Chapter 131
Upon hearing that it was just a claim, Madam Sicily immediately agreed. How much could a hotel in that kind of place possibly charge?
While advocating for justice for ordinary people might sound fantastical, perhaps he has this inclination:
"No problem."
"The second thing is to find the families involved and punish them severely, giving me a satisfactory explanation."
Madam Sicily did not rush to answer, but instead looked at Gambino Ricci, because Palermo, a mining city, was within the area under his family's jurisdiction.
Richie immediately realized what was happening and replied:
"I know Palermo well, and I'll handle it promptly once the killer is found. You may not know our rules here; these kinds of things are handled internally and are not made public."
See? There's no sincerity at all.
Shi Lei was just a tourist who came here for a few days and then went back to Lungmen. Who knows if the person who died was the real culprit?
Besides, who can guarantee that his family won't cause trouble for the father and daughter at the inn after he leaves?
Shi Lei had completely lost patience; all he got from trying to communicate properly were these high-sounding words. They couldn't even offer him a perfunctory response.
"Forget it, I don't want to talk about it anymore."
At this point, Shi Lei's index finger slid in mid-air:
"Let's try a different approach that you can understand."
As soon as the words were spoken, large patches of brown clouds appeared in the sky above the now domed Grey Hall.
The strange phenomenon in the sky instantly attracted the attention of all the family members present.
In the blink of an eye, an enormous star rock broke through the brown clouds and fell from the sky. Compared to what Immortal Realm cultivator could unleash, this one was dozens of times larger!
The enormous star rock plummeted downwards, growing larger and faster in the eyes of the clan leaders. In less than two seconds, it had reached the ground, almost touching their faces!
A meteorite the size of half a football field is enough to evoke a deep-seated fear of Catastrophe in humanity.
"Ughhhhhh!!!"
Father Agnil roared and raised his musket, firing repeatedly at Star Rock, determined to resist to the death.
But it was like a moth drawn to a flame, or a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
With Shi Lei's index finger in control, the meteorite-like Star Rock actually stopped in mid-air above the Grey Hall!
All the clan leaders and members watched this scene in disbelief, unable to express the shock they felt.
Hand-crafting Cataclysmic Clouds?
Hand-rubbing a meteorite?
What the hell is that monster?
When faced with Catastrophe, a person may feel a sense of helplessness, as no matter how hard they try, they cannot make a difference.
That's probably how it is now.
Father Agnil, the most powerful priest in Syracuse, was on high alert. He looked as if he had just been pulled from the water, his back drenched in cold sweat.
Shi Lei had the ability to make the massive star rock disappear into thin air, but there was no need for it. Otherwise, these guys would think they were witnessing an illusion and would think they were invincible.
They thought it was ready, so they started dancing.
Shi Lei casually drew an arc with his index finger, and the star rock, about half the size of a football field, flew out of the Mobile Cities like a marble and crashed into the deserted wasteland.
"Bang!"
The Grey Hall was located on the edge of the Mobile Cities, so the muffled sound could be heard very clearly.
None of the people present, whether it was Richie, Giovanna, Alberto, Bernardo, or Madam Sicily, had recovered from the intense shock.
The next second, Shi Lei's fingers twitched slightly.
When brown clouds reappeared in the sky, the eyes of the many clan leaders widened to their limit.
They're still coming?!
You unleashed such a powerful Originium Arts, don't you need to rest?
The massive star rock hovered ten meters above the Grey Hall before being flicked away by Shi Lei's finger.
"Now, can you understand?"
The six clan leaders stood there dumbfounded, their minds blank, still processing what had just happened.
It turns out Father Agnil wasn't lying. If this mysterious man were angered, Syracuse could very well be destroyed—no, it certainly would be!
The next second, the third Planet Befall fell.
Shi Lei's main strategy is to have no cooldown and no resource consumption. However, if he doesn't control it, Xingyan will directly...
The explosion that occurred in the Grey Hall took up a little time to recover.
"Now, can you understand?"
Texas wanted to stop him, but he did manage to do so without drawing blood or hurting anyone.
Madam Sicily suddenly realized her mistake and was filled with remorse for her previous rash words:
"I understand, I understand. Please stop your supernatural powers! Please forgive my ignorance and arrogance. I will hold a banquet to repent and apologize for my offense."
Let alone the entire nation's resources, the whole of Syracuse combined wouldn't be enough to defeat this mysterious man.
Huge Catastrophe stones are being smashed down on the Mobile Cities like they're free. Which country could withstand that?
The most urgent task is to serve this important figure whose background we don't know well and quickly curry favor with him.
Shi Lei put his hands behind his back and stopped using skills.
"Now can we do the second thing?"
"It can be done, right away. The entire family involved in that hotel bombing will be wiped out!"
The clan leaders initially thought the mysterious man was making a mountain out of a molehill. Now, they've finally come to their senses.
If you really push him too far, you'll launch an indiscriminate attack, Syracuse will be wiped off the map of Terra.
Seeing their obsequious attitude from the beginning to the end, Shi Lei, behind the mask, revealed a cold smile.
When you are weaker than them, you will be exploited.
When you become like them, you will be replaced.
When you are slightly stronger than them, you will be depended on.
You will be respected when you are much better than them.
Besides his promotion, Shi Lei's biggest takeaway from his trip to Syracuse was the exchange of experiences.
When you try to reason with them, they act like thugs. When you act like thugs, they try to reason with you. You have to beat them into submission before you can have proper communication.
If that's the case, why not skip those steps, call it out once, and then ask all the questions?
March Limited-Time Bounty
If you still have monthly tickets, feel free to vote for them here. I expect many authors will be asking for them in March, but I don't expect to receive many.
[Bounty Period: 5 days]
From 00:00 on March 1st to 00:00 on March 6th
[Bounty Rules]
2000 recommendation votes = 200 monthly votes = 1 update
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As always, we don't force you to give tips or hate mail; please do what you can afford.
The bounty has been extended by one day, and the requirement for monthly passes has increased slightly.
[Regarding updates and other matters]
As everyone knows, I was updating like crazy in February, staying up incredibly late every day. Lately, my heart rate has been consistently around 125+ beats per minute at night and during the day. It's been incredibly stressful; I need to calm down to write when my heart is racing. I've already decided to go to the hospital for a checkup in early March.
Since contracting COVID-19, I feel my health is deteriorating. Despite exercising daily, I still get sick easily. In early March, I wanted to rest and adjust my biological clock, but now my jet lag is completely reversed.
Note: The reward will be paid out within this month, but not necessarily immediately after the reward period ends.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the readers who have supported me.
196 I really want to be Shi Lei's wolf!
Madam Sicily agreed to Shi Lei's first two requests.
Ever since Planet Befall, whose house was half the size of a football field, delivered three heart-stirring greetings, she no longer acted as if she were the hostess, but instead stood up respectfully to await what the other party would say next.
Seeing Madam Sicily set an example by acting from the heart, the family patriarchs, freed from their psychological burdens, followed suit.
They leaned forward slightly as they listened, expressing the utmost respect for the mysterious masked man.
"The third thing is to help me find Wolf Lord Zaro. I have some personal matters to attend to with him, but I don't know exactly where he lives."
Currently, there are several different Wolf Lord within Syracuse. They rarely show themselves, instead cultivating their own Fangs among humans to participate in the power struggle. It is said that the Fangs of Wolf Lord are located in the Grey Hall.
Madam Sicily had already learned her lesson from the mysterious man once; she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
Regardless of whether we can find Zaro, let's first adopt a positive attitude and calm him down.
"No problem, I will arrange for someone to investigate immediately and try to get back to you within 24 hours."
Haha, this should have been done a long time ago. This is the right attitude to solve a problem; why put on airs before?
Shi Lei, too lazy to complain, said seriously:
"Okay, 24 hours it will be. I'll be waiting for your reply by 2 PM tomorrow. Once you have any news, come directly to the Volcini Grand Hotel to inform Texas."
Having said that, he turned and left. He left everyone with only a dashing silhouette, without taking a single cloud with him.
Texas had intended to stay and catch up with Giovanna Rossetti. But seeing the intense gazes directed at her, she immediately understood.
In order to climb this social ladder, the family patriarchs would have Texas act as the middleman to make the connection.
She never considered herself noble for living in Lungmen, nor did she consider herself evil for living in Syracuse or Columbia.
Texas has always been about transporting life and death; it doesn't act as a lubricant.
Ugh, this is such a hassle. I'd better hurry up and follow Shi Lei. Suddenly I don't feel like catching up with old friends anymore.
After the two left one after the other, only the tribal chiefs and Father Agnil remained in the damaged Grey Hall.
Gambino Ritchie bit his lip, his face showing a struggle.
After a moment, he finally spoke:
"Madam Sicily, if—and I mean if— the Palermo bombing was carried out by my men behind my back, what... would you do?"
Terra's technology tree is a bit off-track; most of its bombs are Originium bomb. These high-explosive materials would be strictly controlled in any country.
The mysterious man said that someone remotely controlled a bomb to raze the hotel to the ground, indicating that its power was extraordinary.
The Gambino family happens to control all the explosives in Palermo. To prevent other families from using this to cause trouble or threaten the Twelve Families, they must apply to them for permission to use explosives each time.
Therefore, Richie deduced from the power of the explosion that there was a traitor within the clan who had not informed him beforehand.
Madam Sicily glanced up and repeated:
"Eliminate them all."
This outcome was unacceptable to Richie:
"But I didn't know that, does that count?"
"You don't know that the explosion didn't happen? Does your ignorance serve as an excuse? Does your ignorance justify dragging down the entire Syracuse?"
This weight of national responsibility brought tears to the eyes of Gambino Ricci, who deeply values family.
"Leave none behind?"
Madam Sicily looked at him calmly, without answering directly, but instead asked:
What do you think?