Mary had thought that Alvin would immediately agree since she had doubled the price. But to her surprise, Alvin shook his head.
"It is not about the money. I am not willing to sell my sister as a slave. Previously, I was muddleheaded and ended up making that foolish decision."
Mary narrowed her eyes. "Young sir, this is an orphanage, not a slave center. Influential families sponsor the children here, and in return, they work for them once they are grown up. It is the best outcome for the children here who do not have any other means of survival."
Alvin still shook his head. He was well aware of what kind of life awaited Lyra if he agreed to this.
Mary's brain was working frantically at this time. She had already checked Lyra's magic talent, and it was of the highest SSS grade. If she could find a wealthy sponsor for Lyra, she would also get a huge commission in return.
Mary looked at Alvin sternly. "Young sir, I will be blunt with you. Your sister is a prodigy with an SSS grade magic talent. With your living conditions, you will not be able to support her magic cultivation. Magicians use resources worth thousands of basic essence coins just for a day's cultivation. Are you capable of supporting Lyra? Only by finding a capable sponsor can we ensure she has ample resources."
Alvin stared back at Mary expressionlessly. These emotional blackmail tactics would surely have worked on a ten-year-old idiot like his previous self. But what Mary did not know was that the person sitting in front of her was a twenty five year old soul inside a ten year old body.
Seeing that Alvin was still not moved, Mary changed her tactics.
"Fine. Since you want it the hard way, I do not have anything else to say..."
Mary leaned back in her chair and said disdainfully, "We have already given you fifty basic essence coins in advance. So the deal is half complete. Even if you do not sign the rest of the documents, we have proof that you accepted the money. This is enough to transfer Lyra's guardianship to the orphanage."
Alvin did not reply to what Mary had said. He simply took out a stylish golden contact card from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of him.
Mary looked at the card from the corner of her eye, but the next second her expression froze when she saw the eagle symbol on the contact card.
Officer: Catherine Flamecrest
Position: Captain of the Thirty Sixth Law Enforcement Unit
Posting: Heavenly Wood City, Eldoria Empire
Contact: .....
Mary stared at Alvin and asked calmly, "What is the meaning of this, young sir?"
Alvin smiled. "It is exactly what you think. If you want to solve this matter the hard way, I too will involve people who are capable of handling it on my behalf."
Mary frowned. She was sure that the contact card was genuine, and if a person of such status were to intervene, things would surely go out of her hand.
But what puzzled Mary was why such a shabby kid had such a backer and why he came here in the first place if he had such an awesome background.
Actually, this was the contact card Catherine gave Alvin to contact her if he needed anything, out of sympathy towards him.
In reality, he did not have any relation with her, but this contact card became a trump card in Alvin's hand since he was sure Mary would not try to check up on Catherine, as it would be equivalent to touching a tiger's whiskers.
Mary looked meaningfully at Alvin and said, "Fine, you can take her home. I will not pursue this matter anymore..."
Alvin shook his head. "No, let her stay here."
Mary flew into a rage when she heard this. "Brat, do not act too cocky. Even if you have a unit captain as your backer, do you really think you can behave willfully here?"
"I will sponsor her," Alvin's next words stunned Mary, who was shouting at him.
She asked again, "What do you mean?"
Alvin looked into her eyes and said, "Let my sister be one of the orphans here, but instead of being sponsored by someone else, I will provide the resources for her cultivation."
Mary remained silent for some time. Finally, she sighed and said, "Fine. The orphanage will provide shelter for her, but you still have to pay for her food and lodging here. At the same time, the orphanage will not be responsible for providing Lyra with any assistance or resources related to magic cultivation."
Alvin nodded expressionlessly. Mary ordered one of her subordinates to print out a contract, and Alvin signed it after reading the content.
According to the document, Alvin had to pay a reasonable amount decided by the orphanage every month for Lyra's food, lodging, and other necessities. All the other needs should be provided by Alvin as he sees fit for Lyra's cultivation, which would not have anything to do with the orphanage.
"For now, you will have to pay two basic essence coins per month," Mary said as she handed a copy of the document to Alvin.
Alvin received the document and said, "I will pay the money by the end of this month."
Although Alvin was sure that a one year old did not require such an exorbitant amount of two basic essence coins as living expenses, he did not refute back since he did not have the time or strength to provide protection and care for his little sister.
It was better for her to stay here than to live in that shabby bamboo hut while enduring the ridicule and criticism of the villagers with him.
As for how to make the money, Alvin was sure he would find a way since his mindset was not that of a ten year old kid but of a twenty five year old young man from Earth.
....
Inside a room on the top second floor of the Shine Bright orphanage,
Lyra was standing in front of two men in business suits with a nervous expression on her little face.
"Brother, this girl is an excellent choice for nurturing. She has an SSS grade magic talent and her age is not even two years old," one of the men said excitedly to the serious looking man beside him.
The serious looking man squinted his eyes as he sized up little Lyra. "What are the elements she awakened?"
"She awakened five elements: ice, darkness, space, time, and lightning. All of them are of the highest SSS grade quality. Such a prodigy is hard to come by even in royal families. If we train her properly, she will surely become the sharpest blade in our hand," the other man replied with sparkling eyes.