Chapter 188 The Orphanage in The Other World
Emily stared at Henry dumbfounded, her body trembling slightly. A mist of tears formed in her eyes. She was willing to listen to the words 'silly rabbit' for a lifetime.
"Your responsibility now is to be a teacher, not to worry about supporting these children," Henry said.
His dark eyes fell on the little deer girl behind Emily. Henry continued, "Once they enter Eldoria, they become my people. It's my duty to ensure they have food and shelter. Please don't take that away from me."
Emily's tears, which she had been holding back, finally fell. She bit her lip and forced a smile. "Yes, my lord."
For some reason, a heavy burden seemed to lift from Emily's shoulders. The invisible pressure that had weighed her down was now gone.
"Let's find a place for them to rest," Henry said with a gentle smile.
"Okay." Emily nodded obediently.
In reality, it was nearly impossible for her to support over thirty orc children with just one silver coin a month. They would often go hungry, as orc children had hearty appetites.
Ellie approached and said softly. "Emily, you really are a silly rabbit. Don't worry. Henry had already arranged for a place for the children."
Emily could only nod in response.
"Let's go. It's almost lunchtime, and they can have a good meal." Henry said, leading the way to Eldoria, with Tess following closely.
"Okay!" Emily immediately turned and ran toward Mary, leaving Ivy, who was still in shock, behind. Ivy stood there, looking at her new sisters in a daze.
"Wow, a little cutie!" Ellie's eyes lit up.
Mila, with her cat ears twitching, said, "Hey, Ellie! What are you saying? Don't scare the kids."
"This... nothing...I'll go ahead," Ellie scratched her cheek, blushing, and bounced after Henry.
Could she say that Henry taught her? Henry had mentioned that girls as cute and petite as her were called 'little cuties', which was adorable.
"What's going on?" Mila caught up, her hips swaying, and muttered, "It must be another little drama."
Willow crouched down, looking at the little deer girl, and asked softly, "What's your name?"
"I... I'm Ivy," Ivy said timidly.
"Okay, come with me." Willow said, taking Ivy's hand and catching up with Henry.
Ivy turned her head and saw Emily and the others following. She quickened her pace and looked up at Willow, thinking, 'What a beautiful sister.'
Emily's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "Grandma Mary, did you hear what Lord Henry said? He said he would take care of us."
"I heard..." Mary looked at the blush on Emily's cheeks and sighed. She hoped Emily wouldn't get too involved. There was a natural barrier between the human nobility and the orcs, and the deeper the involvement, the greater the pain.
And as far as she knew, no noble would do something as foolish as raising over thirty orc children without gaining anything in return, except for those wastrels.
Raising over thirty orc children for a long period of time, not just for a year or two—many of the children were only seven or eight years old now. If they were to be raised, it would be for at least five years. This was no small expense.
Mary didn't say any of this out loud. She exchanged a glance with the other old orcs. They had already discussed it last night. If they sensed anything wrong, they would risk their lives to let the children escape.
As they entered the city, everyone was stunned, their eyes darting around in disbelief, and exclamations escaped their mouths.
"Wow! Such wide and beautiful streets."
"Look, those rooms are so pretty, much better than the wooden huts in the tribe."
"Emily, will we live in houses like these in the future?"
"Emily, do you like that handsome guy just now?"
"Emily, you were blushing earlier..."
Emily almost tripped over. She blushed and pulled the cheeks of a few curious little girls who were following closely behind with questions.
With a stern face, Emily said, "Don't talk nonsense. You should address that person as Lord Henry, understand?"
"Oh, okay." The children started whispering, but the topic remained the same.
The group arrived at a courtyard with a sign on the gate that read – Eldoria's Orphanage.
Henry pushed open the gate and entered the main building, which belonged to a merchant. He had exchanged it for a smaller one, making it perfect for the orphanage.
Inside the main house, there were over thirty wooden beds, arranged in two rows. Each bed had a new blanket made of animal fur.
"Come in and see your new home," Henry stepped aside and said. "For now, you will stay here."
The new house Henry built couldn't accommodate over thirty people, so the orcs had to stay in this spacious place until the second phase of construction was completed.
Mary and the others walked into the house, their eyes wide, staring at everything in disbelief. The sight of the thirty wooden beds and the blankets struck a chord in their hearts.
"This..." Mary thought about how in the tribe, there were no beds or blankets. The orphans would find some straw to sleep on and huddle together for warmth.
Now, everything was prepared for them, leaving Mary and the others at a loss, feeling as if they were in a dream, it all seemed so unreal.
"These are just the basics." Henry said with a smile. "All the children in the orphanage will go to elementary school, and the Lord's Manor will take care of your tuition. As long as you do well in the exams, the top performers will be rewarded."
Henry continued, "Your three meals a day will be provided by the Lord's Manor until you're fifteen. The Lord's Manor will take care of your food and accommodation. As for other things, you'll have to rely on your own efforts. When you turn fifteen, you'll be considered adults, and you'll be responsible for yourselves. Of course, remember to repay the tuition fees."
People all had inertia. If Henry arranged everything, the orphans would eventually take it for granted. He won't raise a bunch of freeloaders.
Only when life was still pressing, would these orphans think about progress, and only then would they become elite talents.
Henry was for the future, not for instant rewards.
