Chapter 479: A New Change
Chapter 479: A New Change
"..."
Upon hearing the concerns of the elderly female manager, Lyon, who had been overjoyed, suddenly snapped back to reality. The situation at Blissful Residence seemed to be more complex than he initially thought.
The elderly couple, the managers, were so "human-like" that Lyon had always treated them as kind neighbors, somewhat overlooking their "non-human" nature.
The birth of Blissful Residence was not only due to the anomalous seed provided by the Aquarius Director but also to the gratitude and longing of those who were once helped by the elderly couple in the almshouse over ninety years ago. Their deep-rooted wish for the couple's continued existence played a significant role.
As anomalies, the managers, despite their roles and wages from the municipal department, were not truly human. They were "appendages" to the building, unable to exist independently outside the residence.
Moreover, anomalies were not indestructible.
Lyon's witch's broom, for instance, had become completely unresponsive after being snapped. If the municipal department only intended to maintain the residence, it probably wouldn't affect the couple's existence. However, if they were to undertake a large-scale renovation or expansion, the outcome would be highly uncertain.
"I'm not sure about that..."
After understanding the crux of the matter, Lyon's expression turned serious. He contemplated for a moment before suggesting,
"How about this: I can file a report with the Purification Bureau, using the protection of anomalies as a reason to halt the renovation. Then, I'll request a significant budget, allowing you to decide how to proceed. This way, you won't have to worry about any issues."
"Hmm..."
However, to Lyon's surprise, the elderly female manager hesitated slightly after hearing his proposal. Then, she shook her head and declined,
"Let's not do that. Just let them proceed with the regular renovation of this residence. Instead of stopping the renovation and expansion, I'd rather you inform them to not evict the tenants and keep the rent here affordable after the expansion."
"That's definitely not going to happen."
Although Lyon wasn't fond of using the privileges associated with his noble status, he had no reason to refuse such a reasonable request. He readily agreed with a nod.
However, he hesitated and added a warning,
"But are you sure? I can't determine if this expansion is maintenance or damage to Blissful Residence. If it leans more towards damage, you and Uncle John might truly disappear!"
"It's fine."
After Lyon agreed to her request, the elderly female manager reassured him and explained,
"This place really needs some repairs. A section of the handrail on the stairs has been missing for a long time. Every time your two little ones run around in the building, I worry that they might fall from the stairs.
Moreover, some of the residents here, like Hannah, are planning to have children in the next few years. We can't let those kids live in such an unsafe environment, can we?"
"Mrs. Mary, these two matters aren't conflicting," Lyon insisted.
"Based on my understanding of anomalies, if the renovation is handled by you instead of the municipal department, the impact can be minimized. Even with a major renovation, it's highly likely that your existence won't be affected."
"Let's not do that," the elderly female manager said after a moment of contemplation, shaking her head with a kind expression.
"We can only afford to do some repairs. We don't have the capability to expand this building. But the people from the municipal department have already negotiated with the surrounding buildings and even acquired the abandoned factory at the back. They plan to expand Blissful Residence by eight to nine times its current size.
Besides continuing to offer affordable rent, they also intend to reopen the almshouse from years ago. They want to take in parentless children from the old town, provide basic education, and teach them skills to earn a living.
According to them, this is a new policy initiated by the Princess. Since children represent a nation's future, the annual budget will prioritize education and childcare when conditions permit.
When the manager lady said this, it seemed she had finally made up her mind. She smiled a bit sheepishly at first, then, in the silence of Lyon's response, she said rather happily:
"These political orders, I've never really cared much about them, so I don't quite understand what they say. But I think that if we can take care of more homeless children, it's a good thing, so we'll just do what we can!"
"But if the expansion really happens, the chances of the Happiness Apartments disappearing will be very high."
After a moment of thought, Lyon persisted:
"Let me handle it. I can go and talk to them, and make sure they skip over the Happiness Apartments when they expand, only touching other areas. That way, both sides can be preserved."
"Let's not do that."
Looking at Lyon, who was determined to preserve the Happiness Apartments, the manager lady pondered for a moment, then, with a gentle smile, she declined:
"The Happiness Apartments face the street. If they skip our building, the future Almshouse and apartments would either have to take a detour or open a new side road from the back, which would be quite troublesome.
Besides, my husband and I have already lived long enough. If you count our lives before and after, we're already over a hundred and fifty years old. Even the people who pay us at the Municipal Department have died and been replaced three times. There's no need to hang on any longer!"
"But..."
"Thank you, dear child. I know you don't want us to disappear, but we've really thought it through."
Seeing that Lyon still seemed to want to say something, the manager lady explained softly:
"At first, we wanted to live on to take care of the children who were driven out. After they... left, we felt that the good people in the capital city had a hard life, and we wanted to help as much as we could.
But the two of us were never important people when we were alive, and we don't have any extraordinary abilities now that we're dead. We can only do so much, helping out when we see someone in need.
Now, there's finally some good news. Once the new Almshouse is built, the building we left behind and the small piece of land behind it can help even more people. We are content and have no regrets."
"Alright..."
Lyon hadn't expected that the Princess's ascension would affect the existence of the Happiness Apartments. Seeing the manager lady's face, which now carried a look of relief after her explanation, Lyon nodded and decided not to push any further. He chose to respect their personal will.
However, respect was one thing, but there were still things worth trying.
Noticing the faint look of anticipation on the manager lady's face, Lyon knew she was also looking forward to seeing the new Almshouse. He tentatively suggested:
"Let me not block the expansion of the Happiness Apartments, but I can try to minimize the changes to the original building without affecting the layout, to see if we can preserve your will.
Additionally, I know a bit about the secret techniques the Aquarius Director used to create you. When the Municipal Department starts construction, I can try to use these techniques to integrate you two with the new Almshouse. How does that sound?"
Integrate us with the new Almshouse?
Hearing Lyon's words, the manager lady was slightly moved but still hesitant:
"But wouldn't that affect the...?"
"It won't."
Lyon shook his head:
"You two can think of it as a part-time job. Besides managing the Happiness Apartments, you can also be the caretaker and gardener of the new Almshouse!"
At this point, Lyon paused slightly, then said to the manager lady, who still looked uncertain:
"Mrs. Mary, you wouldn't want to disappear before the new Almshouse opens, would you?"
(End of Chapter)
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