Chapter Two

Chapter Two

She didn't know how long she had slept.

Bai Sha, perhaps due to unfamiliarity with the bed or its hard surface, woke up early the next day. The sky outside was still murky, its edges tinged with a faint neon-like purple.

Is this a natural phenomenon or artificial pollution?

Bai Sha thought about the mechanical arm she had seen yesterday, named "Gwenith"—likely an intelligent robot, considering it even had a feminine name. It seemed that this place called "the Federation" must have quite advanced technology.

In Bai Sha's original world, intelligent robots getting angry or arguing with people were things only found in science fiction stories.

This thought suddenly filled Bai Sha with excitement.

"Knock, knock." The door to her room was suddenly rapped upon.

A tall woman entered, looking much more reliable than Holman. Dressed in a fitted grey-white outfit, her brown hair neatly coiled at the back of her head, she appeared to be of a certain age, with fine lines on her forehead, around her eyes, and on her cheeks as clear as the folds of flowstone. Yet she stood straight, her movements brisk, and a device like a watch on her wrist flashed with light, text and data forming tiny floating screens around her line of sight, exuding a mysterious high-tech aura.

"Bai Sha... is that right?" The woman glanced at Bai Sha, who immediately got up from the bed, tidied it up, and quietly sat on the edge. The woman seemed pleased with Bai Sha's manner, her tone carrying a hint of reassurance, "I've heard the details from Holman. Our orphanage can take you in, just need to create a new identity profile for you, which is not a difficult task on Lanslo Star."

"Given your age, if you can't find a guardian on this planet, you would eventually be sent to our orphanage," she said slowly. "Although we've posted a notice searching for your relatives on the star network, the system can't even find your parents' names. Objectively, the chances of finding your family are slim. Maybe on other planets, someone would be willing to adopt you. But on Lanslo Star, this possibility is also very slim... So, would you like to stay and live in our orphanage?"

"I'm willing," Bai Sha thought to herself, what else could an orphan choose? Isn't it natural for an orphan to live in an orphanage?

"I am Joan Picol, the director of this orphanage. You may call me 'Mrs. Picol,'" Mrs. Picol nodded. "Including you, there are eighty-two orphans here, but we are seriously understaffed. Including caregivers, teachers, medical staff, and logistics personnel, we only have seven people—"

Bai Sha: "Medical staff? Do you mean Gwenith?"

Mrs. Picol: "Correct, Gwenith is a medical robot equipped with an emotional chip. She cares for every patient, loves her colleagues and the children, and without a doubt, she is also a member of our teaching staff family."

Bai Sha: "..."

So, in this orphanage, are there actually only six adult workers?

Not to mention specialization, just by dividing the workload, each person is responsible for more than a dozen children, which is quite a challenge.

Mrs. Picol: "Therefore, you will also have to share some manageable chores to maintain the normal operation of the orphanage. Prepare yourself mentally for this. What are you good at?"

Bai Sha suddenly felt the urgency of speaking with an interviewer: "Does designing small things count, like in mechanics? And also drawing, gardening...?"

Mrs. Picol's expression grew increasingly strange.

Finally, as if restraining something, she sighed softly.

"Then you should help out in the kitchen."

Mrs. Picol gestured, and a cylindrical robot ran in from outside the door: "This is what the orphanage provides uniformly for all the children, including clothes, shoes, toiletries, paper, pens, and so on. Right now, the orphanage can only provide these basic necessities. If you want something else, you can wait until you're old enough to work part-time and earn it yourself."

"First, change your clothes, and I will take you out to have breakfast with everyone."

……

Combining both her lives, this was Bai Sha's first time in an orphanage. But she could pretty much imagine what an orphanage would be like.

"A less favorable comparison would be to 'The Promised Neverland', while a more favorable one might be to the X-Men Academy in the Marvel Universe."

Mrs. Picol led Bai Sha around the orphanage, which lacked any impressive high-tech equipment. It was just a typical orphanage, the biggest difference from Bai Sha's time being the absence of soil and trees.

Mrs. Picol guided Bai Sha to the hall, where everyone had breakfast together. She also gave Bai Sha a printed schedule: after breakfast, children were divided by age group to perform assigned chores. These tasks would occupy one or two hours of their time, followed by a study session. After 2 PM, younger children could play freely, while older ones received "employment training," essentially learning how to find a job that could support themselves.

Bai Sha keenly noticed a fact: the concept of 'school' didn’t seem to be an option in these children's growth trajectory.

But she smartly refrained from asking.

A single breakfast made her fully realize just how formidable the force of 'over eighty children' could be.

They chased and frolicked in the hall, talking loudly or arguing with each other. Especially the younger ones, who often emitted meaningless screams and cries. It took Bai Sha just thirty seconds in the hall to discern that about twenty percent of these children had issues, be it physical disabilities or appearing 'less intelligent'—no wonder Holman had said yesterday, "just making sure the kid isn't mentally challenged is enough."

Taking care of these challenging children were two young caregivers in uniforms, looking overwhelmed.

Holman was alongside another tall, thin male teacher, trying to manage the other unruly 'little monkeys'.

By the dining table, an old woman with completely white hair and glasses pushed a food cart slowly. Her figure was stooped, limbs like withered branches, as if a breeze could break them. She shakily placed a bowl of something resembling mashed potatoes or ice cream in front of each child. The old woman seemed quite adapted to the noisy environment, even smiling faintly as if she were retired, leisurely strolling down a beautiful tree-lined path—only upon closer inspection did Bai Sha notice the white plastic device resembling a hearing aid in the woman's ears.

Bai Sha: "..."

Just when Bai Sha thought this chaotic scene was about to spiral out of control, Mrs. Picol stepped forward, her gray skirt lightly brushing her feet, and clapped her hands.

Two sharp claps, and the entire hall suddenly quieted down.

"Alright, children," Mrs. Picol didn’t mention anything about manners or discipline, "immediately return to your seats, or I'll give your breakfast to other children."

In a flurry of activity, the children quickly dashed back to their respective seats.

"You will sit there from now on." Mrs. Picol pointed out a seat to Bai Sha and then raised her voice, "This is a new member joining our orphanage, her name is Bai Sha. I hope everyone will help her adapt quickly."

Numerous gazes fell on Bai Sha, mostly curious ones. Under these watchful eyes, Bai Sha took her seat without looking around.

Mrs. Picol then coldly reprimanded Vivian and Clive, who had fought and ended up with fractures the day before, declaring that they must be punished with a day of confinement.

Finally, they could start eating.

Bai Sha picked up the small round spoon in front of her and carefully tasted a spoonful of the mashed potatoes.

The taste was rich with potato flavor, and there was a hint of milk. However, it reminded her of fast food. After two bites, Bai Sha lost interest, feeling that plain rice with soy sauce would be more appetizing.

After absentmindedly scooping a couple more spoonfuls, Bai Sha suddenly felt a strong gaze from her right—

Turning her head, she saw a red-haired boy about her age eyeing her bowl, looking utterly eager.

Bai Sha: "Do you want more?"

The boy hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Bai Sha: "You can ask for another serving."

The boy: "The creamy mashed potatoes are a limited breakfast item; each person only gets one serving. But I'm still not full..."

His downcast, dejected appearance was like that of a pitiful, forlorn puppy.

Bai Sha couldn't resist that look. She decisively handed over her barely touched mashed potatoes: "Here, you have it."

"Really? Can I have it?" His emerald green eyes instantly lit up, widening slightly in excitement.

He looked more like an eager, fluffy puppy, Bai Sha thought, only missing a wagging tail.

The boy eagerly took the mashed potatoes.

"You're really nice," he said between mouthfuls, his words muffled, "Not like Jingyi, who just hits me. My name is Yaning, and you're Bai Sha, right? You should join our class today..."

"Hold on. You are you, and I am me. Don't make decisions for me." A girl, shorter than Bai Sha, suddenly appeared. She was covered in dust, her black hair somewhat tangled. Despite her disheveled appearance, she carried herself with the pride of a combative rooster. "I'm not like some people who can be bought with a bowl of mashed potatoes. If you want to be in her group, go ahead, but leave me out of it."

"That's Jingyi," Yaning introduced her, ignoring her unfriendly tone.

Bai Sha nodded politely: "Hello."

Jingyi gave Bai Sha a sharp glance.

Yaning: "Don't mind her, she looks like she got into a fight and lost, that's why she's in a bad mood... Ah, don't hit me, I haven't finished eating yet!"

Yaning found himself on the receiving end of Jingyi's forceful punch.

Bai Sha watched the children's playful scuffle with amusement until the old lady who had been pushing the food cart stopped beside her and asked, "Miss, are you Bai Sha?"

Bai Sha nodded. Yaning and Jingyi both turned to look in their direction.

"That's right," the old woman said kindly, "Mrs. Picol mentioned that you'll be helping in the kitchen."

Bai Sha had mentally prepared for this, knowing she couldn't expect a free meal: "Okay, I'll start working right away."

Yaning and Jingyi, who were tangled up beside her, stopped and looked enviously.

Yaning: "Do you need someone to help you out?"

"Is it really okay now? We still have an hour before the morning classes start. We'll wait for you, and then we can go to class together," Jingyi said.

Bai Sha: "?"