The Dark King

by Steffen Schmidt

  Dudian also glanced at the little girl. He was slightly surprised in his heart. She left a very positive impressing on him during his past three months in the orphanage. She was one of the few in the normal children faction that seemed to possess a good character and a kind heart. Out of all of them, this girl in particular was very gentle. Even Barton and the other deformed children showered her with mouthfuls of praise in private.

  Because Dudian originally had a good impression of her, he remembered that her name seemed to be.... Lisa?

  Sure enough, he understood that he was still too na?ve.

  At this time, as if enlightened by Lisa's words, the eyes of the adults revealed a trace of 'understanding'. With such a figure and skin so clean and delicate, who could bear to abandon such a child? Many of them looked at Durian with pity.

  Lisa and the rest of the children were relieved upon seeing the adult's reactions.

  "Aunts and Uncles."

  Without any warning, a tender voice sounded from the crowd. The voice caused both the children and the grown-ups to be surprised. Suddenly, all the children's' mouths gaped as if they had just seen a ghost. Those words were spoken by Dudian!

  These three months in the orphanage, Dudian stayed silent every day in order to listen and observe, learning simple words and pronunciations. Pronunciation and language class was mandatory even in this old and rusty orphanage due to the many children who were not even one year old. Although he did not join in their conversations, he learned much by eavesdropping.

  The people around him assumed he was just dumb. They would even attempt to communicate with him using hand signals and gestures. Nobody took the initiative to find him for a chat so he simply did not bother to speak to anyone; happily silent.

  "I do not have any problems," Durian said quietly in an immature voice.

  He did not directly accuse Lisa of lying in order to get revenge. There was no need to be so superfluous.

  The adults who were a little surprised seemed to understand something as they pointed wistful gazes to Lisa. Unexpectedly, they found similarly surprised looks on the faces of the children and staff.

  For a time, many of the adults frowned.

  One of the sturdy, middle-aged men said, "Look at their faces. It seems none of them knew you could speak. Can you tell me why you would want to hide that?"

  One of the taboos of adoption was a lack of sense of security with a child. Nobody would want to adopt a child whose mind was filled with crafty thoughts and unwilling cleverness.

  Dudian knew that he finally had the attention of these people and calmly said, "I did not deliberately hide anything, but my character is naturally introverted. I did not speak so they labeled me as dumb."

  Hearing his words, the coldness in their eyes gradually melted. They understood that most orphans in such circumstances would develop an introverted personality.

  "Even if you are introverted, your voice is not quiet. Nobody ever heard you say a word?" A woman in the crowd questioned with a suspicious look on her face.

  Aunt Dai interrupted without giving Dudian a chance to respond. "In this child's case, he loves to clean. We specifically assigned him to a separate room. There was no chance for him to communicate with the other children."

  Hearing these words, Barton and the other children were all slightly confused. They could not figure out why Aunt Dai would lie. There was no orphanage where a child enjoyed a room to himself.

  Dudian immediately understood. In this point, today's orphanages and the orphanages of his past were similar. They would cover up the flaws of the children as much as possible in order to increase their chances of being adopted. If these adults knew that Dudian was admitted only three months ago, no one would be willing to adopt him even if he was in perfect condition.

  Every seven-year-old child would have memories and would certainly remember their biological parents. Nobody could guarantee that he would not leave to find his real parents once he became an adult.

  Understanding things to this point, Dudian's mind slightly sank as he noticed Lisa and the other children of the normal faction seemingly ready to speak out at any time. Aunt Dai also noticed this and severely glared at Lisa and the few children that were ready to speak, terrifying them into silence.

  In this orphanage, Aunt Dai controlled their life and death. As long as she got involved, their chances of being adopted could turn to zero.

  Dudian knew he had no special charisma. The reason Aunt Dai helped him was so that he would be adopted and be one less expense for the orphanage.

  "So that's the way it is..." The fat woman looked at Dudians pale, snow white skin with a sympathetic and puzzled face. "Son, I will pick you up and you will be my child."

  At her words, Barton and several other children were pleasantly surprised. They looked so happy as if it was them that were getting adopted.

  As Dudian heard this, he looked at the fat woman's face and hands. He noticed her rough fingers and could not help but frown slightly. Just as he was about to refuse, another person suddenly laughed. "I find this child quite pleasing to the eye. I think, with my status, I would be more suitable to be this child's parent."

  Everyone looked at this mediocre middle-aged man and the faint smile on his face.

  The fat faced woman frowned and spoke in a cold voice. "I'd like to hear who you are, big man!?"

  The middle-aged man smiled faintly and said, "I am just a small family gardener for the Mel family."

  The children did not show much of a reaction, but the surrounding people could not help but change color as they whispered. "Mel family? Is it that Mel family?"

  "Aside from the Mel family, which other Mel needs a gardener?"

  For a time, all eyes were focused on the middle-aged man with a tinge of awe.

  The fat woman immediately paled, bowing her head in silence.

  "How about it, boy?" The middle-aged man was very satisfied with the response and smiled at Dudian as he asked.

  With this, Lisa and the other children started to pick up on the clues. One by one, intense gazes of jealousy and envy were directed at Dudian. To be adopted with such good conditions, how could they not be jealous?

  Dudian frowned slightly. After thinking a little, he shook his head and responded. "I am sorry, Uncle. Thank you for considering me, but I hope that my parents could be doctors so that there is sense of security.

  He was refused!

  The middle-aged man was immediately stunned. He did not think Dudian would refuse! He visited a lot of orphanages looking for children. Those children would become excited as soon as it was mentioned that they were being adopted by the Mel family gardener. None were able to stay as calm as Dudian or speak in such an orderly manner.

  Soon, the man woke up from his trance.

  Dudian, of course, also picked up on the clues and was able to discern the status of this gardener from the expression of the other adults. He knew that the "Mel family" must be an influential force.

  Dudian, on the other hand, did not want to be stuck in a manor.

  Chapter 3: New Beginning

  "Doctor?" Suddenly, a young woman dressed in a gray gown asked Dudian: "Child, I am a doctor. Are you willing to be my son?"

  Dudian noted this woman in his mind once he heard her take the initiative to speak. Originally. he held an adventurous attitude by refusing the gardener. The other were afraid of offending the gardener of the Mel family so they did not dare to choose Durian. This doctor's identity seemed to hold some weight.

  What Dudian did not know was how are rare doctors were in this world. Although it was still a civilian occupation, it was an exceedingly rare one.

  In a manner of speaking, it could be classified as a senior occupation. With the Mel family's gardener present, those with basic civilian occupations would not dare to choose this child, but compared to a doctor, a mere gardener was only at the level of ordinary civilian jobs such as minors and tailors.

  Dudian had a good impression
of this young woman. Her cheeks were framed by soft lines. Shallow dimples appeared on her face as she vividly smiled. The way she looked at Dudian was as if a mother was looking at her son. His cold heart began melting under her gentle gaze as he nodded. "I am willing."

  The middle-aged gardener's face turned unsightly, but as he looked at the young woman, he held back and did not say a thing. He secretly felt sorry for Dudian. After all, Dudian was very young and sort-sighted. Doctors are good, but not every child of a doctor had the ability to learn their parent's trade. The occupation itself had a very difficult entry barrier and required a lot of energy and dedication. If Dudian could not succeed, he would be left as a low-level nobody.

  Gardening, on the other hand, was different. You would be able to start as long as you had a good memory. As a gardener for the Mel family, Dudian would be living far away from the slums. In the future, he would be able to inherit the gardener's place. Working for the Mel family and staying at their home is the dream of many commoners.

  'Ah, how unfortunate, how unfortunate!'

  The middle-aged gardener shook his head.

  The normal children's expressions turned ugly as they saw the doctor choose Dudian. Barton and the other deformed kids were much better, albeit a little jealous. Nonetheless, Dudian stole a valuable opportunity, causing the rest of the children to hold resentment and envy in their hearts.

  Dudian held an auspicious smile on his face. He was one of the few in the orphanage that caught the doctor's eyes. Moreover, his calm attitude and the look of his clean white skin cause made people feel more comfortable around him.

  Aunt Dai turned to the young doctor and said, "Dudian has always been very well behaved here. We hope that you take good care of him and wish the two of you lead a happy life.

  "I will", said the young woman as she smiled. "It fills my heart with joy."

  Aunt Dai instructed the woman next to her. "Mina, take them to apply for the household registration procedures."

  The woman called 'Mina' waved at Dudian and the young woman with a laugh. "Come with me please."

  "Go on Dean!"

  "Dean, do not forget us!"

  "Remember to come back and see us!"

  Barton and the rest of the deformed children cried out reluctantly.

  "I will be back, but do not be discouraged," said Dudian as he remembered how he was taken care of by then for three months. "Maybe you will all be adopted by the time I return."

  Although they knew in their hearts what the results would be, they still laughed.

  As he was getting ready to leave, Dudian suddenly heard the middle-aged gardener's voice. "I will choose you." Dudian could not help be look, only to see him pointing at Lisa. He smiled and spoke. "Little girl, you have quite the clever mind. How about being my daughter?"

  Lisa stared at him with a look of disbelief painted on her face.

  She looked around at the other healthy children around her.

  After a glance, Dudian withdrew his gaze from Lisa and faced Aunt Mina. He left with Mina and his soon-to-be mother shortly after.

  He and the other children of the orphanage will soon live in their own respective homes. Perhaps they would never meet again.

  ...

  ...

  The household registration procedures for the orphanage were very timple.

  First, verify the identity of the adopting parent. Second, verify the occupation of the adopter to prover their capability to support the child.

  The purpose of these verifications was to determine whether the adoptive parent met the requirements set by the law.

  If you did not work or if your wages were too low, you would not meet the specifications for adoption.

  Third, a contract would have to be signed to confirm the adoptive relationship.

  Finally, and of course most importantly, the money had to exchange hands!

  In this world, adoptions were an orphanages main source of income. In the past, the registration procedures would be finished with the signing of the contract. No money was involved. But in this new day and age, it was different. Adoption was the same as selling a 'product'. The only difference being that it was now legal for orphanages to 'sell' children.

  Dudian had never seen the new world's money. As his 'mother' took out a thick stack of green notes, the only noticeable difference he could discern was the picture of the giant wall of Silvia printed above. It seems as if the city of Silvia was covered by this giant wall.

  As Dudian watched his 'mother' handing the stack of bills to Aunt Mina, things became clear. Why else would children be accepted into the orphanage so easily? The orphanage selflessly provided food and shelter for the children, knowing that they would be adopted in a few months and bring in a large sum of money.

  Dudian sighed. He felt as if he finally understood the difference between the new era and the old one: Survival of the fittest. Either adapt to this world or be crushed under it.

  Once the payment procedure and signing of the contract was finalized and put away, the young doctor bent over to caress Dudian's hair.

  As he looked at her pale brown eyes, he knew that this woman would be the only person he would be able to rely on in the future. He was silent for a moment before speaking, "May I call you Aunt Ju?"

  Jura was slightly confused.

  Mina spoke as she heard Dudian's words. "Do not bend the rules. She is you mother now and you must be good to her. Do not disappoint the reputation of our orphanage.

  Jura smiled as she stroked Durian's hair in a gentle manner. "You can call me Aunt Ju until you are able to get used it.

  A trance of warmth flowed to Dudian's face as he softly said, "Thank you."

  He was grateful for her gentle temperament because he knew that once adopted, his life and death would be entirely up to his adopted parents. He had already heard from the other children that in this world it would be legal even if the parents decided to kill their child!

  Jura smiled. "Let's go back and take you to your new home.

  ...

  ...

  Jura's home in the neighborhood...

  All of the inhabitants of this neighborhood had ordinary jobs, but the environment here was totally different from the slums he was used to. The air was much fresher and he could no longer sense the rotten odor of the slums.

  Even in this huge residential area, Jura's living conditions belonged to the more upscale lifestyle. The price of land here was twice as high as the slums due to its distance from the slums in the north and closeness to the commercial area in the south.

  Anyone living in the commercial or military area was one with either a large amount of wealth or influence. The cost of housing in these areas amounted to an astronomical figure that most people could not earn in a lifetime.

  Each area had a high wall barrier. The gates that divided Silva only opened once a day. The gates of the residential area in the south did not face the gates of the slums in the north.

  This meant that people in the residential area were free to go to the slums, business people were free to go to the residential area, but residents of the slums could not. The status of the dwellers of the slums was nowhere near enough for them to access the upper scale areas.

  Chapter 4: Night

  Jura pulled out a ring of keys and unlocked the door.

  Dudian started taking note of the room, knowing that this is where he would be living here for some time in the future.

  "Dean, come in." Said Jura from behind a small closet door. She appeared suddenly swinging a pair of adult cotton shoes in her hands as if to tease him.

  Dudian was startled, but also relieved. This was another one of the conditions for adoption; Marriage.

  "Come, I'll bring you over to wash up." Jura warmly said.

  Dudian expected to be able to soak in a bath, but we quickly disappointed. The result was Jura soaking a towel in warm water and using it to help wipe his face and arms. This way of bathing was exactly the same in the orphana
ge.

  Nonetheless, the color of this water was much purer.

  What Dudian did not know was that even the nobility of the world used this 'dry cleaning' method for bathing. People generally believed that the water would weaken their bodies and harm their immune system. Even members of the aristocracy that were plagued by hypochondria would only bathe once or twice a year.

  After washing, Dudian was given new clothes to replace his rags as Jura made him more familiar with his new home.

  Things were as expected as Dudian looked around the house. There were no scientific or technological items found, not even a simple alarm clock. The only trace of the former era he could find was a fairy tale only seen in the books. The story itself seemed to originate from the European medieval period where not even the steam engine was created yet.

  As he thought of all he had seen these past three months, Dudian became more and more convinced in his heart that this post-disaster world's civilization should have just developed into the bronze age. They barely knew how to use metal.

  This discovery caused some ideas to emerge within his mind.......

  The evening sky once again darkened. The chilling air seeming as if it was inviting the rain to come again.

  Jura was worried Dudian might be afraid of darkness so she lit an oil lap early on. She was filled with an amazing feeling every time she saw his face lit up by the flickering flame.

  "It's going to rain again. What about Uncle?" Dudian said as he glanced out the window.

  Jura smiled at this boy's worries and said, "Uncle has a lot of work to do these days so he will not be coming back tonight. Are you hungry?"

  "What's for dinner?"

  "Good boy. I'm going to let you taste this craft of mine. I guarantee you will love it." Jura said with confidence.

  ...

  ...

  In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

  Dudian met his new father, Gray. He was a tall, thin middle-aged man. His looks were quite ordinary, but he had a gentle character. Gray was a tailor by profession. The sewing machine in the house was used by him. 'Black Snow' season was coming so he brought his sewing machine from the factory to the house, as there was no heating at the factory.