Three days and lots of rest later, he brought them to Ashdale on Charlie's airs.h.i.+p.

"Are you kidding me?!" Mandy half-screamed when she saw them arrive. "Remian's bringing more kids to the Frontier?!"

"They're his own brother and sisters." Charlie hastily tried to pacify her. "They seem to fit in very well."

"What is he teaching them? Weapons and magic?" Mandy demanded.

"Uh… yeah?" Charlie scratched his head.

"And you think that's okay? They should be here! Properly going to school!" Mandy protested. "Growing up in a proper society and learning to be good workers in proper society! How are they supposed to get into college? How are they to get a job or a husband or wife when they grow up?"

"I'm guessing they'd live like royalty. Remian's practically a king back there. Besides, his parents are both teachers and they're opening a new school."

"Remian's parents!" Mandy rolled her eyes. "What kind of teachers could they be?"

"His dad seems to have been a member of the city council back at Petal Town."

"Eh…?" Mandy blinked. "That's… surprising. Looking at Remian, I'd never have guessed."

Charlie gave her an odd look. "Mandy, just what kind of person do you think Remian is? Not just anyone would come all the way out to the Frontier and take charge."

"Um… wasn't he just seeking his fortune like any old treasure hunter?"

"If that were the case, what was he doing fighting Beast Waves with light magic he just barely learned? What's with the missions board and starting an Adventurers' Guild? Why even take you in and all the kids with you?"

"I… I was…" Mandy trailed off. "I mean… any guy, given the chance…"

"Would challenge the Cruel Rose gang for you? Trade his only magic book, lose his job and its protection, and risk my wrath to save you? Most regular guys would rather be clients of the Cruel Rose and pay a much cheaper price to have you that way, without all the commitments or complications he took on."

Mandy's face turned white. "Is that how you see me? A cheap lay in a slaver's brothel?"

"If not for Remian, what do you think would have happened?" Charlie asked. "It's different now. You're here, and free, and life is filled with opportunities. Before talking down on him, you might want to remember who it is you have to thank for getting you to this point. It's not just my family."

Yes, Mandy was indeed getting schooled at Charlie's.

Jane popped up. "Any letters for me?"

"Here." Charlie handed her two.

"Thanks!" Jane scurried away.

Mandy blinked. "Letters? She's writing to someone?"

"Mindy and Tim, it looks like." Charlie shrugged. "Haven't you done the same?"

"Well, yes, but she's my sister… and Tim…?!" Mandy's eyes widened. "You don't think…"

"Don't overthink it." Charlie advised her, and went to take a shower.

Hours later, Jane handed Charlie a pair of letters. "Can you send these back to Mindy and Tim, please?"

"You know, if you want me to keep being your mailman, you might want to buy stamps." Charlie joked.

"Oh? I can cook you a meal as payment." Jane offered.

"No, no, please don't!" Charlie fled for his life.

With a family more sickly than not in tow, Remian went on a close inspection of Ashdale's hospitals and medical facilities. They stayed three days at Ashdale, spending most of it resting at Charlie's but they did get a lot of check-ups, including a full bloodwork exam, x-rays, eye tests and fluid tests.

In conclusion, except for Remian's dad, the rest of his family were not well. Not well indeed. His mother had a stomach ulcer and malnutrition issues, especially pota.s.sium deficiency, possibly an issue with her digestion. Sabriane had hypovolumia, hypotension, a case of mild jaundice and several allergies. Speaking of allergies, Darian had enough to fill a notebook's page, plus there was an issue with his lungs, probably bronchitis, likely sinus, or something along those lines that even the doctors had never seen before. In contrast to Sabriane, Eriane had hypertension and abnormally high adrenaline releases when triggered. All this was merely what they could detect with a day's worth of tests, all they could manage before the Vin family was too exhausted to go on.

In short, Remian had a skinny mom, a sleepy sister, a snotty brother, and a jumpy youngest sister.

Also, he had a dead elder sister. But n.o.body outside his family and a few prying doctors knew that.

"How did this happen?" Charlie looked over the medical reports, shaking his head. "I thought the Rain Sultanate was one of the healthier places to live. Plenty of trees and water, good food…"

"Only if you could afford it. Most of the people there can't. The good food you're thinking of usually ends up eaten by the Empire's people. There's a reason why we're called a Va.s.sal State."

"What would it take for our hospital to have equipment and staff on the same level as the one we just left?" Remian asked.

"The equipment is easy enough. Deutero can handle most of it, and my family has friends who can handle the rest. It's going to cost you, though." Charlie paused. "The staff, on the other hand…"

"They're proud, money-minded, and nowhere near as compa.s.sionate as they proclaim themselves to be." Remian said, in distress. "The more seasoned and experienced they are, the more they seem to be completely callous towards people's pain and suffering."

It was the same with Phoebe. Remian felt that coldness and professional detachment all over the hospital. Some of the doctors and nurses at least tried to sound kindly, but none of them would bat an eyelash toward asking you to suffer pain in order for them to run an examination. Plus, a good many nurses seemed to be downright obsessed with testing blood pressure.

"It's not that they're money-minded, I think. It's just that they work for a boss, and he's money minded, so they have to collect fees." Charlie tried to explain. "Companies need to profit. This hospital is owned by one such. There are government hospitals too, but they're generally not as well-equipped."

"Why is that?"

"Government funding is low in comparison. The private hospitals have the good stuff, but they're also more expensive." Charlie cleared his throat. "Naturally, my family trusts the private hospitals more."

Remian thought for a bit. "What if… what if government funding was high? High enough that the government hospitals would be better than private ones?"

"Well, that would end private hospitals on the spot." Charlie guessed. "But it's going to cost. Can any government really afford that?"

"What if we built the medical equipment ourselves? That should cut costs." Remian mentioned. "Plus we can offer lots of perks for hospital staff, build them nice houses, offer them personal wolfcat security, Tier 4 food…"

"I'm not sure promising them wolfcat guards will be of much help."

"Lynxmice, then?"

"You're missing the point."

They also had to go shopping. Remian's mom and Sabriane mentioned how Phoebe and Lydia had a shopping list as long as Remian's arm, but really, they were clearly looking at a lot more than just pharmaceuticals. Darian ended up going to-and-fro, carrying loads of goods back each time, everything from furniture to clothing to food.

"Just how much money did you give them to spend on this trip?" Charlie asked Remian after Darian's fourth trip. The poor boy was already panting, with a goofy grin on his face. Goodness, what did they buy for him to make him so willing to gopher all their shopping like this?

"Fifty thousand." Remian answered shortly.

Mandy almost dropped the book she was 'reading'.