I'm a Great Villain in Honkai: Star Rail, Annihilating the Astral Express Crew at the Start

After preparing the treat, he handed over the Winter City Coins.

The vendor took the money without giving any change.

Fifty Winter City Coins for a Black Bread Soda Iceberg. It was expensive, equivalent to a day's worth of food for a resident of the town.

Several passersby who were browsing the street saw the frosty Soda Iceberg in Jiang Mo's hand, and their eyes widened.

Their faces weren't filled with envy, but with shock and surprise.

How could such a small child, who didn't even have decent clothes to wear, afford something like that?

Fifty coins was a luxury drink they wouldn't even dream of, something only a few wealthy people would occasionally buy.

Jiang Mo felt the astonished gazes, and the cold cup in his hand seemed to become heavy.

He ignored the stares, simply holding the cup and turning away from the stall.

The Iceberg's shape really resembled a miniature mountain peak, and in the dry environment of the Underworld, the cold air it emitted seemed tempting.

Jiang Mo didn't drink it immediately. He held the Iceberg and walked towards the highest point of Rivet Town.

There stood a dilapidated but conspicuous building – the orphanage.

The closer he got to the orphanage, the clearer the children's noise became.

Jiang Mo's mood was complex.

He didn't like this place, not at all.

This kind of place was like a garbage dump waiting to be abandoned, except it was living children who were being dumped here.

Jiang Mo stood outside the orphanage gate and saw the scene inside.

The yard was very simple, the ground was uneven with potholes in the bricks, and there were several crooked amusement facilities inside.

A slide made of scrap iron, two wooden swings, and a rickety seesaw.

The children were playing, chasing and fighting.

They wore patched clothes, their faces were covered with dirt and dust, and their eyes constantly darted towards the gate.

Usually, whenever someone from outside the orphanage appeared, the children would swarm around like puppies, staring at the person with eyes that longed to be hugged, longed to be taken away.

They were so starved for love that any attention from the outside world would make them crave it madly.

Jiang Mo thought of the orphanage director, Natasha, a kind woman whose eyes always held pity.

She tried her best to take care of these children, but she was only one person. She had to manage the orphanage and go out to find resources.

She simply couldn't spare enough energy to give them enough love.

In the past, Jiang Mo would occasionally come here, begging for food while playing with some of the children as a reward for the food.

His soul was still that of an adult, and perhaps it was this maturity that made the children instinctively feel that they could rely on him.

Every time he wanted to leave, there were always a few children who would grab his clothes and look at him with pitiful eyes, not letting him go.

That feeling suffocated him.

Jiang Mo didn't like entrusting his fate to others, especially with that kind of expectant look.

Every time he saw these children, he felt like they were a group of puppies waiting for their owner to choose them.

He would rather rely on himself, rather struggle in the garbage heap, than become the kind of child waiting to be "picked up."

Thinking of this, Jiang Mo steadied himself and tried to hide.

He began to search for his target among the playing children.

Finally, he found her by the swing in the corner of the yard.

A small figure with striking silver hair.

She wasn't chasing and playing like the other children, but quietly sitting on a swing, her little feet gently brushing the ground, staring at the sky in a daze.

Her eyes.

Were different.

Unlike the other children, her eyes held a calmness beyond her age, and a sense of contemplation.

As if she could see everything around her clearly, but chose to observe quietly.

This child was indeed special.

This was also one of the reasons why Jiang Mo was willing to talk to her before.

She wouldn't look at him with the suffocating gaze of the other children.

Jiang Mo walked to the girl's side without making a sound.

He sat down on the swing next to her and gently swung it.

The girl didn't react for a few seconds. She suddenly turned her head, becoming defensive.

But when she saw that it was Jiang Mo, the vigilance in her eyes instantly faded.

Replaced by surprise.

A rare, lively expression appeared on her small face.

"Jiang Mo-gege? What are you doing here?!"

Jiang Mo looked at her, a gentle smile on his face:

"Long time no see, Bronya."

Seeing Jiang Mo, Bronya seemed excited, but also a little aggrieved:

"Didn't you say you'd never come here again? Why are you..."

Jiang Mo didn't answer directly, saying casually:

"I just thought of you and came to see you."

He held out the soda ice mountain in his hand to Bronya.

"Here." Jiang Mo said, "I bought it especially for you."

Bronya was completely stunned.

She looked at the very delicate thing in front of her, packed in a cup like a small mountain, and then looked at Jiang Mo.

"This is...?"

Jiang Mo paused slightly, then realized, That's right, the children in the orphanage, having a piece of bread that barely fills their stomachs, or a bowl of thin porridge every day, is already a great blessing.

This kind of carefully made dessert, not for filling the stomach but for enjoyment, they probably haven't seen much of.

Jiang Mo briefly introduced the soda ice mountain to Bronya, telling her that it was a dessert made of black bread, ice cubes, and soda, and that it tasted very good.

"It's very delicious, try it quickly." Jiang Mo encouraged.

Bronya carefully took the cup, the icy touch sending a shiver down her spine.

She pulled out the small wooden spoon from the cup, hesitated, and then scooped a little bit of ice shavings into her mouth.

The icy, sweet taste exploded in her mouth instantly, a wonderful taste she had never experienced before.

Bronya's eyes widened suddenly, and a look of surprise bloomed on her face in an instant.

That smile was like a flower suddenly blooming in the ruins, so bright that it was impossible to look away.

This was the first time Jiang Mo had seen her smile so happily since coming to this world.

"Delicious..."

Bronya exclaimed, then couldn't wait to take another spoonful.

She ate the ice mountain in small bites, curiously asking Jiang Mo:

"Where did you buy this? Why is it so delicious?"

Jiang Mo sat next to her, gently swinging the swing, answering patiently.

"I bought it at a small stall in the center of town, it's very expensive, but it's good as long as you think it tastes good."

He didn't hide the price, but wanted her to know how precious it was.

"Is that so, very expensive?" Bronya stopped her spoon and looked up to ask, "How much does it cost?"

"Um... fifty Winter City Coins." Jiang Mo replied.

"Fifty?"

Hearing this, Bronya tilted her head.

Jiang Mo looked at her pure and confused eyes, knowing that she had no concept of money.

He thought for a moment and changed his wording: "About... equivalent to four or five days of your meals."

The orphanage's food probably hasn't been very good recently, so that's about right.

Bronya's eyes widened suddenly, she looked at Jiang Mo, then at the soda ice mountain she had only eaten a few bites of, her small face full of shock.

Such a small thing actually costs several days of her meals?

She froze for a few seconds, her eyes moving back and forth between Jiang Mo and the ice mountain.

Jiang Mo was about to ask her what was wrong when suddenly, Bronya raised the spoon in her hand, scooped a large spoonful of ice mountain, and quickly stuffed it into Jiang Mo's mouth!

The icy, sweet taste melted in Jiang Mo's mouth instantly, with the taste of milk and soda.

He was stunned by this sudden action, but still swallowed it subconsciously.

"What are you doing?" Jiang Mo asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Bronya gave him a smile:

"Such a good thing, Jiang Mo-gege has to eat it too!"

She lowered her head again, eating her portion in small bites, occasionally looking up at Jiang Mo, as if hoping he could also feel this deliciousness.

That pure gaze and simple actions gently touched the softest part of Jiang Mo's heart.

This child...

Just then, Jiang Mo noticed a hopscotch grid drawn on the ground ahead, its chalk lines already somewhat blurred by children's feet.

He pointed at it. "Bronya, do you remember how to play? I tried to teach you hopscotch before, but you were always bad at it, and you'd get so frustrated you'd stomp your feet."

Bronya's cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold stimulus.

"I remember. You even laughed at me for being clumsy… But I can do it now, watch!"

As she said that, she put down the ice mountain and stood up, skipping lightly a few times. Although her movements still had a child's awkwardness, she was indeed much more skilled than before.

"Not bad," Jiang Mo praised.

Bronya sat down again, picking up her ice mountain.

"Oh, right," Jiang Mo continued. "That complete glass marble we found in the courtyard before, I asked you to keep it safe, where did you put it?"

That glass marble was a rare undamaged find in the Underworld, round and smooth, shimmering with gold in the light. For them, it was a small treasure.

Bronya's eyes flickered for a moment.

"Um, that marble… I'm keeping it safe."

She slowed down eating her ice mountain, lowering her head, her small fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the cup.

After a moment of silence, she finally couldn't help but ask the confusion that had been accumulating for a long time.

"Jiang Mo, why… haven't you been coming around lately?"

Hearing this, Jiang Mo paused.

"I've been a little busy with other things lately," he replied. "But, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"What's wrong, Bronya?"

Bronya didn't look at him, but softly, as if talking to herself, she asked the thought in her heart: