Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

Rose's eyelids twitched, and she pulled out a document that looked like a wanted poster, placing it next to Poch.

"Well……"

She looked at the monster depicted on the parchment, its face fierce and its darkness as deep as the abyss, and then at Pochi, who was sticking out its tongue and looking adorably silly.

"Hey, is that bear in the drawing you?"

"Hmm?" Pochi tilted his head, staring at the fierce-looking figure drawn on the parchment, his teeth protruding and drooling.

He gave me a look that said, "You're an idiot."

Rose's final answer was Pochi's comforting lick on her face.

Charles stared at the comical scene, nearly bursting into laughter.

Hey, are you a natural airhead too?!

"Is the guild looking for the demonic bear that Lord Finn rode yesterday?" Sharl asked tentatively.

"Yes, based on the adventurers' feedback, our 'scholars' judge that the demonic bear possessed an aura even more terrifying than the 'Greatest Evil,'" Rose frankly stated.

"While it helps the brave, we must also eliminate and manage some potential risks."

Within the guild, there is a group of talented individuals who graduated from the school district, so it's not surprising that they noticed the abnormal intimidation emanating from Pochi after his demonic transformation.

but……

“As far as I know, that demonic bear, even when it’s crouching, is at least five meters tall. Pochi…” Charles gestured to show the height difference between himself and Pochi.

Rose stared at the large dog, which was only about as tall as Charles's shoulder when standing, and fell silent: "It seems we misunderstood."

"Please don't take it to heart. After all, when it comes to bears, only you, Mr. Charles, keep them. It's necessary to confirm this."

Charles chuckled: "It's all for the peace of the city."

After a pause, seeing that Rose hadn't left home yet, Charles pressed, "Is there anything else?"

“Yes.” Rose turned the page of the document in her hand: “The second thing is about the guild’s pre-war loans. Many of the clans that provided supplies and assistance free of charge during the war, including Hephaestus, need to go to the guild for a briefing.”

"Uh...can you reveal the specifics?" Charles had a bad feeling.

Rose said awkwardly, "Due to the war, a large number of buildings, including the city walls and the Tower of Babel, have been severely damaged. In order to prioritize the repair of these buildings, the guild's reserve funds are a bit tight... This meeting is to discuss how to make up for your losses."

"Ah...this." Charles's heart pounded. Could it be that he wouldn't be able to get Soma's inheritance?

Rose didn't stop there. After turning another page of the document in her hand, she spoke:

"Third, regarding the handling of the 'Joker' Familia. Because the Loki Familia unilaterally denied ownership of this new group of Families, we also need to discuss a solution for dealing with this 'abnormal' Familia."

"Basic personnel registration and faction records also need to be completed..."

“Mr. Charles, you should be one of them. Please make sure you are there.”

Chapter 246 We've contracted this land.

Miss Rose briefly explained the situation to Charles:

"The meeting is at 10:00 AM, please make sure you have time available."

After agreeing on a meeting time, she swayed her hips and took her leave.

Charles returned to the dining room, finished the rest of his breakfast, and casually asked:

"Was the guild's loss this time very large?"

Fels twitched the corner of his mouth again.

"Alright, stop laughing. Just get to the point." Charles interrupted the loli's spellcasting.

“It’s probably around several hundred billion Fali,” Fels concluded. “The magic swords and supplies given away for free have almost drained Orario’s inventory from the past few years.”

"Hiss, can they afford to pay for it?"

“Don’t underestimate the guild. As the world’s largest magic stone processing workshop, their annual profits are also quite considerable. They always maintain a certain amount of capital reserves, just in case.” Fels simply sold off the guild’s secrets.

"Not bad, you've already learned how to please your new boss." Charles was very satisfied with Fels' attitude and patted the little girl's head as encouragement.

"You'll all come with me in a bit. I'd like to see how they plan to arrange things for us."

……

After instructing Lily to watch the house, Ciel took Cassandra, who had just woken up, and Alpha, and the four of them arrived at the guild headquarters located directly opposite Northwest Street.

This is a huge building that resembles a pantheon. Passing through the collapsed white pillars in front, you arrive at the guild headquarters hall, which provides various services for adventurers.

Various facilities, including a place to recycle magic stones and exchange dropped items for gold, occupy different parts of the main hall.

Of course, the conference room used for this event was also among them.

A receptionist in a black suit was already waiting at the entrance. Following her lead, the group arrived at the huge room where the meeting was to be held.

Before even entering the room, Royman's murderous roar echoed through the conference hall.

"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Finn!" Peeking through the crack in the door, the elderly elf, heavily pregnant, pounded the table and roared:

"Not only did you allow the city gates to be blown up, but you also dared to cause damage near the Tower of Babel! Do you know how much it will cost to repair the city and streets burned down by the Dark Faction?!"

He angrily slammed a report onto Finn's face, continuing his incessant complaining.

"Mom, we have to act according to the circumstances. If we're still thinking about these material things in a time like this, we won't be able to win the war."

"Ugh—Damn it! Stop with the smirking! These are all economic losses caused by your decisions, and I demand that the Loki Familia cover these expenses!" Royman revealed his true colors.

but……

“Royman, I advise you to put away those little schemes. If you do, no one will be willing to protect the city next time,” Finn said innocently, squinting his eyes.

In one sentence, Royman's true colors were completely exposed.

It's not that the guild can't afford the expense, but rather that Royman has already taken all the guild's funds for himself, and it would be difficult for anyone to ask him to part with such a large sum of money.

At that moment, Charles pushed open the door and entered.

Finn glanced sideways and chuckled, "Well, the creditor's here. The materials used to destroy the city all came from the Chanis clan. You can settle accounts with him."

You, Finn. Trying to shift the blame, huh?

Ciel gave a forced smile: "Oh dear, I'm a member of the Loki Familia now, can you stop blaming the members? The kids will cry."

Finn's expression darkened, and he waved his hand, saying, "Just kidding. This time, we'll also resolve your problems."

Royman, on the other hand, was very enthusiastic towards Charles:

"Sherlock, your new [Explosive Agent] is very popular among the various kingdoms. I wonder if you have any plans to expand its production scale further?"

He didn't mention the loan or the issue of responsibility at all, but instead directly tried to win over Charles.

The old elf sitting in the guild leader's seat was greedy, but not stupid; he could fully see the changes that the [Explosive Potion] brought to the field of warfare.

Selling weapons is far more profitable than selling magic stones.

As for how the fighting is going on in the countries outside the city, that's none of his business. Maybe after their brains are turned to mush, a few high-ranking adventurers will emerge and contribute to the city's development.

In response to Royman's invitation, Charles simply shrugged: "Let's settle the outstanding payments first. We don't do business at a loss."

Upon hearing this, Royman's face turned pale again.

Soon, as representatives of merchant families such as Hephaestus, Guberneus, Dean Catherine, and Mich took their seats, the meeting to discuss reparations began.

Compared to the supply of [Explosive Potion] in Shire, the blacksmiths are still the highest priority.

Before the war, the guild had promised to provide an unlimited supply of various magic swords and equipment. In one battle, how many magic swords were emptied and how many level 1 weapons were destroyed? These are astronomical figures.

After a frenzied bargaining session, the wealthy and powerful forging clans generously waived the processing fee, only charging the minimum cost price and material fees.

Even so, they still paid a price of nearly 200 billion francs.

Of course, not all of these are liquid assets; some of them are unclaimed land and shops in Orario.

There are also measures such as waiving rent for shops inside the centuries-old Tower of Babel, and even completely ceding some shops.

Charles clearly saw that the Hephaestus Familia had directly monopolized all the shops on the fourth to eighth floors. In addition, there were also deeds to workshops scattered throughout the city.

"So this is where it all started, the Hephaestus Empire!"

The Shire was equally eager to make a move. The area above the Tower of Babel was undoubtedly the best commercial district, and the ability to directly acquire all the shops on the lower floors would generate astonishing economic benefits.

Imagine, the entire high-end shopping mall, minus the public facilities such as the bathhouse and makeshift medical clinic built by the guild on the second floor, and the gold exchange on the third floor, the rest are all Hephaestus's properties.

By the way, the guild's gold exchange is always crowded and you often have to queue, so it's better to go to the guild headquarters on the Northwest Street instead.

However, if he wanted to emulate the operations of the Hephaestus Familia, Shire's debt was not enough.

They are very generous when it comes to treatment.

The Mich Familia proposed exchanging an equal amount of 'materials' for the goods, with payment due within three months. This means that Orario will inevitably see a surge in 'gathering' requests in the future, with no limit on the number.

Dean Cate was far more greedy, taking over the healing facility on the second floor of the Tower of Babel and demanding the houses surrounding his own clan. They even specified the type of materials, requiring them to be high-grade materials such as deep 'magic springs'.

When it was Charles's turn, he didn't take Fari either.

Instead, they drew a circle around the area near the church, including some shops on West Street, and then abandoned the idea.

"Hmm, although your debt is only 20 billion, most of the buildings in this area have been destroyed by the Dark Faction. Do you really want to use this land as compensation?"

Charles nodded: "That's right, I only want the land. I'll organize the old clansmen to build the rest myself."

Chapter 247 Hestia: What?! Who threw the blame?

In this war, at least 10,000 lives were lost in the city, which also means that about 10,000 houses were left vacant.

This doesn't even include the followers who are loyal to the Dark Faction; if they were born in the city, the number would be even higher.

The guild has the right to redistribute housing to the surviving residents. Properties that have completely collapsed and are uninhabitable will be replaced by the guild at a low price.

The cruelest group is a group of children who have lost their parents. These people are pushed onto Daedalus Street and become orphans and vagrants wandering the streets.

This is the reality within the context of medieval Western fantasy.