Chapter 2352: Red Heart Orphanage

Chapter 2352: Chapter 2352: Red Heart Orphanage

"Emissary of Justice?"

Mr. Benhart frowned deeply:

"What kind of Emissary of Justice would so casually kill someone? The morgue where Ptolemy works has recently received more than just one or two bodies that died from heart attacks."

"I have some thoughts on that relic, a Destiny-type relic, persistently pursuing justice..."

Mr. Albert said softly:

"But still, it’s necessary to meet with Mrs. Jude again, to verify something."

It’s not yet four in the afternoon, and the summer days are long, so they still have some time.

"Whatever promises Mosen made to you, I can offer the same. Let’s resolve this matter as soon as possible."

Thus, the Captain added.

"He said he could help us handle the troubles in Moon Bay later, even willing to mobilize his servants and gather friends to participate in such a large-scale battle."

Mr. Benhart said, making Captain Rudolf quite surprised:

"Are you certain that Moon Bay is bound for destruction? I was a bit skeptical before, as I’ve never been one to believe in prophecies... I can make the same promise, my ship can be slightly modified to become a naval weapon. Many of my sailors are willing to risk their lives for money, and I have some friends in Moon Bay.

If you three can guarantee my safety and help me resolve this troublesome matter, I can join you as well. Given the current situation in Moon Bay, we’re barely better off than fugitives. It’s indeed time to do something; I don’t want to abandon the Moon Bay I’ve been building for so many years."

Captain Rudolf didn’t provide the three with money or special items, but he promised that after this matter is resolved, he could give them a long-ago acquired undiluted bottle of Holy Water No. 2 as a token of gratitude in advance.

Afterwards, they set off to see Mrs. Jude. Mr. Benhart had been in contact with Mrs. Jude and Miss Les, so he knew where they were located.

Miss Les was still at her manor waiting for good news from the three, while Mrs. Jude had gone to visit the children at the orphanage she founded, so their destination was the orphanage.

The building named "Red Heart Orphanage" was not within the city but located in the northeast outskirts. The orphanage was situated on a small hill, not particularly far from the city.

The land belonged to Mrs. Jude, and the income from the rice fields, mill, and orchard surrounding the orphanage was sufficient to cover the daily expenses of the orphanage. Charitable institutions like Moon Bay City were not rare, and "Red Heart Orphanage" wasn’t the largest among them.

The decision to place it in the outskirts was a common practice for orphanages of this era, partly due to the high land prices in the city, and also to facilitate the management of the children and ensure their healthy growth.

When they arrived at the orphanage, the time was already four in the afternoon. The carriage stopped at the crossroads where the road from the city extended, and the three of them followed a path directly to the entrance of the orphanage. From afar, they could see the gray-white walls surrounding the building and the courtyard, giving it a formal appearance.

The iron gate of the courtyard was open, with the older children likely helping in the orchard, while the younger ones played in the yard or ran around in nearby places.

The arrival of three strangers first caused the guard dog to bark a few times, and then the children in the yard cautiously ran back into the low two-story building, which was also the main building of the orphanage. Mr. Benhart glanced at the dog, which immediately retreated back to its kennel.

However, the three of them did not directly enter the building, preferring to stand in the yard waiting for someone inside to come out.

Shard then looked up at the tower structure protruding from the center of the two-story building, then turned to view the rice fields outside the yard, as well as the mill and windmill in the distance.

Living in such a place would probably be quite pleasant, growing up healthy, far from the city’s noise and bad air, something unimaginable for many children of this era. Of course, orphans who lost their parents were much more unfortunate than ordinary city children breathing bad air; Shard was merely admiring the scenery.

"These children’s health seems quite good."

Shard heard Mr. Benhart say softly, and Mr. Albert added:

"But all we’re seeing are the children who can be outside; there might be sick children inside the rooms... this place is well-maintained, look at that chicken coop over there, much tidier than the one in the alley of the Spider Inn."

Quickly, a plump woman wearing an apron and headscarf came out of the small two-story building of the orphanage to greet the three unexpected visitors.

According to the plan they discussed on the carriage, Mr. Benhart did not mention that they knew Mrs. Jude:

"Hello, we’d like to make a donation to this orphanage."

He said as he looked up at the entire building:

"I’m a merchant from Velindale, and these two are my friends. We heard about this orphanage in the city club, is it convenient for us to take a look today? We won’t disturb for long."

He took out an envelope and stuffed it into the pocket of the fat woman’s apron, which contained part of the money Shard won from the Parsifal Club that afternoon:

"Use this money to give the kids an extra meal, please accept it."

The woman held the envelope but didn’t refuse, she said somewhat awkwardly:

"I’m really sorry, our director is meeting another guest."

That guest is Mrs. Jude.

"No problem."

Shard shrugged indifferently:

"We just want to take a look around here. If possible, you can give us a brief tour."

The fat woman then nodded:

"No problem, I’m the grammar teacher for the lower grades here, and I also do some kitchen work when the cook is away. Please follow me, our orphanage is actually running quite well. But it’s always good to make the children’s lives a bit better."

The orphanage has two floors, plus the central tower, which can be considered three floors. The tower houses the director’s office and the accounting office, and children are not allowed to go there, while the first and second floors serve as public activity areas, laundry rooms, dining rooms, dormitories, and other functional spaces.

The fat woman called herself "Lady Lessa" and has been working at this orphanage for three years. According to her, there are currently 27 children living here, and the orphanage staff is composed of 12 people.

"A very suitable ratio."

While visiting the kitchen on the first floor, Mr. Benhart said, and Mr. Albert glanced at the somewhat simple kitchen. The kitchen has only one small window, located quite high above the stove, so even during the daytime, it isn’t very bright.

The space here is quite small, with the stove and cabinets taking up most of the room, and the walls covered with kitchenware and various hanging pickled vegetables, making it a bit crowded for four people to stand in here.

The coroner sniffed a few times:

"The food here is quite good. I smell the scent of vegetable soup and blood."

Lady Lessa smiled and said:

"The kind-hearted Mrs. Jude, who founded the orphanage, requested to feed the children meat twice a month. This generous woman doesn’t like small-sized children. Today’s meal is improvement day, with salted meat in the kids’ lunch, and fish purchased from the dock by the cook in the evening. Moon Bay may lack many things, but never fish."

Contrastingly, the three men hadn’t eaten anything this noon.

The indoor walls of the orphanage are a bit damp, but one can’t expect too much from an orphanage. The furniture here is mostly wooden, with a large portion donated by kind-hearted people.

Mrs. Jude’s main investment in founding the orphanage was the land they walked on, the house originally a farmhouse, and paying the staff’s salary. Therefore, donations from others besides Mrs. Jude are also important for this orphanage.

Despite being shabby, overall it is quite cozy. During the tour, Lady Lessa first introduced the three to the orphanage’s coachman — primarily responsible for hauling and purchasing — and the other four women taking care of the children along with her, as well as the orphanage’s key custodian — an elderly man who was blind in one eye, then proceeded to show them the children’s bedrooms on the second floor.

Shard originally thought there would be two large rooms filled with beds to separately accommodate the boys and girls, but surprisingly, he found each room had four bunk beds, as well as individual wardrobes, desks, and chairs.

The conditions here were almost similar to those when the Outlander was studying.

And during the tour of the orphanage, the three of them also saw the children who hides from unfamiliar faces. The children living here mainly range from 6 to 13 years old, and everyone has been assigned work daily, with even the youngest children helping in the kitchen.

Their clothes showed only a few patches, and none of the children had faces with a sallow appearance. Not only were Mr. Benhart and Mr. Albert carefully distinguishing them, but Shard also utilized his unique ability to find the Vampire Kind.

The good news is, aside from his two companions, there wasn’t any other Vampire Race here. This not only indicates that Mrs. Jude really hasn’t transformed the children into her same clan, she even hasn’t arranged any vampire servants here to oversee them.

"Indeed, it shouldn’t be arranged, otherwise it’s like having monkeys guard an orchard."

Shard thought, feeling quite pleased.

He felt pleased because Mrs. Jude told the truth, she indeed hadn’t done anything excessive to the children. If the children showed symptoms of anemia caused by massive blood extraction, Mr. Benhart and Mr. Albert would easily have noticed, but they didn’t observe any such phenomenon among the orphanage’s children.

The three had traversed the entire building except for the tower without finding any traces of Circle Sorcerer spellcasting or ceremonial power. It was simply an ordinary orphanage. This suggests that at least behaviorally and mentally, Mrs. Jude hasn’t treated this place as a "pigsty" or "ranch," otherwise, she would certainly have been more cautious.