Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

"Lady Lunova used some funds without permission to renovate the church. Everyone felt it was necessary, so no one stopped her."

"Mm." Charles nodded.

Lunova and Chloe, who joined halfway through the project, were already looking to retire.

One wanted to marry an honest man, the other dreamed of making a fortune, lying on a handsome young man's lap, letting him pat her head. Charles didn't mind spending a little money to give them a sense of belonging.

……

After a brief gathering of everyone and introducing Alpha and his new companion to their fellow travelers, Sharl took Pochi to the goblin shop and found Pom.

"Isn't this my big customer? He actually has time to personally visit this old geezer?" Pom was still holding the newspaper, and when he saw Charles, he still showed a kind smile.

With one hand resting on the bar, Xia Er joked, "Hey, grandpa. You've made quite a bit of money from me lately, haven't you? Monster materials from level 58 are incredibly valuable and hard to come by."

“Our relationship only involves profiting from distribution fees.” Pom jumped off the stage and came to Charles. “To be honest, there are definitely benefits. Thanks to your batch of materials, we’ve made connections with many big businessmen.”

Bohm sighed. "You don't seem like you've come here to settle scores with me again. So, kid, what brings you here?"

"Please retrieve the stored goods."

"Oh." Pom's eyes lit up: "You've found a craftsman who can forge dragon scales?"

“Not yet, but I’ve found a way to use it.” Charles patted Pochi and Alpha, who were following behind him.

His mustache bristled, and his mouth opened: "Hey, that kid is..."

"Oh. Alpha, come and greet Grandpa." Charles waved, and Alpha obediently greeted him.

Bohm's eyes widened, and it took him a while to catch his breath: "I can't believe you actually succeeded!"

His face visibly softened: "You want dragon scales, right? Wait, I'll go get them for you."

The two re-entered Pom's private warehouse, and Sharl quickly saw Dragonscale again. He processed some materials stored on Poch and gave them to Pom, and exchanged them for a strangely styled giant shield.

"This is a good thing. I heard it's a replica of a divine artifact from Zeus's clan, capable of absorbing and recording a spell that touches it. The downside is that the shield itself is made of poor material and can't withstand strong impacts, making it difficult to use in battle. It can also only be used a limited number of times."

Bohm recalled a name: "I think it's called the Shield of Aquis."

A one-time mind steal? Wow!

Charles wasn't sure if there were adventurers in Zeus's Familia who had awakened similar abilities to him, or if there were monsters with similar copying magic properties below the 61st floor.

But Ciel knew all too well just how terrifying this ability was.

Without hesitation, he handed the replica of the Kratos Shield, along with the black dragon scale, to Pochi. After bidding farewell to Pom and returning to the church, Ciel checked on Pochi's condition.

After a powerful roar, Pochi's limbs were covered in black scales, its claws gleamed black, and arcs of lightning flashed between its fur, making it three times its original size.

"Good guy!"

The Shield of Equis stole Alpha's magic, Ball Lightning.

The item is in Pochi's inventory and is fused with Pochi's body. Pochi bears the wear and tear on the equipment from using the item. The Shield of Equis, which originally had a limited number of uses, can now be used multiple times.

The black dragon scales grant immense magical and physical resistance, and also grant the special ability of [self-regeneration]. Sharl speculates that they should also possess a certain [God Assassin] effect, granting immunity to divine power!

The remaining ten throwing knives, crafted from dragon claws, enhanced Pochi's offensive capabilities.

Even though Pochi is only level 1 now, with the help of the set of equipment, if you can't break through the Black Dragon's scales, you can't break through Pochi's armor!

Looking at the majestic Pochi bathed in lightning, Lily almost drooled: "Lord Ciel, is this Lily's new mount?"

"Hmm? Want to go up and give it a try?" Charles grinned mischievously. "If you want to, you'll have to earn some magic stones to feed Pochi. It has quite an appetite!"

Lily's eyes lit up, and she rubbed her face against Pochi's big head: "Ah, I'll work hard! I'll earn Pochi an endless supply of magic stones!"

"I'm telling you to hunt monsters properly."

Charles was happy to have found a booster for Pochi. With simple training, Pochi could reach level 2, and with Lily's marksmanship, he could at least achieve level 4 combat power. Currently, the only weak link in the team is probably Cassandra.

However, Charles was already prepared. He handed the [Unjust Staff] he brought from the Dark Faction to Cassandra. As long as he recalled those [Puppet of the Osiris Familia], he could instantly have 10 level 5 combatants.

With Orange and the Great Fairy Alpha around, those unconscious little fairies should cooperate as much as possible, and there's no need for any further adjustments.

We still need to wait for intelligence from the Dark Faction.

……

It didn't take too long.

Alfia had already returned to the church. She was only momentarily stunned by the changes in the church and did not say much.

"The Dark Faction has temporarily retreated to the port city, and Belle seems to be quite active lately. It's said that she's working with Finn to capture several evil gods."

Alfia briefly described Finn's recent offensive strategies and the Dark Faction's response.

"Isn't this a ruse? How could Finn fall for it?" Charles's expression was very strange. "No, could it be that Valeta gives him a different feeling, so he's become more cautious?"

"That guy was really trying to flatter Valetta to death! He really is a despicable Palum."

Ciel recalled that Finn was always smiling whenever he saw Valetta, and even had the mood to joke around, so he couldn't help but bow down in admiration for this heartless hero.

Without hesitation, they sacrificed civilians and adventurers for the greater good. Tsk tsk, such decisions will likely continue to be made in the future.

Unfortunately, the future isn't something you can control.

As the two were discussing how to ascend to the next floor in the seven days after their deaths, an unexpected knock sounded at the door. Alfia temporarily returned to her room, and Charles patted his face, putting on an innocent expression as he opened the door.

"Oh. You must be Ciel-kun?" A blond, handsome man wearing a traveler's hat appeared at the door, looking at Ciel with a half-smile:

"Come with me, Jester wants to see you one last time."

Chapter 159 Belle's Last Request

Is it time yet?

Belle's duration of existence depends on how long she can stay awake.

Although Charles often covered her shifts during the first week, it didn't put too much of a burden on her. However, she didn't have this privilege during the second and third weeks.

All told, Belle has not slept for nearly 19 days and has been maintaining a high-intensity fighting state.

Charles glanced furtively into the room, thinking Alfia would want to see Belle one last time. Until he heard a whooshing sound from the window, he nodded calmly.

"Ok."

Following my idol Hermes, we headed towards Daedalus Street. Along the way, this seemingly ambitious young man, who appeared to enjoy singing, dancing, and replaying, kept subtly probing something.

"Hey, how did Ciel-kun meet Jester?"

"It was a beautiful encounter. Amidst a shower of flowers, I saw her looking lost and helpless."

"What's your relationship? She seems to trust you a lot?"

"Supporter".

"Jester should have told you a lot of information, right?"

"One hundred million points."

Hermes narrowed his eyes and pulled his hat down lower: "So, the Soma Familia's sudden foray into the 'fireworks' business is also a benefit to Jester?"

“No, that was my idea,” Charles admitted.

"Oh? Why?"

"because……"

Charles has not yet answered.

On the street corner, a black-haired god-like man named Erlen, dressed in shabby clothes and with an innocent-looking face, exclaimed in surprise: "Ah~~ my wallet! My entire fortune, worth 666 Fali!"

Hermes stopped in his tracks, his gaze shifting from Charles to the suddenly exclaiming god of friendship. It was an unfortunate god whose wallet had been stolen.

Two shadows, one green and one gray, flashed past me.

Soon, the criminal was brought to justice, and Ryu and Adi escorted him back to their idol.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ciel, it's in the underground waterway ahead. Can you get there by yourself?" Hermes said, then jumped onto the roof and headed towards the center of the commotion.

Charles shrugged. Erebus had begun to question justice, and the story was officially beginning.

Without disturbing Hermes's reunion with his old friend, he turned and disappeared into the alley.

After circling around, Charles quickly found the entrance to the underground waterway that Hermes had mentioned. In a corner, he saw Belle leaning against the wall, her body shimmering with light.

"You're back? It's so good to see you again, Ciel."

"Did you specifically send Hermes, that errand boy, to inform me because you have some last things to say?" Charles's expression was not friendly.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't tell Lord Hermes about your matter, Charles."

Belle smiled, her heavy dark circles making her thoughts somewhat muddled. But she still remembered what happened back in the Astrea Familia.

"I'm almost at my limit. But there's still so much to do..."

"You want me to help you?"

"We agreed that you would take over my identity and complete the mission I left unfinished." Belle forced a smile, her eyelids beginning to droop.

“I’m really useless. Even knowing the future, without your help, Charles, I haven’t done anything right. I couldn’t find Jarrow, nor could I completely defeat the Dark Faction and stop the Great Rebellion.”

Charles comforted him, "You captured several evil gods, and the Dark Faction's forces are much weaker than they were back then. You also joined forces with Astraea and Finn to launch several attacks, and the results have been quite fruitful."

“But I haven’t conquered the man-made maze yet. It’s too much to do alone.” Belle smiled, propping open her eyelids to look at Charles:

“I know that Alfia and you are both deliberately hiding something from me. I also recall that Alfia’s mother once said something about becoming ‘evil’ or something like that.”

Belle reached out and grabbed Ciel's sleeve: "Hey, Ciel. Are we friends?"

“Of course,” Charles nodded.

"Hey. I don't know what you're planning, but will the ending make everyone laugh?" Belle asked expectantly.

"Laugh? Sorry, I don't understand what level of goal it is. It's too broad."

Belle closed her eyes, fighting off sleep: "I've always been helped by others, so I really want everyone to be together happily so I can say thank you properly."

"Whether it's Miss Ryu, Seele, Mr. Ota, Mr. Finn... Essan... Mr. Borus... I hope everyone can smile."

"And I hope Mother Alfia can live on, and Lady Artemis... Alexisan, Adizan... ah, remember to tell Ruka that justice is cyclical... and..."

Belle tells Ciel about her regrets and her goals.