Chapter 158: The Children and Lotus Seed Grass
“Other than that, everything’s normal; I haven’t seen Sister Teresa. But there’s something that’s been bothering me…” Rect paused for a moment, then continued, “For ages, Cataloma has been sending fresh talent to the Church. The kids there are all picked from orphanages around the world, and the Church’s screening process is notoriously strict. By all accounts, their overall quality should be decent. But strangely, I’ve noticed that some of them… both boys and girls… how should I put it…”
“Blank stares, lifeless spirits, looking as if they’ve just recovered from a terrible illness… and then there’s that girl named Abe. The gatekeeper said she’s frail and sickly… I know these kids are pitiful, I just can’t help but wonder, why are such unhealthy kids appearing in Cataloma?”
As Rect spoke, I instinctively began to gnaw at my thumb, producing a satisfying “crunch, crunch” as I bit my nails.
Blank stares, lifeless spirits, unhealthy kids… I remember seeing Abe in Cataloma the day before. That time, he looked just about as Rect described.
But he wasn’t always like that. The Abe I met in Silgaya… although a bit dim-witted, he was so lively! Something must have changed him.
What could that be?
Sitting across from me, Victoria leaned forward with her hands clasped on the table, pondering for a moment before firing another question at Rect: “Who’s in charge of the screening process?”
Rect answered immediately, “It’s a guy named Charles. You know, the main culprit we caught when we intercepted the goods. He’s also the one trading lotus seed grass with The Gate of Truth.”
“Where is he now?” Victoria asked.
“In the underground prison. Ah… that headache-inducing place… Those guards don’t allow anyone near while they’re interrogating the inmates. It’s been the Church’s rule for centuries… We can’t get any information from there; we just have to wait.”
Underground prison… Charles…
The way he acted that day tells me this is definitely not going to be that simple. My gut tells me he isn’t the one we should be focusing on.
I need to start with Cataloma… There’s definitely something going on with those blank-stared kids. But what exactly caused their change…
What was it…
After mulling it over, I can only connect one thing to it—lotus seed grass.
I couldn’t think of any other possibility.
I shot out my guess: “Could it be that the kids are… consuming lotus seed grass? That’s why they’ve turned out like that.”
As soon as I said it, I suddenly recalled something Carlos mentioned back when we were in the Empire.
The heretics continuously sent lotus seed grass to the Royal City, but the amounts were always small. Their goal wasn’t to earn coins. Plus, the heretics seemed to be fully aware of the risks involved yet kept trying to ship goods here. This means that for them, this lotus seed grass must be indispensable for some reason.
Also, the Birdbeak Doctor said that lotus seed grass can numb the senses, even make you lose fear and hallucinate… and what else? Either way, it makes people act abnormal, just like those harmful things from my past life. So, the lotus seed grass likely has a high chance of suppressing the central nervous system, leading to various side effects with long-term use. Symptoms like blank stares, frail bodies, and delirium… just like those kids.
Victoria might not understand these symptoms, but the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became.
However, Rect didn’t seem to buy my theory, frowning as he countered, “Those kids consuming lotus seed grass… doesn’t make sense. Why would they do that?”
“Uh…”
Tilting my head to the side, I gnawed fiercely at my nail… Ah, I was about to bite my thumb off! Time for the index finger.
Crunch, crunch, crunch… spit it out.
My brain was still churning.
Rect had a point.
There’s no way the heretics would go through all that trouble, risking everything to send lotus seed grass to the Royal City just to harm those kids… who on earth would do that to their own detriment?
These poor orphans, they have nothing, nor anyone to care for them. Just surviving takes all their strength… What could they possibly gain from these kids?
Wait…
No one cares about them?
Does that mean—
“Victoria! How long will those kids be studying in Cataloma?”
Victoria paused, looking at me quietly before directing her gaze to Rect.
“Uh…” Rect scratched his head awkwardly, “Half a year? A year? I really can’t say for sure… I guess it varies from person to person. But I do know they all eventually get sent to various parishes to continue their training until they become full clergy members.”
…So these kids really don’t have many people looking out for them.
So, even if something happens to them… whether they go missing or d*e, nobody would notice.
That thought made me feel a bit sad.
Aili…
I couldn’t help but picture the innocent smile of the little girl.
If… someone really is plotting something against these kids, I won’t let them off easy.
With a sudden thought, Victoria lightly tapped her index finger on the table, making a rhythmic “thud, thud.”
“Rect,” she quickly caught on, understanding my meaning in a second, “Go check the entry and exit records of those kids. Find out which parishes they’ve been sent to in the last decade and if anyone’s been following up.”
“Yes.”
After hearing Rect’s response, Victoria turned her gaze back to me.
“You’ll go to the Academy tomorrow.”
I stared at her in surprise: “Why?”
The kids could be in grave danger.
Knowing this, how could I have the heart to go to some Academy!?
“You won’t be there; someone will get suspicious.” Victoria said nonchalantly.
I furrowed my brows.
…Someone will get suspicious?
After a moment of thought, I quickly understood who she was referring to.
Sister Teresa.
If I’m not in the Academy, Teresa will pick up on it immediately, and she would quickly guess what I was up to and make countermeasures… This must be Victoria’s plan… d*mn, she’s right.
“But…”
But I didn’t want to do it like that.
I have to do something… or else I’d feel terrible, anxious…
Clearly, Victoria wasn’t concerned about my feelings.
She ignored me and turned to Rect again, saying, “Tonight, you’ll head back to Cataloma and see if anything has changed.”
Before Rect could respond, I jumped in, “Let me go! I have keen senses!”
“How’s your health?”
Victoria oddly asked a question showing concern.
“Much better.”
She examined me closely, probably concluding that I genuinely looked spry, then nodded, “Alright, it’ll be you and Rect.”
After a moment, she added, “Don’t let anyone see you.”
“Understood.”
Next, the three of us discussed a few more details before wrapping up the conversation.
As we were about to head out, I suddenly remembered something: “Victoria.”
She looked back at me.
“Are there birds in the Royal City?”
“There are.”
“How come I never saw any?”
“There’s Boswell around; birds from outside can’t come in, so there aren’t many.”
“…Oh.”
I nodded nonchalantly.
