The Return from Beyond the Shore: Number G (Part 1)

Givinia gently picked up a magnificent coat. The material of unknown origin shimmered with a molten gold-like luster. Such a precious and beautiful thing was so precious that even touching it would seem like a desecration. Perhaps only the lady would casually throw it on the ground.

Givinia hung it up on a jade hanger and stored it in a large wardrobe next to her, then began packing the next item. Not only her, but many of the other servants who had undergone the lady's mental transformation were bustling about; some were folding clothes, some were frantically catching hats the lady tossed aside, and some were struggling to carry a large stack of jewelry boxes. Meanwhile, the owner of this enormous dressing room was turning back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, a veritable priceless treasure, observing herself from every angle.

"What about this one? If I wear this shawl with it, I'll have to change my entire top."

The lady draped a shawl embroidered with intricate patterns over her shoulders, twisting her upper body to check if it matched the style of her clothes. She had very high standards; everything—color, style, and overall tone—had to be perfect.

"Hey, what do you think of this combination?"

The servant who was called out looked him over carefully, then honestly replied, "The color is fine, but this style doesn't suit you; it's more suitable for petite women."

"Oh? You've hit the nail on the head! Thank you so much, my lovely little sweetheart--"

The lady tossed her shawl aside, then pulled a long scarf embroidered with gold thread from the sea of clothes, saying as if suddenly remembering something—

"--Well, it's still really annoying to be told 'you're not right for me,' so go to hell."

As soon as the words fell, the Death Word Spirit, which would kill even an ordinary strongman, immediately took the servant's life. He collapsed limply to the ground, and several people immediately came up, dragged the corpse away, and carefully wiped the floor.

Givinia, who had been hiding in the most inconspicuous place tidying up her clothes, glanced over there and sighed inwardly.

Which person is this?

From the moment the lady began to focus intently on dressing herself, the death toll among the servants steadily rose.

But Givinia wasn't surprised, because that was just the kind of person the lady was; she clearly distinguished between her likes and dislikes, and therefore often acted in very contradictory ways. On the one hand, she was very good at listening to her subordinates' opinions, and she would always make appropriate improvements after listening. On the other hand, she couldn't tolerate anyone looking down on her, not even if it was just saying "the clothes don't fit." So the result of these two factors was that she humbly listened to the advice, and then, with a grateful heart, killed him.

Completely detached from good and evil, regarding everything around them as mere background, loving only themselves, acting solely according to their own likes and dislikes, and casting everything else aside.

"How hopeless, and how... enviable, isn't it?"

Givinia suddenly heard a sound.

Someone was talking to her.

She glanced at the lady again, but the lady was still focused on trying on clothes and didn't pay any attention to her.

Once upon a time, there was a young girl...

She paused for a moment, but immediately resumed her normal posture, her face still bearing that gentle and serene smile.

"She was always watching other people's expressions, always cautiously trying to guess what others were thinking, and was well aware of the skills and taboos in interpersonal relationships."

I opened a new closet door and hung the clothes, their wrinkles smoothed out, inside.

"Always manages relationships with others perfectly, always gains their trust, and always presents the most gentle and approachable version of herself."

He closed the closet door, straightened his clothes, and walked towards the lady.

"The long-term result will be..."

She greeted the lady and said she needed to go out to use the restroom, but the lady just nodded and didn't look at her twice.

"--She forgot how to treat people with sincerity, forgot how to express her feelings naturally..."

Leaving the fitting room, leaving behind the space where servants came and went, we finally arrived at the garden outside the house.

"I've even forgotten... what my true self is really like."

"..."

Gently brushing her long hair, which was tousled by the night breeze, she looked at the person leaning against the fence of the flowerbed.

She looked at this person who was extremely special to her in every sense of the word.

It wasn't Huang Huo, it wasn't Anubas, it wasn't even Ferguson.

"Long time no see, Miss Givinia."

A young man with white hair and one eye greeted her.

His expression was a half-smile.

Givinia, as if by reflex, gave a gentle smile.

Although there was no smile in her eyes.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Yu. It's a pleasure to see you."

That was so long ago.

In a small city, in an Orphanage.

The pristine white apartment buildings, the small park, and the classrooms create a cozy and well-equipped little world.

The orphans here are all around ten years old, and they are all exceptionally beautiful, both boys and girls.

Now, they are dressed in their finest clothes and standing in a row in the hall.

Some people looked utterly hopeless, some had a mysterious glint in their eyes, but most only felt a deep sense of resignation.

The obese, greasy headmaster watched them coldly, occasionally pinching the boy's cheek and tugging at the girl's hair.

"Is this the batch of goods we're going to sell?"

"Yes, there are ten in total, all of them are fledglings, just waiting for the guests to choose."

"Hmph... not bad quality, hopefully I can get a good price."

"Waaaaah..."

"... Um?"

The sudden sobbing made the dean frown.

He looked around searching for the source of the sound, and then locked onto a thin boy.

Although the boy was male, he had an adorable face like a porcelain doll and a slender little body, making him the absolute darling of older women with peculiar tastes. He was now trembling as he looked at the headmaster, large tears streaming from his eyes, like a desperate little animal.

"Stop crying! Here, hurry up and wipe your snot and tears clean! Don't upset the guests!"

The headmaster tossed a handkerchief to the boy, but he didn't catch it, and the handkerchief fell to the ground.

"... Kid, what are you trying to do? Rebel?!"

With a snap, the headmaster roughly grabbed the boy by the collar, his gaze fierce, while the boy could only struggle helplessly, squeezing out words through gritted teeth—

"I... don't... want..."

"Huh? What did you say!?"

"I... please... I don't want to... be sold to those... those people... really..."

"Huh? What do you think I raised you for? You think my money was wasted? Don't fucking joke with me!"

"No... please... no..."

"... Okay, I understand."

The dean loosened his grip, and the boy fell back to the ground, then-

Thump!!!

A foot clad in thick leather boots struck the boy squarely in the abdomen, sending his small body flying. The boy writhed on the ground in pain. The headmaster snapped his fingers again, and several burly men with menacing faces immediately appeared beside the boy, raining down punches and kicks, each landing on the most vulnerable part of his body. At first, the boy was still howling, but after a while, he couldn't even make a sound anymore.

"Dean, this kid isn't moving."

"Give them a simple bandage, lock them in Black Ghost for a week, and remove them from this product list."

"Clear."

The boy, who looked almost like a dead man, was carried away. The other children looked at him with fear but no surprise, because they were used to this kind of thing and it was commonplace.

The bell rang.

"It's almost time, Dean."

"Then let's open the door and welcome guests."

The door opened, and the guests came in.

Most of them were men, with a few women as well. All of them were dressed in luxurious clothes, but they all wore special makeup, making it difficult to determine their true identities.

Then they started walking around in front of the children, observing them carefully like they were selecting merchandise. Some were expressionless, while others, unrecognizable, revealed lewd smiles.

The "Orphanage" is just a side business here.

A minor prostitute trafficker with a small reputation in the black market—that's his main business.

Every so often, they would take in high-quality orphans, raise them, and gradually weed out the inferior ones, leaving only the truly high-quality ones. When they reached a certain age, they would sell them at high prices to nobles with special tastes.

Besides basic conversation, reading, and writing, the education in the Orphanage consisted of only one thing—"obedience." Not eating on time would result in a beating, not sleeping on time would result in a beating, going to places you shouldn't go would result in a beating, speaking when you should be silent would result in a beating, and not making your blankets or washing your clothes would result in a severe beating.

Before long, the children will realize the true nature of this Orphanage and understand their fate. Some will rebel out of despair—these children usually don't live long; some will close their hearts and simply accept reality—this is what the director wants to see; and others, having long been fed up with hunger and cold, will be eager to be chosen by noblemen and will even learn the art of pleasing people early on—these are naturally the top students.

The ten children who became commodities this time were also varied in their attitudes: some were afraid, some were disheartened, and some were eager to be chosen.

But the girl standing on the very edge was a little different.

The girl simply stood there quietly, her eyes devoid of joy or sorrow, gazing indifferently at the people selecting goods.

It wasn't fear, discouragement, despair, or eagerness.

An older man was the first to notice her.

The moment I saw it, I couldn't take my eyes off it.

Having already tasted the desires of no fewer than a hundred adorable young girls and become somewhat numb, he unexpectedly rekindled his lust after a long time.

"... Hello, Dean, who is that child?"

The dean hurriedly came over to introduce the products to the guests.

"Dear guest, her number is G. She was admitted to our institution at the age of three and has grown to the age of nine. She is a bit..."

"What is it? I want the truth."

"Hmm... It's a difficult child to describe. He never makes mistakes, but he also never tries to please others, maintaining a subtle distance from everyone... I'm really sorry, this is the first time we've seen a child like this."

"Hmm, this seems interesting..."

At this point, more and more guests noticed the girl with the Number G. They were all amazed by her beautiful face and inexplicably calm demeanor. For them, who had only ever experienced "extreme fear" and "unparalleled enthusiasm" with other girls, this was a completely new experience.

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I forgot to update on the 11th, here it is.