Scott's terms

What did a hundred thousand Winter City Shields amount to?

A miner in his prime could earn a hundred Winter City Shields a day in the mines, just about enough to feed his family.

People in the Underworld had little concept of saving money, because there was simply nothing left to save.

Those who designed the Upper District's rules adjusted the prices of supplies to reclaim every last Winter City Shield with precision.

In other words, the people of the Underworld would always be poor. From their ancestors to their children, they would never have a chance to get ahead.

If a family had even a few extra children, adding a few more bowls to the table, they would be unable to feed them and have no choice but to sell them.

Scott's demand for a hundred thousand Winter City Shields was undoubtedly an astronomical sum for the Orphanage!

As a relief center, the Orphanage had almost no spare money in its accounts. The Old Director had exhausted her entire family fortune on this work and now relied on a small monthly grant from City Hall.

That money was spent as soon as it arrived each month. The Orphanage even had considerable outstanding debts. Where were they supposed to find a hundred thousand Winter City Shields?

"We... can't afford that much." The Old Director shook her head bitterly.

When she was young, all she would have needed to do for a hundred thousand Winter City Shields was sweet-talk her father. Now, she had to account carefully for every single coin.

"I knew you didn't have the money!" Scott smiled smugly. "But the place your Orphanage occupies now is your ancestral estate, isn't it? And you hold the deed, don't you? Heh, you know what to do!"

Scott laid out his plan. He seemed to have anticipated everything long ago.

Even the Old Director's arrival had been part of his plan.

"But where would the children live then?" the Old Director asked, her face pale.

"Children? What do those parentless bastards have to do with me? They can go die wherever they please! All I care about is my losses!" Scott squawked like a duck.

He continued excitedly:

"If you transfer the estate to me, I can even give you a few tens of thousands of Winter City Shields in compensation. That'll be enough to rent a smaller place elsewhere. If you still want to keep raising them, go right ahead!

"Heh heh, I've always wanted to see what it feels like to live in the finest estate in the Underworld. Turning it into an orphanage, letting those damned bastards wreak havoc and scribble all over the walls-what a waste!"

"We won't give you a single coin!" Natasha declared.

She was crouched beside Chu Mu. After examining his wounds, her eyes had reddened.

She said angrily:

"This is medicinal oil meant to improve circulation and disperse bruising! Applying it to an open wound won't stop the bleeding. It'll make the wound worse and prevent the blood from clotting so it can heal! Who bandaged him? This is practically murder!"

"What?" Oleg exclaimed in shock, then angrily looked around for the resident doctor.

But the man had already vanished.

Oleg turned a hateful gaze on Scott and asked, enunciating every word:

"Did you order someone to do this?"

"What does it have to do with me? Maybe the fellow just wasn't very good at his job." Scott wore a smug smile.

"If he wasn't good at his job, why didn't he pour that oil into your eyes?" Oleg was so furious he nearly cracked his teeth.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? If you say I did it, show me the evidence. Officer, don't think you can throw your weight around just because you hold a position!" Scott grinned like a rat squeaking in a sewer.

Meanwhile, Natasha had begun treating Chu Mu's wounds again with the medical kit she had brought.

When she removed the original bandages, the wounds had already turned white from soaking in the medicinal oil. Its pungent odor mingled with the smell of blood, assaulting everyone's nostrils.

"It must have hurt so much. How did you bear it?" Natasha's heart ached unbearably.

"I'm used to it," Chu Mu said calmly.

But those words struck Natasha like a thunderclap!

She rummaged through her medical kit, but her hands kept fumbling. She could not seem to calm herself.

At last, after suppressing the sting in her nose, she said softly to Chu Mu:

"Treating it again will hurt a lot. I need to flush the medicinal oil out with alcohol. There's no way to use an anesthetic for this, so you'll have to bear with it."

"Teacher, I'm sorry for the trouble." Chu Mu struggled to open his eyes, his voice full of guilt.

"Stop talking and don't move. You'll pull at your wounds." Natasha shot him a look, but there was no anger in her eyes, only gentle reproach.

Why was this child apologizing to me?

Am I still a stranger to you?

We're already family.

"Okay." Chu Mu closed his eyes and said nothing more.

Natasha carefully tended to Chu Mu's wounds without using the power of the Path of Abundance. They were in public; if others learned of her power, she would be transferred to a critical government department and made a court physician serving only a privileged few, such as high-ranking officials and nobles.

That went against her aspirations.

Of course, this treatment was only temporary. Once she brought Chu Mu back, she would use her ability to heal him.

After all, she had promised Xiao Bu that her brother would be back in perfect health by tomorrow morning.

How heartbroken his little sister would be if she saw him like this.

Chu Mu did not make a sound the entire time Natasha bandaged him.

As a medical school graduate, Natasha was far from inexperienced, even if she was working as a substitute teacher now.

On the contrary, she had assisted her brother in numerous surgeries. She knew exactly how painful it was to have a wound treated directly without anesthesia!

Even among the tough men of the Silvermane Guards, few could endure such pain!

Yet the boy before her wore a calm expression.

Natasha looked at Chu Mu with complicated emotions. At first, she had assumed he was born with a high pain threshold and felt pain less keenly than most people.

But the cold sweat on his forehead proved that he had been enduring it all along!

Perhaps it really was as he had said: he was used to it.

"Teacher, you really will make an excellent doctor." Chu Mu opened his eyes and praised Natasha.

"I told you not to move!" Natasha gave him a reproachful look. "There's another treatment coming later. Just wait for now."

With that, Natasha stood up. She looked at the Old Director, then at Scott, her ruby-red eyes filled with anger.

"Old Director, we don't need to negotiate any terms with scum like him!"

"I... I only wanted to hear his terms. I didn't expect him to demand such an outrageous price." The Old Director's expression was bitter. "I really shouldn't have held out any hope. The terms someone like him offers are simply beyond what I can accept. Natasha, I really am no good at dealing with people like this."

"Old Director, this isn't your fault. Calm negotiation has never been the best way to deal with scum!" Natasha glared at Scott. "Leave everything to me from here!"

"Hey, you... don't try anything! You think I'm afraid of you just because you're from the Upper District and have a few connections? Who doesn't have connections? Heh, are you really willing to offend me over an orphan? To offend the powerful people backing me?" Scott gave a strange, brazen laugh.

Just then, the fight club's doors were pushed open, and Seele's voice rang out:

"Uncle Oleg! I brought them!"