Orion walked on the grey streets of the Lower District.
Go to the Upper District.
Once this thought appeared, it could no longer be suppressed.
But, how to go?
He was a six-year-old child, without parents, and possessed nothing.
With the Credits he had, going to the Upper District was a pipe dream.
He pondered as he walked.
As a transmigrator, he remembered some of the Honkai: Star Rail plot in his mind.
But those plots were not very helpful for the current situation.
There were indeed few opportunities in the Lower District, but if there was any shortcut or opportunity…
He thought of a place.
Orion quickened his steps, heading towards Rivet Town.
The road to Rivet Town was not easy, requiring passage through several dilapidated areas.
The ground was full of rubble and trash; one could easily slip and fall.
Occasionally, a few equally emaciated vagrants huddled in corners, watching him with vacant eyes.
Orion kept his gaze straight, trying not to stir up trouble.
After about half an hour of walking, the outline of Rivet Town appeared in his sight.
It was roughly the same size as Boulder Town, where Orion had been before, but it was poorer and more dilapidated.
Dilapidated buildings stood crookedly, as if they could collapse at any moment.
Upon entering the town, Orion did not stop; he walked directly towards the direction he remembered.
He needed to buy something first.
After passing through several narrow alleys, he arrived at a relatively lively area in the town center.
Here, a few stalls were sporadically distributed, selling some food or miscellaneous goods.
Orion's gaze locked onto a small stall selling beverages.
The stall was in the town center; although not very large, it appeared much cleaner and tidier compared to the surrounding dilapidation.
The wooden counter was wiped very clean, with several washed glass cups and a huge ice block placed on it.
Something seemed to be frozen inside the ice block, emitting wisps of cold air.
"Boss, this looks so delicious… Can you give me a cup for free?"
Orion stepped forward, pointing at the drink on the sign and asking.
The vendor was a lean middle-aged man, wearing a relatively clean apron.
He glanced at Orion, and seeing a scrawny child, a hint of disdain appeared in his eyes:
"Go, go, go, kid, don't cause trouble. If you don't have money, get lost."
Orion saw that Eloquent Speech had no effect on this person, perhaps because they were unfamiliar, or the other party was not easily fooled, so he changed his strategy.
He took out the fifty Credits from his pocket and dangled it in front of the vendor's eyes.
The vendor's eyes immediately lit up.
He thought the child was trying to get a free meal, but he didn't expect him to actually have money.
"Oh! Little brother! What do you want?"
"Just that one."
Orion pointed at their sign again.
"Black Bread Soda Iceberg? You really know how to pick! This is our signature here, absolutely sweet and delicious, overflowing with milky fragrance!"
The vendor immediately changed his demeanor, his face filled with smiles.
He deftly chipped off a piece of ice with frost from the ice block, put it into a glass cup, and then scooped a ladle of liquid from a bucket and poured it in.
Orion looked at the ice and the liquid about to be poured into the cup. Although he knew this was already the best thing in town, it still felt a bit inferior.
After the item was prepared, he handed over the Credits.
The vendor took the money and did not give change.
Fifty Credits for a cup of Black Bread Soda Iceberg was very expensive, equivalent to a day's food expenses for a resident in the town.
Several passersby who were shopping around stared at the cold soda iceberg in Orion's hand.
Their faces showed not envy, but shock and surprise.
How could such a small child, who didn't even have decent clothes to wear, afford something like this?
Fifty Credits, that was a luxury drink they dared not even imagine, something only a few wealthy people would occasionally buy.
Orion felt those surprised gazes, and the cold cup in his hand seemed to become heavy.
He ignored those stares, simply held the cup, and turned to leave the stall.
The iceberg's shape indeed resembled a miniature mountain, and the cold air it emitted in the dry environment of the Lower District seemed somewhat tempting.
Orion did not drink immediately; he carried the iceberg and walked towards the highest point of Rivet Town.
There was a dilapidated but very conspicuous building there—the Orphanage.
The closer he got to the Orphanage, the clearer the children's clamor became.
Orion's mood was somewhat complex.
He didn't like it here; he disliked it very much.
This kind of place was like a trash dump waiting to be abandoned, only what was thrown here were living children.
Orion stood outside the Orphanage gate and saw the scene inside.
The courtyard was simple, the ground was made of uneven bricks, and inside were several crooked playground facilities.
A slide made of scrap metal, two swings made of wood, and a rickety seesaw.
The children were playing, chasing and frolicking.
They wore patched clothes, their faces smudged with dirt and dust, and their eyes constantly darted towards the entrance.
Normally, whenever someone from outside the Orphanage appeared, the children would swarm like puppies, staring at the newcomer with eyes that longed to be embraced, longed to be taken away.
They were too starved for love; any bit of attention from outside could make them crave it madly.
Orion thought of the Orphanage director, Natasha, that kind woman whose eyes always held pity.
She tried her best to take care of these children, but she was only one person; she had to manage the Orphanage and go out to find resources.
She simply couldn't spare enough energy to give them enough love.
In the past, Orion occasionally came here, begging for food while playing with some children, considering it a reward for getting food.
His soul was still that of an adult, and perhaps this sense of maturity instinctively made those children feel that he could be relied upon.
Every time he wanted to leave, a few children would always tug at his clothes, looking at him with pitiful eyes, not letting him go.
That feeling made him breathless.
Orion disliked entrusting his fate to others, that kind of expectant gaze.
Every time he saw these children, it made him feel as if they were a group of puppies waiting for their owner to choose them.
He would rather rely on himself, rather struggle in a pile of garbage, than be the kind of child waiting to be "picked up."
Thinking of this, Orion composed himself, trying to hide himself as much as possible.
He began to search for his target among the playing children.
Finally, he found her by the swing in the corner of the courtyard.
A small figure, with striking silver hair.
She wasn't chasing and frolicking like the other children; she just sat quietly on a swing, her small feet gently brushing the ground, staring blankly at the sky.
Her eyes.
They were different.
Unlike the other children, her eyes held a serenity beyond her age, and a sense of thought.
It was as if she saw everything around her clearly, but chose to observe quietly.
This child was indeed unique.
This was also one of the reasons why Orion had previously been willing to initiate a conversation with her.
She wouldn't look at him with that suffocating gaze like the other children.
Orion walked to the girl's side without making a sound.
He sat on the swing next to her and gently swayed.
It took a few seconds for the girl to react; she suddenly turned her head, on guard.
But when she saw it was Orion, the wariness in her eyes instantly faded.
It was replaced by surprise.
A rare vivid expression appeared on her small face.
"Brother Orion? Why are you here?!"
Orion looked at her, revealing a gentle smile:
"Long time no see, Bronya."