Chapter 173 Who Cares About the Fate of Sangsongta
Vifiya stood in front of Maggie's office door, clutching the small object she had found on her clothes.
She knocked on the door.
"Come in." Madam Maggie's voice, as calm and composed as ever, came from inside.
Vifiya opened the door and closed it.
The sound of footsteps was too simple. Maggie, who was handling business, raised her eyes and saw that she was the only one coming. She couldn't help but look at her with scrutiny.
Vifiya took a few steps forward, lifted her skirt and saluted: "Good afternoon, Madam Maggie."
Madam Maggie withdrew her gaze, made a few more strokes on the papyrus, and put away the documents she had previously processed. Then she put down the quill and looked at Vifia.
"Where are the others?" she asked.
Vifiya answered honestly: "I told them not to come."
Her words were almost provocative, but she didn't mean to be provocative. Maggie's expression remained unchanged: "Reason."
"Mrs. Maggie, please tell me, where are the seriously ill children? Where is Dale?" Vifia went straight to the point.
Madam Maggie looked at her: "I refused to answer the black granny."
Her meaning was self-evident, and was also within Vifiya's expectations.
Last night, Madam Maggie rejected the black grandmother in the open space in front of the tower, so how could she easily answer her, a child under her charge?
At the entrance to the cave in the oak forest on the west side of the island, there's the stone circle that Eddie touched. If that's what could help him leave St. Fagus Island...
Her memory of last night was incomplete, and much of it was pieced together based on Nerys's words, or even guesswork. Her actions today also had a lot of gambling elements in them. She believed that she could get the desired result.
"They are no longer on St. Fagus Island, right?" Vifia stared at Madam Maggie. Even though she was not very confident in her heart and had basically no solid basis for this conclusion, she still said it.
Seriously ill children would be taken to Madam Maggie and would be gone the next day.
What are the possibilities of what will happen if he is sent to the doctor on the island?
She and Nerys had learned that there was only one herbalist on the island, Grandma Black, and she happened to have been to Grandma Black's stone house, so there was definitely no chance that Samsonta's child was there.
If he is not in the Sangsong Tower or at the herbalist outside the tower, then there is a high possibility that he will be sent out of the island.
Madam Maggie raised her eyes and hid the surprise in them. Most children would not suspect that they would come here. Everyone agreed that the only way to leave the island was by boat. As for the magician, almost no one would think of it. After all, magicians never showed up in public. How could there be anything related to magic on a small island?
"Your guess?" Maggie neither admitted nor denied it. She leaned back and said calmly, "I asked you to come to me at noon, not to answer your question."
She tapped the table with her fingertips, making a "tap-tap" sound, and then she continued: "You left Samson Tower at night without permission..."
"Mrs. Maggie." Vifia interrupted her to prevent her from changing the subject. She picked up the small object she had been holding in her hand.
The small window in the office was half-open, blowing through the ends of Vifiya's hair, which was tied up with a headscarf.
The usually calm Madam Maggie's breathing became disordered for a moment and even her expression became less calm when she saw clearly what she was holding tightly.
Vifiya knew that she had made the right bet.
The girl had only one very simple thing in her hand, a simple copper ring.
But coincidentally, the brass ring was engraved with Madam Maggie and a man's name.
She had no idea where she had picked it up, but a reasonable guess was that it was in a cave.
The surface of the copper ring had been wiped clean by Vifiya, including the depressions of the two names, which were engraved extremely delicately. The copper ring was not new, but there were only a few traces of friction, which was enough to show how much the owner valued it.
"If the ring is very important to you, I'm sorry to use it to threaten you." Vifiya said softly with a serious expression.
She put the copper ring behind her and said, "I won't throw it away, nor will I do anything to destroy it. I just want to know the answer."
Madam Maggie pressed her chest, her heart beating violently because of the appearance of the brass ring, and she was delighted to see the ring again.
She looked at the girl in front of her. Xiao Hui was smart enough, brave enough, and careful enough. Her emotions, which had almost gotten out of control just now, had completely caught the girl's attention. Now, no matter how hard she tried to hide her indifference to the ring, it was no use.
But to her surprise, Xiao Hui would first apologize to her and promise her not to damage the ring.
Although she was clearly making threats, her every move was filled with sincerity.
Madam Maggie's eyes were complicated, and she didn't know how to evaluate the girl. Who would be as threatening as her?
"Please answer me, what's going on with the drug trial?" The girl's eyes were firm. "Please don't deny that you weren't there."
The presence of the bronze ring indicated that she had been to the cave.
Madam Maggie stared at her quietly for a long time, then lowered her eyes, as if weighing the pros and cons.
After a while, she raised her eyes and said, "Xiao Hui, suspicion is not allowed at home."
Vifiya instantly understood what she meant.
Home does not allow doubt. No one will doubt the real home, especially Samsonta. Once the seeds of doubt are planted, no one can guarantee the future of Samsonta.
Samson Tower has many rules and operates under every order. If the rules are doubted, it means that its own existence is doubted.
Similarly, Madam Maggie was also warning her that some answers should be known to herself.
She knew that she had never considered St. Fagus Island her hometown, nor had she ever considered Sansunta her home, so her doubts about all these places were so unscrupulous.
"It's okay." Madam Maggie's face remained calm. "The family will accept your suspicion."
Just as St. Fagus Island accommodates all those who are not recognized and should not exist, Sansunta will accept any child's doubts and give them freedom.
If one day Samson Tower really falls apart because of doubt, that is its fate.
Madam Maggie did not answer her question directly, but asked: "Who do you think cares about their life or death?"
Who cares about the lives of the seriously ill children in Samson Tari? Vifiya couldn't answer.
Madam Maggie smiled softly. This was the first time Vifia had ever seen her smile, but it was sarcastic. "Do you think, on an island full of abandoned people who have chosen to exile themselves, if someone gets seriously ill, who will care whether they live or die?"
Her voice was not loud, but it was loud enough for Vifia to hear, and she quickly realized what Madam Maggie's question meant.
She suppressed the trembling in her heart. How could a child who was abandoned on St. Fagus Island because of illness have an ordinary illness?
"Your guess is right. I will send them out of the island and let them test the medicine." Maggie lowered her eyes, and Vifia could not see her hidden emotions.
She paused, then continued, "If they are lucky enough, they will be sent back naturally."
If they are lucky enough, they will naturally survive the drug trial.
"Is this your own idea?" Vifiya asked. Or is there someone behind this plan above your head?
Maggie understood the hidden meaning in her words, and her words were firm, just like the words she remembered when the previous administrator handed over all the keys to Samson Tower to her: "There will be no one in control of Samson Tower."
It only has administrators, and every child of Samsonta is qualified to be its administrator.
Her eyes fell on the dark-haired girl, she was very suitable to be the next administrator, but Madam Maggie knew that she would not be the administrator.
"Where were they sent to test the drugs?" Vifiya asked immediately.
Faced with the girl's endless questions, Mrs. Maggie shook her head and replied, "It doesn't matter." What matters is that the children have a chance to survive.
"How do we leave?" Vifiya clenched the copper ring with her hand behind her and asked the question that concerned her most.
It's hard to tell what her mindset was, but Maggie said, "I don't recommend you leave."
Where can the abandoned and self-exiled people go? Where can they go better than St. Fagus Island?
She said she didn't suggest it, but still told her how to leave.
"Remember the stone circle in the cave?"
Vifiya had a vague impression and nodded.
After Madam Maggie confirmed that she knew, she continued, "The previous administrator told me that it was a magic circle left behind by a magician a long time ago."
"Ordinary people can't start it. The only way to start it is with a stone circle."
She looked at Vifia. "I'm sorry, but the redhead said the stone circle has been destroyed by a monster."
Vifia's heart skipped a beat. She stared at Madam Maggie without hiding anything. When she found that she was not lying, Vifia lowered her head.
The ends of her hair fluttered in the wind. Maggie didn't urge her, nor could she see her expression.
Magician, magic circle... Vifiya muttered to herself. She first eliminated the power in her body. The unknown was too great, and she did not dare to use it easily.
She couldn't help but think of the power displayed by the green-haired boy today. Could it be magic?
She took a deep breath secretly and left. She had to leave.
She raised her head and met Maggie's eyes. She still had a faint belief in Maggie, which was why she made a promise to her about the copper ring before getting the answer.
Just like when she took out the copper ring, if Maggie chose to snatch it away, she would not be able to beat her.
"Where's Dai'er?" she asked softly.
Madam Maggie was silent for a moment, then stood up and went to the cabinet by the wall. She pulled out a stack of papyrus that was neatly stored without a single wrinkle.
She placed it on the table, picked up the top page, and then picked up a clean stone to press it down to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.
She walked around the wooden table and handed it to Vifiya.
Vifiya had a bad feeling in her heart. She took the thin papyrus and saw a line drawn on the word "Dai'er".
"She's dead." There was no change in Madam Maggie's tone, as if she was just talking about an ordinary thing. After all, she had seen many people die in Samson Tower, deaths that could not be stopped.
"You chose self-exile, right?" the girl asked in a low voice, staring at the papyrus back and forth several times.
Madam Maggie lowered her eyes, and neither of them saw the other's expression.
Seabirds chirped outside the window, and Vifia heard Maggie's answer: "Yes."
The girl returned the brass ring as agreed. Her departure did not affect Mrs. Maggie in the office at all. It was just as quiet as before.
She stroked the ring that she had accidentally lost for a long time, and put it back on her finger carefully and solemnly.
She stood in front of the small window, not looking at the scenery outside.
She felt the sourness and joy in her heart that she hadn't felt in many years, as well as the first time she saw that person when she was young.
She placed the ring on her forehead. The serious and quiet Madam Maggie now had gentle eyes and a nostalgic smile.
She never thought it was important whether she considered Samsonta her home or not.
She would not stop Xiao Hui, because home would not stop any child who was determined to travel far away, even if it might cost their lives or make them more miserable.
Home is always here, if they can come back, they can come back.
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