Bab 61: Chapter 61: Cocolia Orphanage
The soldiers brought news.
Cocolia had been abducted, her fate unknown.
Usually, even kidnappers leave some form of contact information, but Cocolia hadn't left a single clue.
As time passed, Cocolia's subordinates gradually realize that she wasn't as important as they know. The officer with the highest authority under Cocolia would likely inherit her remaining assets, becoming a new warlord or perhaps dissolving everything and living a carefree life of their own.
Of course, none of this concerned Cocolia directly. After being imprisoned in the secure room prepared by the World Serpent, Cocolia remained tight-lipped, much to Bronie's frustration.
Unable to extract any information from Cocolia, Bronie had to resort to other methods to find the location of Cocolia's Orphanage.
For example, examining expenditure records and daily travel logs. Eventually, Bronie managed to uncover some traces.
After all, Cocolia always carried her bank card with her.
Buying toys, clothes—these expenses always leave a trail, don't they?
Wherever one goes, they inevitably leave traces. Luckily, news of Cocolia's mishap would surely reach the orphanage. Then Bronie could rightfully take over the entire orphanage.
"It's a pity, you took a bullet in the knee. You'll need to use crutches for a while. Until I completely take over the orphanage, I won't let you leave. But I imagine your subordinates will soon take over everything you own, given that they won't be able to find you for a long time."
Bronie still believed in those guys' greed. It probably wouldn't take more than a month for Cocolia's fortune to dwindle significantly.
When Cocolia returns on crutches, how many people will still be willing to listen to her?
"Why are you ruining everything for me?"
"You should be asking yourself why you're ruining these children's futures."
"They never had bright futures to begin with. Is that something a kid like you should be concerned about?"
Cocolia glanced at Bronie.
After being caught, Cocolia initially thought that Cioara was the one controlling Bronie, but it turned out that dangerous mercenary hadn't done anything, and everything was Bronie's doing.
Unseen technology, projections reminiscent of science fiction, and technology that could even hack into banks—yet, Bronie was still just a kid.
And a very familiar one at that.
"It's precisely because I'm a kid that I can't stand for these things. Don't talk to me about sacrifices being worth it or necessary. I don't care. All these difficult choices stem from your lack of strength, right, Raven?"
"Although you seem to be thinking about something else, what Haxxor Bunny said is correct. All these difficult choices stem from your lack of strength. If you can't handle it, why bother researching Honkai? You might as well sell BBQ pork by the streets of Arc City."
Cocolia had nothing to say, only looking at Bronie again.
"What do you want to do with those children?"
"Hahaha! It's all part of my evil plan! I'll hire the best teachers for them, subject them to the torment of homework every day, and only let them wear the clothes I like. I'll force-feed them gourmet food made by top chefs every day and give each of them a phone so they're too busy playing with their phones before bedtime to hear my bedtime stories!"
It sounded evil, but in reality, it was just creating a better living environment.
However, Cocolia's expression was somewhat subtle.
"Do you have that much money? Can you solve the problem of Honkai affecting them?"
"Tsk, I have way more money than you! I understand Honkai better than you do, and treating it is a piece of cake. It's nothing difficult for me. Stop worrying about things you don't need to. If you truly love those children, you should spend the remaining time repenting for the sins you've committed."
With that, Bronie left the room where Cocolia was being held.
As they say, it takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone. Cocolia's leg would probably be unable to withstand high-intensity movement for quite some time.
So, there was no need to worry about Cocolia escaping.
"Where are you going?"
"Of course, I'm heading to the orphanage. There, many children have resistance to Honkai, but I suspect their health isn't up to par. So it's best to make contact with them as soon as possible and start treatment early."
"Treatment? Can you handle it?"
"I'll do my best. If I can't manage, I'll have Mobius guide me remotely. Though Mobius is a bit dangerous, it's still better than Cocolia. At least Mobius actually has the technology; we don't need to sacrifice lives for treatment."
"But taking over the orphanage, you're still so young. You can't possibly become the legal director of the orphanage, can you?"
Bronie's expression stiffened, as if she just realized this issue.
"Uh... then it'll be in your name? I'll provide the money and effort, and you just need to oversee it. Forget about profits; consider it your good deed. Let's leave the money aside. It's meaningless if it's not spent, especially for such a cause. Let's go. I'll leave Cocolia to your subordinates, and I'll go see what my orphanage looks like. I didn't expect my first real estate to be an orphanage."
"But it's quite meaningful, isn't it?"
"Perhaps."
The Ural Mountains stretch north and south for over 2,500 kilometers, with plenty of habitable areas.
Similarly, Cocolia's orphanage is within the Ural Mountains' range, so it's quite convenient to get there.
In winter, there's snow here, but in summer, it can get very hot.
After transferring ownership of the orphanage through proper procedures, Cioara brought Bronie to the orphanage without delay, knocking on the orphanage's door.
"The environment here is quite nice."
"Well, you'll have plenty of time to come here and take care of these children in the future. I hope by then you'll have enough patience. Also, you'll have to take care of Kiana. If you don't visit her for too long, she might suffer from a Honkai outbreak again."
"I've told you, Honkai has nothing to do with Kiana. If it's irrelevant, it's irrelevant. Don't overthink it."
At this moment, the orphanage's door opened, and a middle-aged woman looked Cioara up and down.
"Hello, you're the incoming director Cioara, right? I'm Alona, the maid responsible for taking care of the children's daily lives here."
"I'm sorry about Cocolia's situation. Although I don't know what happened to her, I can't bear to see the children in the orphanage suffer. So I spent a little money to at least give the children a less terrible childhood."
"You're really a great person. And this young lady is..."
"I'm Bronie. I'll also be assisting in managing this orphanage in the future. Education matters will be handled by me. Of course, you don't have to worry about my abilities. You'll see."
Alona looked Bronie up and down.
Finally, she stepped aside and opened the door wider.
"Please come in. This orphanage was actually converted from a mansion. When the children have nothing to do, they help maintain the garden. I believe you'll like these sensible and clever children."
Passing through the garden and arriving at the villa, curious gazes emanated from the windows and doors.
"Sine, the new director is here. Let's meet her. This is Director Natasha Cioara, and Miss Bronie."
"I'm sorry about Director Cocolia's situation, but in life, there are always some people who are just passing by. All we can do is remember the deeds they once did. I'm the same. In the days to come, Bronie and I will accompany you through childhood until you grow up and become independent. Of course, you don't have to worry about being sick anymore. There will be no more sacrifices. We have found a treatment solution."
Suddenly, the children began whispering to each other.
Alona didn't know about Honkai, so outwardly, what Cocolia said was that they all had an illness.
After all, who would easily abandon their own children if they weren't sick?
Sin seemed to gather her courage and asked Cioara, "Is it true? Do you know what illnesses we have?"
When Sin saw Cioara hesitate slightly and look at Alona, she immediately confirmed that Cioara really knew about Honkai.
As the oldest child in the orphanage, Sin was the most sensible, the most talented, and the most favored by Cocolia.
She demonstrated her own value to garner more attention and protection from Cocolia, as well as a sense of security.
In fact, everyone in the orphanage lacked a sense of security, with more or less troubled childhoods.
For example, witnessing family members become zombie.
Or the outbreak of Honkai, with many Honkai Beasts suddenly appearing.
"I know about your physical conditions, and I've arranged follow-up treatment, so don't worry too much. Unlike Cocolia, we only hope that you can grow up healthy and then create your own future."
From the beginning, Cocolia adopted those children with a purpose, and more or less, they all had some resistance to Honkai.
Some had more resistance and almost died, while others had a bit more resistance and seemed quite formidable.
And all along, Cocolia had been instilling in them the idea that their purpose was to help her conduct experiments, so they felt that participating in experiments was only natural.
So after Cioara said this, she could clearly feel the restless agitation.
How had these children's minds been twisted? It was truly lamentable.
After a brief chat, following Alona's footsteps, they entered the director's office. Alona went to prepare lunch for the children temporarily, leaving Bronie and Cioara alone in the room to discuss the upcoming matters.
"How do you feel about this orphanage?"
Cioara asked Bronie for her opinion.
"The estate is quite large, and it seems the money was well spent. But that Cocolia really has no morals. The children have significant psychological issues. If left unattended, there will definitely be trouble."
"Militarized management, but not so strict. Their thinking is still in line with military standards."
"It's like a dog can't change its nature. Knowing she's incapable of educating them, she adopted them with a purpose from the beginning. Naturally, the children she raised would have problems, especially Sin. She lacks a sense of security."
Despite being such a lovely girl, she had to pretend to be strong to garner Cocolia's attention.
But after pretending for so long, she forgot her true self. Under that awkward psychology, it's possible for her to do something twisted.
Cocolia may not realize it, but Cioara nodded in agreement with Bronie's analysis.
"It's a long and arduous task ahead. Can you handle it?"
"It's not about whether I can or can't, but that I must. But I think Elysia will be able to do it. I'll try to do it her way."
"Approaching them as an older sister of similar age makes it easier to connect, right?"
"Anyway, leave the education to me. But I might not be able to stay by Kiana's side for a while."
"I understand. I'll talk to her properly, and if anything happens there, I'll be sure to contact you."
Cioara could see that Bronie had more important things to do.
And these children, honestly, Cioara wasn't very reassured either, so any help she could provide would count.
Seeing them die like this would still be uncomfortable for Cioara.
"If you're free, would you like to come and teach the children?"
"Me? Can I?"
"At least you're probably better than Cocolia. Just look at the vigor and spirit of those children, and you'll know."
"Yeah... It was too lenient to just shoot her in the leg... That crazy woman really should see a psychiatrist. I remember it's called... PTSD?"
"Whatever her problem is, I'm asking if you want this merit or not!"
"I do!"
"Then this office is mine. I'll be here playing games with the children while waiting for you to come over."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Bismarck_Imperia
Bismarck_Imperia Want to read advanced chapters? go to my patréon for up to the current available chapters: Chapter 221.
patréon.com/PorterOfSomething
Bab 62: Chapter 62: A New Home
After chatting for a bit and confirming how the orphanage would operate in the future, Bronie and Cioara headed to the cafeteria.
The children were eating here, and they would also eat here in the future, so it was good to come early and get to know each other.
When Bronie opened the cafeteria door, all eyes turned towards her.
"Ahem, everyone, I'm Bronie, and from now on, I'll be your big sister! Normally, I mainly develop games, but from now on, I'll also be your teacher, accompanying you through the days ahead. As for Director Cioara, she's a mascot. Once I come of age, the orphanage will be under my name."
Bronie stood with her hands on her hips, as if challenging anyone to oppose her.
The children's young eyes were greatly shocked, and little Sin looked equally incredulous.
"Is it strange? Indeed, it may seem strange for someone my age to do these things, but in the days ahead, strange things will be commonplace. So don't be too surprised. Anyway, that's how it is. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me."
Sin raised her hand at this point.
"Um, Bronie big sister, does that mean the director will temporarily leave, and you will stay?"
"Exactly! What awaits you next will be a life like hell!"
Bronie grinned mischievously, and suddenly all the children fell silent, waiting quietly for Bronie's next words.
"You will be forced to wear various clothes I give you, like dolls constantly changing outfits. You'll eat delicious and nutritious food until you're full every day, then drown in a sea of homework, only able to change your future destiny through learning knowledge!"
The response to Bronie was silence.
"I told you, scaring them like this won't work. Actually, these children are quite sensible, although it's possible that this is also a manifestation of lack of security."
What exactly did Cocolia do to these children?
To make them feel both insecure here and loyal to Cocolia.
It's like, Stockholm Syndrome, right?
"Okay, enough joking. In short, there's only one rule in the orphanage for me, and that's not to harm family members. That's enough. If you want something, just tell me, and I'll do my best to fulfill your wishes."
"But... what about the experiments?"
Sin thought it might be Cocolia's subordinates or colleagues who took over the orphanage, and the experiments would continue.
"Children should be like children, they should enjoy their childhood. Don't think about those things. I'll take care of the treatment, and you won't participate in the experiments. That's for adults to handle. Letting children take on adult responsibilities is a failure of an adult, so I won't let you participate in any experiments."
"But aren't you..."
Bronie placed her hand on Sin's head.
Because Sin is still relatively young, and it's still early in the day, Sin hasn't been deeply influenced by Cocolia, and her personality distortion isn't as severe as imagined.
So the cute, long-haired Sin looked a bit timid.
"Just be cute, okay?"
"Uh... okay."
Bronie's kind eyes made Sin hesitant to speak up.
Although she was like the king of children in the orphanage, her status actually came from Cocolia's attention and favoritism.
Now that Cocolia was gone, and so were the experiments, the precision in controlling Honkai also meant nothing. So now, in front of everyone, Sin was just an ordinary child.
After scanning around and confirming the presence of Seele, Bronie nodded in satisfaction.
"They're all such lovely children. Although we're not very familiar right now, I'll be able to get along with them soon."
"Using Elysia's method?"
"Using the Bunny's way. I might have to temporarily put aside the game production based on the voting system. I just realized that there are very few games I've made so far that children can play and enjoy."
Elden Ring isn't very suitable for children to play, and Kiana's situation is a bit special, so playing it is not a problem.
"Well, only you can do it this way."
Indeed, only Bronie can produce games and such.
"Elysia and others make friends sincerely, and I'm the same. I sincerely hope they have a happy childhood, while Cocolia sincerely hopes they die with value."
"This kind of thing, it's better not to talk about it in the cafeteria..."
Cioara was also helpless, but what else could she say? Arguing with a lunatic?
That's right, after a brief exchange with Cocolia, Cioara directly categorized her as mentally ill.
"It's nothing, just a little angry, you see these children here, they are all so adorable, and they are all lovely girls."
God knows why, but this is probably the world of Honkai.
Those with a slightly stronger resistance to Honkai are mostly girls. Originally, Bronie was afraid that she might treat others differently based on gender.
But is there still a need to consider such things now?
Certainly not.
Cioara didn't stay long in the afternoon.
After all, she was really worried about Kiana. Cocolia wasted too much time, and wandering around outside could easily attract the attention of the World Serpent.
That's not good.
And naturally, Bronie stayed behind. They introduced each other, and then got to know each other better.
Children with resistance to Honkai are actually quite difficult to find. Apart from the familiar Vodka sisters, Sin, and Seele, there are still four unfamiliar children left.
But they were equally adorable.
Bronie remembered their names: Nina, Isabella, Sofia, and Anila.
"Well..."
After dinner, Bronie returned to her office, pondering what kind of game to make for the children.
Being too enthusiastic might make the children nervous, so Bronie chose to stay in her office. Besides, her room was right next to the office, so she could rest anytime after work.
But then Bronie's office door was pushed open.
A shy girl with short blue hair peeked out from behind the door, as if she had something to say.
"Hmm? I remember you're Seele, right? What's up?"
"Big sister Bronie, I heard you and Director Cioara discussing Mother Cocolia in the cafeteria earlier, and... um, do you know what happened to her? Everyone is very concerned about this issue, but a bit afraid..."
Unexpectedly, the shyest girl was the first to muster the courage to ask such a question.
It seems they also know that Cocolia is really unreliable and could crash at any moment.
"She's in prison, charged with arms trafficking, intentional murder, and illegal human experiments, with children as subjects."
In total, five died at Cocolia's hands. After taking over the orphanage, Cocolia finally faced reality and confessed her crimes.
"But..."
"Even if the children volunteered, it still violates laws and regulations. Not to mention whether the children volunteered or not, conducting human experiments is inherently unethical and should never be done in the first place. So being arrested for a crime, isn't that normal?"
Seele was speechless.
The little knowledge stored in her young mind couldn't answer Bronie's questions.
"Are you worried about Cocolia's safety? Don't worry, when you grow up, you can visit her in prison. And don't worry about how well she's doing in prison, it's a place for repentance, not punishment. Cocolia won't be harmed too much."
Moreover, behind Cocolia, there's the shadow of the Ash Snake, but who dares to say that Bronie doesn't have people within the World Serpent?
With the answers she wanted, Seele breathed a sigh of relief.
But when she looked at Bronie again, Seele felt that although Bronie looked cool, she was actually quite kind...
"By the way, I mentioned before, I'm a game developer, specializing in making games, right?"
"Yes, everyone is very curious, including Nina. She said you, Big sis Bronie, seemed familiar."
"Familiar? That's good. Come here, I want to make a game for everyone, but I don't know what theme you'd prefer."
Saying that, Bronie hugged Seele and put her on her lap.
Then Seele saw the full design sketches on Bronie's computer desktop.
There were cute little animals, one with a strange rodent with yellow skin and black stripes.
There's also a chubby pink blob, wobbling cutely as it walks.
And a plumber uncle, who seems to be on a mission to rescue a princess?
Each art style was so cute that Seele was immediately drawn to the images on the computer.
At the moment, Seele, small and very cute, looked about nine years old.
Even younger than Kiana.
As a 'wife' from HI3rd, she naturally had to be nurtured very well from a young age.
Righ-No, she was getting sidetracked. No unholy thoughts.
"This one!"
Seele immediately picked Kirby.
That's normal, girls like pink things, right?
"Great, tonight I'll print out the story settings collection and then let everyone vote for the game they want to play the most and the second most. I'll make them all in the future for everyone to enjoy! Oh, and don't think there can only be one... How is that possible? These adorable games, I can't just give up on all of them. Rather, these games are important games to clear my name, to prevent everyone from calling me the 'Dreadful Evil Bunny '."
The traps in the dungeons of Elden Ring did cause quite a bit of resentment, and although Bronie offered ample rewards, players still gave her the nickname.
There's nothing she can do about it. Those two games, where players conquered the dungeons, really struck a chord with people.
Just think about it, in the process of exploring the dungeons, accumulating one's own Runes continuously, and suddenly losing all of them accidentally.
All the hard-earned Runes saved up for leveling up disappeared in an instant.
Anyone's mentality would explode.
"Haxxor Bunny..."
"That's the username I use online. Look at these games."
"Wow!"
From Undertale, to Spiritfarer, then to Civilization, and Elden Ring.
Although young Seele couldn't understand what these games represented, from the art style, comments, and Bronie's pride, she could feel Bronie's excellence in game development.
Unlike Cocolia's cold military demeanor, Bronie was like a spring breeze, building relationships with others as an elder sister.(Learnt from Elysia)
"It's getting late. If you don't get enough sleep, you won't grow tall, remember to go to bed before ten o'clock at night, and when you go out, call Sin in too."
Sin was more cautious, more insecure, while Seele was just shy. But with care from family, she could muster courage faster.
It was Sin who lacked a sense of security and felt awkward, knowing her own limitations, so she didn't dare to provoke Bronie.
After noticing Seele's departure, Sin also tried to gather information about Bronie from Seele, at least to understand Cocolia's situation.
So she lurked outside the door, eavesdropping on Seele and Bronie's conversation.
Sure enough, Bronie knew about Cocolia's situation!
But she didn't expect Cocolia to really mess up.
After Seele left the office, Sin tried to hide, but when she saw Sin's figure, Seele also walked straight towards her.
"Sin, Big sis Bronie wants you to come over. Mom... she's gone to prison... We can visit her in prison in the future."
After saying that, Seele escaped like she was running away and went back to her room.
Watching the half-open door of Bronie's office illuminate the corner of the corridor, Sin fell silent for a moment, but still pushed the door open and entered.
Entering the office, what she saw was not Bronie sitting in the office chair like a boss.
But a back figure rummaging the closet like a racoon.
At this moment, Bronie seemed to be looking for something in the cabinet, because the cabinet was not designed for children's use, so it looked like Bronie had been eaten by a mimic.
Then Bronie came out, holding a violet little dress in her hand, which looked very gorgeous.
"I'm sorry about Cocolia, but if I say it directly, it might break the ideal image of her in your hearts. The world is never black and white, everyone has their own faults, but don't worry, if you can't find the meaning of your life, it's okay to take a temporary break and then slowly embark on the journey of searching. After all, the meaning of life assigned by others is different from the one you find for yourself, and that's where the fun lies, isn't it?"
Sin didn't quite understand, but she seemed to understand something.
Bronie didn't mean any harm to her.
Is it like this?
"This dress is for you! Of course, everyone in the orphanage will also have new clothes, and there will be more in the future. But I think you might look even cuter dressed like this."
With this set of moves, Sin was completely confused.
But surprisingly, Bronie's straightforward words were very helpful to Sin, and in just a few words, Bronie gained some of Sin's trust.
However, holding the little dress nervously, Sin ran to the door of the office and said, "Don't think this little gift will please me! Being cute is not my style at all!"
With that, Sin fled the office like she was escaping, and even remembered to close the door behind her.
But this Sin, still with long hair, is also very cute. She wonder if Sin will wear that little dress tomorrow.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA
Bismarck_Imperia
Bismarck_Imperia
Want to read advanced chapters? go to my patréon for up to the current available chapters: Chapter 221.
patréon.com/PorterOfSomething
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