Lunla Orphanage, inside the house.

  Caius sat stiffly on the chair.

  There was no helping it—this chair was a bit too small for his large frame. But more than that, he was more concerned about the nervous girl in front of him, gripping her small hands tightly.

  She stood there like a lamppost, while four little girls hid behind her, peeking at Caius cautiously.

  When she learned that Caius was willing to help and that she could continue her studies, the mushroom-haired girl couldn’t help but hug Grandma Lunla and cry again. It was clear how much she didn’t want to give up on school.

  Because of that, she no longer insisted on dropping out. Caius was sure that if he lifted the hair covering her eyes, he’d see them filled with hope.

  "Hey, there are chairs here. Why are you still standing?" Caius asked.

  "I… standing is fine…" Belle’s small voice replied.

  Grandma Lunla explained, "This child is just like that—she's not good at dealing with strangers and gets nervous easily."

  "I can tell. But it’s no big deal—she’ll get used to it with time," Caius said casually.

  The room then fell into silence since Kiki hadn’t returned yet.

  But Caius wasn’t awkward at all. He simply sat there, openly observing the furnishings inside.

  The room was simply furnished, even a bit shabby, but it was impeccably clean, with not a speck of dust on the floor.

  Looking out the window, he saw a vegetable garden in the backyard, with plants growing vibrantly. The children weren’t skin and bones, likely thanks to this garden.

  It was a shame that they couldn’t sell these excellent vegetables.

  At that moment, Caius heard a faint scraping sound. Turning his head, he saw Belle had somehow moved to his side. She was pressing her finger against the base of a wooden cup, slowly pushing it toward him.

  When she saw Caius looking, she quickly retracted her hand.

  "D-drink… water…"

  Caius chuckled, picking up the cup and downing it in one go.

  The moment he put the cup down, Belle stealthily reached out again, grabbed the cup, and quickly ran off to refill it.

  When she returned, Caius deliberately turned his head away.

  Sure enough, he soon heard the familiar sound of wood scraping against wood.

  The corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

  This girl was kind of fun.

  So, with a mischievous smirk, he suddenly turned his head.

  Belle, who had just pushed the cup in front of him, trembled in fright and immediately pulled her hand back.

  How amusing~

  Caius drained the water again.

  And Belle came to "steal" the cup again.

  Steal, refill, push—the cycle repeated.

  Caius got into the game. As long as Belle poured water, he would drink it all in one go.

  Belle, on the other hand, was inexplicably stubborn. No matter how many times he drank, she insisted on refilling the cup, as if it was an unshakable duty of hospitality.

  So, the cycle continued. Grandma Lunla watched with a bit of exasperation but also found it oddly entertaining.

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  Belle rarely interacted with strangers, let alone engaged in such a back-and-forth exchange. This was a valuable opportunity for her to practice social interaction.

  So, she didn’t stop them.

  By the time Kiki returned, Caius was already full of water.

  "Where’s the restroom?" he asked.

  He had drunk a bit too much, and his bladder was full.

  When he returned, sure enough, the cup was full again. Meanwhile, Kiki was now sitting in the chair he had occupied earlier, blinking her big eyes as she watched Belle slowly push a second cup toward her.

  "What are you doing, Meow?"

  Caius chuckled and turned to Kiki. "So, how is it?"

  Kiki took a sip from her cup and said, "Boss Lady said that land in the outer city is about 2,100 gold per acre right now."

  "How big is the orphanage?" Caius asked Grandma Lunla.

  "Exactly two acres," she replied.

  Caius nodded. "That’s 4,200 gold. How does that price sound to you?"

  "That’s… too much…" Grandma Lunla waved her hands. "If you really want it, 2,000 gold is enough. My late husband only paid a little over 2,000 gold for this land back then. It's not worth that much now…"

  "The market is different now, and there’s no such thing as ‘not worth much,’" Caius said with a smile.

  He knew Grandma Lunla understood he was helping them, so she intentionally lowered the price. Otherwise, this orphanage was in a prime location—next to the market entrance, with a city lake behind it, a main road in front, and a commercial street beside it. There was no way it should be priced solely by land area.

  If he built a nice house here, the price could easily skyrocket several times over.

  After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about this—3,500 gold?"

  "Consider it me getting a good deal, with the rest covering the commission."

  Grandma Lunla hesitated briefly but eventually nodded.

  3,500 gold was a lot. Sure, Caius could earn over 1,000 gold from a single job, but that was because he took on commissions meant for an entire team by himself.

  With frugality, 3,500 gold could last a six-person household for four or five years. Not to mention, Caius was letting them continue living here.

  And so, the deal was settled. Caius paid 2,000 gold upfront, with the rest to be settled after he completed his next job.

  In truth, Grandma Lunla only needed 100 gold as a deposit, just enough to get through an urgent situation—to provide the kids with better nutrition for a few days and cover Belle’s school expenses. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked for any deposit at all.

  But Caius forced 2,000 gold into her hands.

  Because he knew the truth.

  This was practically taking advantage of the situation.

  Normally, this amount wouldn’t be enough to buy land here.

  Land was always valuable, no matter the world.

  Not to mention, the orphanage’s buildings, though a bit old, were still usable. And Grandma Lunla hadn’t even factored those into the price.

  So, Caius had scored a great deal.

  Not only did he do a good deed, but Holan would also likely support him at the Academy, offering various conveniences. Plus, he had just secured a base for his soon-to-be-formed mercenary squad. It was a win-win-win.

  Of course, his main reason was simply wanting to help them.

  People say mercenaries are heartless, but after witnessing true cruelty and indifference, Caius understood the value of kindness even more.

  Besides, anyone Holan valued must have great potential. Not to mention, Belle was easily an 80-plus beauty.

  When in a good mood, Caius didn’t mind being helpful.

  And if the person in need was a beauty, being helpful made him feel even better~

  A simple calculation.

  The only downside was that his money pouch was now significantly lighter.

  But that was no big deal for Caius—he was about to take on some jobs anyway. He’d earn the money back in no time.

  These Silver-tier missions were ridiculously easy for him.

  Material collection quests—Silver-tier Tusked Boar hides, two jars of wild Red Velvet Bee honey, Iron-tailed Giant Lizard scales.

  Difficult?

  Not at all.

  Years ago, Caius could take down these Silver-tier Magic Beasts with his bare hands.

  Now, doing these missions was basically like picking up free money.

  If lucky, he could finish three Silver-tier advancement quests by tonight!

  With that thought, Caius decided to stop playing the water cup game with Belle and motioned to Kiki to leave.

  "Alright, it’s settled. I have things to do, so I’ll be going now. I’ll come back in a few days."

  "Oh, right—your things." With a flick of his hand, an envelope and an academy badge flew toward Belle.

  Belle fumbled to catch them, staring blankly at Caius.

  He turned his head slightly and grinned. "Opportunities aren’t easy to come by. I’m still struggling to get into Hydis Magic Academy myself."

  "Treasure it, girl. I hope that when I enter Hydis, you’ll be at the gate to welcome me."

  With that, he strode off with Kiki, not giving Belle a chance to reply.

  "The land deed... we didn’t take it…" Lunla Granny murmured.

  It was only then that Belle realized it, but by the time she rushed out, Caius was nowhere to be seen on the street.

  Did he leave that fast?

  She simply stood there quietly, then slowly lowered her head, gazing at the academy emblem in her hand, still warm from his touch.

  "Thank you..."

  A soft whisper carried away by the breeze. Her chestnut-colored short hair lifted in the wind, revealing a face as pure as an angel’s.

  But as if the heavens were jealous, the wind died down in an instant, hastily letting her hair fall back, once again concealing her delicate features.

  No one saw it.

  Not even Caius, who was hiding in a nearby alley, leaning casually against the wall.

  Kiki, slightly out of breath, asked, "Why did we have to run all the way here to hide, meow?"

  "This is called ‘leaving in style, concealing one’s merits and fame,’ a perfect demonstration of our selflessness and greatness!" Caius declared with a straight face before breaking into a wide grin.

  "Most importantly—it looks really cool!"