MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1202: Tenderlove

Anthony’s figure cut through the air as he moved towards the orphanage. He remembered the name as though it were yesterday, Tenderlove Orphanage. It was run by a woman called Ava, who supported it with her own money and nothing else.

Within a couple of minutes, Anthony arrived. He floated downward and landed within the orphanage, choosing to remain invisible just as he had back at the Omni Peak Academy. Unlike the Omni Peak Academy, which looked exactly the same, the Tenderlove Orphanage looked nothing like the one Anthony remembered from six years ago.

The buildings had once been limited to a single bungalow, with the gates looking a little worn down by time. But now, various duplexes stretched across the compound. The Tenderlove Orphanage, which had once housed barely over seventy orphans, now accommodated well over a thousand children.

Some children ran around with various wooden weapons as they played with one another. Some simply played in the sand by the side. Others sat quietly with books in their hands, while a few merely stared into space as though their imagination offered a far better world than their reality ever could.

Anthony wasn’t exactly surprised by the changes he was witnessing. Although Ava could barely afford to keep the orphanage running in the past, that was no longer the case, as Anthony had given her a black card the last time they had met, a bank card containing an unlimited balance of Quark.

Anthony remembered the various conditions he had placed on the bank card at the time, such as Ava being the only person who could use it, and that the card would disappear the very moment she stopped caring about the children from the bottom of her heart.

‘It seems she still cares for the children to this day,’ Anthony thought to himself as he realized Ava had used the bank card to expand the orphanage to this remarkable level.

Although such an amount of money might have caused trouble, Ava was now an S-Ranker, her presence alone enough to discourage anyone who entertained any funny ideas.

‘In the past she was at B+ Rank. It took her six years to reach S-Rank,’ Anthony thought to himself without any change in expression, as he knew not everyone in the world possessed immense talent.

He stepped into the building and looked around a few times, moving from room to room as he silently nodded, appreciating how much effort Ava had put into everything.

He wondered whether he should make his presence known to Ava. After all, he was certain the woman still remembered who he was, and he was equally certain she was now aware of his ‘God’ status on the Blue Planet. After all, she owned a phone.

After thinking about it for a moment, Anthony decided to approach her. Just a couple of exchanged words, and he would leave. With that, he walked into the room where she was and saw her reading through what appeared to be the expenses for the month.

Anthony didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Despite giving her a card with unlimited money, Ava still made monthly calculations and balanced expenses. But then again, it wasn’t as though Ava knew the card contained unlimited funds, as he had never divulged such details to her in the past.

Anthony leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest as he cancelled his Concealment ability before speaking.

“It seems we meet again, Ava,” he said, his tone calm and gentle, a faint smile resting on his face.

Ava, whose attention had been focused entirely on the ledger, froze instantly, shock rippling through her entire body. She remembered that voice. She couldn’t possibly forget it, how could she? This was the voice of the person who had made life infinitely easier for her over the past six years.

Her head immediately snapped to the side, and there he was.

She couldn’t believe her eyes or even her ears. She had thought she would never see him again. She knew of his current reputation, something that left her utterly astonished every single time she remembered she had once met such a man without ever knowing he would later become such a legendary figure.

“An…thony…” she spoke, the disbelief in her voice impossible to hide.

“It seems you haven’t forgotten me,” Anthony replied with the same calm tone and gentle smile.

The very next moment, Ava immediately dropped to one knee as she bowed her head and spoke.

“I greet the Lord, God Anthony,” she said, her tone becoming noticeably more serious.

The smile on Anthony’s face immediately vanished as the atmosphere turned strangely awkward. Anthony was genuinely confused by what Ava meant by calling him Lord. Yes, he had given her infinite money, but wasn’t she overreacting just a little?

Anthony shook his head before speaking, “you aren’t my subordinate or anything like that, Ava. So get up and stop the drama. This isn’t a movie set,” he stated as he pushed himself off the wall and walked towards a chair within the office, making himself comfortable on it.

“And also, call me Anthony like you did in the past. There’s no need for all that god nonsense. I’m not a god, neither is there a real god. Any so-called god is simply someone with a higher cultivation rank than you,” Anthony added.

Ava hesitated for a brief moment before rising to her feet with a light smile. She returned to the chair she had previously been sitting on.

“I never thought you would come here again,” Ava spoke with a warm smile on her face.

She wouldn’t deny it, she had always wanted to meet Anthony again so she could properly thank him. She hadn’t done so six years ago. Although she had accepted the card, she had been reluctant to use it at first, knowing that nothing was truly free on the Blue Planet.

“Why are you suddenly smiling so much? Where is the young woman who attacked me with such vicious efficiency to protect her children?” Anthony teased with an amused smile.

Ava shook her head before replying, “I’m still that same person,” she answered calmly. “Today is just… different for some reason,” she added, her black eyes drifting towards the window.

Anthony didn’t even know what to say to that.

“So, how has the orphanage been these past few years?” he asked.

With that, Ava began explaining a few things. She spoke about how she had initially kept the card hidden away because she didn’t want to use it, then how she had finally been forced to rely on it after she no longer had enough money to purchase resources for the children who had recently awakened. She went on to explain the expansion of the Tenderlove Orphanage and how she gradually employed more people to help manage the ever-growing number of children over the years.

She even mentioned having to kill a few thugs who had kidnapped children for trafficking and other criminal activities.

Anthony simply listened without interrupting her even once. Afterwards, they drifted into small conversations about random topics, such as how far the children who had once left the orphanage had progressed in life, the paths they had chosen, and the futures they had managed to build for themselves.

Although Anthony had originally intended to leave after just a few exchanged words, he ultimately ended up staying for well over five hours, completely immersed in his conversation with Ava without even realizing how much time had passed.

Eventually, Anthony rose to his feet, “It was nice catching up, Ava,” he spoke sincerely, as he had never imagined he would spend this much time here.

“If only you could come more often,” Ava said as she gently shook her head, already knowing such a thing wasn’t realistically possible.

Anthony simply smiled at her words. He said nothing about ascension or everything that awaited him beyond the Blue Planet, as none of that had anything to do with Ava. She knew nothing about him aside from what was publicly broadcast in the news, and Anthony wanted to keep it that way.

“Goodbye, Ava,” he stated in finality before vanishing from the Tenderlove Orphanage.

Ava remained silent for a moment, a gentle smile slowly appearing on her lips. She walked back towards her expense ledger and quietly closed it. Today had been perfect for her. There was no need to spoil such a wonderful day with work.

The very moment she closed the ledger, Ava felt her Mana Core tremble violently as she immediately began to break through into Master Level 1 Mana Rank.

She didn’t need to guess to know Anthony was behind such an impossible feat, as she had seen videos of Anthony accomplishing this exact same thing just a couple of months ago.

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