Welcome Gift

Seeing his grandson calm and excited again, grandpa Auguste feels relieved and doesn't worry too much anymore. He trusts him a lot. If his grandson said so then he really meant it. But the plan to hunt for a beautiful granddaughter in law will still continue. His grandson's decision is his to make, but a grandpa will serve the best dish on a plate and serve it infront of him to enjoy.

"Grandpa, I decided to be more serious and take my training to the next level. I named the plan as a weapon ammunition backup plan. Yeah, it's literally to use the gauntlet as my last resort, so I will train really hard on it without anyone noticing. But I still need plan A and plan B for a safety measure. I need to be prepared for every situation and cannot let anyone else know my real strength without a strong enough power to back it up. It's better if I can trick everyone else to believe that I'm a harmless and ordinary rich young man, hehe.."

'Which I actually am.. I don't know how I can be compatible with a lot of artifacts, but a weapon is only strong when handled by a professional. Me? Hehe.. Even Li and Toast are stronger than me!' Zeon jokes about himself in his mind with how confident he's in front of his grandpa..

Fake it until you make it, Zeon hopes that he can be stronger faster.

"So, you want to ask for more artifacts? Haha.. Don't hesitate little Zeon, just ask grandpa if you need more of them. Artifacts are no different from discounted cabbage in grocery stores for your grandpa. So what kind of weapon artifact do you need?"

Zeon thought a little and decided to strengthen his friend too. Li and Toast are his personal bodyguards, they need a better weapon to protect me.

'What's wrong if I'm weak, as long as it's 1 vs 3 there's nothing more to be said. A little too dirty? No, I mean welcome to the pre apocalyptic world man, I'm helping you to realize the hard truth of reality.'

"I think for my plan A, I decided to choose a sword or spear. As you said grandpa, that they are better than a shield. After carefully thinking about it, my decision is leaning more toward the spear. I think it is easier to use than a sword because of its range advantage. I'll use it as the main weapon where people will think I'm an expert at using spears."

"Okay, little Zeon, then you need something that everyone can see in your hand. A normal rare artifact which cannot transform is the best."

Grandpa Auguste took out a 2 meter metal spear where the spearhead, which is the sharp part, is having a ratio of 1:4 with the rest of it is the handle. A simple looking spear that is still too big for little Zeon, but it's better to practice using it from a young age to get accustomed to its attack pattern.

"Let me explain a bit about the spear so you can understand it a little better, little Zeon. Spear has a similar structure with the long staff that was used by the kids these days to practice and sparring. Spear is more lethal than a long staff because of the spearhead. Their advantage is of course their longer attack range than any other close combat weapon. There are 2 attack patterns which are slash and stab. Sword is better at slashing and spear is better at stabbing. Okay.. that's it, now you should understand how to train with it, little Zeon."

Zeon nodded his head to signal that he understood his grandpa's explanation. He takes the spear to his dimensional pocket for later use. It's dangerous to bring a weapon around without any expertise in it.

"For plan B I need something more massive, a greatsword."

Grandpa Auguste took out a special artifact, as it was a plan B then it doesn't need to be always in my hand so a special artifact is the better choice to give a surprise effect. An elegant white belt can be seen on grandpa's hand.

"Here, take this one little Zeon, don't use it now as it's maybe too big for the current you. It's a bit harder to use because of its weight but the atmosphere in it is as heavy as its weight. In battle a moment of carelessness can be a fatal cause of defeat. Some people will get easily intimidated by the sheer size of their opponents, it also works with the size of the weapon that you can handle."

"Thank you grandpa, can I call Li and Toast later to get a good weapon from you? They are my personal bodyguards. I think an artifact that suits them is a good welcome gift from us. They also need to be stronger so they can protect me better."

"Of course I can, little Zeon, actually you can call them right now."

Zeon calls Li and Toast to the pope's workroom to get them a better weapon. Not long after, a knock can be heard in the room and grandpa lets the guest come in. Li and Toast can be seen a little excited as they know that they will get a better weapon from the pope himself. The quality itself can't be doubted as it was a weapon that the pope wanted to keep in his dimensional pocket. Li and Toast take a seat beside Zeon.

"Li, why don't you choose a weapon first." asked Zeon as Li is a member of the church so his faith can't be doubted and Zeon knows Li first than Toast, he always keeps it in his heart that Li will be a good cardinal later. Only talented people like Li can really reach his dream, but with Zeon beside him, the time to realize his dream will only be faster as Zeon will definitely shower his trusted friends with resources.

"Deacon Li, how's your day in the white palace? Is the food here to your liking? The church members from the branch church where you live in before said that you are quite picky with food as you love them the most. If you feel that the food served here does not match your taste, please tell me or my grandson, I am afraid you will become thin here due to lack of food."

Grandpa Auguste joked a little about Li. The white palace is the headquarters of Zahakkan Holy Empire, there are many professional staff who have been hired by grandpa Auguste to maintain the prosperity of the white palace. These people are masters of their occupations. The head chef itself is a five star chef who is already proficient in many kinds of delicacies. He's also mastering the runic force technique to keep a balanced nutrition inside the food for all the people who live in the white palace. Those who eat balanced food made by a star chef will get maximum results in their practice.

"The food in the white palace is really delicious, Father Auguste, please don't worry! As I thought that only you would understand how important a balanced meal with a lot of nutrients for the body is. After this I'm pretty sure that my body will get bigger faster and I can protect Zeon with my growing youth body. Hahaha.."

Li is a bit nervous talking face to face with his idol. As he always said that the pope is the hero of humanity's domain, especially for him, the pope is already retired but he can still help to ease the pope's worry by protecting his grandson, Zeon. After knowing Zeon, Li understands that he is an active person that will directly or indirectly meet with trouble. In this era where many stronger people can be found in every place, it's crucial to keep a bit more distance when walking around. No one will be afraid of trouble that still can be negotiated, as Zeon is the pope's grandson there should be many people who will recognize him, but what about those crazy criminal organization members? That's why even the pope himself appreciates Li and Toast who agreed to protect his grandson's safety.

"So what kind of weapon do you want to get for your first artifact, Li?"

"Father Auguste, if allowed I want to keep using a gun based weapon, a shotgun!"

"Looking at you stature, you must have a great stamina, but with a huge frame your movement speed will also get slowed. A huge weapon with a lot of firepower is the perfect choice for your figure, Li. Do you only want a shotgun? I also have something like a sniper rifle and rocket launcher."

"No need for now, grandpa Auguste, I've already used a shotgun since some time ago. Maybe later when I already mastered my current weapon."

"Okay, Li. I will respect your decision, but if you want a new weapon please don't hesitate to tell me or my grandson because you will be the one who's responsible for keeping his safety."