A Vulpo Lady's Life as a Rhodes Island Operator

Fengling was the one getting worked up instead.

How could the young leader of the Reunion Movement be so slow on the uptake in certain matters?!

"You already noticed the children might stay up waiting for you. Couldn't you think one step further about why they were waiting? They weren't waiting to hear, 'I brought back gifts, help yourselves tomorrow.' They were waiting for you to give them the gifts!"

Talulah, when it came to these things...

She was simply... simply even rougher than Gavial!

Fengling thought about it. Among the people she knew well, Gavial was the only one she could use as a comparison.

Gavial might seem carefree and boisterous, but when it came to finer details, she could still show a girl's considerate side!

Fengling's reminder caught Talulah by surprise. She stood there blinking, as though only now realizing that she really could have done better.

"How many?"

Fengling immediately asked.

"H-How many what?"

Faced with Fengling's pressing manner, Talulah instinctively softened her tone.

"How many children are there?!"

"Eleven."

Talulah could answer the headcount without hesitation.

She really did seem like a leader who cherished the people here.

Fengling nodded in satisfaction.

It wasn't that many. The vehicle carried all kinds of little toys, clothes, and even finely made cloth dolls.

She had heard that some of those dolls had even been hand-sewn by operators skilled in that sort of thing.

Giving these heartfelt gifts to the children would probably make those operators happy as well.

The Reunion Movement's Children

Fengling and Talulah each carried several cloth bags printed with the Rhodes Island logo as they headed toward the house Talulah had mentioned.

After all, publicity and brand awareness were part of running a business!

Especially for a medical company—if patients could truly feel trust the moment they saw the Rhodes Island logo, treatment would be much easier to carry out.

It was all a good thing!

They arrived at a wooden house that looked somewhat crudely built, but was definitely spacious enough.

Knock, knock!

Talulah knocked lightly on the door.

The one who answered was a beautiful Elafia girl.

She had a gentle, intellectual air about her, and looked somewhat frail.

"Alina, I'm back."

When facing the girl named Alina, Talulah's tone carried a hint of gentleness.

It was completely different from how she spoke to everyone else.

It was more like she was speaking to family.

Seeing that it was Talulah, Alina smiled softly as well. "Welcome back, Talulah. The children are all upstairs waiting for you. They haven't been very obedient tonight. If they don't wait for you to return, they probably won't be willing to sleep."

Then Alina looked at Fengling with calm, bright blue eyes. "Come inside quickly. It's getting a little cold outside. Talulah, won't you introduce this guest to me?"

After following Talulah inside, Fengling arranged the gifts on a table in the room.

Talulah looked at Fengling.

Introduce Fengling... The problem was that Talulah basically only knew Fengling's name and the organization she represented.

There was not much she could introduce!

"How about... you introduce yourself?"

Fengling rolled her eyes at Talulah.

After seeing Alina, she more or less understood.

If Talulah were given the character setting of a "blockheaded young man," everything made sense.

Intelligence was one thing, emotional intelligence was another. Talulah was not lacking in either.

But when it came to handling certain details, she was just a complete blockhead.

"Hello, I'm Fengling, an operator of Rhodes Island. At present, I'm being wonderfully kidnapped by Miss Talulah!" Fengling introduced herself to Alina with a mischievous smile.

"K-Kidnapped?!" Alina was clearly bewildered by that description. "Talulah, have you really gone that far already?!"

"Of course not! Uh... but it seems Fengling isn't wrong either..." Talulah instinctively wanted to refute her, but what Fengling had said was apparently all true.

The Reunion Movement had wanted to force a transaction. Though Talulah believed the payment would definitely be worth a whole vehicle of supplies, Fengling had indeed been brought here by force, in terms of the final result.

A very cooperative kidnapping, at that.

"Hehe~" Watching Talulah squirm after being teased, Fengling gave a wicked little laugh before explaining to Alina, "It only turned out this way because I was willing to handle this transaction by special means. After all... there's no way we can directly conduct a proper transaction with a local armed organization. Talulah didn't make things too difficult for me."

"Ah..." Only then did Alina slowly let out a breath. "So that's how it was."

Then Alina gave Fengling a brilliant smile. "Miss Fengling is a good person too."

That alone made her a good person?

Naturally, Fengling had no idea how Alina had reached that conclusion.

This Miss Alina seemed a little too quick to trust others.

Like... a little deer that had been protected very well.

Still, Alina was indeed different from the other members of the Reunion Movement. She carried a strong scholarly air and spoke gently.

Yet the hint of resolve in her otherwise gentle eyes showed that she was definitely no fool.

"Fengling can stay in the guest room here for the next few days." Talulah pointed upstairs. "I'll take you there."

"No rush. Haven't those children been waiting for a long time?" Seeing that Talulah seemed to have forgotten what she ought to do first again, Fengling looked at Alina with a smile. "Is she often like this?"

A smile appeared on Alina's face as well. "Often. But that's just Talulah."

Having suddenly been fed a mouthful of romance, Fengling looked between the two of them.

"You two are a thing~"

"Huh?"

"Nothing~" Fengling glanced away.

The three of them carried all the bags upstairs.

Perhaps because many children had to live there, the wooden house was crude but more than large enough.

At Talulah's prompting gaze, Fengling saw the room where she would be staying for the next few days. It was tucked away in a relatively quiet corner, and judging by its position, it probably received very good sunlight.

It was quite nice.

Although Fengling had already begun living what could be called a luxurious life by ordinary standards on Rhodes Island, she had not forgotten the hardships of the past.

This was already very good. There was nothing she couldn't adapt to.

And now, their destination was on the other side.

When they opened the door to a large room, many children excitedly gathered around them.

"Big Sister Talulah!"

"Big Sister Talulah is back!"

"Mm! I'm back! And I brought lots of gifts for you!" Talulah handed the bags in her hands to the children. "There are lots of gifts, so no fighting! Be good, everyone. You can take turns playing with them too!"

Fengling and Alina handed their bags to the children as well.

Fengling looked at the children.

Though their clothes were simple, every one of their eyes shone brightly.

And they really did seem very well-behaved.

Someone had taught them very well.

Fengling watched Alina speak skillfully with each child, as though this sort of daily routine happened every day.

It seemed Alina... was their teacher.

With such a spiritual pillar and mentor-like presence in the Reunion Movement, things would surely only get better in the future.

Besides the children who had gathered around, Fengling also noticed two older children still sitting far away, seemingly uninterested in any of this.

Though they had been watching this side the whole time.

And naturally, Alina had noticed everything.

"Miss Fengling, could you come with me for a moment?"

Alina invited her.

"No need to be so formal. Just call me Fengling."

"Alright. The same goes for you. While you're here, please treat this place like your own home."

Fengling followed Alina over to the two older children.

"Ino, Sasha." Alina looked at them warmly and called each of them by name. "You can take gifts too."

The white-haired Liberi boy seemed to be Ino, while the other Pythia boy, who had a somewhat low presence, was probably Sasha.

"I... I don't need one..." Ino seemed to be quite timid, and his voice was somewhat hoarse.

Had his vocal cords been affected?

Fengling saw tiny fragments of Originium on his neck.

He was Infected too... and the lesion was probably in his throat.

Gifts for the Children

It was clear that the timid boy named Ino depended heavily on the boy beside him, Sasha.

And Sasha gave off a much more mature, steady impression.

"We... don't need them. Give them to the others."

It was not easy for children so young to understand how to yield to others, especially in an environment like this.

Since she would be staying here for a while, Fengling naturally intended to help out with whatever she could.

Besides the fact that Fengling wanted to do so, it was also an objective way to build a better relationship with the Reunion Movement.

Perhaps the final outcome of this transaction would turn out better as well.

Fengling smiled and joined the conversation. "Talulah asked me to make sure every one of you received a gift. You can't disappoint her good intentions."

"So, Sasha? You can ask for something you want. Big Sister has quite a lot in stock, so I should be able to satisfy you."

Sasha fell silent for a while, looking at the surrounding children, then at Talulah and Alina.

"Then... I want a weapon that can protect everyone."

That... was somewhat beyond Fengling's expectations.

But Sasha's gaze was extremely resolute.

That look seemed to tell everyone... that he could become a warrior who used a weapon to protect those he wished to protect.

It seemed there would be no problem.