Chapter 134
"Didn't you go to buy wine? Where's the wine?"
Exusiai grinned, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense:
"Haha, don't worry. Wait another half hour, and someone will bring up some good wine."
Without her needing to explain, Shi Lei had already guessed that it was the patriarch of Twelve Families, and asked:
Who are people downstairs?
"I forgot to count, but there were probably more than ten. I don't know exactly who was who. I was just passing on a message for them and trying to get some good wine. If you were in a good mood, you could meet them; if not, forget it. They seemed quite sincere, so I agreed."
Shi Lei nodded, offering no objection. If it were a gift for him alone, he definitely wouldn't accept it. But if it was a gift of wine for everyone to drink, then he would accept it.
After all, it still depends on the patriarchs of the Twelve Families to dig out the Wolf Lord Zaro. There's no need to strain relations too much before achieving our goal.
He glanced at the obedient Lisa, then returned his gaze to Exusiai:
"Did you buy the juice? There's a little kid here who can't drink alcohol."
"Oops!"
Exusiai slapped her forehead, suddenly realizing:
"I forgot about that, so I didn't buy it. Little Lisa, wait for me a moment."
After saying that, she quickly left the room.
20 minutes later.
Rubio, then Minister of Food, drove to the Volcini Grand Hotel. The man in the passenger seat was Karachi, Minister of Construction.
The former was a short, middle-aged man from an ordinary family. He was adept at navigating social situations and rose to his current position through his outstanding professional skills.
Seeing the large crowd standing outside the restaurant, Rubio recognized several family heads. Even Sicily...
People and Father Agnil were also prominently featured.
"What's going on? Has some important figure arrived in Syracuse? Is he worthy of such treatment?"
"Haha, you don't know this."
Karachi was of humble origins, but he was remarkably handsome. His smile was full of energy.
"I heard that someone smashed up the Grey Hall today and even summoned three Catastrophe Meteorite from the sky. With just that, they managed to subdue these family patriarchs."
"Smash the Grey Hall? That's that extreme?"
"Yes, not to mention you, even I don't believe it, but that's the truth. He's arrogant, and he has the right to be. Now all the major families are completely convinced and are doing their best to curry favor with that important figure."
Rubio laughed and turned off the food truck:
"Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, that's really the family's consistent style. Tell me, is it possible..."
Karachi noticed family members approaching and quickly ended the conversation in a low voice:
"Someone's coming. Keep quiet. Let's avoid any mistakes today, and we'll see what happens next."
A few minutes later, the heads of the Saluzzo, Rossetti, and Bellone families drove back to the hotel. Instead of having their subordinates deliver the wine, they planned to do so personally, hoping to use this opportunity to communicate with Shi Lei face-to-face.
Half an hour later, Exusiai came down to fetch the wine.
Lappland led them and Madam Sicily into the elevator, but left Alberto outside:
"Oh, my esteemed father. Give me the wine, and you don't need to go upstairs."
Alberto looked at his daughter with a puzzled expression, a Syracuse curse swirling in his mind, but he wasn't sure if he should say it.
You eat my food and use my things. You rarely come back, and you still take from me. Why do you pull this stunt when it's your turn to repay me?
Lappland, prepared in advance, grinned and gave Alberto a reason that was hard to refute:
"Father, I need to avoid suspicion. What if I displease Zhongli and get kicked out of the team?"
Alberto glared at her fiercely before finally handing the two bottles of Syracuse wine to his daughter.
As the elevator doors closed completely and the elevator reached the third floor, Exusiai, standing in the corner, asked:
"Are you really trying to avoid suspicion?"
"No, I was lying to him. I just wanted to get revenge and let him experience what it's like to be an outsider. Besides, I don't think he'd have any meaningful conversations with Zhongli."
"Hahaha, you're so mean!"
The three patriarchs, Sicily, Rossetti, and Bellone, smiled helplessly, almost uttering the word "childish."
"Bite!"
Upon arriving at her floor, Exusiai said:
"The party is about to begin, and time is limited. Each of you only has one chance to either speak to Zhongli or Texas privately."
Giovanna did not hesitate and presented a case of fine wine:
"I want to see Texas."
"She's in the room on the right."
Exusiai took it with both hands and held it in her arms. She looked at the remaining two and gestured:
"Which of you two will go first?"
Bernardo Bellone bowed politely and gestured for her to enter. Madam Sicily did not return his gesture and went into Shi Lei's room on the left.
"Click".
The door wasn't locked.
Giovanna pushed open the door and saw Texas sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, staring outside.
"Chelinina, it's been a long time."
Upon hearing this, a smile gradually appeared on Texas's lips. Some memories returned to the past.
The Rossetti Family had lived a prosperous life in Columbia under the leadership of the Texas Family. Seven years ago, Giovanna was her best friend.
Later, Madam Sicily began her purge. The Texas Family was destroyed, Chelinina disappeared.
Giovanna, a woman, was forced to shoulder the responsibility of uniting the other families. Ultimately, she led the Syracuse family back to their homeland from Columbia. Because she brought back the technology to create Mobile Cities, she was granted entry into the Grey Hall.
"Chelinina, congratulations! It seems you've found a wonderful partner."
"Nothing to congratulate you on, it's just like that. How are you doing these days?"
"I'm already preparing to step down. The Rossetti Family doesn't need a lukewarm leader like me. Valer is decisive and more suitable for this position than I am."
"Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"
Giovanna shrugged, then sighed softly:
"I hope to work in screenwriting; I'm very suited to spending long hours in front of a typewriter."
Texas sized up Giovanna, noticing she seemed more mature than before. She opened her mouth, but said nothing. After a moment's hesitation, she asked earnestly:
Have you ever thought about developing your Lungmen?
"A playwright's work can be done anywhere. Judging from your appearance now, you must have had a happy and wonderful time in Lungmen."
"Yes, would you like to come with me?"
"No, Chelinina. What I mean is, happy memories don't need to be two; one is enough."
Meanwhile, Madam Sicily came out of the room less than ten minutes after entering. Judging from her regretful expression, she must have had some disagreements with Shi Lei.
Bernardo Bellone was very patient, waiting for her to leave before knocking on the door and entering. The room had walls made of stone, resembling a room within a room. It seemed to offer soundproofing and protection.
"I know you are looking for Wolf Lord Zaro."
Bernardo didn't waste any words and went straight to the point:
"And I am its Fangs in this world."
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"I know you are looking for Wolf Lord Zaro, and I am his Fangs in the world."
Shi Lei didn't know the meaning of "Fangs," but he could roughly guess from the context. He stared at the man who looked remarkably like Marlon Brando, the Godfather, and asked:
"Fangs? Does that refer to the Wolf Lord's representative in the human world?"
"In a sense, that's certainly a fair interpretation. The Wolf Lord have abandoned thousands of years of infighting. They hide in the wilderness, using Syracuse as their chessboard and their families as their pieces, to compete in this game called power. If you can grant me one request, I will help summon the Wolf Lord Zaro."
The basis of a transaction is that both parties get what they need.
Given the current situation, Shi Lei holds an absolute advantage. Even if the opponent hadn't revealed their hand today, the final outcome would have been the same; the only difference was sooner or later.
Because Syracuse could not withstand his wrath:
"I'm sorry, I don't need to discuss any conditions with you. Since I'm in a good mood today, you can tell me what you want to say first."
Bernardo nodded and said seriously:
"Mister Zhongli, you probably don't know how long the Wolf Lord has lived on this land, do you? I hope you can create a fair, just, and just order that transcends all violence..."
Shi Lei disliked this kind of riddle-solving conversation and directly interrupted to correct him:
"If you continue to speak in riddles like this, our meeting is over."
Bernardo was speechless for a moment, staring at the masked man in front of him, unsure of what to say.
Seeing that the other party remained silent, Shi Lei continued:
"A family cannot consider itself the embodiment of civilization just because it wears the cloak of civilization. You might as well put it more bluntly and succinctly in one or two sentences."
Bernardo hesitated, glancing towards the door before looking away and lowering his voice:
"Mister Zhongli, I hope you can create a Syracuse where no families exist."
Just now, Madam Sicily brought up something similar to what Bernardo. Hearing the suggestion to wipe out the entire family again, Shi Lei simply stated his position plainly:
"It's not wrong to discover the cancer in this country and want to take drastic measures to cure it. However, you and Madam Sicily have both misunderstood the cause of the disease. The root of Syracuse's problem is not a particular family, but the family system itself."
Even if I were to wipe out all the families today, tomorrow, ordinary people freed from the constraints of their families would spontaneously form new ones. The old gives way to the new, but the families still exist. Have you considered that?
Bernardo opened his mouth, but said nothing. He agreed with Shi Lei's answer and felt that the birth of the new family was an inevitable result.
Discarding the old and replacing it with the new is meaningless.
Shi Lei disliked Syracuse, a country he considered undesirable, and he disliked the various families associated with it. As an outsider, he wouldn't take on the responsibility of governing a country that had nothing to do with him.
Even if we want to develop followers and gain the power of faith in the future, we should develop in the vicinity of Lungmen and Yan.
The idea of turning Syracuse into Liyue is too strange; the two cultures are completely different.
"What you need to change is the system. Whether it's a constitutional monarchy or a republic, only by gradually dismantling the family and integrating it into the behemoth of the government can you go further. However, this contradicts some of Madam Sicily's ideas. How Syracuse should proceed in the future is up to you to figure out."
"Been taught a lesson."
Bernardo bowed his head in greeting, expressing the highest level of courtesy within his family. He then took out a white Bone Whistle from his pocket and politely inquired:
"Mister Zhongli, I have a token to summon the Wolf Lord Zaro. Would you like to see it now, or wait until it is ready?"
Shi Lei agreed without hesitation:
"Now."
The sooner he severs the ties binding Texas, the sooner he can return to Lungmen. The pizza and wine of Syracuse can't compare to the rice noodle rolls and hot pot of Lungmen. For him, there's really nothing worth staying for.
"Good."
Bernardo picked up the Bone Whistle and blew it twice forcefully, explaining to Shi Lei, who was wearing a mask:
"Wolf Lord Zaro, possesses the ability to teleport instantly. No matter how far apart we are, he will quickly appear near me as soon as I blow the Bone Whistle."