Liam turned to the group and asked, "What gift would be the most fitting? Any suggestions?"

  Kevin's hand shot up, his eyes sparkling with excitement, as he suggested, "What about buying them each a new dagger?"

  The rest of the group, except Kevin and Ashley, exchanged skeptical glances, their eyebrows rising in unison.

  Weapons, especially those used by professional Adventurers, are high-quality and notoriously expensive. They are very much unlike the swords used by children, which durability could only survive one or two real fights. Since the Adventurers' lives depended on it, they often spared no expense on trustworthy equipment. There's also no need to mention that clothes make the person, and a well-maintained set of equipment represents their status in the guild.

  "That's real sweet of y'all!" the Paladin lady exclaimed from the driver's seat. "Just the thought counts, no need fer no expensive gifts, 'kay?"

  Liam's expression remained neutral as he replied, "Thanks for the suggestion, Kevin. Let's keep brainstorming. Any other ideas before we put them to a vote later?"

  Their conversation was interrupted as the wagon pulled up to the parking lot behind the Adventurer's Guild building. Nathan noticed that, unlike their usual routine, they were not being dropped off at the bus terminal, but he remained silent.

  "Paladin lady, what is your name?" Liam asked.

  The Paladin lady removed her helmet, unveiling her warm, Sapphire eyes, which sparkled as she gazed at the children. Her raven-black hair was styled in neat box braids, framing her gentle face. Her tag indicated she was a Bronze-ranked, one-star Paladin. With an affable smile, she said, "My name's Jasmine, nice ta meet y'all. Y'all can find me in da Guild, Monday through Saturday, but Sundays, I'm out, a'ight?"

  "Alright, we'll look for you after we've prepared our gift! See you later!" Liam exclaimed, beaming with excitement. The other children chimed in, waving goodbye with equal enthusiasm.

  "A’ight den. Y’all stay safe out dere, 'kay?" Jasmine said with a smile, waving goodbye as she walked away.

  "So, what's our next move for the gift?" Roth asked, his gaze sweeping the group with interest.

  "Hey, why don't we hit up Ms. Wendy for ideas?" Liam suggested, looking at the group for agreement.

  Ms. Wendy oversaw the orphanage, a facility managed by the Adventurer's Guild, which proved to be a mutually beneficial arrangement for both the Kingdom and the guild.

  Other than the Nathan siblings, all five other children on the wagon were orphans. However, due to their varying ages, they had never shared a class, making them strangers to one another.

  Historically, the Kingdom managed public orphanages, but these institutions were chronically underfunded, largely due to the nobles' extortionate "administrative fees". For example, they claimed to provide "an absolutely safe environment" for the children, doubling the rent for a nonexistent building safety check. They also claimed that "food must be safe for the children", so food prices tripled for a nonexistent food safety check.

  The Kingdom's association with the Church required it to be morally just, which limited the King's ability to develop a solution at the time. After all, removing policies like the "Food safety check" was not an option, as the nobles might retaliate by poisoning the food and blaming it on whoever opposed the policy. The Adventurer's Guild's leader at the time saw the problem and offered to take over the orphanages for a fee.

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  The King at the time was very satisfied with his decision to collaborate with the Adventurer's Guild's leader. Not only did the Kingdom no longer need to take responsibility for displaced children, the Adventurer's Guild now had access to cheap and uneducated labor to complete low-paying jobs and quests. All in all, the Kingdom paid significantly less in "administrative fees" to the Adventurer's Guild compared to when it had hosted the orphanage. Even though some nobles attempted to exploit the "food safety" and "safe environment" policies, those attempts were consistently thwarted by the guild's professional Rogues and Hunters.

  Some child protection organizations, backed by nobles, complained about using children as labor. There's a famous story that the Adventurer's Guild's leader actually drafted a contract to transfer the orphanage to those child protection organizations, but with the condition that the children would remain under the protection of the guild's Adventurers. However, in the end, no one wanted to sign it. Therefore, those complaints eventually subsided and are now exceedingly rare.

  The orphanage buildings were right next to the Adventurer's Guild. In fact, the orphanage's empty rooms served as the Adventurer's Guild's Inn, generating additional income; the Guild's meeting rooms also functioned as classrooms; and the guild's training ground was used as a playground. The following is the fee structure for children staying in the orphanage:

  0-5 yo: All services are free.

  6-10 yo: Free accommodation, half priced meals, and free education.

  11-14 yo: Half priced accommodation, 25% off meals, and free education.

  15-20 yo: Free education.

  21+: 25% off education, official age of adulthood.

  Typically, children in the orphanage earn a Copper-ranked, one-star distinction in a combat-related class before turning fifteen. So that they could secure higher-paying jobs, providing enough income for three meals a day and a place to sleep. One might notice: given that most orphans typically hold a Copper-ranked combat class by age fifteen, in addition to their Botanist class, wouldn’t this qualify them for admission into Bluefield College?

  Unfortunately, orphans had to work while attending classes. Being exhausted most of the time, they often lagged behind in their studies, making their GPA too low to pass the admission exam. As a result, most orphans did not even attempt to gain admission into Bluefield College. Nevertheless, this did not deter some exceptional orphans from attending the prestigious school, where the orphanage subsidized their tuition.

  At 4:40 pm, Liam led the group of eight children to the orphanage's advising room, where Ms. Wendy was currently on duty. This section of the Adventurer's Guild was designated for the orphanage, with rooms allocated for their exclusive use.

  "Welcome, children! What brings you here today?" Ms. Wendy, seated behind her cluttered desk, looked up from her paperwork and greeted them with a warm, affable smile. Her Amethyst eyes shone with motherly warmth as she regarded the children. With her dark green hair neatly parted in the middle, Ms. Wendy exuded refinement; her smooth, fair complexion – unweathered by years of indoor work – lending her a youthful appearance that belied her true age.

  "Oh my goddess! You're the group that was ambushed by bandits? Welcome back, dear children!" Ms. Wendy's expression turned anxious, "Are you all right? Was anyone injured?" Ms. Wendy asked, her voice laced with concern.

  "We're all fine, Ms. Wendy. No one was hurt." Liam reassured her with a gentle smile, "We'd like to give a gift to the Adventurers who rescued us today. Do you have any suggestions?"

  Upon closer examination of the children, Ms. Wendy noticed the torn sleeves on the children covering their scratched bloody arms and legs, made by thorns and sharp branches. "No, you're not fine!" Ms. Wendy bellowed, her eyes narrowing in concern for the children as she immediately sprung up from her seat to retrieve a first-aid kit. "Roll up your sleeves!" she then commanded the children, preparing several towels.

  "Come here!" Ms. Wendy said, gently pulling Liam toward the sink, where she adjusted the warm water tap, testing the temperature with her hand. But then Liam said, his voice laced with annoyance, "I'm fine! Help Kevin or Rey first," as he picked up a warm towel, "I can do it myself."

  Taking the cue, the children gathered around the sink, cleaned themselves up, and put on bandages on their own. Ashley, due to being carried by Nathan on much of the mountain trail, was not injured. However, Liam, being the lead of the group who spearheaded in the front, was hurt the most.

  While the children were being treated, Ms. Wendy began to think about the gifts for the Adventurers. She knew that Liam and the others did not have the money to buy any significant gifts. With food prices going up, many of them had been skipping lunch and sometimes dinner. This was also why Liam asked whether he could get back to work after lunch, a question shared by many orphans.