According to Ye Qingyu, orphans on the Douluo Continent could roughly be divided into two types.
The first were wandering orphans whose parents had died young and who had no one to adopt them. Most had been created by war, famine, or Spirit Beast attacks. There were quite a few of them, scattered across the continent.
The second were the surviving children left behind by Spirit Hall officials who had died while carrying out missions, such as suppressing Fallen Spirit Masters or exterminating Wolf Bandits. These children would be taken in by orphanages established by Spirit Hall throughout the various regions, where dedicated personnel cared for them.
However, the treatment received by these two groups was worlds apart.
Once their Spirits were awakened, the former would still be abandoned if they possessed no Innate Soul Power.
The latter—orphans of Spirit Hall's own people—would be raised to adulthood even if they failed to awaken Innate Soul Power.
"So, most of the orphans we take in from now on should be children who awakened their Spirits but were abandoned by Spirit Hall," Ye Qingyu concluded. "As for children who haven't awakened their Spirits, I'm afraid they'll become increasingly rare."
Luo Can stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before asking, "How about this? Calculate it. At our current rate of intake, how many batches can we take in by the end of next year? How many people in total?"
After thinking briefly, Ye Qingyu quickly gave him an answer. "Over a little more than a year, we can take in another six batches, totaling roughly eighteen hundred to two thousand people."
Luo Can nodded. This number was somewhat higher than he had expected. "Alright. Starting from the end of next year, any orphans we take in must be those who have