Their first attempt to gather the laborers was a bust. But Layla did not feel disappointed even after what happened.

She felt glad that she had made this trip personally. It assured her that some workers looked interested in knowing more about this detail and the work.

The union leader might have withdrawn her offer, but that did not mean everyone else there would also consider it a bluff.

And if they did, then it would be their fault for missing out on such a sweet deal.

Layla had detailed her contract based on modern laws. She could afford to do so because she looked at the long-term rather than the short-term goal most people looked at.

Her confidence and the knowledge of the future made her confident enough to go all-out like this.

Now, there was only one problem Layla was left with. And that problem was pouting in front of her and refusing to look at her.

"Mary, if you have anything to say to me, just say it. I don't want you to keep constantly pouting like this."

Layla called out as she looked at the female in front of her.

Mary had not said a word since they got in the carriage, but her face made it clear that she was unhappy about what happened. She might have even gone back and picked a fight with someone if Layla had not stopped her.

"Tsk, you are far too generous with people. People will take advantage of you if you continue to be like this. Are you like this because of your young age? If so, you would likely grow out of it soon enough…"

Mary commented under her breath as she tried to concentrate and think about what she was saying. She ignored Layla's input and her presence completely as she continued to speak.

"You are worrying needlessly. Those who are daring and desperate will come and seek me out tomorrow. And if not, we will get our 'Plan B' into motion and get standard help for now.

Since this problem is over, we should concentrate on the next part of my plan - to build a school and an orphanage to sponsor talent."

Layla had not mentioned this part of her plan until now, but she had considered it since the start.

She wanted to recruit and nurture a few characters for the future, but to do that, she would need space and money.

She would also require legal means to keep those people in place. All of that was the basics of running an orphanage.

"An orphanage? But that would require the temple's agreement and all the formal procedures. Do you think the temple would allow you, someone from Duke Lockhart's place, to open such a place?"

Mary asked in a low voice.

Layla sighed as she recalled the biggest problem with her plan - the temple and its agreement.

By law, it was mandatory for anything to do with orphans to be either the royal family's responsibility or the temple's. In this generation, the temple negotiated all the rights to such things and now had a monopoly on people it could sponsor.

The only reason Duke Lockhart had been able to sponsor children, not his own, was because it was not a formal sponsor.

According to law, Layla and every other kid the Duke sponsored did not legally belong there, and they would not until the Duke adopted them and added them to the family register.

If one day, the Duke were to die or change his mind about these kids, there was no law protecting them all.

That was why this orphanage was as much a safety net as it was an investment for Layla.

She opened her system to check the original story, and it said that Duke Lockhart would adopt Layla Lockhart once she unlocked her potential and showed it. But Layla had other plans.

Besides, her presence had already twisted the original story before it began. There was no way the future would remain unchanged at this rate.

"Young Miss, do you have a plan? The temple will not permit us so easily."

Mary reminded Layla, and she knew that it was the truth. The temple was harsh in its rule enforcement, and Layla already had beef with them.

But that was why she felt confident she could negotiate this deal with the temple.

And if she could not, she had a secret plan.

"Don't worry! I do have a plan. Now, let's head to the temple, and you can let me handle everything. We also need to fetch our puppy from the clutches of those people."

Mary did not reply but asked the driver to hurry to the temple.

...

*Crash*

Priestess Cana's fragile-looking fist barely missed Raziel's body as he dodged it. But the priestess was not done, and she twisted her body to catch the fast rascal with whom she was sparring.

Before she could make a move, she felt something hitting her knee and making her lose her balance.

She decides to catch herself, but Raziel chooses to attack her, leaving Cana with no choice but to let herself fall or get hurt.

It was tough for her to maintain her balance after that, but somehow, she still had the upper hand during this fight.

She was not using her weapons, while Raziel had a small knife in his hand. Despite this difference, he had not been able to hit her even once.

"You are getting good, kid! If you keep this up, you can touch me this year. Of course, you will still need a few years to reach my current level."

Priestess Cana taunted her attacker before she quickly subdued him and held his head down.

"See! It is so easy for me to knock you down. Remember this for next time and dodge when I make this move, alright?"

Cana asked before she let Raziel go. The pair stretched before they heard the sound of clapping reaching their ears.