"We have to move." Sitting upright, Amon wore a heavy expression.
Currently, Amon, along with Cain and the other children, only managed to survive by stealing food from the business district. However, this was not a sustainable plan—the more often they did it, the more likely they were to be recognized and caught.
In fact, it was already a miracle that they hadn't been caught or killed in the past two years!
"Amon, we both know that moving isn't an option," Cain said.
"But we also can't stay here any longer!" Amon objected. "Recently, due to increased security in the business district, it's getting harder and harder to steal food!"
Hearing this, Cain let out a short sigh. "How can we move? We're broke! Not only that, but no matter where we go, we'll be discriminated against—unless we head to Varloria, which is a continent away!"
"Then what should we do?" Amon asked, his expression torn. "Begging won't work, and stealing is becoming impossible."
"Here," Cain said, throwing the piece of meat in his hands to Amon. "Eat first. I'll think of a plan."
"But—" Amon tried to argue, but was cut off.
Cain continued, "You trust me, don't you?"
After saying this, he picked up another piece of meat from the sack and left the cathedral, leaving Amon behind.
Left alone in the silent cathedral, Amon stared at the piece of meat in his hand before muttering, "Dammit."
...
"Let's eat!" multiple excited voices called out.
Sitting in a circle on the ground around a campfire, the children all dug into the meat. Though cooked thoroughly, it was dry and bland due to a lack of seasoning. Yet to these starving children, it tasted better than the finest cuisine.
"Mmm, delicious!"
"I wish we could eat meat every day!"
"I'm going to savor this!"
They cried out in joy, not minding the meat's toughness.
Amon also took a bite but said nothing.
Seeing this, Cedric looked worried. "Amon, did you get into a fight with Cain again?"
"What? Big bro Amon got into a fight with big bro Cain?" the seven-year-old boy asked.
Amon looked slightly flustered before quickly denying it. "No, no... I didn't fight with Cain."
Cedric, however, wasn't convinced.
He pressed further. "If not, then what happened?"
Cain gave a small smile. "We didn't fight."
Hearing Cain's reply, Cedric sighed and didn't push further. He took another bite of meat, unable to fully enjoy it.
Under the setting sun, they ate in silence. After the short conversation, the atmosphere grew heavy.
Cain is right... Amon thought. Without any silver or gold, we can't afford to pay a caravan to take us to Varloria.
Similarly, Cain was also lost in thought. Tsk, if only I wasn't in the body of an Unblessed, I could use my knowledge to start a business and earn money! But there's nothing I can do about that now. The best I can do is move forward and try to escape poverty.
While they were deep in thought, Lily spoke up: "Cain, Amon... if there's anything you need me or Cedric to do, please don't hesitate to ask us!"
Her sincerity stunned both Cain and Amon.
"Hehe." Both of them chuckled warmly.
"Thank you, Lily. If we do need help, we'll ask you," Cain said.
With that, the atmosphere lightened, and laughter and chatter filled the air.
...
The next morning inside the cathedral, Amon walked out of one of the bedrooms, half-asleep, rubbing his eyes.
He slowly made his way to the bathroom, washing up using three buckets of water collected from the lake. Afterward, he looked into a half-cracked mirror, picked up a wooden toothbrush made by Cain, and brushed his teeth.
In the makeshift dining room, he saw six pieces of cooked meat placed on a half-rotten wooden table.
Seems like Cain already went out... Amon thought, his gaze softening.
Walking back into the corridor he came from, he shouted, "Get up, guys! Food is already prepared!"
Hearing no response, he walked to each of their bedrooms and woke them up personally. In about thirty minutes, the six of them sat around the table, picking up their allocated pieces of meat to eat.
None of them questioned Cain's absence, as he usually went out early to gather information and scout potential targets.
After the meal, Amon and Lily went to the back of the cathedral to tend to their crops, which had been growing for two months. In a lucky encounter, Cain had swiped a pouch of random seeds—this formed the foundation of their garden.
Squatting down, Lily observed one of the half-grown vegetables. "It should be fully grown in about a month and a half."
"That's good," Amon replied, picking up a bucket filled with water.
Seeing Amon about to water the plants, Lily rushed over.
She grabbed his arm. "It rained very heavily two days ago. If we water them now, it'll be too much and they could die!"
Realizing his mistake, Amon felt slightly embarrassed. "Oh no! What have I done?"
Lily looked flustered. "No, no, it's my fault! As the gardener, it's my responsibility to tell you earlier."
She took the bucket from Amon's hands and ran off.
"Wait, Lily!" Amon called, chasing after her. He soon caught up.
"Why did you run?" he asked.
Panting, she replied, "Sorry... I just felt very embarrassed just now..."
Amon's gaze softened. "Why are you embarrassed? I was the one who almost made a mistake, not you. Even if you're the gardener, it's also my responsibility to ask before doing anything."
"But... it's still partially my fault," Lily said, her voice wavering.
Amon placed a hand on her shoulder. "In that case, it's both our fault. So let's learn from it and improve together."
Hearing this, Lily teared up. "Okay." She embraced Amon, her tears soaking his tattered clothes.
After a while, Amon asked, "Is there any way to save the plants I accidentally watered?"
Lily looked up at him, her wide blue eyes still full of tears.
Sniffling, she replied hoarsely, "Well... we could try to replace the soil."
"Then let's do that," Amon said in a soothing voice.
For the next hour, they worked together to replace the soil around the plants, trying to prevent overwatering damage. By the time they finished, the scorching sun was already high above them.
They walked back into the cathedral, covered in sweat and dirt.
"Looks like you've been busy," Cedric said, looking up from where he was cleaning the pews.
Amon let out a small sigh. "Tell me about it... I'm going to wash up again." After a short pause, he added, "Lily, do you want to wash up first?"
Lily, also covered in dirt and sweat, hesitated. "Uh... I'm not sure."
"In that case, you go first," Amon said, patting her on the back. "I'll talk with Cedric for a bit."
Unable to refuse, Lily nodded and walked toward the bathroom.
Once she was gone, Amon turned to Cedric. "What do you think about our current situation?"
Cedric stopped cleaning and stood up.
"Well, it's getting harder every day to maintain our current way of life. We're all growing older, and that means we need more food. I'm worried that if we're unlucky and can't find a stall to steal from, we might starve," Cedric said, his tone grim.
Amon was slightly surprised. He opened his mouth to respond but closed it again, saying nothing. Instead, he walked over and placed a hand on Cedric's shoulder.
"Don't worry. Cain and I will handle it," he said before turning and walking away.