An Unexpected Adoption

"Turns out we really were all on the same side!"

Only fellow undercover agents could be so fearless, because they had a better way out—the chance to be adopted.

When the old priest had arranged for someone to send him to the orphanage, he had been told to stay there obediently. Once the time was right, someone would naturally come to adopt them and take him away from the orphanage.

The other little undercover agents were probably in the same situation!

With adoption—the best possible way out in the orphanage—waiting for them, they would have to be idiots to care about joining the military camp!

Only the real orphans were gritting their teeth now, pushing themselves to exhaustion as they persisted through the assessment.

The assessment did not proceed quickly, but it was not particularly slow either. About the time it took to finish a meal later, it was over. In the end, only a little over twenty youths between fourteen and sixteen passed the assessment, and they had all lifted either eighty- or one-hundred-jin stone locks.

The other orphans around them looked at them with envy. This was also why the headmistress had gathered all the children, even though the assessment had nothing to do with those under twelve.

Just as Headmistress Granny raised her hand to dismiss the other children, the captain named Dai Hui lifted a hand and pointed at Fengyun. "Little fellow, what's your name?"

Fengyun looked left and right, then shifted a few steps in both directions. Only when he realized Dai Hui's finger remained pointed at him did he point at his own nose and ask uncertainly, "Sir, are you talking about me?"

Seeing Fengyun's hesitant little expression, Dai Hui smiled. "Yes, you. What's your name?"

Although he could not quite figure out what was going on, Fengyun answered honestly, "Sir, my name is Little Yun!"

Dai Hui smiled at that, then pointed at the largest, one-hundred-and-eighty-jin stone lock. "Go on. See if you can lift it."

Fengyun was somewhat stunned by this. His heart was filled with bewilderment as he thought, What does Captain Dai Hui mean by this? He wants a seven-year-old child like me to lift a one-hundred-and-eighty-jin stone lock? Is he looking for a beating?

Surely he hasn't gone insane?

Staring at Dai Hui's faintly smiling expression—serious, yet carrying a hint of encouragement—Fengyun's heart jolted. Could it be that my Level 1 Warrior strength has been exposed? Or...

My identity as an undercover agent has been exposed!!!

But before Fengyun could think any further, Dai Hui's next words dispelled the panic in his heart!

"You don't need to hold it for ten seconds. As long as you can lift it for three seconds, I'll handle the adoption procedures for you. From now on, you won't have to live in this shabby orphanage anymore!" Dai Hui said kindly as he came over, rubbing Fengyun's head.

Though his hand was rough and covered in calluses, and his expression was somewhat stiff like Fengyun's father Zi Ao's, Fengyun could still feel the warmth of Dai Hui's large hand and the gentleness in his tone.

It was only when Dai Hui spoke the word "adoption" that Fengyun finally understood. The other man bore him no ill will, and the way he looked at Dai Hui became strange. So you're my contact!

Damn it, you didn't even notify me before the adoption. I thought my identity as an undercover agent had been exposed!

But why is the one adopting me a warrior? I have medium Light Element affinity, after all. Before I came here, the church even specially prepared a secret medicine to conceal my Dark Talent. It was obvious they intended to train me as a mage and infiltrate the Light Church from within!

Yet instead of arranging for a mage or noble to adopt me, they arranged for a warrior. Are they worried it would be too conspicuous, or do they have some other consideration?

However, Fengyun could not be bothered to keep thinking about something he could not figure out. He walked straight over to the one-hundred-and-eighty-jin stone lock, gathered his breath and strength, and prepared to lift it.

Apart from Daili, the other orphans in the yard were basically waiting to see him make a fool of himself. The old nurses were also curiously examining what was so exceptional about this little fellow that Captain Dai Hui thought so highly of him.

Yet one of the old nurses looked rather unnatural. Especially after she saw Fengyun truly lift the one-hundred-and-eighty-jin stone lock for five seconds, exceeding Dai Hui's requirement by two seconds, her expression changed slightly. She used a stomachache as an excuse to leave the scene.

That old nurse was precisely the one responsible for managing Fengyun and the other children.

Three days later, Fengyun had entered the Guard Reserve Training Camp as Dai Hui's adopted son through Dai Hui's connections. He appeared to be eagerly asking an instructor for training tips.

But in reality...

"Hey, hey, hey~ Are you serious? You're saying Dai Hui wasn't the adoptive parent arranged for me by the organization, and that my adoption was completely an accident!!!"

Black Mountain Instructor, secretly known among the younger Guard Reserve trainees as the Devil Instructor, was rather speechless. As an undercover agent placed by the Darkness Church within the Light Church, his job was to arrange for warrior-side agents to enter the military.

But even someone as experienced and knowledgeable as him had never expected to one day be assigned to deal with the placement of a mage-side undercover agent.

An undercover agent the organization had intended to train as a mage had somehow caught the eye of Dai Hui, a Level 4 Warrior, based on physical ability. Not only had Dai Hui adopted him as his godson, but he had immediately sent him to the Guard Reserve Training Camp. Even Black Mountain Instructor found that absurd enough!

The organization had even specifically sent an old member like him to make contact with Fengyun, showing how much the higher-ups valued this newly recruited undercover agent.

"That's right. The organization originally planned to wait another half year before arranging for someone to adopt you, then have you take the Elemental Affinity Test and infiltrate the Light Church's Priestly Team."

"But who would have thought that you little fellow would catch the eye of Dai Hui, the Guard Army captain who had gone out to recruit laborers, and be adopted by him!"

"So? What thoughts or feelings do you have about this?"

Looking at the seriousness beneath Black Mountain Instructor's smile, Fengyun suppressed the anger in his heart and maintained the smile on his face. "No thoughts. I just want to know how the organization plans to arrange things for me next."

"Arrange things? We'll follow the original plan. The organization is training you as a mage, so you still need to take the magic elemental affinity test. When the time comes, someone will arrange for you to enter the Light Church's Priestly Academy to study."

Fengyun breathed a sigh of relief. Although he trained as a warrior and knew that before reaching the Saint Realm, the warrior path was actually easier to follow and had lower aptitude requirements—

The mage path would also help him break through to the Saint Realm more effectively. Back in the Dark Alliance, he had had no choice, but now that he could use his undercover identity to enter the Holy Alliance and cultivate the more suitable Light Magic, he did not want to give up this opportunity.

Still, he asked with some confusion, "How does the organization plan to deal with Dai Hui? If something happens to him shortly after he adopts me, will it affect my future development in the Light Church?"

I just started this new book, so the updates have been a little unstable. Later on, they'll stabilize at around 8:00 in the morning. ^_^