I Went Out Yesterday and Caught a Cold... (Continued)

Salvadore, standing to the side, burst into laughter.

"Your thinking is as naive as ever..."

"You old bastard." Having finally managed to confide in his friend, Saluzzo, disregarding all etiquette, kicked him directly.

But Salvadore skillfully dodged it.

He chuckled, then became serious again.

"This is a suggestion from the bottom of my heart. If you feel this way, then let it be."

"Um?"

Saluzzo found it strange.

Salvadore didn't say much, just continued swirling his glass without taking a sip.

"I can't tell you too much... because I don't know if such actions will bring trouble to the Texas Family, but I can tell you one thing: don't even think about conquering Gray Hall by force."

"The reason I joined in the first place was simply because I wanted to repay Madam Sicily's favor, so I planned to protect her when the family launched a full-scale attack."

"But now, her sharp shield has returned to Siracusa, and neither Saluzzo, nor Texas, nor even the whole of Siracusa combined can make her give it a second glance... I know what you want to do, investigate... but my advice is, don't."

"Any contact with her should be accompanied by the risk of your entire family being implicated. I don't know her, and neither do I know anyone else."

"Um?"

Saluzzo frowned, looking at Texas in front of him, feeling utterly bewildered.

Is this some kind of riddle?

"What shield, what knowledge... I just want to know what you know!"

"I've already said it, old friend...I've already said it."

Salvadore shook his head, then looked to the side with a grin.

"Oh, let's see, whose pretty girl has arrived?"

"Um?"

Although Saluzzo was puzzled, he still followed Salvadore's gaze.

Right at the cellar entrance, a silver-white wolf, radiating heat and still wearing his training uniform, walked over carrying two unsharpened weapons.

Her chest heaved, as if she had just run there.

She arrived at the scene, looked around for a while, and then frowned slightly.

Where is she?

"Lappland!"

Saluzzo was helpless upon seeing the other party's appearance.

But no matter how much he spoils his children, they still need to maintain proper manners.

"Do you remember the etiquette I taught you? Or are you planning to smear Saluzzo's face here?"

The old man's words were a little harsh, but the girl came to her senses.

She stepped back slightly and pinched the non-existent hem of her dress.

"Texas Saluzzo, it's an honor to meet you, Mr. Texas."

"Oh, you're welcome, beautiful girl, you're just as beautiful as your grandmother."

Salvadore clearly didn't have as many concerns as Saluzzo. He smiled, gave Saluzzo a teasing look, and then continued speaking.

"You're here to see Celinina, aren't you?"

"Yes!"

The silver-white wolf responded with a strong voice.

Ever since Celinina came to the family and competed with her a few times recently, she has kept a deep impression of that girl who is about the same age as her.

She couldn't understand why her opponent was so strong, to the point that she couldn't defeat him even once.

During this time, she practiced swordsmanship day and night, even giving up her studies, all in order to avenge her previous humiliation.

Upon learning that her grandfather and the other man's grandfather had entered the cellar together, she rushed over immediately, eager to find him and have another duel.

But...

Where are they?

"I'm sorry, young lady, your expectations will be dashed."

Salvadore shrugged. "Celinina is currently taking a class with an excellent teacher."

"Attend class?"

Young Lappland was somewhat strange.

In her view, someone with such formidable strength must have been training day and night... The word "class" wasn't entirely unrelated, but it didn't quite fit.

"Yes, class is starting."

Salvadore turned his head again, glanced at the helpless Saluzzo beside him, and then slowly got up.

"I roughly know you want to duel Celinina, but... this won't be easy."

"With that teacher's help, Celinina's abilities improved very quickly."

After saying that, Salvadore didn't say anything more, but simply placed his untouched glass of wine in front of Saluzzo and smiled.

Are you planning to let her inherit it?

"She's still too young."

Saluzzo frowned.

That's a pity.

Salvadore shook his head.

"Young people always seem to grow up to be very impressive without you even realizing it."

"Thinking, ability, technology... and many other aspects."

"Moreover, their feelings come and go quickly, and they often surprise us."

"Old man, you'll be obsolete sooner or later."

After saying that, Salvadore slowly shook his head and left.

Gazing at the other person's unguarded back, Saluzzo remained silent for a moment, staring at the untouched glass of red wine on the table.

Finally... he dumped it all on the ground.

"I was even thinking of taking you to hell with me, you old fool."

Saluzzo murmured, his voice low and helpless.

Meanwhile, the little girl couldn't quite understand her grandfather's actions.

Wasn't this bottle of wine his most prized possession? Why is it spilled now?

But Salvadore didn't explain much; he simply recalled Texas's words and remained silent for a long time.

The toxins hidden in the alcohol began to spread rapidly, and he knew his time was running out.

Salvadore is right; the old man's methods are becoming less and less effective.

He just didn't expect that the other party had already discovered this step.

As he said before, he was too old to continue leading the Saluzzo Family forward.

But at this moment, he also wanted to make one last effort for his family... He wanted to die in this cellar together with Salvadore...

In his own family, there was no one capable of outmaneuvering that old fox.

With both family heads dead at the same time, even if the Texas Family wanted to hold them accountable, the Saluzzo Family would have grounds to respond.

I just didn't expect...

"I thought I did a great job."

Saluzzo smiled.

A moment later, he smiled as he looked at his doting granddaughter.

"Lappland, could you go and call your father over?"

"I have something to tell him."

Few people know what's happening inside the cellar yet.

However, it is clear that a turbulent storm is brewing in Siracusa.

But... none of this has anything to do with Maria.

She was simply wandering the streets of Siracusa with a human-shaped, self-propelled light bulb in her arms.

Based on the information we have so far, the family is already getting restless about the existence of the Gray Hall.

They are even actively preparing for the competition.

However, the Gray Hall staff knew very little about the family's preparations. They simply knew that the family harbored ill intentions, but had only a guess as to what they planned to do.

Information is highly asymmetrical.

Once a fight breaks out, Gray Hall will be at a huge disadvantage.

While this doesn't rule out the possibility that the information I currently have is incomplete, that's roughly the general feeling.

Upon learning of this outcome, Maria almost immediately wanted to take action.

Regardless, Madam Sicily was still her friend, and she wouldn't tolerate these families' insolence.

But after thinking about it for a while, she decided to give up.

She chose to believe that Madam Sicily had her own plans.

You don't need to worry too much.

Considering the unique nature of her existence, she made a deal with the Sankta woman.

I always tell the other party the truth about what I do afterwards, but in return, the other party must also take responsibility for the communication between me and Father Agniel.

That priest should know his place.

As for now...

Maria looked up and around.

By this time, they had wandered to the vicinity of the Saluzzo Family.

The family meeting had ended, but the banquet was not yet over.

You can still see those swaying figures in the dim light.

Through the thick walls, Maria drifted gently around.

Meanwhile, the Sankta woman scratched her head helplessly.

Maria had never really understood what she was trying to do... but now she knew that the other person wasn't some impulsive madman.

At least they're quite easy to talk to.

And it was at that moment that she was thinking this.

A chill suddenly pierced through her body.

"Um?"

Almost instinctively, she placed her hand on her Guardian Gun, her eyes sharpening instantly.

She keenly observed her surroundings and finally discovered the source of the chill.

In the darkness, a huge black wolf was silently approaching...

"Um?!"

Upon seeing the other party's appearance, the Sankta girl's expression changed instantly.