A shining character

By evening, the long-absent aroma of meat drifted out of the Orphanage's dining hall.

The Silvermane Guards stationed there shared the canned meat they had brought, chopping it up and tossing it into the kitchen's stew. The cans contained mostly lizard meat, with a small amount of redfish.

On this snowbound planet, only the relatively warm depths of caves and underground rivers supported small pockets of life.

The children at the Orphanage rarely got to eat meat more than once a month, and even then, it was the cheapest animal offal.

The Old Director had thought about feeding the children better.

But there were too many children in the Underworld who needed help, too many mouths to feed.

Saving a little here might keep one more person alive.

That was why most of the Orphanage's children were thin and frail, always bullied outside by bigger, sturdier children.

It was also why most of them were reluctant to go out.

Except for Chu Mu.

Back then, he often slipped outside and skipped lunch and dinner.

When the Old Director caught him after he returned, he always said he had already eaten.

But how could he have?

Sometimes, if he was lucky, he could get a meal at a miners' camp-when there was work to do.

When there was no work, he was of no use to anyone. Even if he walked into the camp, they would drive him out in disgust.

Chu Mu understood that every mouthful he went without at the Orphanage was another mouthful someone else could eat.

Especially the Old Director.

The children at the Orphanage all suffered from malnutrition to some degree, but the Old Director was actually the most undernourished of them all.

Chu Mu had once overheard what a doctor told the Old Director. The gist of it was-

"Your body is very weak. If you don't stop and take time to recover, you may only have a few years left."

After that, the Old Director stopped seeing doctors herself and only had them examine the children.

Chu Mu had seen a portrait of the elderly woman when she was young.

It hung in a corridor at the Orphanage, alongside many other portraits that chronicled the rise and fall of a once-prosperous family in the Underworld.

The last painting in the corridor depicted three people.

An elderly couple sat at either end of a sofa, with a radiant young girl between them.

The girl held her parents' hands and gazed straight ahead with poise, her eyes bright.

Countless times, Chu Mu had seen the Old Director standing at the end of that dim corridor, silently looking up at the painting.

The girl in the painting was looking at her future self.

The woman outside the canvas was withered, her eyes dull.

What was she thinking in those moments?

At that sight, Chu Mu had felt an inexplicable shock deep within him.

It could be said that the Old Director had influenced and shaped the Chu Mu of today.

He considered himself selfish, incapable of being as selfless as the Old Director.

Yet this supposedly selfish person always stepped forward at critical moments, heedless of his own safety.

In Rivet Town, he had fought the mayor's son tooth and nail for his sister, biting his way to the infamous nickname "Mad Dog."

At the Fight Club, he had rescued Seele after she was deceived and protected many innocent children.

Scott had wanted to leave the Orphanage's children without food, and had even insulted the Old Director's integrity.

Fine, then. I'll give you an eye!

In a sense, he and the Old Director were the same kind of person.

They both had a shining character!

People like them could often accomplish something in this world.

The world often changed because people like them existed.

The Old Director's Orphanage had planted a seed in the Underworld. The children who left it would one day change all of Belobog!

As for Chu Mu, what he would change was the entire Sea of Stars.

But at this moment, Chu Mu only wanted to keep his head down and eat.

He sat in the dining hall, devouring his food.

For some reason, he was very hungry now.

Across from him, Xiao Bu's eyes were still red.

In front of Chu Mu, she continued to act as though she did not know he was blind, silently playing along with his act.

That had been Chu Mu's intention when he said those words in the classroom.

He did not want anyone to be sad because he had lost his sight.

If possible, he wished no one would know about it.

And that was why Xiao Bu had not exposed any of it.

That was the unspoken understanding between the siblings.

"Brother Mu, I'll go get another serving," Xiao Bu said softly.

"What a good sister. You're so thoughtful!" Chu Mu gave her a thumbs-up.

Seeing that, Xiao Bu felt an inexplicable sense of relief:

My brother is still the same as before.

"Mm-hmm!" She nodded vigorously, picked up her tray, and left her seat.

Chu Mu continued eating. Just then, a gust of air swept toward him.

Someone sat down opposite Chu Mu and planted both hands on the table, making even the tray shake.

Oleg's voice rang out:

"Kid, how come your appetite's so good? Why were you so restrained at the restaurant last time?"

"Sir, eating at a restaurant costs money. This meal is free," Chu Mu said with a chuckle. "How could that be the same?"

"You really are looking out for my wallet," Oleg said with a sigh. "If I'd known that day that we'd be coming back a day early, I would've ordered more food. Look at me-I still have so much of the budget left. I'll take you all out for some fun again sometime."

"When we have time," Chu Mu said quietly.

Then he changed the subject and asked:

"Where's Seele? Why didn't she come? She's from our Orphanage too."

"That girl didn't want to come. She was afraid she'd get stuck here taking classes," Oleg said with a laugh. "If she refuses to come, I can't catch her either. She's so fast now! She shoots off like a cannonball."

"What a shame," Chu Mu sighed.

"A shame? Why?" Oleg was puzzled.

"Sir, do you think the Big Shot's visit tomorrow is really just a simple visit?" Chu Mu put down his utensils and said seriously, "There are so many important places in the Underworld. Since when has an orphanage deserved special attention? To the big shots in the Upper District, those mines and furnaces must matter most. What do orphans mean to them? Probably less than the fuel in their furnaces."

"That's a bit extreme, but you do have a point." Oleg rubbed his chin. "Right. What is this Big Shot coming to the Orphanage for?"

"That depends on what's in the Orphanage," Chu Mu said cryptically, then went back to eating.

Xiao Bu had already brought over another serving.

Today, the dining hall offered unlimited servings. Everyone could eat their fill, or even stuff themselves!

Oleg stood up, repeating Chu Mu's words under his breath:

"In the Orphanage, there are..."

He looked around and saw all those young faces.

Oleg's mouth fell open, then snapped shut.

"I have to bring Seele back!"

He made his decision immediately and headed for the door.

Although he still did not know who that Big Shot was, if someone truly important wanted to adopt an orphan here...

Without a doubt, it would be a chance to change that child's destiny!

Oleg understood that the Upper District and the Underworld would soon be sealed off from one another. This opportunity before them was the most precious chance these children at the Orphanage would ever have!

No matter what, Seele could not miss it!

Although Oleg had always wanted to adopt Seele, he understood that compared with those truly important people, his circumstances did not even qualify for comparison.

A big shot could bypass the rules, take an orphan from the Underworld to the Upper District, and raise them as a noble.

But what about him?

He, Oleg, despite being a resident originally from the Upper District, was not allowed to cross those boundaries and adopt a child from the Underworld without a permit issued by the Supreme Guardian!

He had no way to break these rules laid down by those in power!