My setting is above yours!

Chapter 53 The Saintess Who Doesn't Belong to This World (4k2)

Looking at the thin, crying children, one of the burly men impatiently lashed out with his whip and shouted:

"Stop crying here! Anyone who cries again will be sent to work on chimneys in a factory in Chongqing..."

But upon hearing this, the children cried even louder.

How could they know what would happen if they put a chimney on it?

These orphans, dragged from the welfare home and ostensibly "adopted" to be taken to a textile factory, knew only that they were about to be taken away from their small, still-livable home to an unknown and terrifying place...

They were being whipped by a group of fierce-looking, burly men. How could they not be afraid?
Such threats, besides making them cower in fear and cry even louder, are utterly useless...

"Damn it, why can't these little brats understand human language..."

A burly man, somewhat annoyed, flicked his whip, raising it again to lash out at the children.

"Never mind, never mind... How can you treat children like this?"

Beside them, a gentleman dressed in a suit, impeccably groomed, spoke up and stopped the burly man:
“They are citizens with free will, and they are also future workers in the textile factory. We can’t afford to damage their health…”

As he said this, the butler, who was following closely behind him, reprimanded him in a somewhat high-pitched accent:
"Did you hear me! You bunch of idiots, don't be so clumsy... If you damage Mr. Hall's property, you can forget about your salary this month!"

The butler, emboldened by his master's authority, berated the burly men. Seeing their hesitant responses, he put down his whip and approached Mr. Hall, saying:
"Sir... I've calculated it pretty much. Sending these brats to the textile factories in the Fog City as apprentices will only cost them two shillings a month, which is more than half the price of the cheapest female workers..."

As he spoke, he picked up a quill pen and began to scribble and draw in the ledger:

"I've done a rough calculation, and if we keep doing this and take in more orphans as apprentices, we can earn tens of thousands of gold pounds every year just from this business!"

"Indeed, I made the right decision to buy that small factory..."

Mr. Hall nodded slightly, then approached the group of children who were crying more and more intensely, and gave them a gentle smile:

"Don't cry...don't cry...If you go to the textile factory, you can get six copper pence every week. Have you ever calculated how much that is?"

As he spoke, he began to paint a rosy picture:

“One penny is enough for you to buy a small jar of candy! Haven’t you been clamoring for candy all this time?”

"When I get a job at the textile factory and receive my salary, I can eat however I want and buy as much as I want..."

Upon hearing this, the children's crying gradually subsided and eventually stopped.

Compared to the burly man's threat to their lives, Mr. Hall's enticement was clearly more effective with the children.

Although this kind of behavior of using "candy" as a treasure to lure children may sound a little funny, it is very effective for children.

They became noticeably quieter, no longer making noise, and stood obediently in place.

Seeing that they no longer resisted, the burly men finally breathed a sigh of relief. They took out bundles of rope and tied them to their hands as a final layer of insurance to prevent them from escaping halfway.

After making sure everyone was tied up, they prepared to lead the children out of the orphanage through the back door and head to the textile factory in the foggy city...

But before leaving, a child who looked to be about seven or eight years old finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Although he still seemed very frightened, he couldn't help but speak to Baron Hall because he was about to leave the orphanage:
"Sir..." He swallowed hard, and asked timidly with hope, "If we go to the textile factory... will we still have a chance to see Sister Saintess?"

Baron Hall's smiling face froze instantly.

His face gradually darkened, his eyes filled with obvious disgust and hatred, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

A saint? Ha! What utter nonsense about a "saint"...

A disgusting title bestowed upon him by himself, a scoundrel even the lowest of the low wouldn't believe—

If it weren't for this idiot, I wouldn't be in this situation now, so much more miserable than others!
If it weren't for her... I would have earned tens of thousands of pounds by now, just from these child laborers.
If it weren't for her... if it weren't for her...

He gripped his cane tightly, giving the child a dark, glaring look, but said nothing. He simply coldly addressed the butler beside him:
"Let him go and clean the chimney."

"Clear the chimney?" The butler hesitated. "Isn't it a bit of a waste to have these kids clear the chimney... We could just go somewhere else and buy a few dumber ones, a dozen or so shillings would be enough..."

Baron Hall glanced at the butler:

Are you questioning my choice?

"Of course not..." The butler broke out in a cold sweat and forced a fawning smile: "This brat is still thinking about that stupid woman Idrila. He deserves to be sent to clean chimneys!"

"Hmph... If it weren't for her, how would I have ended up like this?"

Baron Hall snorted, but his expression softened as he watched the orphans being led away obediently by the burly men.

"Fortunately... although it's been several years late, with these kids around, making money isn't difficult."

“We haven’t missed this opportunity yet—I, Brandon Hall, will definitely make back all the gold pounds we lost before, and then move back to the Fog City!”

As he spoke, Baron Hall, who was clearly middle-aged and looked somewhat old, was now as spirited as a young man:
"I'm sure I'll turn things around again at the gambling tables of the Golden Opera House, win a manor in the Fog City, and then I'll never have to come to this backwater town of Evening Bell again!"

As he spoke, his emotions grew increasingly agitated, and his words became more and more fragmented, causing the children who hadn't yet left to visibly shrink back.

Even the butler, who was used to him, couldn't help but shake his head and added a few more strokes to the ledger with a quill pen...

But, right now.

A loud crash came from the entrance of the welfare home.

"what's the situation?"

Baron Hall snapped out of his reverie, and as soon as he looked away, he saw the iron gate fly straight into the air and then crash down with a deafening roar...

A slender, small figure rushed over and crashed heavily in front of him...

"Ah, Baron Hall... I think I'm not too late, am I?"

The clear voice carried a hint of anger. Upon hearing this familiar voice, Baron Hall felt the world spin and his whole body spun.

The dream of making a fortune gambling off the orphans in the welfare home and then turning his life around in Chongqing was shattered.

He gripped his cane tightly with both hands, pressing it down to support his body, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, not daring to raise his head to look at the visitor, whom he already knew who it was.

But burying one's head in the sand and deceiving oneself is pointless... Baron Hall knew who the people who came were, and he also knew that his plans for today were likely to fail again.

He could only grit his teeth and forcefully lift his head to look at the girl in front of him, who was no more than 1.56 meters tall and wore a white robe with gold thread...

Then, she gave an awkward, stiff smile: "So, it's Miss Idris..."

He chuckled, making a final attempt to block Idrila's view:

"Why didn't Miss Idrila greet me when she came to the orphanage today..."

He seemed to want to say something more, but Idrila ignored him and casually pried his shoulder aside—

[War] How terrifying is the physical strength of a Sequence Seven transcendent?
Even though Idrila held back and had no intention of using her supernatural abilities, a simple push was enough to send Baron Hall sprawling to the ground with a "thud," tumbling twice without a sound.

He groaned and, covered in dust, was hurriedly pulled to his feet by the butler beside him, only to see Idrila already walking towards the group of children—

"Sweetie, don't cry. We can have candy even without going to the textile factory..."

She comforted the children in a very gentle tone, skillfully squatting down and distributing the candies she had bought beforehand to the little ones.

"It's Sister Idrila!"

"More candy!"

The children cheered immediately, and Idrila easily cut the ropes binding their hands in that instant.

They swarmed around her like a tide, taking the candy from Idris's hands...

But the group of burly men with whips couldn't hold back any longer.

"What exactly are you trying to do?!"

They came to Evening Bell City from Fog City, and had never heard of the name of the Evening Bell Saintess, so naturally they had no idea who Idrila was...

To them, all they could see was a woman who seemed like a madwoman storming into the orphanage, pushing Baron Hall over, and now cutting the ropes in their hands in an unimaginable way, trying to release the children.

Although they were terrified, the thought that if they made a mistake at work, they might not even get their entire month's salary made their fear of Idrisla outweigh their fear of her.

They huddled together, their bravado masking their inner fear, and threatened Idrisla with slightly trembling hands:
"You...you should know this is a baron's business! Obstructing free trade and factory hiring violates the Imperial Trade Act..."

But Idrila completely ignored them, only glancing at them with a serious expression—

The supernatural powers of [War] suddenly erupted. Idrila did not harm them, but the violent spirituality emanating from [War] already instilled in them a deep-seated fear...

Like facing a massive army on a battlefield, fear instantly broke down their morale. The group of people suddenly went mad, dropping their whips and running away in a panic.

After scaring them away, Idrila immediately withdrew her magic, then looked at the children with an extremely gentle smile:

"I'm going to chat with Mr. Hall first, then I'll come back to play with you guys later..."

She gently comforted the children, and only after seeing that everyone was clearly no longer afraid did she turn back to Baron Hall's side once more.
“Mr. Hall… I think I should have told you about what happened today before.”

“These children should grow up carefree and live carefree lives... instead of being sent to factories and having their blood and sweat squeezed dry.”

Her tone was calm, but unlike her usual gentleness; a clear threat lurked in her harshness, and just listening to it sent a chill down your spine, as if you could smell the blood of death.

“As a friend, I think you should know my identity very well… I am a nun from the Scorched Earth Sanctuary.”

Upon hearing this, Baron Hall's already ashen face turned even blacker than the dust that had settled on it.

He remained silent for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying bitterly:

“Yes, Miss Idrila, yes… Hall Welfare Home will take good care of these children as you instructed.”

Upon hearing this, it was as if ice and snow were melting; Idrila's serious expression immediately relaxed, becoming much gentler.

"If that's the case, then I think we can still be friends."

Baron Hall knew Idrila's temper well and knew that as long as he promised not to send the children to the factory, Idrila wouldn't hurt anyone. He couldn't help but snort coldly.
"Friends... Hmph, I really wish we were friends!"

"I've never met a friend who would block someone's path to wealth... How come you're so special!"

Idrisra said calmly:
“I’m not special, Mr. Hall. I just did what everyone else should do.”

"What everyone should do?" Baron Hall scoffed. "If this were in another city, or even just with a different person, this wouldn't happen!"

"I'm just trying to find them a job! A job! I've never seen any nuns in a true church meddle in things like this!"

As he spoke, he finally couldn't suppress the resentment in his heart and pointed at Idrisla, accusing her:
“It’s not that I’m unwilling to share the money with you—you can share, Father Sue can share, the Truth Society and the Lost Church can share…”

"Why, why are you the one blocking my business? When did I ever offend you?!"

But Idrisla simply shook her head and said calmly:

“There is no hatred between us, Mr. Hall…”

“I’ve said it before, this is something everyone should do.”

Baron Hall couldn't help but retort, "But that's always been the case! Whether it's me or them, this kind of business is everywhere!"

Idrisla retorted very seriously: "Just because it's always been this way, does that mean it's right?"

Upon hearing this, Baron Hall fell silent.

After a long while, he finally let out a cold snort:
"Hmph... Do you really think you're some kind of 'saintly maiden' descended to save the world?"

"A bunch of idiots who forget their place just because these lowly people flatter them a little..."

He spoke with a weary expression, seemingly too tired to pay any more attention to Idrisla.

She simply turned her head and prepared to leave with the butler beside her.

But at this moment, Idrila remembered the real reason she and Ron had come here, and her face immediately froze.

Today... it seems I came to borrow the "shroud" from Lord Hall's house.

But then...

She hesitated for a moment, then spoke up to stop Baron Hall, saying:

"Wait a minute! Mr. Hall, if I remember correctly, your family has been around for hundreds of years, hasn't it?"

"Do you have a shroud at home?"

(End of this chapter)