Dudian saw the joy in their eyes. There were a few whites scattered between their hair. He felt that he had obligations before them even if he was an adopted son. Although three years ago they tried to 'sell' him of to Avril family but the shadow caused by that situation had long faded away from his heart. 'People are not saints!', his father had told him regularly back three hundred years ago.
"its been a bit more than 10 days but look at you... So thin." Jura spoke in a distressed tone as she looked at Dudian.
"Come in and sit down. We should talk." Gray smiled.
Dudian nodded slightly. He put down the luggage and came to table to accompany them to a chat. As the task was confidential he had to come up with a story.
"You have been promoted by the consortium because of your performance?" Gray was surprised as he heard Dudian talk. 'Its his first task and he gets a promotion? Too fast, right?'
"The consortium assigned a house to me so we can move on to the new place," Dudian said.
Jura was stunned: "They already allocated you a house? That sounds lavish!"
"Geez. Its indeed the Mellon consortium ah!" Gray apparently had heard a thing or two about Mellon Foundation news. He sighed loudly and then slightly shook his head: "But me and your mother have been living in this area for too long. The neighbors are familiar too. Moreover, my work is not far from home so moving to another place is abit uncomfortable."
"It so disappointing so. Ah, I will be living alone in the commercial district." Dudian said in a regretful tone.
"You are approaching the age of marriage and you are already capable of... ah? Wait, what you just said? Live in the commercial district? You are saying that the consortium assigned a house to you in the commercial district?!"
"Yes."
"You, you ... that, when can we move in?"
"... anytime."
"Ha ha ... ..." Gray suddenly laughed out loud. Pursuit of his life was to be able to live in the commercial district. He would never expect that such a desire would be realized so unexpectedly.
They chuckled. Jura and Gray looked at Dudian eyes with care and comfort as they never expected Dudian to give them such a big surprise.
Dudian couldn't help but smile as he saw their happiness. He thought of a matter and took out a gold coin: "Before the task I had borrowed a lot from you so I'm giving back in excess because of filial piety."
Gray and Jura's eyes went wide when they saw the gold coin. What kind of a task does he do to earn a gold coin in time of ten days? Their total annual wages couldn't be compared to the gold coin given by Dudian.
"This is your wage?" It was hard for Jura to believe. She couldn't help but said: " What kind of tasks do you do for the consortium? Is it very difficult? You have received the training to become a guard, but its just... " The years of life experience had taught her that there was absolutely no free lunch under the sun. Moreover wages and risk were directly proportional.
Dudian smiled and said: "No, we do not fight and there is no danger. The thing is the tasks are complex so there is a long and hard training. That's why most people fail by the end." He grinned.
Jura looked at him half-skeptically, "Really?
Dudian nodded with certainty.
Jura was assured down as she heard Dudian: "Yes, the abilities. You are really special. The first moment when I saw you, I felt that you were different from the other children... " As she was talking, she felt Gray's arm touch her. She looked at him and he winked back. She should not continue to mention the orphanage, lest she evokes Dudian's painful memories.
Dudian noticed Gray's little trick, but did not care much. Because he knew that although they were good to him but they would never make him forget his biological parents as well as sister. They had occupied a large part in his heart which no on could replace.
"After we move to the new house, I'll help you to get new jobs in the consortium." Dudian said to the two: "Most probably, you will not even need to work but receive the basic salary every month. By the way, don't save much and eat up to your hearts content as I'll be making a lot of money in the future." This was one of the priviliges given to the hunters. As long as the consortium wanted they could get many things done behind the closed doors.
Gray laughed: "No, I don't need your pension. Although you are more than us but you can not squander money. You got to keep some for the future wife and children, you know?"
Jura suddenly smiled and said: "Dean, there is this woman who I know for a long time. And few days ago I was talking to her about her daughter. She is so sweet and good. Her daughter is approaching the age of marriage and we plan to make you meet her. What do you think?"
Dudian's face turned red in embarrassement: "This, this ... ..."
"You're nearing the age, too," Gray added.
Dudian was ashamed. His age was twelve and 13 was the legal age of marriage. From his perspective, a person who was 13 was only a kid. Getting married!? That was just too much of a pressure on him.
But in this era people were agin fast. There were diseases, plagues, poverty and other problems that took a lot of life every year. Moreover, as the body accumulated a lot of radiation, so the fertility was lost too as people aged. That was why the marriage age was so early, but he wasn't able to adapt to this condition.
"I'll consider it when I reach the age. " Dudian answered in an authentic tone.
Jura saw the persistence in Dudian's eyes so she helplessly said: " Well if you don't want to then I can't force you. But you really got to see the girl. She is very beautiful. I have seen her, she is definitely a little beauty!"
"I agree with that," Gray smiled.
Jura turned him a supercilious look.
Dudian shook his head again and again in refusal to meet to girl. However, he suddenly remember of the night where he was sitting side by side with the girl in the pavilion of the garden. They were looking up at the gray moon, chatting in the shadow of the night. His heartbeat slightly sped up. He secretly thought: "I wonder what is she doing now? If I went to directly find her, would it be too abrupt?"
He was lost in thought.
...
...
That night he accompanied Jura and Gray till the late hours of night as they chatted. The next morning, in the dawn, he woke up early and had a simple wash after the breakfast. He called a carriage and went to the slums.
Last night, when Jura referred to the orphanase few names popped up in his mind. Although he had only lived there for a few months and now three years had gone by, there was blurred memory of faces in his mind. He remembered Barton and the others who were by his saide when he first came to the Meishan orphanage.
He was well aware of what kind of a treatment they would get if not adopted by the age of thirteen.
Now, he had the qualifications and enough funds to adopt them. Moreover he was ready to start building a few alchemy laborotories and he missed a few hands. In addition to Mason and the other two, those few disabled kids from the orphanage could be his trusted aides.