that while he might not be close to many of the surviving Terran soldiers helping run Alterra, many knew of him, and had admired his achievements even when they were still privates. Many of them definitely hoped to make an acquaintance, but he had already retired by the time they were promoted enough to speak on similar levels as him.
As such, with so many people of power hoping that he recovered, he entered the priority list for the cure, just like that.
Before the supporting (observing popcorn-eating) Alterran party left to temporarily settle in Flaret before the war, they had the medicine with them already. They just didn’t carelessly approach him before the war was done, just in case someone was watching.
The old soldier then started to take it, at the party leader’s command, even before they left Flaret. It was like a small tablet he was asked to drink once a day before sleeping.
He didn’t really expect much—for months and even after the war, Gideon was just a brainless shriveling mess. But as he gained more and more clarity, more and more coherent thoughts, he started to realize what it was, and his heart welled in both confusion (why him?) and gratitude.
It was like he had been in a deep, deep pit, but was handed a rope and he was slowly pulled up, with increasing distance as the days passed by.
By the time he was clear-headed enough to feel extreme shame, they were already at the border of the Terran region.
Months ago, when he was forced to try the drug as a slave, he struggled to a fundamental level, but then he started dreaming of his family, and he got more and more hooked.
It was like all thought was just...gone, his mind focused on seeing his family again, not caring about how short-term it was, and not caring about the repercussions.
Without it and with a daily dose of the medicine, he was starting to see things more clearly, and a wave of shame enveloped him.
Getting hooked like that—didn’t that mean he believed even his son was truly gone?
Did he waste all that time shriveling on a dormitory floor, rather than finding a way to see his son?
It so happened that in one of the affiliated territories in the region, one of the Lords greeted them in glee.
They then overheard him tell the guards that they’d like to send an updated list of names to Alterra, in hopes of figuring out their locations if they were in any of the affiliated territories.
Of course, for a fee.
"It’s not a guarantee, even if you pay extra," the Alterran said, managing expectations.
The Lord nodded, unperturbed. "But with Alterra’s network and records of Terran names and their locations, you people are our best chance."
That statement lit up a long-extinguished fire in many of them.
Alterra kept records of Terrans and their locations, at least those that remained in their region. Gideon’s heart beat wildly at the thought.
At this time, he had no idea his poor son was literally in Alterra, all he knew was that he was going to make use of Alterra’s ever-growing intelligence network to find his son!



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