Rotisch

Not yet...

Not yet!

Almost as if in a final burst of energy, Lappland's eyes regained some clarity.

But amidst this clarity, a hint of dread flickered in her eyes, the intense light contrasting sharply with the crimson in Celinina's eyes.

Standing behind the two people at this moment were two unusual individuals...

She struggled to free her hands, grabbing wildly, trying to pry Celinina away from her.

But it was this haphazard waving of her hand that caused her to suddenly grab the girl's lower abdomen.

This, almost like an instinctive reaction, stimulated Celinina.

Her body stiffened almost instinctively.

The initial burst of power also ceased...

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lappland struggled free from her opponent's restraints, fell to her knees, and gasped for breath.

"Cough cough cough..."

The severe lack of oxygen caused her to cough uncontrollably, and blood kept seeping from the lacerated wound on her arm, making her body weak.

But at the same time, a strong feeling surged through her body.

A strong desire to fight took over her mind.

She couldn't help but turn her head, her eyes gradually gleaming with silver light.

Weird... Distorted...

But soon, her eyes cleared.

Right behind her, a tall woman stood quietly behind the two of them.

Silently watching this side...

Half an hour ago.

"What are these?"

Maria herself was not very willing to continue accepting Lappland as a child... and the reason was that Maria really had things to do right now.

But at this moment, the Saluzzo Family gave her a reason that was hard to refuse.

"These...are things that the Saluzzo Family has been diligently collecting since its inception."

Saluzzo slowly placed a scroll in front of Maria. This seemingly harmless patriarch, at this moment, displayed an unspeakable pride.

He knew he couldn't compare to the family heads of previous generations, but he also knew that since he had been chosen for this position, he had to do everything he could!

"From the very beginning of Saluzzo's establishment of the family, we have been secretly investigating everything in Siracusa."

As the man spoke, his fingers gently stroked the ancient history records passed down through generations.

When Maria opened one of the letters, she discovered that it contained a story recorded in the first person by the scribe... The scribe seemed to know that these things would eventually come together to form a secret, so in order to minimize his perceived 'objectivity,' he directly adopted the most subjective approach, recording everything he saw, researched, and investigated.

They didn't rely on any preconceived speculation; all the answers were described using cold, hard numbers.

[Eighty-three people were questioned, of whom the Volsinii inhabitants did not believe the story; fifty-three believed it was a lie, that their relatives had died in a family feud.]

[The official death toll is 34, but interviews with approximately 78 people have been conducted, most of whom are ordinary workers and background checks are underway...]

[The Wolf Lord is behaving strangely, and things are not going smoothly...]

They left no name... In the long river of history, they may have achieved something, but most of them remain unknown. No one cares about their arrival, just as few people remember them after they leave.

But it is this group of people who, generation after generation, have taken up the baton and are writing history in their own way.

The vast majority of the things they recorded were insignificant, or rather, natural events—low-probability natural occurrences.

But there were a few things that made Maria notice something was amiss...

But this very record will forever change the history of Siracusa!

Everything they did was the fertile ground for this.

And Maria will plant that seed with her own hands...

"These..."

Maria raised her head and looked at the man in front of her.

"The first patriarch was a genius... Although I have never met him or read any of his literary works, there is no doubt that he was a genius..."

The current head of the Saluzzo Family had his hands clasped tightly, and his expression was slightly restrained.

"From the very beginning of the Saluzzo Family, he secretly passed down a single sentence."

"Siracusa... not the Siracusa of the patriarch, nor the Siracusa of the Wolf Lord ..."

"A long time ago, I didn't know what that sentence meant either."

"But a few days ago, my daughter, Lappland, encountered some strange things."

"I know this idea might seem ridiculous, but I think... he might be right."

The weak head of the household raised his head and looked intently at Maria before him.

"Siracusa... there's something else inside, right?"

Maria fell silent.

She gently put the document down, folded her hands, placed them on her raised knees, and looked at the other person.

Their enigmatic attitude made both family heads become uneasy.

Even so, Saluzzo continued.

"It could be a force, a monster, or even just an event that happens within a natural cycle... I don't know what it is, but I know that you've come back at this time, surely for it?"

Saluzzo looked at Maria in front of him, a hint of expectation in his eyes.

To be honest, he didn't want this to be true, because it meant that there were still far too many secrets hidden in this land called Siracusa... Once he came into contact with them, he didn't know what kind of reaction it would ultimately produce.

On the other hand, he hoped it was all true.

The Saluzzo Family has been around for countless years, and countless people have dedicated their lives to this possibility... Perhaps it sounds selfish, but he doesn't want their sacrifices to become a joke.

The reason he chose to explain everything to Maria at this time was because of what his father had told him before he passed away.

"That old bastard Salvadore ... he's a crazy gambler. Even with a one in ten thousand chance, if he thinks the reward is big enough, he'll bet everything... If it were just him alone, that would be fine, but he's a leader... a very good leader, even better than me. He can rally countless people to race towards hell with him!"

"And the only person he could revere... was a woman you absolutely could not mention in Siracusa..."

He felt he would never forget the expression on his father's face when he told him these things—that complex mix of silence, embarrassment, relief, and helplessness. For a moment, he wondered if the man before him was truly the same shrewd and resourceful man.

After learning what Maria had done to Siracusa, he realized that the older generation's vigilance was justified.

For someone who has the power to destroy Siracusa at any moment, no amount of caution is too much.

But... he no longer has enough time to understand such a being.

Lappland's condition these past few days, his experiences a few days ago... everything made him realize that something was brewing in Siracusa.

Just then, the war between the family and the Gray Hall was about to break out.

All the pressure was overwhelming, and he was just a newly appointed head of the family, with a large number of subordinates who were not convinced of his abilities, and who himself had no talent...

At this point, there was nothing he could do but wait for Maria.

His words were very direct; he practically said Maria's name outright.

But these words left the head of the Bellone Family, who was standing to the side, stunned.

But Maria understood it all.

She remained silent for a long time, then gently stroked the documents in front of her.

What do you want...?

"Huh?"

"Your information has its value... I won't take it like a robber, so... state your demands."

Maria leaned back slightly in her chair, her eyes calm.

She truly follows her own principles to the bone, and even now that she can no longer be called a human being, she still adheres to them.

Calm and elegant...

"Lappland... is that so?"

Looking at the girl who was still in a daze, Maria spoke softly.

She slowly walked forward, ignoring the stunned Celinina, and silently approached the girl, reaching out her hand to gently stroke her face, seemingly unintentionally.

She frowned slightly but didn't say anything more, instead meeting his gaze again.

"Lappland Saluzzo..."

"Yes... yes!"

Seeing this woman, who seemed like a figure from a dream, appear before him once again, Lappland stammered.

But her good upbringing allowed her to quickly regain her composure and look seriously at the woman in front of her.

"Thank you for last time!"

"... Last time?"

Maria looked at the other person, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Do you remember which night it happened?

"Um?"

Seeing that Celinina wasn't making any attacking moves, Lappland relaxed her shoulders slightly, then looked at Maria with some curiosity.

"Of course I remember."

"... Your will is stronger than I thought."

As she spoke, Maria hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly withdrew her hand and looked at the girl intently instead of continuing to stroke her.

She rushed over immediately after realizing that her blood was out of control within Celinina's body...

The blood she used for Celinina's Blood Healing was all her own, and it had been refined three times using different methods. Logically, its influence on a person's character should have been almost nonexistent.

Even so, Celinina still lost control...

There's only one possibility.

She was facing another being who wielded the power of Great Ones.

After arriving here, Maria realized what had happened.

Lappland... this naive yet impulsive girl.

After Maria's first encounter with the Great Ones of this land, they unexpectedly stumbled into the final battlefield.

Although Maria absorbed the power of the other Great Ones, some fragments, like breadcrumbs, were still absorbed by the girl.

Logically speaking, such a small thing shouldn't bring about much change in a girl.

But... Maria still underestimated the malleability of people in this world.

Just a little bit was enough to activate some hidden talent in the other person.

This alerted Maria, who prepared to thoroughly cleanse the girl of any remaining traces of the Great Ones power within her.

But...

Looking at the girl with clear eyes in front of her, Maria silently narrowed her eyes.

Perhaps...

There is another way to go...

Chapter 228 Rottish