Chapter 179 The Punishment of Friendship, A Dark Childhood...
Tinder, firewood, dregs, and three kinds of children.
The differences in social status and treatment led to initial inequality and chaos.
“This feels awful,” Wendy said unhappily. “Children who are born free are being confined by malicious rules.”
Kaiya pondered, "If we don't address this, it could exacerbate class conflict, just like in Old Mondstadt, with bloodshed, oppression, and death... Alas, they might not have Barbatos to save the day."
Kaiya, caught up in his old habit of probing for information, glanced up at Funina's slightly dejected face after saying this.
The gods of Fontaine... I feel like there's something strange about them?
"Although Barbatos is not here, a new Vanessa has emerged from the crowd. Never underestimate the power of humanity itself."
Diluc gave his troublesome brother a warning kick, making him look away from the other god's face.
“A clear sense of resistance had arisen in Mainkuhn’s mind.”
The hero of the night cherishes the seeds of all light, whether he was born in Mondstadt or Fontainebleau.
"But if his companions didn't survive in the final battle, I don't think it would be a success to celebrate for him."
"Keep it up!"
He sighed.
"Don't fall into darkness, and don't walk into the dawn alone."
We need to think of a way!
The children I remember are also talking about this.
"Mainkuhn, in the next match, you must deliberately lose to the scum and become firewood..."
"Hurrah."
"Huh?? You agreed without even asking why??"
"Cravlie wouldn't hurt me!" the kitten jumped up. "Great! I can sleep with everyone again!"
"I'm speechless. You have no idea how many people envy Fireseed's luxurious single room!"
Shaking her head helplessly, Clementine looked at Pepe again, "Don't forget you're going to lose too!"
"Yeah, don't worry, I want to sleep with Clementine too."
"Wow, you rascal!"
"What are they doing—"
Kavi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Preparing to throw the match?"
"I see. So, the spark is given to the slag, and everyone, high or low, becomes firewood together?" Wendy's eyes brightened slightly. "Not succumbing to the temptation of class, but steadfastly pursuing equality and friendship, that's wonderful!"
"Wanting everyone to become kindling? That seems a bit difficult." Diluc estimated the number of children. "There are fifty-seven children in the Hearth House right now. Six kindlings and six remnants would be a perfect match, but what if some kindlings don't cooperate..."
I'll hit you!
*Whoosh!* Little Mei scratched the wall with one claw, his big, fluffy tail bristling as he bared his teeth at the black-haired boy in front of him, "Tommy, you have to lose to Fluffy Nok tomorrow! Otherwise, I'll beat you up!"
Diluc: "...it might be one solution."
"Waaah."
Tommy looked at the claw marks on his door and gave a bitter smile. "Is there any possibility that...?"
"Um?"
"So even if you don't hit me, I'll still listen to your advice, sigh, boss..."
"Ah, right, I'm the boss."
The kitten, which had been baring its teeth just moments before, suddenly put on an innocent expression. "Thank you for feeding the pigeons while I was unconscious, my dear friend!"
"You're welcome. Our boss is so ungrateful for our kindness, he scratched us up. But it doesn't matter, we'll be sleeping in the same room with you guys again soon anyway." Tommy didn't care about losing the Fire Seed treatment, but he was a little curious.
"Peruvéli".
"Um?"
"Why turn everyone into firewood? It'll be fine if we don't do anything, Rongnuoke will get used to sleeping in the corridor anyway."
Little Peluvelli's expression was indifferent, her eyes as dull as ever. "What do you want to hear from me? The importance of equality, or a loud rebuke for your indifference?"
"None of that will happen. I will still be the Peruvier you know, the aloof and ruthless Peruvier."
"No way! Peipei is the best—mmm!"
Tommy felt like this had happened many times before, as he watched Peruvier cover Mayne's mouth.
"Okay, okay, my aloof and ruthless sister, then why are you in such a hurry to turn everyone into firewood? Don't deny it, it must have been your idea. After all, the boss only knows how to charge ahead and can't come up with any plans."
Am I like that?
"..."
Peruvéli was unwilling to explain things too clearly.
This has nothing to do with laziness or anything like that; it's just that she knows that if she wants to live an easier life, there are some things she's better not to know.
Well, perhaps there's no easy possibility in the House of Hearths.
It will disappear.
"What?"
"If it stays in the residue for too long, it will disappear."
The little girl's voice didn't sound very sad, but it remained low.
“Every four weeks, a ‘discarded child’ would be taken away by the mother, who said she was going to see a doctor.”
"But they never came back."
...
The furry tail fell down.
"Maybe it's because doctors are rare? I've never seen a doctor."
Mainkuhn tentatively guessed, looking somewhat uneasy.
"Was she taken away and killed by that woman named Kujavina?" the audience whispered. "If you don't want to raise a useless child, you just kill them and bury them in the ground..."
"No, don't say such terrible things!" Paimon screamed. "Everyone, everyone is a child that Kujavina painstakingly collected. Surely it's not going to go to waste! It's not like she'd just sell them off?"
"Pay...Paymon!" Furnessa's face turned pale. "What you said is actually quite terrifying!"
"Could it be that I really just want to see a doctor?"
Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun tried to convince himself, "Children are weak, so they'll definitely need more treatment with medicine..."
"Or maybe he just really wants to see a doctor?"
I remember little Tommy saying the same thing, leaning against the wall, his legs trembling.
“In the past, many children were taken to see doctors by their mothers… They were definitely together, perhaps they went to other orphanages…”
"Maybe so, I don't know."
Peruvelli did not object.
"But Clementine and Maine both felt that fifty-seven brothers and sisters were just right, it was lively enough, and there was no need to lose one more."
"That's what they think, so I think so too."
“…Pepe!”
In reality, Clementine was stunned for a moment, looking at the cold-blooded executive next to her in disbelief.
"So, you actually said something like that back then..."
"Such sentimental words... he doesn't seem like a father at all." Linni was also surprised.
"Surprised? Hehe, look over there, kids."
Arecino pointed to the image.
"Pepe! Little Maine!"
In my memory, little Clementine would hop over, her face beaming with a bright smile, "I told everyone at Xin Chai that tomorrow we'll all deliberately fight to a draw, so no one will end up as scraps!"
"Really? That's great! Clementine is amazing!"
Maine snapped out of his daze, his tail standing tall again. He turned back to smile at little Peruvian, revealing a mouthful of sharp, childlike teeth.
"Of course, Pepe is amazing, and so am I!"
"We are all the best!"
"Hehehe... Look at Ms. Clay and Mr. En back then."
"They are so lovely, can't they warm the spider's heart a little and let her dream?"
She is very cute.
All who heard these words, whether gods, immortals, or mortals, sighed in their hearts.
All three.
The competition was successfully completed on the second day.
Everyone is like firewood.
Everyone was happy, except for Kujavina.
“What are you doing, Mainkuhn?” his mother asked him.
"What's wrong? Can't I lose?"
Xiao Mei stared at her with wide, unblinking eyes, displaying a defiant, feline-like demeanor.
"Losing to Buck? A useless guy who only knows how to play dirty tricks?"
Kujavina couldn't understand the situation. "And you, Peruvieri, why are you both going along with his nonsense?"
"..."
Peruvéli remained silent, simply bowing her head as she was scolded.
She knew that her mother still loved her as her obedient daughter and would tolerate her momentary 'confusion'.
It's okay, it's okay. Mother values the rules she sets and pays attention to her outward appearance, so at least this time, everyone can pass the test.
"What should I do? What should I do?"
The executive paced back and forth in front of the child, looking unusually anxious.
"Of all the children I've raised, you are the most ungrateful of all!"
"Is this how you treat your mother? The mother who has been so kind to you?"
"A... Elhesen!"
Kavi's breathing quickened, and he grabbed his friend's hand.
"I have a feeling this is going to happen."
"I understand what you mean!"
Tinari immediately flattened her ears. "Little Peruvieri is probably thinking about things like 'the law doesn't punish everyone,' and they really had no other choice but to save their companion, but—but—"
"The rules of those in power are not meant to be followed, but to be used to rule! If anyone wants to escape that rule..."
Elhesen opened his mouth, a rare moment when he felt the urge to offer comfort.
But his overly rational nature told him that all attempts at reassurance would be futile.
“It’s all history, it’s all in the past, Kavi, Tinari.”
He could only repeat the facts.
The executive walked around a few times, finally suppressing his anger and revealing his usual kind smile.
Mainkuhn.
"You change your tune so quickly."
Xiao Mei sighed because of her straightforwardness.
"Mainkuhn, you have really disappointed me."
Kujavina pretended not to hear, squatted down, and smiled as she pinched the kitten's shoulder.
"Are you holding a grudge against me? Are you still angry that I hit you last time? Child, that was just loving discipline. You shouldn't retaliate against me by causing trouble."
"revenge?"
Honestly, Mainkuhn had no such intention this time, but Kujavina seemed convinced of it.
“I understand that felines have an uncontrollable vengeful streak, but you can’t do that, Mainkuhn. You need to be more human.”
"Kujavina, why do you think my revenge would be so..." simple?
Before he could finish speaking, he felt the world turn upside down, and he was suddenly slammed to the ground again.
"Mother!" Clementine cried out instinctively, "Don't hit him! He's still injured!"
"! Kujavina!!"
Mainkuhn thought he was going to be beaten and instinctively tried to curl up his stomach and open his claws, but Kujavina did nothing. She just pressed his back with her knee, making it impossible for him to get up.
"Get down!"
Little Mayne began to struggle, twisting and turning under the adults' knees, scratching the ground, trying to throw stones at the executor, and tearing at the woman's calves with her claws.
"Mainkuhn, you made a mistake, do you know that?"
Mainkuhn responded with a loud roar.
I'm going to kill you!!
"It seems that ordinary punishments are not enough to educate you."
Kujavina looked down at the ferocious beast, then looked up at the children who were being led astray.
They must have been led astray by Mainkuhn; otherwise, besides him, would there be another stubborn, rebellious, and ungrateful child in the family?
This needs to be corrected.
"Cravlie, come here."
She removed the badge from her chest, took out the pin behind it, and bent it straight, making it easy to pierce.
"Mother?"
The mother handed her the safety pin, then bent down, wrapped her hand around the child's struggling little hand, forcefully straightened his arm, and then gave the order.
"Crevie, stab him."
"……Mother?!"
"The needle should go in two-thirds of the way in. I'll supervise. Now, insert it." There was no explanation, only an order. Kujavina helped hold Maine's arm in place.
This fixation was unnecessary, because Mainkun's cat ears twitched, and he had stopped struggling, lying quietly face down.
"Mother!" Clementine recoiled in terror at the sight of the delicate, white arm, needle in hand. "I...I don't want it!"
"Are you going to disobey me too, my good daughter?"
"But...but that's Maine—"
“Mother, Clementine is too timid; she can’t do anything right.”
Peruvée stood up expressionlessly and took the needle from Clementine's hand.
"I'll do it."
"Pepe, Pepe?!"
"Good boy." Kujavina nodded in praise. "Punch here, remember, there are no blood vessels or meridians here, remember, this is very useful knowledge."
"Um."
Peruvier inserted the needle smoothly and pulled it out smoothly, without drawing any blood; her hand was very steady.
Mainkuhn was also quiet.
"Mother, I'm done with the acupuncture."
She wanted to hand the pin back to Kujavina.
"Okay, then pass it on to Clementine."
"……Why?"
Why do you think his punishment will be so simple? He has made a huge mistake for you.
The mother looked up at the sun with a sorrowful expression.
"Fifty-six people, let's go one by one, there's still plenty of time."
Little Peluvelli was very obedient; she turned around as instructed and handed the pin to her companion.
As she turned around, Arecino, separated by twenty years, finally saw her own terrified little face clearly.
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