Chapter 5 : 10 years
Time drifted by, and soon I turned ten years old.
During these years, I had completely mastered the language of this era. I learned to walk, speak, and tend to my own needs much earlier than expected,
which was a source of great astonishment for Warden Meera and the workers at the orphanage.
Since I turned five, I began doing my own chores, assisting Warden Meera with small errands, and helping out with other tasks around the orphanage. In return, Warden Meera would give me one bronze coin every day.
You might be wondering why I was the only one receiving coins, thinking it would be unfair to the other orphans. However, that was not the case.
I wasn't being paid because I was special. Rather, there was a rule in the orphanage: if an orphan was responsible, took care of their own needs,
and helped with small chores around the facility, they were entitled to receive one bronze coin daily.
While there were no other children quite as sharp as I was here, there were still some responsible ones—perhaps fifty in total—who also earned coins.
First, let me explain the currency system of this era. At the bottom is the Bronze Coin. Above that is the Silver Coin, which is equal to ten bronze coins. Finally, there is the Gold Coin, which is worth ten silver coins.
I began saving the coins I received daily, spending very little. In addition to the regular chores, I also took on heavy labor to earn extra coins.
You might be thinking that a child of such a young age shouldn't be performing such manual labor, as it could cause hidden internal injuries.
I was well aware of that. That is why I used my Telekinesis skill to lift heavy objects, while merely pretending to lift them physically so that others wouldn't suspect anything.
Initially, when Warden Meera saw me asking for such heavy work, she flatly refused.
"No, you are too young for that," she had said.
But when I demonstrated that I could lift heavy items with ease and without sustaining any injury, she finally gave her consent.
Since the orphanage was a massive establishment housing more than a thousand children, the workload was immense, and it often involved heavy labor.
Previously, all this heavy labor was done by outside laborers who charged 20 bronze coins a day. However, I offered to do it all for a mere demand of 10 bronze coins.
I would have done it for free, but what could I do? I would need a house to live in the future, and for that, I needed money.
Children could only stay in the orphanage until they were ten years old. After turning ten, they were compelled to leave; even the orphanage staff could do nothing about this rule.
The royal family of Hastinapur did not possess a tree that bore gold to run the orphanage for free indefinitely.
If an orphan was not ready to leave voluntarily, the soldiers of Hastinapur would kick them out by force.
In many ways, this era is far better than the 21st century. Here, jungles are abundant. Generally, trees are not cut down indiscriminately because many Ashrams are built within the forests, where sages and ascetics reside to perform their penance.
Because of this, no one can claim private ownership of the jungle. Therefore, orphan children can go live in the forest and survive by eating fruits—provided they learn to protect themselves from wild animals or find refuge under the protection of a sage.
If an orphan wishes to stay in Hastinapur, they can survive by working in shops or doing manual labor; in this era, child labor is not considered a crime.
However, if someone still wishes to stay in the orphanage after turning ten, they have one other option: they must sign an agreement to become a soldier.
By doing this, you can stay in the orphanage for another six years. Once you turn sixteen, you are sent directly to train as a soldier. You cannot back out of this agreement later, even if you want to.
That is why I started doing all the heavy labor for just 10 bronze coins. Combined with my daily allowance, I began collecting 11 bronze coins every day.
Because I had essentially stolen the livelihood of those outside laborers, they left the premises glaring at me with anger, gritting their teeth as they went.
As for the System, I had sent it to sleep for ten years. I realized I didn't really need it during my childhood, so I decided I would only activate it when I turned ten.
There was another reason for this decision. I had found a message in the System's profile:
[ System Upgrade: To upgrade, the System must sleep for 10 years to absorb the energy of the world. ]
Knowing that the System would be of no use during this interim period anyway, I agreed to it. So, the System has been sleeping until now, and it is set to activate in a few days.
Combining my earnings from the past five years, I now possessed 20,000 bronze coins—which meant 200 gold coins. I had converted all the bronze coins into gold ones.
I didn't do it all at once, but gradually over time. Otherwise, if anyone saw a child with such a vast amount of money, greed might arise in their hearts.
Putting the past aside, let us return to the present.
I was standing before Warden Meera. Although she was not my biological mother, she was no less than a mother to me. She had taken such great care of me.
Without her support, I never could have earned this much money.
"Are you leaving now?"
Warden Meera looked at me. There were no tears on her face, but I knew she was deeply saddened by my departure.
Warden Meera was now forty years old. She had grown slightly frailer, and fine wrinkles had appeared on her face, but she remained as beautiful as ever.
"Yes, I am leaving."
I broke my silence and answered her question.
She gave no further reply. Turning back toward her room, she simply waved her hand, signaling me to go.
I did not take offense at this. Being the warden of an orphanage, she had to give equal love to all the children.
Therefore, she treated me with the same demeanor she maintained with the other orphans.
To be continued...