My Notoriety Spreads Throughout the World-Chapter 389 - 333: Sane Madness

"Good morning, Mr. Benjamin."

In the park, a woman walking her dog greeted him cheerfully.

"Good morning, Ms. Olsen," Benjamin replied with a smile.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I'm heading to Iris Kindergarten; I've left something important there," Benjamin said. "Sorry, not much time to chat today, Ms. Olsen."

"Is that so, have a good day."

Just as Benjamin turned away, burdened with thoughts, the woman called out to him.

"Mr. Benjamin, you dropped your book."

Benjamin's expression froze for a second, then turned back to see the woman holding a "Collection of Fairy Tales," its cover showing a rabbit princess in a beautiful doll dress.

"I didn't expect you to read such... childlike books," Olsen chuckled softly.

"It's not what you think, Ms. Olsen."

Benjamin scratched his head sheepishly, taking the book from her hand, noticing her little dog was also dressed in a finely tailored doll dress.

"Keeping a bit of childlike wonder is nice; otherwise, we'd turn into boring adults."

Saying goodbye to Mrs. Olsen, Benjamin hurried past the drainpipe, beneath the old banyan tree in the park where some elderly aristocrats sat discussing recent events, occasionally bursting into laughter. At some point, one of them began a topic.

"Have you heard? Those people in the tail car are at it again; I heard quite a few died, causing a natural gas explosion, destroying half a carriage."

"Really? How did it get that bad?"

"Sigh, who knows what they were thinking? Isn't it better to live peacefully than to cause such a ruckus that makes everyone uneasy?"

"Exactly, while such a life can be a bit boring over time, it's better than fighting and killing."

The fragments of their conversation reached Benjamin, who frowned slightly but didn't pay much attention, as all his focus was now on the "Collection of Fairy Tales" in his hand.

With hope faintly in his chest, he broke into a light jog, rushing along while recalling the stories in the fairy tale book, repeating them in his mind, memorizing them, preserving those imaginative and beautiful stories.

He wanted to tell these stories to the children.

"The Princess and the Hunter," "Duke Rabbit," "Cinderella and the Four Knights," "Pigeon's Rose Funeral," and so on—he was quite meticulous in selecting fairy tales, only including those with a beautiful core into the "Collection of Fairy Tales: Benjamin."

Yes, he was also an editor-in-chief at a publishing house named 'Three-legged Bird.' The backstory and history of the publisher's name are too lengthy to detail now.

Swiftly passing by the old banyan tree,

The people's discussions echoed in his ears.

Swiftly passing through the sightseeing carriage,

The fresh and rich scents of tea and coffee lingered at his nose, alongside the blended aroma of wheat, black pepper, and honey butter, urging him to run faster.

Swiftly passing through the yoga carriage, he lowered his head in embarrassment at the teasing of the aristocratic ladies, greeting them with awkward courtesy, and continued yearning for a wonderful future.

Finally, after several carriages, he arrived at Iris Kindergarten, where carefree children raced past him, their laughter as pleasing as nightingales filling this paradise, and a genuine smile spread across the man's face.

He stood on the steps, tidying his clothes, arranging the scarf that extended from his neck, checking his buttons for any misalignment, and adjusting his facial expression to a 'steady and reliable' smile before stepping through the entrance.

As soon as he entered, he saw Elia, who'd been waiting a while. Benjamin spoke excitedly, "Mrs. Elia, have they arrived?"

Elia smiled with her lips slightly parted, shaking her head at the man's somewhat rash demeanor.

Realizing his impropriety, Benjamin swiftly composed himself, clearing his throat with a couple of awkward laughs.

"Follow me."

Elia walked to the main door, checked the surroundings outside the kindergarten to ensure there were no prying eyes, then closed the door and led the man towards the depths of the kindergarten.

Benjamin finally saw in a dim little room the few small figures he'd been longing to meet, but something surprised him.

... They looked filthy.

Owl moved immediately at the man's gaze, blocking Night Owl and Sparrow behind her, with eyes intensely wary, like a wild animal long used to wandering, fixed on the man before them.

"You... how could you..."

Benjamin was at a loss for words; he couldn't understand why these children were covered in purple bruises, needle marks, scars, and countless shocking minor wounds.

Why every hair and every fingernail crevice was filled with dirt, and their tangled hair full of residue, emanating a foul odor.

Why they were so emaciated, and why their eyes, supposed to embody beauty, were filled with hostility and vigilance.

He could not fathom what these children had suffered.

He was too heartbroken to speak.

Sorrow rippled across the lake within the man's heart, rendering the entire surface turbulent.

Standing in the furthest corner, Xia Li caught every expression on the man's face, her eyes dull, like dark red glass marred with fine scratches, and Little Demon reappeared on her shoulder, holding a trident high.

—"See, Xiaoli, this hypocrite recoils at your filthy appearance. He can't tolerate your dirtiness and will never take you in!"

—"He'll abandon you; he'll betray all of you!"

Then, Benjamin noticed Xia Li in the far corner, this girl with scorched hair had the most injuries, hinting at more tragic experiences.

He squatted before the little girl, his calm face masking a soul repressed to the point of near anger, his voice trembling, "Can you tell me what you've been through?"

"It's alright, just tell me, don't be afraid. Everything's fine now; you're safe."

Xia Li's spirit was already shattered,

If every person's spirit were a sea cliff, Xia Li's spiritual world had all its reefs and cliffs submerged by the sea.

She stood at the highest edge of the precipice, the incoming sea below, and her body's defense mechanism sought to shield her, not allowing the final cliff to be overwhelmed by waves, using all existing information to construct delusions, preventing the self from being excessively threatened by the id and superego, allowing her through these falsehoods to firmly believe in her correctness and rationality, thereby easing deep-seated internal anxiety and pain.

Therefore, she saw a different scene.

She saw Benjamin with a ghostly face, roaring at her, "Where did you sneak in from?"

"You must be an experiment from the lower carriage, sneaking into the aristocratic carriage!"

"I'm going to notify the enforcement unit and have you arrested!"

—"See, I told you from the start, they were lying to you! Those well-off aristocrats speak sweetly, but they could never empathize with us, and look how their faces show disdain when they see us dirty!" Little Demon's red lips curled in delight.

Xia Li reached out, seizing Little Demon, crushing it in her palm.

"Stop talking."

"What's wrong with you?" Benjamin noticed something off about Xia Li.

"It's alright, do you want some water or perhaps an apple?"

Boundless fear descended upon Xia Li's frail form, engulfing her in an instant; her pupils trembled fiercely once more, with countless bloodstained memories washing up, turning her view blood-red.

"Xiaoli?" Owl also realized the danger. "Calm down, Xiaoli!"

"Liar... liar..." the words squeezed out from between shivering teeth.

"Stop talking!"

Snatching the scissors from the table, she suddenly moved to attack!

"You're all liars!!"