Orion followed Natasha into the Orphanage.
The interior of the building was equally dilapidated, but it was very clean, with no common stench of the Lower District in the air, only a faint smell of disinfectant.
Natasha's office was in the innermost room on the first floor.
The office was small, with only a worn wooden table and a few chairs.
Natasha sat down on a chair and gestured for Orion to sit as well.
Orion did not sit, just stood in front of the table, quietly looking at her.
Natasha sighed and rubbed her temples:
"I saw everything that happened just now…"
"That boy provoked first; he wanted to snatch Bronya's things and even tried to lay his hands on her. It was right for you to stop him."
Orion did not speak, waiting for her to continue.
"But…" Natasha's tone became heavier, "you hit him too hard, Orion. He's just a child, and you beat him up like that. Besides, I've already educated him, and he has reflected on it."
Orion's eyes instantly turned cold.
Just a child?
That child just now tried to hit Bronya with a stone and snatch the ice cream in her hand.
If he hadn't reacted in time, Bronya might have been injured.
In this place, kindness is the most luxurious thing.
"He should be grateful I only hit him twice."
Orion said coldly.
Natasha looked at him, momentarily at a loss for words.
She had seen too much violence in this Lower District.
But hearing such words from a six-year-old child still startled her.
"He already knows he was wrong." Natasha said, "I've also educated him."
"That's good. If there's a next time, if he dares to bully Bronya again… he won't have an easy time, I promise."
Orion's eyes flashed with menace, as if stating something that was bound to happen.
Natasha fell silent.
She looked at the thin but incredibly sharp-eyed child in front of her, and a strange sense of powerlessness welled up in her heart.
The survival rules of the Lower District were already etched into his bones.
Natasha changed the subject.
"Orion, I know it's not easy for you to make a living alone out there. Although the Orphanage's conditions aren't great, at least there's a place to stay and food to eat."
"I still say the same thing… Are you willing to stay?"
Natasha genuinely wanted to take him in, "Here, at least it'll be safer."
However, Orion refused without any hesitation:
"No need."
"I won't stay."
Natasha looked at his firm gaze, knowing that she had failed to convince him again this time.
How could she make him stay…
As if by a ghost's prompting, Natasha suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Orion's arm.
Her hands were not large, somewhat rough from years of work, but her grip was strong.
Orion's body was held in place by her, and the distance between them instantly closed, a faint scent of medicine wafting over him.
"Stay, Orion." Natasha persuaded, "Although the Orphanage's conditions are poor, at least you can eat your fill, dress warmly, and have a safe place to live."
She squeezed Orion's thin arm, "I promise, as long as you stay, you won't have to live that kind of life anymore. Although the Orphanage is struggling lately, I'm figuring things out, and it will get better soon. Then we'll even have meat to eat."
"I don't want to see a child like you needlessly lose his life out there…"
By the end, Natasha's expression was already very agitated, and her grip on Orion's hand tightened, as if she wouldn't let him go unless he agreed to stay.
At this moment, a scene flashed back in Orion's mind.
Night, the side alley of the Orphanage.
Natasha was wrapped in thick clothes, her expression tense.
Opposite her stood a masked person whose face was unclear.
Natasha held something in her hand that glowed strangely. Orion was far away at the time and couldn't see it clearly, but he could sense the danger emanating from it.
The masked person pulled out a cloth bag from his clothing.
The sound of metal clinking came from inside, like it contained coins, or perhaps small hard objects.
The two spoke a few words in low voices.
The sound was very faint, and Orion didn't catch the specific content.
He was just a hungry wanderer at the time, his mind only focused on how to fill his stomach, and he didn't pay much attention to what they were trying to do, but he instinctively sensed that it must be something illicit.
Now, combining Natasha's words about finding a way to improve the food, and that cloth bag that seemed to contain money, he instantly understood.
Natasha was trading Fragmentum monster parts with a wanderer for funds, all for the children of the Orphanage.
The flashback ended.
Orion was held tighter and tighter by Natasha, but he did not struggle.
Natasha saw Orion's expression change and thought he was finally wavering. She was about to strike while the iron was hot and say a few more words.
However, Orion asked her in a seemingly innocent tone:
"Natasha JieJie (Older Sister), I've always been curious… what are the consequences of privately trading Fragmentum monster parts?"
Upon hearing this, Natasha's body stiffened abruptly, and her hand gripping Orion instantly loosened, as if she had been burned.
A visible panic flashed in her eyes, her pupils slightly dilated, and her lips parted slightly.
"Ah? What did you say?"
Seeing Natasha's shock, Orion became even more certain.
"I heard that kind of thing is very dangerous, and if you get caught, it's a serious crime, right?" He tilted his head.
Natasha feigned composure, trying to hide her inner shock.
She forced out a smile that was uglier than a cry: "What are you talking about, Orion? I don't understand."
Her gaze began to avoid Orion's eyes, not daring to meet them, and her fingers unconsciously tightened on the hem of her clothes.
A faint smile curled at the corner of Orion's mouth.
He took a step forward, closing in on Natasha, and the oppressive feeling from his body made her even more nervous.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"I thought Natasha JieJie (Older Sister) would be very clear about these things."
"Last time I saw… you were clearly holding a part and making some kind of transaction with a strange person behind the Orphanage…"
Natasha's breathing quickened, and she looked at Orion nervously:
"Orion, you… you must have seen wrong. There's no strange person, and I don't have any monster parts…"
Orion ignored her denial and continued speaking to himself:
"Natasha JieJie (Older Sister), if the Silvermane Guards knew about this…"
"What would they do?"
These words struck Natasha's deepest fear.
Trading Fragmentum items was an absolute taboo!
Once exposed, she would not only be disgraced but would also face severe judgment, and even the Orphanage would be implicated and shut down!
Everything she had painstakingly built, all the children she had tried her best to protect, would instantly collapse!
Orion looked at Natasha JieJie (Older Sister)'s instantly pale face, secretly laughing in his heart.
He knew he had won.
Orion could even feel Natasha's rapid breathing now.
Then, he said in an even lower, cunning voice:
"Natasha JieJie (Older Sister), you wouldn't want others to know about that transaction, would you?"
The office was eerily quiet.
Natasha looked at the six-year-old child in front of her, as if seeing a little fox in sheep's clothing.