Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

Fels stared at Charles in surprise for two seconds: "Phobos did indeed secretly let his kin escape. It can be said that as long as the timing of this information is changed, your plan is perfect."

As he spoke, he handed Charles a parchment engraved with the coat of arms of the Phobos family. He was going to go all the way.

Alfia pondered, "So, those children can now be treated as unaffiliated adventurers?"

Fels nodded, then pulled out five more guild invitations: "These are internal guild recommendation letters. Fill in the basic information, and you can start tomorrow."

"It helped a lot."

at the moment……

'It's time to give Anya some explanation. The puzzle is almost complete.'

With Freya, who possesses immense power, as her backer, Astrea, who enjoys absolute prestige, as her support, and Fels, who can command the guild at will, joining the team.

Char's influence has spread throughout both the legitimate and criminal worlds of Orario; all that remains is winning over the hearts and minds of the people.

Ciel turned his gaze to the cramped and chaotic neighborhood in the dim light—Daedalus.

"Children are the hope for the future."

……

The next day.

Charles arranged for Lily, Lunova, and others to handle the land deeds between the churches and the construction of shops, while he himself visited Maria's Orphanage.

Like the streets of Orario, the bricks and tiles here are dilapidated, and the houses are full of scorch marks and cracks, just like the church that Ciel visited for the first time.

As the stranger approached, the children hiding under the rubble stared at Charles with wary and fearful eyes.

"Are you the new older brother?" A human boy who was only four years old stepped forward and stared timidly at Ciel.

He was afraid. Most of the older kids coming here weren't doing anything good, especially since many outside kids had been wandering around the area since yesterday.

"No, I'm just going home."

"Family?"

“What’s your name? That’s wonderful. Is your mother Maria here?” Charles smiled.

“My name is Lai! Mother Maria has gone to receive the bread bestowed by the ‘Goddess’.”

As Lai reached out, Ciel saw a familiar woman in a corner of the mottled street, her black hair tied up in a bun and her face slightly gaunt.

Before her stood a pink-haired girl who placed the heavy purse she was carrying into Maria's mother's hands, eliciting a slight surprise from Maria's expression.

Charles squinted. It wasn't some "goddess" but just an ordinary girl. His keen hearing allowed him to clearly hear the girl's words.

"Don't worry, I recently met a big spender who's really willing to spend money. He's a high-ranking adventurer from the Loki Familia. I'll soon be a rich man's wife too." The girl stroked her belly.

"It's better not to do such dangerous things. If you get exposed, you'll be in great danger."

"I can handle the duct tape." The pink-haired girl glanced at the orphanage, but the moment her eyes met Ciel's, a look of panic crossed her face:

"Mother Maria? Who's that?!"

Maria turned around, and when she saw Ciel's face, a radiant smile instantly appeared on her face. She quickly ran back and hugged Ciel tightly in her arms.

"Ciel, you're Ciel-kun, right? Waaaaah..."

"It's me, what's wrong, Mother Maria?"

"Waaah, I thought you were like the other children, never to come back." Mother Maria's tears streamed down her face.

That wasn't blaming herself for being heartless; when she said she wouldn't come back, it literally meant a permanent separation.

Charles was well aware that many children like him had gone out to become adventurers in order to support the orphanage, but most of them died outside.

Orario is just that cruel, and Ciel knows it all too well.

"Alright, everyone will have better days ahead. I promise," Charles comforted the kind and gentle woman.

Chapter 254 Maria's Worries.

Charles gently pressed on Maria's mother's shoulders and pushed her away.

He smiled and said, "Although I didn't become a very skilled adventurer, I did make a lot of money."

Charles took a land deed from his pocket and placed it in Maria's hand.

"I've bought all the houses near the orphanage, and I'll have them renovated later. No matter how many younger children they have, we can support them!"

Maria's mother covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes:

"I don't care how big the house is, I just hope that my children can choose not to become adventurers in the future."

Charles suddenly:

“Mother Maria, it is very difficult to survive in this world without power.”

"I know, but I don't want to see any more children go and never come back."

The two returned silently to the dilapidated church (orphanage). Charles saw several children still lying in swaddling clothes. The little boy named Ray skillfully prepared the batter and fed it to the baby little by little with a spoon.

There are three other orphanages like the Church of Mary on Daedalus Street.

Every year, they receive abandoned babies and orphans from outside the area.

Sister Maria sighed, “In Orario, there are many children born between adventurers who are not necessarily the fruit of lifelong love, but merely the result of momentary pleasure, or the carelessness of prostitutes.”

"In short, for all sorts of reasons, these women became pregnant."

The nun played with the infant in her arms, a look of compassion on her face:

"Often, the adventurers who venture into the dungeon die first, leaving behind mothers and children."

"Among them, there are countless children who were not adopted by the [Family] or who were abandoned by their mothers."

Sister Maria sniffed and looked at Charles with kindness: "I'm sorry, but since you've grown up now, I can't help but bring these things up with you."

"No, it's okay. You can talk to me."

Charles knew that Maria herself was one of those 'abandoned' by the adventurers.

"Who was that child just now?" Charles thought of the "goddess" that Lai had mentioned.

Maria looked worried:

"Those are the 'prostitutes' who offered us help."

She gave a bitter smile: "Some of them are people who went out of orphanages to make a living, while others are people who abandoned their children but couldn't bear to see them suffer, so they silently use their salaries to support us."

"They would operate under the names of their respective orphanages. Therefore, there were many freelance prostitutes using the stage name 'Maria.'"

"Isn't it ridiculous? She's clearly a 'prostitute,' yet she's called a 'goddess.'"

Charles paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "To the children, they are indeed the gods who provide food."

Seeing Sister Maria's solemn expression, Charles pressed for an answer:

"You seem to still have concerns?"

“That child… she’s an older child from the orphanage,” Sister Maria said worriedly. “She’s doing something very dangerous. Using a child to control adventurers, especially a powerful faction like the Loki Familia. If they abandon her, then another innocent child will be abandoned…”

"It is precisely because of this kind of birth that the next generation has been created to suffer the same tragedy. I... I feel very sad."

"..."

Loki's Familia? Who are they? So brave?

Based on his memory, Ciel quickly located a certain "superhuman" who would embezzle public funds in the future.

Charles patted Sister Maria on the back reassuringly: "It's alright. Once the orphanage is expanded and everything gets better, she won't have to be so extreme."

"We could also hire them back to take care of the children."

“Look, with the big protests happening, lots of children will flock here, and you alone will probably be overwhelmed…”

Sister Mary wiped away her tears: "Are you alright? You must be carrying a heavy burden all by yourself."

"Damn it! I'm super rich now!" Charles casually placed a key to a goblin vault in Sister Maria's hand:

"There are some jewels I've stored inside. I don't know how to best renovate the orphanage, so I'll leave it to you to handle."

As he spoke, Charles advised, "A sudden large sum of money might attract the attention of some bad people. During the construction period, it's best to hire some adventurers from the Ganesha Familia to guard it. If there are any people you can't handle, you can come to me."

Charles took out a mask and placed it in Sister Maria's hand.

“I now live in the church on West Street. That area is full of my shops and residences. If there are any unemployed older sisters or brothers, I can introduce them to that area.”

Sensing Charles's intention to leave, Sister Maria tentatively suggested, "Why don't you stay for breakfast?"

"No, thank you. I'll come back to visit often when I have time." Charles smiled. "I still have a lot to do."

“Then, be careful.” Maria looked at Charles with concern: “Come back and visit often.”

To acquire so much money, the work involved must be anything but easy. This is Orario, a labyrinth city; even doing business here would likely result in suppression from other major factions.

After Charles left.

Another female voice sounded outside the church. When Maria opened the door, she saw a gray-haired street girl dressed in casual clothes.

"Hello, excuse me."

"you are?"

"I'm Seele. I was also born in a slum. Um... can I come here often?"

The gray-haired girl, with her hands behind her back, gently bent down to greet the little radish heads.

She was Helen, who had received Freya's divine command and was following and observing Ciel.

Although she didn't know why Lady Freya had suddenly become interested in her younger brother, Helen didn't dislike this daily stalking; in fact, she was quite happy about it.

While engrossed in the 'Little Brother Observation' activity, Seele unexpectedly arrived at the place where she lived as a child and couldn't help but knock on the door.

"Um... do you know Ciel-kun?"

“That’s my little brother, Mommy Maria.”

Maria's eyes widened slightly, a look of joy spreading across her face: "Charles has always been here..."

"Shh!" Seele blinked, her pink, alluring light radiating from her eyes: "This is forbidden."