Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies-Chapter 173: You have spiritual energy

"You’re talking about the Paradise shop?" Grandpa Caldwell asked, watching Brother Elias closely, trying to figure out his real intentions.

Brother Elias, in turn, studied Grandpa Caldwell’s expression, trying to see if he knew more than he let on.

"Yes. Do you know anything about it?" Brother Elias asked, hoping to gather some useful information.

Grandpa Caldwell nodded slightly and answered in a calm, firm tone.

"Same as what everyone else says—it just appeared out of nowhere. Then they started trading supplies for jade and antiques. You seem to have your eyes on them."

He didn’t want to lie, but he had to be cautious. The Paradise shop was full of secrets, and his family’s safety came first. Saying too much could lead to trouble.

"Well, actually, we want to negotiate. Unfortunately, the staff are much stricter than I expected. Even simple questions get shut down if they’re not part of the shop’s rules," Brother Elias explained, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

If Butler Aki had known his actions would be seen as strict and unapproachable, he might have laughed.

The truth was, he simply didn’t know how to handle the situation—especially with this abbot, who turned out to be trickier than he had imagined.

"Well, we can’t do anything about it; there are rules we must follow. Negotiate? Does the military have no more supplies?" Elena asked, her interest piqued by the idea of a potential big customer.

’Jades and antiques, here I come,’ she thought, already planning the kind of trades she could make.

"No, it’s not for the military," Brother Elias replied, shaking his head. "It’s for our department. I want to secure more supplies. As you know, this disaster is going to last longer," he added, his tone turning serious.

Brother Elias was also worried about the military’s situation, as no crops could be grown in this weather.

They were currently relying on the supplies reserved in City A, which would probably last more than a year if used wisely.

He wanted to find additional supplies for them, but for now, he needed to focus on his own department.

Call it selfish, but he wanted to ensure their survival first.

"Well, I guess you already knew about the impending disaster," he continued, cutting to the chase.

This kind of game of hiding intentions was not his cup of tea. He wanted to befriend them, and to do so, he felt he had to open up a little.

Grandpa Caldwell laughed, "As usual, no one can hide from you. I met someone who told me about this disaster." He quickly crafted an alibi, hoping to deflect any further probing

"Is that so? Your family is truly lucky," Brother Elias responded knowingly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he assessed the situation.

Elena looked at the abbot with a sigh.

She genuinely wanted to mark them as allies, but she felt it was crucial to fully understand their intentions before doing so.

She didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks, especially since Heaven was still communicating with him.

"I don’t know what karma our family has accumulated in the past to bless us like this," Grandpa Caldwell replied, glancing at Elena gratefully.

Even Ethan, who had been quiet until now, looked at her with affection

"Alright, let’s have a meal first, or anything you prefer," Elena interrupted, wanting to be as hospitable as possible.

The abbot and General Kaiser had helped her in her past life, and at the very least, she wanted to offer them proper food and drink.

"Yeah, I’m quite hungry and could really use some soup. Can you make us some tea too? This old uncle of yours is getting weak and catches colds easily now," General Kaiser said with a chuckle, rubbing his hands for warmth.

Though the military base was only twenty kilometers away, the harsh cold made travel extremely difficult.

They had no choice but to use skis to move quickly and skates to cross icy paths.

"I’ll make the tea first, " Elena politely offered.

She was just about to stand up when Ethan gently stopped her. He didn’t want her to overexert herself.

"Wife, don’t get up. I’ll handle it," he said, already heading to the kitchen.

Elena smiled softly at his thoughtfulness, then turned to Grandpa Caldwell.

"Grandpa, Poochi needs to go out and pee. Can you help him?" she asked.

At the sound of his name, Poochi tilted his head in confusion for a second. Then he barked, eager to go back and eat his snacks.

"Alright, come here, Poochi," Grandpa Caldwell said with a smile, opening the door. The dog wagged his tail and followed him out.

Oslo and Xander were about to offer their help, but Elena spoke up first.

"Can you both go to Grandpa Caldwell’s unit and bring back more supplies? And please ask Grandma Ford and Mrs. Benette if they can help with the cooking—we’ve got guests," she added.

They nodded and left without hesitation.

Brother Elias, picking up on Elena’s unspoken signal, turned to his men.

"Take a break for now," he said, motioning for them to rest.

General Kaiser also stepped away to check on Ethan in the kitchen, giving them privacy.

The situation grew tense with only the two of them left in the living room.

Elena narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression calm but alert. She wanted to know the real reason this abbot had come.

"You’re pregnant," Brother Elias said, breaking the silence.

He had noticed how Ethan gently scolded Poochi for nudging Elena’s belly earlier.

"Almost two months," Elena replied with a smile.

"Do you want me to check on your child?" Brother Elias asked gently.

"Oh? Are you a doctor?" Elena replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Not exactly," he said with a slight smile. "But I have my own ways to sense the baby—to see if it’s growing well."

What he really wanted was to understand what made Elena different—why her spiritual aura was hidden from him.

Something about her didn’t follow the normal rules, and he needed to know why.

Elena looked at him, considering his suggestion.

She noticed something unusual happening on her belly. A force seemed to be hiding her baby from her senses.

She had a guess—the spiritual energy from the bank’s core might be causing it.

The thought made her uneasy.

But whenever she felt anxious, a soft energy from her belly would soothe her.

It felt like the baby was telling her not to worry.

Now, with Brother Elias offering to help, she wondered if he could really find something.

"Alright. What should I do?" she asked.

"Just your wrist. Let me check your pulse," he said.

Elena then held out her wrist.

Brother Elias gently took it, sending a small wave of spiritual energy into her body.

But the moment it reached her core, it was blocked.

Then, suddenly, a force struck back at him. He gasped and pulled his hand away, stunned by the pain.

"Y-You... you have spiritual energy?" he said, his eyes wide with shock.