The Violet Lily Crown Prince Appears!

That night, an online video conference was convened.

The organizer was Soto.

The participants included former Serie A superstar Maniero.

Arthas, one of the top ten agents in Italian football.

Hans, a columnist for the authoritative Italian media outlet Live Football News.

And San Remo player Lu Yang.

Moric was not involved; this was Soto's decision.

Because Moric was the center of tonight's meeting.

He had no idea of the danger he was about to face.

If he were included, his form might be affected.

He would either be scared out of his wits.

Or, in an attempt to prove he wasn't afraid, he would actively seek out confrontation and create trouble for himself.

Similar examples are not rare in reality.

Although the "goading method" is a very simple trick—the kind even children know from the Thirty-Six Stratagems—its advanced application is incredibly potent; it is a psychological masterstroke that strikes directly at the heart.

Almost no one can remain unaffected by it.

Because the moment you hear the other party's words, the impact has already taken hold.

Only someone like Soto could possess the influence to organize such a meeting.

However, Hans was somewhat surprised by the influence of Lu Yang.

Admittedly, Maniero was not invited by Lu Yang, but what difference did that make?

Maniero had shown up, hadn't he?

"So, you are worried that San Remo's core player will continue to face similar threats in upcoming matches, or even genuine malicious fouls on the pitch?" Maniero summarized.

Soto nodded.

In fact, such a situation shouldn't have only appeared now.

Normally, a newcomer to a team, especially one who performs well, would encounter such situations at the start of the second half of the season.

Everyone looks down on newcomers; this is determined by experience, just as most people look down on their former selves.

And after a newcomer puts in a good performance, most of those who initially looked down on him become angry, especially his opponents.

At this point, they use the vilest language and actions to sanction the newcomer, letting him know that a rookie should just be a docile little lamb.

Likewise, it is normal for a newcomer to struggle to cope when facing such targeted defense or even aggression.

This is why many newcomers hit a "rookie wall" in the second half of the season.

Those in poor form might even see this continue into their second season.

But there are exceptions—those who let the people targeting them know that the more they do it, the more they will lose! For example, by scoring more goals, providing more assists, dribbling past more players, and so on.

Meeting challenges head-on is always one of the ways to solve any problem.

But this is difficult.

In San Remo's case, this situation was pushed to the end of the season because Moric only started playing mid-season.

He was only now truly beginning to face the siege of the veterans.

The reason it wasn't Lu Yang was that Moric was the team's core, and since Moric and Lu Yang were on the same team, it was clear who the "soft persimmon" was.

"I have actually encountered such a situation," Maniero said, sharing his experience. "In the Italian youth team, my performance was never particularly good, and I didn't shoulder the responsibilities a core player should. It was all because of these reasons."

"Rough fouls, tough defense, and multi-man marking left me lost in a forest of enemy muscles. Until..."

Maniero looked at Soto.

Soto smiled faintly.

"Until this guy called The Butcher was called up to the national team, my nightmare finally ended," Maniero laughed. "He cleared all obstacles for me."

Soto also laughed: "That's why I often wonder if you had already spotted my 'bodyguard' potential, which is why you had Hans find me, make me famous, and get me noticed by the national team. You were waiting for me in the national team all along, weren't you?"

Maniero smiled without a word, neither admitting nor denying it.

"But this probably won't stop players from committing malicious fouls against you," Arthas frowned. "Lu Yang also possesses sweeping capabilities, and his defense is tough, but he can only help share the pressure for Moric on a tactical level. He can't really take dirty kicks for Moric, can he?"

"Who says he can't?" Maniero's expression shifted. "Do you know how many yellow and red cards Soto received in the national team? Do you know how many malicious fouls he committed? This is very different from his league play. He is indeed fierce in the league, but he is rarely this extreme or vicious!"

Arthas was stunned. It seemed... that was indeed the case?

Hans had a say in this; both Soto's notoriety and his rise to fame were driven by him, and he knew Soto's record clearly.

"He did it for me! Without Soto, I would have been crippled long ago!" Maniero declared.

Everyone felt a shiver run through them.

The depth of that friendship between men was instantly laid bare.

Everything was so clear.

Whenever a dirty foot reached out toward Maniero, The Butcher would be sure to retaliate!

Whenever someone maliciously collided with Maniero, The Butcher would make sure they spent the next play lying on the ground.

Whenever someone attempted to end Maniero's career, The Butcher would make sure the opponent felt the wrath of The Butcher first!

This was the perfect match of the Italy National Team.

The brain, Maniero, and his bodyguard, The Butcher, Soto!

It wasn't that Italy lacked other defensive midfielders, but no one could do what Soto did better or more extremely.

In his national team matches, he didn't appear on the pitch to play football; he existed entirely to revolve around Maniero!

This caused a player to lose his sense of self, and his natural flair on the pitch withered away as a result. He no longer possessed offensive capabilities—and one must remember, the young Soto had possessed a certain degree of offensive organizational ability, but that vanished later on.

This style of play even caused Soto, who was three years younger than Maniero, to retire around the same time as him.

This had to do with their playing style, with Maniero, with the infamous reputation of Gattuso, and even more so with his own injuries.

He had sacrificed himself entirely.

Of course, Maniero never forgot Soto's contributions at any time, always mentioning in every setting that Soto was his greatest rival, thereby maintaining Soto's status.

Yet, if it were any other two people, such selfless cooperation would have been impossible.

No one is willing to lose themselves, no one is willing to become someone else's satellite, and no one can believe that their greatest rival in the league would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them.

Likewise, no one would pass up the chance to thoroughly defeat their lifelong rival and grind them into the dust of history if the opportunity arose.

Only Soto.

Only Maniero.

And it was precisely because of this that the two became best friends after retirement.

Because they had long since entrusted their lives to one another!

"I will fight for Moric just like Soto did, I promise!" Lu Yang knew what he had to do. He was not Soto, but right now, Moric needed a Soto.

Just as Moric didn't necessarily have to stay at San Remo, yet was willing to do so for Lu Yang's sake.

There would be no other place like San Remo that could provide both of them with starting positions, especially in a high-level league.

Therefore, both Lu Yang and Moric knew that the moment they left San Remo would be the moment they said goodbye to each other.

When they met again in the future, they would be serving different masters, competing on the same pitch.

"But that's not enough!" Lu Yang said. "I don't have the prestige, or rather, the notoriety of Soto. Furthermore, Serie A matches are not national team matches that draw the attention of countless people and receive indirect supervision from everyone."

"I need greater influence, at least for the next match!"

Maniero was silent for a long time. He could see that Lu Yang's concern for Moric outweighed his concern for the team's results.

Likewise, Maniero also very much hoped that his good brother Soto could create his own miracle in his first year of coaching.

For the sake of this old turkey and that young turkey, he had to do something.

"I heard that guy Carlisle's injury is finally healing," Maniero suddenly brought up a name.

Carlisle, currently the starting center-forward for Fiorentina in Serie A, was also a superstar striker in Serie A, known to the public as the King of the Violets.

His right-footed shots were powerful and heavy, capable of piercing any defense; it was his signature ability.

At 31 years old, he was still at the tail end of his career prime.

Normally, the end of one's prime is when a player's influence, appeal, and fame are at their peak.

Carlisle had suffered an injury this season and could walk normally now, but he was still some time away from training. Clearly, he didn't need to rush his return this season, as Serie A was about to conclude anyway.

When Carlisle was young, he played for Juventus, back when Maniero had just become the core and star player of Juventus.

Carlisle's time at Juventus was very difficult; he was mocked by fans in every way and even considered giving up football to go home and inherit his family's millions.

It was Maniero who saved his career.

Maniero told Carlisle that his shooting was strong, but he lacked a body that could hold up until he had a shooting opportunity. It wasn't a matter of physical strength, but of balance, force generation, and core power.

After that, Carlisle trained his balance and core obsessively. After transferring to the Violets, Fiorentina, he began an incredible rise and created a legend! And his greatest trait became his ability to score powerful, explosive shots while under the interference of two or three defenders!

Because of this, Carlisle and Maniero were very close friends.

"Tell your chairman to prepare the best seats for watching the game. Carlisle and I will appear in the stands of the San Remo Municipal Stadium for the next match," Maniero said. "And the reason will be that there is a young man on your team who looks a lot like the young Carlisle!"

Everyone's eyes widened.

The young Carlisle?

A super center-forward prospect?

Who?

Suddenly, Hans had a flash of inspiration: "There were reports in the news that when Carlisle was in the youth academy, he started out as a center-back?"

Soto and Arthas looked at Lu Yang.

A center-back!

Center forward!

This...

"Crown Prince of the Violets in San Remo, don't let me lose face in front of Carlisle in the next match, alright?" Maniero looked at Lu Yang with a smile.

The latter nodded solemnly.

The next day, the Italian football world was in an uproar!

Hans, from Live Football News, who frequently broke explosive stories, had rediscovered the feeling of stirring up the storm just like in the old days.

His article, titled "Fiorentina, I Have Found Your Crown Prince!", made the front-page headline of Live Football News.

It was subsequently reprinted rapidly by major football newspapers.

This was because the report was substantive.

"This season, Carlisle's injury caused the Violets to lose their sharpest spear, and they dropped out of the league title race early. Presumably, the Fiorentina hierarchy has also identified the team's problem: they don't have a single reliable backup center forward."

"To put it more severely, how much longer can 31-year-old Carlisle maintain his peak form after recovering from his injury? It is time for the Violets to find their Crown Prince, and I have found him for you!"

"Perhaps many people do not know that Carlisle started his football career as a center-back. He was converted into a center forward at Juventus, but that transition was a complete failure."

"Thanks to Maniero's guidance and Carlisle's hard work and self-discipline, Carlisle finally found his own correct way of playing after transferring to Fiorentina, thus transforming into one of the greatest strikers in Serie A."

"And this season, shortly after Carlisle was injured, a center-back named Lu Yang stepped onto the Serie D pitch in the sunny city of San Remo, located in the coastal region of northwestern Italy."

"Thirteen matches, twelve goals, nine assists! What position do you think these stats belong to? I tell you, these are the stats of a center-back!"

"Lu Yang only needed thirteen matches to become the undisputed strongest center-back in Serie D. With an average of 6.3 tackles and 4.6 interceptions per game, he is highly likely to be crowned the tackle king and interception king at the end of the season!"

"But what is terrifying is not the defensive talent he has shown in Serie D; on the contrary, what I value is his offensive talent. His long-range shots are explosive—perhaps not identical to Carlisle's, but they are equally capable of breaking the deadlock in a match."

"I don't know if he has the potential to become a super center forward, but his experience is so similar to Carlisle's that... even Carlisle couldn't help but want to take a look at this version of his former self!"

"According to accurate information, on the 15th of this month, in the 34th round of the Serie D league, San Remo will host Potenza. The King of the Violets, Carlisle, and the brain of Juventus, Maniero, will appear together at the San Remo Municipal Stadium!"

"Whether the Crown Prince has emerged, we shall see for ourselves! On the 15th of this month, let us lock our eyes on the San Remo match in Serie D!"

This was an extremely infectious and seductive article.

And it was packed with solid facts.

Carlisle's past as a center-back was something only veteran fans would know.

Lu Yang's explosive stats were something only Serie D fans would know.

The whereabouts of Maniero and Carlisle were clearly something outsiders could not possibly know.

Of all the fans who read this report, at least ninety percent of Fiorentina fans would watch that match because it was closely related to them, and because their King would be there too.

And as one of the current giants of Serie A, if Fiorentina's Crown Prince were to emerge, how should other teams handle it?

Who could resist the curiosity?

Who would dare not take a look?

What if he really was a talent for the ages?

Strike first to gain the advantage!

In an instant, the name Lu Yang flooded Serie A again.

Soon, everyone discovered that the top two goals currently ranked for this year's Puskas Award were actually both created by this Lu Yang.

One was a wood-chopping style strike, and the other was a stunning 33-meter bicycle kick!

This made the claim of the Crown Prince of the Violets seem even more credible.