Chapter 616 Dragonmoor City (2)
The little boy's mind immediately went blank following Vaan's question.
He was only trying his luck and didn't expect Vaan to actually be interested in hiring his service. After all, there were many guides who were more experienced and reliable than him. He didn't understand why he was chosen.
"O-one… one low-rank mana stone for the day, N-Noble Sir," the little boy answered a little bravely but immediately felt regret and guilt shortly after. He was afraid of charging too high.
"Alright," Vaan agreed indifferently.
The surrounding people were immediately surprised by Vaan's sudden change of mind. At the same time, they wondered if his oppressive pressure was a sort of test for them.
As such, a few people mustered up their courage and took a step forward. But the moment they did, Vaan's oppressive pressure intensified. These people immediately paled and retreated in fear. The last bit of their hopes were quickly dashed.
They recognized the opportunity solely belonged to the brave little boy, who was only six or seven years old.
Meanwhile, the little boy was ecstatic and heaved a sigh of relief as if a huge burden had been lifted off his back. Shortly after, he clasped his hands together and asked, "Where would you like to go or what would you like to know, Noble Sir?"
"I might not look like much, but I am quite familiar with this city and know a lot of matters, whether they are casual gossip or important issues," the little boy quickly claimed.
Jihaad somewhat doubted the little boy as he did not seem very reliable at all. He also wondered if Vaan chose the little boy because he pitied him. But that didn't seem right either, considering what Vaan previously talked about.
Even so, what did a little boy know? How could he know important issues about the city?
However, Vaan thought differently.
Even if these people were part of the lowest class of society, how could they not know the reason behind why they had to suffer?
Thus, the little boy definitely knew important issues related to the city. But what he knew should also be something everyone knew. He was simply chosen because he was the only one Vaan found likable among the people offering their services.
"Firstly, what is your name?"
"M-my name? My mother calls me Theo, Noble Sir."
"Alright then, Theo. Can you show the way to the Grand Well?"
"We aren't finding a bar anymore, Sir Pendragon?"
"Why do we still need to go to a bar if we have a guide?"
Once Vaan said that much, Jihaad's doubts were quickly cleared. On the other hand, the little boy, Theo, wore a difficult expression to Vaan's request.
"The Grand Well…? I can point you in the right direction, but I won't be able to follow you, Noble Sir. The Grand Well is located in the middle-class district. People from the lower-class districts like me aren't allowed to go there."
"Oh. Then, just take us to one of the normal wells in the lower-class district, preferably one that isn't crowded with people."
"O-Of course, Noble Sir! I can do that. Please follow me."
Shortly after, Vaan and Jihaad followed little Theo through the streets.
Along the way, little Theo wore a solemn look as he took his job seriously, even though it was difficult for him to see ahead due to the tall adults. Even so, he was very familiar with the streets and followed according to his memories.
At the same time, little Theo also explained about their destination and the distance to reach it. In addition, he also introduced the passing stores, listing their pros and cons. The information he revealed wasn't something a normal six-to-seven-year-old kid would know.
As such, Vaan and Jihaad were both surprised to a varying degree. Naturally, Jihaad was the most surprised of the two.
On the other hand, Vaan had an 'as expected' look despite his slight surprise. He had vaguely guessed the little boy to be gifted with a strong memory. Perhaps he was sensitive to others with special memory, which was why he knew.
Nevertheless, the little boy couldn't have learned all the information on his own. Someone must have taught him.
Vaan and Jihaad eventually learned that someone was the little boy's mother as they chatted idly along the way. Little Theo's mother used to carry him around everywhere as she worked as a guide. As such, little Theo passively absorbed the information.
Unfortunately, little Theo's mother became bedridden with an illness, which led to little Theo deciding to find work and earn some money to buy medicine and water for his mother.
While it was also unfortunate that little Theo had to work and support his family at a young age, he was still considered more fortunate than some children.
After Vaan's Omni-Sense scanned half the western lower-class district, he had already found hundreds of cases of orphan children begging for money on the streets. Moreover, these children were forcefully employed by street thugs.
Thus, even if these children earned money, it didn't belong to them. They would get taken away by the street thugs, who were exploiting their young age to garner pity from the travelers.
It was hard to say how many more children were like them in the city if there were already hundreds in a half-district.
Jihaad found this situation unacceptable, but he also knew there wasn't much he could do to fix it.
After all, even if he went around beating up all the street thugs, it wouldn't resolve the problem at its roots. Many orphan children would still be homeless and begging on the streets. They would just be suffering less from the street thugs exploiting them.
And even then, it was only temporarily.
Once Jihaad left for another city, perhaps the street thugs would even take their anger out on the orphan children and inflict disabilities that would make them even more pitiful.
Little Theo eventually guided Vaan and Jihaad to a small square where one of the western lower-class district's wells was located. Some kids were using the open space to play tag, but no one was seen drawing water from the well.
That was because there was no water in the well.
"Most of the groundwater reserve had been depleted from excessive usage. So, many abandoned wells like this one exist in the lower-class districts," Theo mentioned.
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