Chapter 26: The Profitable Orphanage

Everyone was curious about what Qin Chuan intended to do by re-entering the lake. Could he be searching for another three-star monster?

They followed his live stream into the depths of the lake, only to discover that Qin Chuan was swimming straight toward the bottom. Along the way, he casually snatched up a few fish that swam past him, dispatched them instantly, and stowed them away in his spatial ring.

It appeared that Qin Chuan had a particular fondness for fish, perhaps a habit carried over from his childhood.

Bingbing, intrigued by his behavior, asked, "Director Qin, do you happen to know what Qin Chuan usually likes to eat?"

"Qin Chuan is not a picky eater. He eats whatever is available. After all, our orphanage has limited resources, and since every child is an orphan, they aren't in a position to be picky—they eat whatever they can get," Qin Ren replied.

This remark caused the live stream chat to fall silent for a long moment.

"I suddenly feel that Qin Chuan is quite pitiful."
"It's not just him; all orphans are the same. They lose their parents at a young age and have to rely entirely on themselves."
"I realize how fortunate I am. I have parents and elders who love me, yet I often make them angry. I’ve been so ungrateful."
"Erke will be donating one million to the Beihai Orphanage to help improve their living conditions."
"Holy crap, Erke hasn't gone out of business yet? I actually see them again!"
"I didn't expect this company to have such a charitable heart. I’ve decided to buy more of their clothes from now on."
"I happen to need new clothes. Honey, let's go shopping and buy Erke."

Following Erke's lead, other companies realized this was a golden opportunity. They began announcing their names in the live stream and pledging various donations.

"Ali Company will donate a new building to the Beihai Orphanage so the children can have a better place to live."
"Tencent will donate ten million to support the children's education from elementary school through high school."
"Longteng International will donate at least five million worth of supplies, including daily necessities and school materials."

Because of Qin Chuan, a massive wave of charitable activities was sparked among entrepreneurs across the country. In a short time, the Beihai Orphanage had received over 100 million in funds and supplies.

The director of the Beihai Orphanage was stunned. This... this was truly unexpected and wonderful!

Qin Ren knew that all of this was because of Qin Chuan. Since the director of the Beihai Orphanage had named him, effectively acting as his legal guardian, everyone naturally treated Qin Ren as if he were Qin Chuan’s parent.

Although many people wanted to adopt Qin Chuan—some out of genuine care, but most for the benefits he could provide—the state intervened. It was decreed that Qin Chuan must be raised by the Beihai Orphanage, and no one was allowed to "capitalize" on him. The state was protecting Qin Chuan; they wanted no one to harbor ulterior motives and insisted that Qin Chuan walk his own path from here on out.

In the past, Qin Ren had wished for someone to take Qin Chuan off his hands, but now that Qin Chuan had become a savior-like figure for Yanhuang and had brought so many benefits to the nation, he would fight anyone who tried to take the boy from him!

He had found this child through his own efforts, so why should he let anyone else raise him? Raising him himself was far more rewarding!

Qin Chuan remained oblivious to all of this. He had no idea that because of him, the Beihai Orphanage had received such immense benefits, making Qin Ren burst with joy. If it weren't for the live stream, Qin Ren would have laughed out loud. After enduring for so long, he had finally made it—it hadn't been easy.

The lake was quite deep, estimated to be at least two hundred meters. Under such pressure, a normal person would never be able to withstand it, yet Qin Chuan felt nothing, his condition showing no change at all. Having killed the three-star Razor Shark, his synchronization rate had risen again, reaching 23%. With his strength greatly increased, a few hundred meters of depth meant nothing to him.

Then, a glimmer of light at the bottom of the lake caught everyone’s attention.

"What is that?"
"How can there be light at the bottom of the lake?"
"Damn, could it be that some powerful cultivator established a cave dwelling down there, and Qin Chuan just stumbled upon it?"
"Which novel did you get that plot from?"
"This is a forbidden zone, not a novel. Please don't mislead people."
"Could there be treasures at the bottom of the lake?"

As everyone watched with bated breath, Qin Chuan drew closer to the light, finally revealing its source. It was enough to shock everyone.

"Is that a seashell? Holy crap, such a giant clam! Has this thing become a spirit?"
"What breed is this? Someone who knows, please explain!"

"This is a water clam. Usually, they don't grow this large, but since it's a forbidden zone, a size of one or two meters is acceptable."
"Look at those glowing things—are those pearls?"
"How many pearls are there? This is basically a mountain of pearls!"
"Given their luster and size, even a single one would be priceless on the planet of Jiuzhou. But here, they are everywhere. This is a treasure vault in the middle of a lake!"
"We’re rich!"
"What use would this have in a forbidden zone? You can't even eat them."
"That’s true, but Qin Chuan has a spatial ring!"

Qin Chuan seemed equally stunned by the sheer number of pearls at the bottom of the lake. They were as plentiful as stones, coming in various colors. The smallest were the size of a child's fist, and the largest one Qin Chuan saw was the size of an adult's head. It was a golden pearl, the source of the light he had seen earlier.

"These things are quite pretty, but unfortunately, they're useless."

To Qin Chuan, money and such were the lowest form of value. Anything that could be bought with money was merely cheap trinkets. He wasn't interested in money at all.

He walked toward the largest pearl and stowed it into his spatial ring. He treated it purely as a toy, having no other thoughts. He wasn't a selfish person; he wanted to bring some back for his friends at the orphanage. Even though he often bullied those troublemakers, he was loyal to them. Thus, he specifically picked out the most beautiful, largest, and highest-quality pearls.

There were so many pearls that he ignored anything that wasn't of top quality. He didn't even count how many he took; he just grabbed the best ones. Finally, he looked at the motionless clams. These were the real treasures. The meat could be eaten, the shells could serve as beds, or even as cooking pots—they were truly cornucopias.