Chapter 2307

"Messenger of justice?"

Mr. Bernhardt frowned deeply:

"Which messenger of justice would kill people so casually? The morgue where Ptolemy works hasn't received just one or two bodies of heart attack victims recently."

"I have an idea about that relic. A destiny-type relic, a persistent pursuit of justice..."

Mr. Albert said softly:

"But we still need to go see Mrs. Jude again; it needs to be verified."

It was not yet four o'clock in the afternoon, and since summer days are long, they still had some time.

"No matter what promise Morson gave you, I can also give it. Let's resolve this matter as soon as possible."

The captain then said.

"He said he could help us deal with troublesome matters in Moon Bay later, and was even willing to mobilize his servants and gather friends to participate in those large-scale battles."

Mr. Bernhardt said, and Captain Rudolf was quite surprised:

"Are you so certain that Moon Bay is destined to be destroyed? I didn't quite believe it before; I've never really believed in prophecies... I can also give such a promise. My ship would be a sharp weapon for naval warfare with a little modification. Many of my sailors are willing to risk their lives for money, and I also have some friends in Moon Bay.

If you three guarantee my safety and help me solve this trouble, I can also join you. Under the current situation in Moon Bay, people like us are basically only slightly better off than wanted criminals. It is indeed time to do something; I don't want to give up Moon Bay, which I have managed for so many years."

Captain Rudolf did not sponsor the three with money or special items, but he promised that after this matter was resolved, he could give them a bottle of undiluted No. 2 holy water he had obtained a long time ago as an initial token of gratitude.

After that, it was time to set off to see Mrs. Jude. Mr. Bernhardt had always been in contact with Mrs. Jude and Miss Rice, so he knew their location.

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

The building, named "Heart Orphanage," was not in the city, but in the suburbs to the northeast of the city. The orphanage was located on a small hill, not actually very far from the city.

That land belonged to Mrs. Jude herself, and the income from the rice fields, mills, and orchards around the orphanage was enough to maintain the daily expenses of the orphanage. There are actually quite a few such charitable institutions in Moon Bay, and "Heart Orphanage" is not the largest one among them.

Choosing a location in the suburbs was also a common practice for orphanages in this era. On one hand, it was because land prices in the city were too expensive, and on the other hand, it was to facilitate the management of the children and ensure their healthy growth.

When they arrived at the orphanage, the time had already reached four o'clock in the afternoon. The carriage stopped at the crossroads of the main road extending from the city, and then the three followed the small path directly to the entrance of the orphanage. From a distance, one could see the gray-white walls surrounding the building and the courtyard, which also made the place look quite formal.

The iron fence gate of the courtyard was open. The older children were probably helping in the orchard, while the younger children were playing in the courtyard or running around in other nearby places.

The arrival of three strangers first made the guard dog bark a few times, and then those children in the courtyard vigilantly ran back into the low two-story building, which was also the main building of the orphanage. Mr. Bernhardt glanced at the dog, and it immediately shrank back into its kennel.

However, the three did not enter the building directly, but stood in the courtyard waiting for someone inside to come out.

So Xia De looked up at the tower structure protruding from the center of the two-story building, then turned to look at the rice fields outside the courtyard, as well as the mill and windmill in the distance.

Living in such a place would probably be quite pleasant. Growing up healthy, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city and the terrible air, is something many children living in this era cannot imagine. Of course, orphans who have lost their parents are much more miserable than ordinary children breathing the terrible air in the city; Xia De was just lamenting that the scenery here was quite good.

"The health condition of these children is quite good."

Xia De heard Mr. Bernhardt say in a low voice, and Mr. Albert also added:

"But what we see are all children who can move around outside. Perhaps there are sick children in the rooms... It's cleaned very well here. Look at the chicken coop over there; this is much neater than the chicken coop in the alley of the Spider Inn."

Soon, a fat woman wearing an apron and a headscarf walked out of the two-story building of the orphanage to greet the three strange visitors.

Mr. Bernhardt, according to the plan the three had discussed in the carriage, did not say that they knew Mrs. Jude:

"Hello, we would like to donate to this orphanage."

As he spoke, he also looked up at the entire building:

"I am a businessman from Willendale, and these two are my friends. We heard about this orphanage at a club in the city. Is it convenient for us to take a look at the situation first today? We won't disturb you for long."

As he spoke, he took out an envelope and stuffed it into the fat woman's apron pocket. Inside was a portion of the money Xia De had won from the Parsifal Club that afternoon:

"Please use this money to provide extra meals for the children. Please accept it."

The woman squeezed the envelope and did not refuse, but said somewhat awkwardly:

"I'm so sorry, our director is receiving another guest."

That is, Mrs. Jude.

"It doesn't matter."

Xia De shook his head indifferently:

"We just want to see the situation here. If possible, you can just take the three of us around a little."

The fat woman then nodded:

"No problem. I am the lower-grade grammar teacher here, and I also do some kitchen work when the cook is on leave. The three of you, please come with me. The operation of our orphanage is actually quite good. But there is never any harm in letting the children live a little better."

The orphanage has two floors in total, and if you count the central tower, it can be considered three floors. The tower is the director's office and the accountant's office, and children are not allowed to go up there, while the first and second floors are functional areas such as public activity areas, laundry rooms, dining rooms, dormitories, etc.

The fat woman called herself "Mrs. Resa" and has been working at this orphanage for three years. According to her, there are currently 27 children living here, and there are 12 staff members at the orphanage.

"A very appropriate ratio."

While visiting the kitchen on the first floor, Mr. Bernhardt said, and Mr. Albert looked around the slightly simple kitchen. The kitchen only had one small window, located very high above the stove, so it was not very bright even during the day.

The space here was very small, and the stove and cabinets occupied most of the space. The walls were covered with kitchen utensils and various dried salted vegetables, making it a bit crowded for four people to stand here.

The coroner twitched his nose a few times:

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

Mrs. Resa said with a smile:

"The founder of the orphanage, the kind Mrs. Jude, requires that the children be fed meat twice a month. This generous lady does not like thin children. Today happens to be a food improvement day. The children's lunch includes salted meat, and dinner is fish purchased by the cook who went out to the pier. Moon Bay lacks nothing, but it will never lack fish."

In contrast, the three men had not eaten anything at noon today.

The interior walls of the orphanage were a bit damp, but for an orphanage, one cannot ask for too much. The furniture here is mainly made of wood, and most of it was sponsored by kind people.

Mrs. Jude's main investment in starting the orphanage was the land everyone walked through, the house that was originally a farmhouse, and paying the staff's salaries, so donations other than Mrs. Jude's were also very important to this orphanage.

Although it was old and dilapidated, it was generally considered warm. During the visit, Mrs. Resa first took the three to meet the orphanage's coachman—who was mainly responsible for hauling goods and purchasing—the other four women who took care of the children with her, and the orphanage's key keeper—an old man who was blind in one eye. Then she took the three to visit the children's bedrooms on the second floor.

Xia De originally thought that there would be two large rooms filled with beds to arrange for boys and girls separately, but he did not expect to see four bunk beds in each room, and each room also had separate wardrobes, tables, and stools.

These conditions were almost the same as the conditions when the Outsider was studying.

While visiting the orphanage, the three also saw the children who were hiding from strangers like them. The children living here were mainly between 6 and 13 years old, and everyone was assigned work every day, even the youngest children had to help in the kitchen.

The clothes they wore had only a few patches, and none of the children had a sallow complexion. Not only were Mr. Bernhardt and Mr. Albert carefully distinguishing, but Xia De also relied on his unique abilities to try to find vampires.

But the good news was that apart from the two companions beside him, there were no vampires here. This not only showed that Mrs. Jude really did not turn the children into her own kind, but she didn't even arrange for vampire servants to watch over them here.

"It certainly shouldn't be arranged, otherwise what's the difference between that and arranging monkeys to guard a peach orchard?"

Xia De thought in a good mood.

He was in a good mood because Mrs. Jude told the truth; she really didn't do anything excessive to the children. If the children showed signs of anemia caused by excessive blood drawing, Mr. Bernhardt and Mr. Albert could have easily discovered it, but they did not see any such phenomenon in the children at the orphanage.

And the three walked through the entire building except for the tower, and did not find any traces of Ring Mage spellcasting or ritual power. This was just an ordinary orphanage. This showed that Mrs. Jude, at least in action and psychology, did not treat this place as a "pigsty" or "pasture," otherwise she would definitely have been more cautious.