Chapter 50: Returning to the farm

"Officer Jenny, have you found any clues?" 

After treating Grandma Nieno, Rex and Yuli went to the police station to inquire about the investigation into the orphanage fire.

"I'm afraid not. Since the orphanage is located in a remote area, there were no witnesses around, so it's currently impossible to determine if it was arson," Officer Jenny said apologetically.

Rex was already prepared for this. He knew it was unlikely that Officer Jenny would find any useful information.

So, he informed Officer Jenny of everything he knew: about someone's previous attempt to purchase the land where the orphanage was located, Grandma Nieno's rejection, and his own deductions about the situation.

"Rex, rest assured, I will follow up on this matter. If it was indeed them, I will make sure they pay the price," Officer Jenny said after hearing Rex's speculation, finding it reasonable. However, lacking evidence, she couldn't arrest anyone based solely on his speculation.

"All right, Officer Jenny, we'll wait for your good news then!" Rex informed Officer Jenny of what he knew but didn't intend to rely solely on her to investigate the matter.

"Rex, just as you suspected, those people came to discuss purchasing the land again," Grandma Nieno told Rex as soon as he returned to the hospital.

"Oh, how did you respond to them?" Rex asked.

"I followed your advice and firmly rejected them, telling them not to come again," Grandma Nieno said nervously.

"I think we should sell the land to them. I don't want you to be harmed because of this," Grandma Nieno continued, expressing her concern.

"Grandma Nieno, please rest assured. We have the ability to protect everyone now. Moreover, if they're really the ones behind this, I'll make sure they pay for it," Rex reassured her.

"Grandma Nieno, I think Rex is right. Kind people shouldn't be persecuted by these evil forces. We should fight back, only then can the world become a better place," Yuli chimed in, choosing to stand with Rex and help persuade Grandma Nieno.

"All right, just be careful!" Grandma Nieno was ultimately persuaded by Rex and Yuli.

"Then let's proceed with the discharge procedures now. I've already arranged for a taxi to take us back to Farm!" Rex continued.

Rex's plan was to bring everyone back to Farm and wait for the culprits to come. Once they were caught, everything would be resolved.

He first had Grandma Nieno directly refuse to sell the land, provoking the other party, and then boldly brought Grandma Nieno and the others back to Farm, giving the culprits a target.

Rex wasn't well-known in this world. People in town only knew him as the one who took over the Jiro Farm and made a living by selling wool from sheep. They were unaware of his current strength, giving him an opportunity.

Judging from the culprits' actions of setting fire to the house after failing to buy the land, they were sure to take action. Moreover, Rex Farm was in the suburbs, making it more suitable for them. Rex couldn't think of any reason they would pass up such a good opportunity.

"Welcome to the farm. You can consider this place your home from now on!" Rex said to Meirei and the others.

"Wow, big brothers and sisters, you're here too! Finally, someone can play with me!" Akiko was very happy to see Meirei and the others. After all, when she was at the orphanage, they were the closest in age to her and often took her around.

"Akiko, take them to play with the sheep!" Rex instructed Akiko.

"Okay, I'll make friends with the sheep for you, big brothers and sisters!" Akiko said happily, taking Meirei and the others to play with the sheep. The latter also showed some interest.

"Grandma Nieno, let's go sit inside for a while!" Rex welcomed Grandma Nieno into the house.

Although the house only had two floors, it was quite spacious, with three rooms on each floor, so there was no problem accommodating Grandma Nieno and the others.

It's just that several children would have to share one room, but they used to sleep in one room at the orphanage, so it wasn't much of a difference.

"Grandma Nieno, you and Rex rest here for a while. Yui and I will go tidy up everyone's rooms and then cook," Yuli said. After returning to farm, she immediately took on the role of a housekeeper and arranged everything in an orderly manner.

"Rex, it must be troublesome for you with so many people coming here," Grandma Nieno said apologetically.

"How could it be? I'm more than happy with so many people here!" Rex truly felt this way. With so much land to manage, if there were fewer people, it would feel empty. It still needed some lively atmosphere.

"That's good. If you find anything unsatisfactory, feel free to tell me directly!" Grandma Nieno felt indebted to Rex for his help with the orphanage. In her mind, Rex was still just a child, yet he could do many things that even adults couldn't.

"Grandma Nieno, I suggest you all live here at farm from now on. If you find this house too small, I can build another one nearby. Moreover, I believe Yuli and the others don't want to be separated from you anymore," Rex suggested.

"That sounds good, but it might be too much trouble for you, Rex," Grandma Nieno said with some hesitation. However, after hearing Rex's suggestion, she was also tempted. After all, the orphanage had burned down, and she temporarily had no ability to rebuild it.

"More people make it livelier, and with you all here, you can help Yuli manage the farm. I might travel frequently in the future, and I won't be able to take care of farm matters," Rex explained his future plans. Once the farm stabilized, he intended to travel to various places. After all, he couldn't just stay on the farm and farm all his life. Life would lose its fun that way!

"All right, I'll tell the kids this news later. I'm sure they'll be very happy!" After learning about Rex's plans, Grandma Nieno didn't want to refuse the kindness of this child in front of her anymore. Besides, it was undoubtedly better for the children to live on the farm than to stay at the orphanage that had been burned down.

As expected, when Grandma Nieno told the children about this news, they all jumped with joy. Yuli was also very happy to be able to live with the director and her siblings.

---

"Yusuke, do you know why I called you here?" 

"Um, boss, is there something wrong?" 

Seeing Ikawa's expression, Yusuke's forehead broke out in a cold sweat, feeling nervous.

"That old lady from the orphanage still hasn't agreed to sell the land. Now they've all moved to a farm called Rex Farm in the suburbs. What do you think we should do now?" 

Nabuo asked his subordinate, whom he had once admired.

If it weren't for this guy not handling things cleanly last time, he would have already acquired that piece of land.

"I understand. I'll take care of them," Yusuke assured hastily, knowing that if he hesitated again, he might be dealt with by the boss.

"This time, solve the problem thoroughly. Now, Officer Jenny from Fallabor Town seems to have noticed something, so we can't do anything more in town. But in the suburbs, her influence doesn't reach that far. Bring more people with you this time and make it look like a wild Pokémon attack. Got it?" 

Nabuo laid out the final outcome for Rex and his group as he spoke.

And Rex wasn't idle either. He instructed Swellow to disperse the members of the Taillow to monitor any strangers entering the farm and report back to him promptly.

Although he didn't know when the other party would make a move, it was necessary to be prepared in advance. As long as they dared to come, Rex guaranteed them a rare life experience. 

(End of this chapter)