What a Brother Could Do

Chu Mu emerged from the alley alone, while Sampo left by the other end.

They had just discussed a few things, and their conversation had eased a worry weighing on Chu Mu's heart.

First, one thing was certain: even if passage between the two districts was sealed off, Sampo could still reach the Upper District through special channels.

Second, Sampo had connections in the Upper District.

Finally, Sampo could take a child to the Upper District and place her with a family for adoption.

One family's daughter had died of a cold, but her identity had yet to be deregistered. The couple was willing to adopt an obedient child, but she would have to undergo plastic surgery to look like their daughter.

It was a deeply unhealthy demand, so they couldn't adopt a child through official channels. The authorities would never allow such a thing.

That was why they had commissioned Sampo, asking him to bring a child up from the Underworld-

A sweet, well-behaved girl.

Sampo's words still echoed in Chu Mu's mind:

"Bro, you know what? Even with a request this twisted, the moment I put the word out, people would crowd around me in no time! For these Underworld kids, never mind getting a new face to become someone from the Upper District-even being a rat up there would beat staying down here!"

There was no future in the Underworld.

Sampo understood that. Chu Mu understood it. Countless people in the Underworld understood it too.

Chu Mu had no doubt that Sampo was telling the truth. He had the parents' commission letter in his hands, along with several photographs.

Judging by the photos, they were a comfortably well-off, middle-class family. Both husband and wife were professors at the Medical Academy, and they had had their child late in life.

Perhaps that was precisely why they found it so hard to accept losing their only child to something as seemingly minor as a cold.

They needed a replacement, an imitation.

But there was no doubt that even an imitation would receive their boundless love and inherit all their wealth!

Sampo hadn't put the word out yet, but his merchant's instincts left him in no doubt about the value of that information.

He wouldn't consider penniless street children. He wasn't running a charity.

His target customers were the parents of children in the Underworld!

Want your child to live in the Upper District? Once she inherits the family fortune, your whole family can turn things around!

Without a doubt, these Underworld miners would fight tooth and nail to send their children to him!

On the one hand, they wanted their children to have a better life.

On the other, just as Sampo had said, it offered a chance to turn their own lives around!

For people in the Underworld, what could be more precious than hope?

Chu Mu understood its value. He wasn't hoping to turn his own life around; he only wanted his little sister, Xiao Bu, to have a sliver of hope.

Life at the Orphanage seemed wonderful in the short term, with food and clothing taken care of.

But what happened when she grew up?

Once she grew up, she would have to earn her own living.

Girls could only marry young, because the mines rarely hired female miners, and Xiao Bu's slight build wasn't suited to that work anyway.

Mining was the only job with a low barrier to entry that paid enough to keep someone fed. Other jobs requiring little skill barely paid enough to survive on; they were meant for married women to supplement their household income.

Unmarried women who couldn't find work to support themselves were often forced into prostitution in the Underworld.

Chu Mu knew the state of his own body. Being there as his sister grew up was nothing more than a distant dream. With his strange illness, every extra day he lived was a gift.

That was why he couldn't promise Xiao Bu anything. He could only do what he could while he was still alive.

His original plan had been to save some money for Xiao Bu, so that when she grew up and was forced to leave the Orphanage, she wouldn't immediately fall into destitution.

Now, though, there seemed to be another option.

Only, Xiao Bu might not understand that choice. She might even resent him for it.

Chu Mu had no illusions about the possible consequences. Human nature was the hardest thing to predict.

You think you're doing what's best for her, helping her make the right choice. But if all it brings her is a lifetime of emotional suffering, is that really kindness? Or is it a tragedy born of your own wishful thinking?

So he would tell Xiao Bu everything, including the truth about his health.

Little girl, I don't have much time left. Once I'm gone, you'll have to walk the rest of the road alone. Right now, I'm giving you two choices.

Two choices that will take your life in different directions...

You decide, while I'm still alive to see the choice you make.

If you choose to leave, you'll have my blessing.

If you choose to stay, then spend my remaining days with me.

I hope you choose the first path. There's no point in keeping a dying man company.

But more than that, I hope your life is happy and free of regrets.

That's everything a brother who can't be there to see you grow up can do for you.

Sampo had offered Chu Mu a discounted price of just one thousand Winter City Shields.

Chu Mu considered his savings. He had roughly that amount.

Before Oleg had caught him, he could earn seven or eight Winter City Shields each time he went down into the mines.

Unfortunately, he couldn't go down there anymore. The mines had blacklisted him, and he was going blind.

Chu Mu had always taken the loss of his sight in stride. He didn't have long to live anyway, so going blind a little earlier hardly mattered.

What he did regret was no longer being able to earn money.

After hearing Sampo's price, Chu Mu hadn't agreed immediately. Instead, he had asked Sampo to wait two days.

The Supreme Guardian would visit the Orphanage the day after tomorrow and choose one lucky child to take away.

Deep down, Chu Mu still held a faint hope. What if she chose Xiao Bu?

Then he wouldn't have to agonize over any of this!

As for whether the Supreme Guardian might choose him, Chu Mu didn't think she would.

The next Supreme Guardian couldn't be an offworlder, much less a blind boy.

Sampo, on the other hand, seemed very confident about Chu Mu's chances. Who knew whether the man really had been hit in the head by an excavator? He certainly seemed a little addled.

When Chu Mu suggested putting things off for two days, Sampo readily agreed.

He would be busy robbing Kliperburg over the next couple of days anyway and really had no time to deal with the couple's commission.

Since Chu Mu wanted a delay, he might as well do him a favor.

Their conversation ended there.

Natasha came looking for him just then and spotted Chu Mu waiting at the mouth of the alley. She walked over, took his hand, and cautioned him:

"Chu Mu, try not to spend so much time with slippery people like him."

"But he calls me bro," Chu Mu said with a soft laugh.

"He calls me boss lady!" Natasha said indignantly. "That scoundrel! He's put me on the same level as you."

"Is that what you're upset about, teacher?" Chu Mu asked in surprise.

"Of course not!" Natasha puffed out her cheeks. "It only just occurred to me. How did I end up on the same level as you?"

"Not quite, teacher. Your title has an extra word," Chu Mu teased. "Boss lady... Hmm, what an imposing title. Teacher, maybe you've got what it takes to lead a gang."

"Surely not." Natasha brushed back the hair beside her ear. "My ambition is to be a dedicated substitute teacher at the Orphanage, a doctor who saves lives in the Underworld, and a good, law-abiding citizen of Belobog. Why do you make me sound like a criminal in training?"

"Teacher, have you ever heard this saying?" Chu Mu asked with a smile. "A teacher who doesn't want to lead a gang isn't a good doctor."

"Huh?" Natasha was thoroughly confused.

Just then, a bell rang out from one side of the street. A cable car had arrived at the stop.

The sound stirred something in Chu Mu. In a few days, once passage between the districts was sealed off, he probably wouldn't hear that bell anymore.

Hand in hand, the two headed back to the Orphanage, disappearing at the end of the street along with the ringing bell.

Inside the cable car, a pair of purple eyes watched silently through the window, gazing thoughtfully in the direction where the two figures had disappeared.