Under Grandma Lunla's comforting, Vina gradually stopped crying. Finally, she handed the envelope and the school emblem to Grandma Lunla, then bowed to Field before returning to the house. Faintly, the voices of her and the little girls could be heard.
"Sister Vina, are you leaving?"
"Not leaving, Sister Vina isn't leaving..."
"That's great! Sister Vina isn't leaving!"
Children didn't understand the pain behind those words. Such innocent remarks might have pierced Vina's heart like steel needles, surely not easy to bear. But her voice remained gentle, with a hint of a smile.
"Yes, not leaving, not leaving..."
Field listened in silence, then furrowed his brow. His cigarette burned down quickly, and he didn't dispose of it in time, so it singed his lips a bit.
Beside him, Chi-Chi's eyes were slightly red from the scene just now, and she didn't know how to look at Field.
He tossed the cigarette butt, crushed it, then rubbed Chi-Chi's head and looked at Grandma Lunla, who was approaching.
"Child, please..." she said, offering the envelope and emblem with a somewhat despondent expression. Her movements were careful, and her gaze remained on the envelope and emblem, filled with pain.
But Field just chuckled and took the envelope and emblem, not putting them in his pouch. Instead, he said, "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Field, a mercenary."
Grandma Lunla paused, "Aren't you a student at Heidi's Academy?"
"Not quite," Field grinned, "I'm just a mercenary sent from Heidi's Academy to deliver a letter."
"Now, I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?" Grandma Lunla was a bit surprised, but being an old person, she quickly calmed down and said, "Go ahead."
"As you can see, I'm a mercenary, and a good one at that."
"Do you know what makes a good mercenary?"
Before Grandma Lunla could answer, Field continued, "A good mercenary is someone who can complete any task!"
"Let me emphasize, any task!"
Hearing this, Grandma Lunla understood Field's meaning and a hopeful light appeared in her eyes. "Then... can you help her?"
"I accept your request!" Field immediately said.
Grandma Lunla was puzzled. Did she make a request? Was this considered a request? But she could see that Field was willing to help them.
"First, tell me about the specific situation," Field said.
"Alright..." Grandma Lunla nodded and began, "The orphanage used to receive support from the city, but since the new city lord took office, the support projects have been canceled."
"The city government no longer allocates funds to maintain the orphanage's operations."
"Fortunately, a few kind-hearted people have adopted some of the children, but there are still four children who are homeless. They are all very young, not even ten years old yet."
"So I can only set up a stall at the market to sell vegetables, barely maintaining our livelihood."
"But then came the new city regulations. Setting up a stall at the market now requires paying taxes and booth fees, which amount to one hundred and fifty gold coins per year. We don't have that much money, so we've been banned from entering the market to sell."
"And without a permit, selling agricultural products privately is also illegal, so we can only eat the vegetables we grow ourselves."
"But just eating vegetables isn't enough. We need rice, salt, oil, and winter clothes, as well as stored grain..."
"I'm old and can't do many things. Knitting sweaters doesn't earn much money either, so now the orphanage relies on Vina working part-time at the magic potion shop while going to school to support us..."
"Vina met a good mentor, who came from Heidi's Academy. She came to the academy to recruit outstanding students to join the magic research team, and she chose Vina."
"Vina is very hardworking, and the mentor is very kind and has helped us a lot."
"If it weren't for her, we would be in even more difficult circumstances, and the children wouldn't even have meat to eat."
"Even though Vina recently told me that the team is facing very big difficulties in research and development, with the funds running out..."
"The mentor is still supporting us, but she's under a lot of pressure because of it. Vina doesn't want to burden the mentor, so she's considering giving up school and working instead..."
"Vina is very talented, she could go to Heidi's Academy, but she's always worried about us."
"At her age, children should be able to go out and explore on their own without worrying about us... It's us who are holding her back..." Grandma Lunla's eyes reddened again, filled with heartache.
"And although Vina didn't say it, I can tell that she must have been bullied at Heidi's Academy. The other day when she came back, I saw bruises on her forehead. When I asked her what happened, she said it was nothing."
"That child is very gentle and kind, but deep down, she's very stubborn."
"No matter how much I ask her, she won't say. I know she must have been wronged."
"She says she doesn't want to go to school anymore, not only because of us, but also because she's being bullied at school."
"So... instead of the orphanage, I'd rather entrust you to see what's happening to her at school and help her."
"She definitely wants to continue going to school, she loves learning. I implore you, please help her..."
Field was stunned. He thought Grandma Lunla had said so much to ask him to help the orphanage get through a difficult time so that Vina could continue to study peacefully. But now it seemed not to be the case.
Grandma Lunla's implication was that Vina didn't want to go to school mainly because she was being bullied at school, not just because of the orphanage.
"What about the orphanage and the children?" Field asked.
"I can sell the land," Grandma Lunla said. "The orphanage's land deed is in my hands. If I sell it, I will take the children away from here, back to our hometown, so as not to burden her anymore, and I can pay you a commission."
"I was resigned to fate originally, but since even you are willing to help her, as an elder, I must help her even more. Even if it means risking my life!"
Field suddenly felt a deep respect, nodding his lips together. "Then I have a better idea."
"Why don't you sell the land to me?" Field suggested.
"To... you?" Grandma Lunla clearly hadn't expected this possibility.
"Yes, to be honest, I just came to Seadon recently and I'm in need of a place to stay," Field explained.
"I think this place is nice, and there's a lake behind it. I can fish there when I'm free."
"Instead of selling it to anyone else, why not sell it to me? I'll offer a fair price, no deceit, and then I'll renovate this place for you. You won't have to leave, anyway, there are three houses here, enough for everyone."
"This way, your money problems will be solved, and you won't have to leave. It's a win-win situation."
"And then I'll go to Heidi's Academy and deal with bullying on campus, I'm quite good at it!"
How to deal with bullying on campus?
It's simple.
Bully the bullies!
Field had experience in this area and enjoyed it.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Lunla looked at Field in astonishment, unable to hold back her tears any longer.
"Thank you... Thank you..."
"No need," Field waved his hand, smiling. "This is also helping myself because Holland, the mentor, values Vina highly, and I am Holland's exclusive mercenary. Helping is only natural."
"Alright, let's discuss how much this land deed should be sold for."
"Chi-Chi."
"Meow, I'm here!"
"Go ask the landlady how much land in Seadon generally sells for."
"Okay, meow!"
Lunla Orphanage, inside the house.
Field sat stiffly on the chair. The chair was a bit cramped for his large frame, but he was more concerned about the nervous girl in front of him, clutching her hands tightly. She stood there like a pole, with four little girls hiding behind her, peering cautiously at Field.
Upon learning that Field was willing to help and she had hope of continuing her education, the mushroom girl couldn't help but cry in Grandma Lunla's arms, showing how reluctant she was to give up. As a result, she no longer mentioned giving up school. Field believed that if he lifted her hair covering her eyes, there would be a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"I say, there are chairs to sit on, why keep standing?" Field asked.
"I... I'm fine standing..." came Vina's tiny voice.
Grandma Lunla said, "This child is like this, not good at dealing with strangers, easily gets nervous..."
"I can see that, but it's not a big problem. It'll get better with more interaction," Field casually remarked.
Then the room fell silent because Chi-Chi hadn't returned yet. But Field wasn't awkward; he casually surveyed the furnishings in the room.
The furnishings were simple, even somewhat crude, but very clean and tidy. The floor was spotless. He then looked out the window and saw a vegetable garden in the backyard, with the vegetables growing well. The children wouldn't be starving, probably thanks to these vegetables. It was a pity that such good vegetables couldn't be sold.
Just then, Field heard a slight scraping sound. Turning his head, he saw that Vina had somehow come to his side, with her finger touching the bottom of a cup, slowly pushing it towards him.
When Vina noticed Field looking at her, she quickly withdrew her hand.
"Drink... drink some water..." Vina said softly.
Field couldn't help but chuckle, picking up the cup and drinking it all in one go.
But as soon as he put the cup down, Vina, like a thief, slowly reached out again, grabbed the cup, then quickly withdrew her hand, and ran back to pour Field another cup of water.
When she returned, Field deliberately turned his head away.
Sure enough, as soon as Vina pushed the cup to Field, he pretended not to notice.
The girl who had just pushed the cup to Field's face was startled, and quickly retracted her hand.
Interesting~
Then Field drank the water again.
And Vina came to steal the cup again.
After stealing the cup, she pushed it back.
Field was having fun; every time Vina poured him water, he drank it all at once.
And Vina, inexplicably stubborn, insisted on pouring him water every time Field finished drinking, as if it were necessary etiquette.
So it went on repeatedly. Grandma Lunla watched this scene with some embarrassment, but also inexplicably felt... it was quite interesting.
Vina rarely interacted with strangers, let alone interacted with them, so this was an opportunity for her to practice. So she didn't stop her.
So by the time Chi-Chi came back, Field had drunk his fill.
"Where's the restroom?" he asked.
He drank a bit too much water, and his bladder was a bit full.
After Field came back from relieving himself, he found that the cup was full again, and Chi-Chi was sitting in the chair where Field had just been, blinking her big eyes, watching Vina slowly push the second cup of water over.
What was she doing, meow?
Field chuckled and turned to Chi-Chi, asking, "How was it?"
Taking a sip from the cup, Chi-Chi said, "The landlady said an acre of land outside the city is around 2,100 gold."
"How big is the orphanage?" Field asked Grandma Lunla.
"It's just two acres," Grandma Lunla replied.
Field nodded. "So that's 4,200 gold. How does that price sound to you?"
"Too... too much..." Grandma Lunla waved her hand and said, "If you want it, 2,000 gold is enough. When my husband bought this piece of land, he only spent a little over 2,000 gold. It's not worth much now..."
"Market conditions are different, and there's no such thing as not worth much," Field smiled.
He knew that Grandma Lunla understood he was helping them, so she actively lowered the price. Otherwise, this orphanage was located next to the market entrance, with a lake behind it, a main road in front of it, and a commercial street nearby. With such a prime location, it was impossible to calculate the value of the land based on the number of acres. If he built a nice house on it, the price could easily increase several times.
So after thinking for a moment, he said, "How about this, 3,500 gold? That way, it's a bargain for me, and the rest can go towards my commission."
Grandma Lunla thought for a moment and nodded.
3500 gold coins were not a small amount. While Field typically earned over a thousand gold coins for a task, that was the reward for a job that would normally be handled by an entire team.
3500 gold coins were enough for a family of six to live on for four or five years with frugality and thriftiness, especially considering that Field also allowed them to continue living there.
So it was settled. Field paid an initial deposit of 2000 gold coins, and the remaining balance would be settled after Field completed the task.
In fact, Grandma Lunla only needed 100 gold coins as a deposit, just to address the urgent need for a few days of nutrition for the children and Vina's living expenses for the three days until she started school. Otherwise, she wouldn't even have asked for the deposit. But Field insisted on giving Grandma Lunla 2000 gold coins because he knew in his heart that it was like taking advantage of someone's crisis to gain a benefit. Normally, this amount of money wouldn't be enough to buy property here. Regardless of the world, land was always valuable, and this fact hadn't changed much. Furthermore, although the orphanage's houses were a bit old, they were already there. The money Grandma Lunla received was for buying the land, and she didn't even include the value of the houses in the calculation. So in this deal, Field had picked up a huge bargain. Not only did he gain favor from Holland, who would undoubtedly take care of him at the academy, and solve the problem of establishing the base for the upcoming mercenary team, but he also helped them out of genuine concern for their situation. Despite the common perception of mercenaries being ruthless, Field recognized the value of people like Vina, having seen true cruelty and ruthlessness. Moreover, considering that Vina was a beautiful woman with a score of over eighty, it was needless to say how much potential she had. When Field was in a good mood, he didn't mind helping others. And if the other party happened to be a beautiful woman, then helping out would put Field in an even better mood.
It was a simple calculation.
The only downside was that Field's purse was now considerably lighter. But for Field, this was not a problem, because he was about to go on a mission, and he could easily earn back the money in no time. These silver-tier missions for Vina were ridiculously easy for Field. Material missions, like obtaining the pelts of silver-tier lycanthropes, obtaining honey from two jars of wild crimson velvet bees, and obtaining scales from an iron-tailed monitor lizard, posed no challenge. These silver-tier monsters had long been easy for Field to handle. Now, doing these missions was as simple as picking up money. If he was lucky, he could finish three silver-tier missions tonight!
Thinking about this, Field decided not to continue playing the cup game with Vina. He called out to Chi-Chi and headed outside.
"That's settled then. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be going now. I'll come back in a couple of days."
"Oh, and your things." With that, Field waved his hand, and an envelope and a school emblem flew towards Vina.
Vina hurriedly caught them, then looked at Field in astonishment.
Field turned his head and smiled. "Opportunities don't come easy. I thought I'd save you the trouble of coming to see me off."
"Take care, little one. I hope that when I enter Heidi's, you'll be there to welcome me at the gates."
With that, he strode away with Chi-Chi, leaving Vina no chance to respond.
"The land deed... he didn't take it..." Grandma Lunla murmured.
Only then did Vina realize, but when she rushed out, there was no sign of Field on the street.
Did he leave so quickly?
She stood quietly there, then slowly lowered her head, looking at the school emblem still warm in her hand.
"Thank you..."
A soft whisper, accompanied by a gentle breeze, lifted her chestnut hair, revealing a face as angelic as ever in this world.
But as if jealous, the wind stopped, eager to hide her face once more under her hair.
No one saw it.
Including Field, who was hiding in the alley not far away, leaning against the wall.
Chi-Chi panted slightly and asked, "Why did we have to hide here, meow?"
"This is called leaving without a trace, hiding one's achievements and greatness, which can demonstrate our selflessness and greatness!" Field said seriously, then grinned.
"The key is, still very handsome!"
Translated into English.