Monster

"Your grandfather... his health might be failing..."

Leonardo spoke, a hint of melancholy crept onto his face.

Meanwhile, Celinina, though prepared, couldn't help but purse her lips.

"How could this be?!"

"I know it's hard for you to believe... and it's hard for me to believe either."

The man took off his glasses, sat on the sofa, and clasped his hands tightly.

"In fact, although your grandfather and I argue almost every day, I still love him no matter what... I just simply want to prove to him that I can be better than him... I don't want him to have any problems at this time."

"But the truth is, he really is old... My dear Celinina, your grandfather, my father, the respected Salvadore of our Texas Family, he is almost eighty... This age may not be too old for others, but for him... for someone who has spent his whole life working for the Texas Family, it has been far too long."

"The strain he took in his earlier years is gradually taking its toll on his health."

"I have hired doctors from all over Columbia, and even from other surrounding countries..."

"But..."

Leonardo spoke, he also lowered his brow and rubbed his temples.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, it's clear that the outcome wasn't good.

"But..."

Celinina gritted her teeth, her hands clenching tightly involuntarily.

Suddenly, as if she had just thought of something, she reached down and placed her hand behind her waist.

There's... there's another way...

Please accept my condolences.

Lappland spoke, her voice filled with sorrow, but her hand subtly pressed down on Celinina's hand, which was placed behind her back.

They'd been friends for so long; how could she not guess what Celinina was planning to do at this moment?

But that's not enough!

Don't be fooled by the fact that men are talking about sadness now; in reality, they are also the happiest.

If it weren't for this opportunity, how could he have expanded the Texas Family by 30% in just six months?!

It's important to understand that for a family of their size, even a mere 10% expansion, let alone 30%, would be considered an extremely formidable scale by other standards.

It may take several more years to complete.

But...

It expanded to this extent in just six months.

There's clearly a problem!

However, Lappland did not say it explicitly. After expressing her regret, she spent some time praising Salvadore's greatness.

Finally, she submitted her application.

"Since things have come to this, then... may we go and meet this great old gentleman?"

"This..." The man's face showed a troubled expression.

But only for a moment, and then he nodded earnestly.

"Yes, but... not now."

"We just performed surgery on him a few days ago, and he's still recovering and needs to rest for now."

"How about this, if his condition improves in a week, I'll arrange a meeting for you two. What do you think?"

Leonardo spoke very kindly.

Lappland had no reason to object; she simply nodded, then, supporting Celinina beside her, bowed to her and silently left.

But just as they were about to leave, the man seemed to remember something and spoke again.

"By the way... if you're planning to visit Columbia anytime soon, please be careful."

"Um?"

"Columbia hasn't been very peaceful lately." A troubled look appeared on the man's face. "According to intelligence, a large number of exiled Sarkaz mercenaries have poured into Columbia. Most of them are under surveillance, but some... are circulating in the cities."

"Please be careful if you're going out these next few nights..."

"Thank you for your advice, we will." Lappland nodded slightly, then left the room with Celinina.

After the door closed, the smile on the man's face gradually disappeared.

After a moment of silence, he picked up the gift Lappland had given him.

Open.

Inside, lying quietly, was a ring engraved with a giant wolf...

Chapter 238 Monster

"Your dad definitely has some problems."

On their way back to their room, Lappland carefully spoke with the girl while pondering their next move.

Her attitude hasn't changed... There's definitely something wrong with Celinina's father.

When we first started talking, a lot of things seemed a bit strange.

But when asked to provide specific, conclusive evidence, she couldn't give any.

He could only bite his nails, his face full of frustration.

Meanwhile, Celinina's expression was much more complicated.

She didn't want to believe that her father would lay a hand on her grandfather, especially after that hug; it became even harder for her to believe.

But Lappland would never harm herself... she knew that much.

This has led to her increasingly complicated feelings.

Half a day later, she was completely confused.

When Lappland saw Celinina's appearance, she stopped what she was doing, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help but sigh.

"You just... were you trying to use the potion Lady Maria gave you?"

"..."

"Don't try to lie. I even know what color you're wearing today... Do you think you can fool me?"

Lappland glanced at the girl, her words carrying a hint of disdain.

We've known each other for so long, don't we know each other's personalities?

Celinina appears calm and methodical most of the time, but in reality, she's the most likely to act impulsively among the two.

This guy is too sentimental... It's not that being sentimental is bad, but in many situations, it can cause a lot of problems.

For example, just now.

"Do you know what the consequences will be if you take out the potion that Lady Maria gave us?"

Lappland's expression was very serious.

Celinina knew she had acted impulsively, but she still whispered to herself.

"But... Father, he might not..."

"Yes, not necessarily, it might even be good... but so what?" Lappland responded with disdain for Celinina at this moment.

Yes, the other person might be a good person, but what's the point?

"You should know how much importance Lady Maria places on the potions we have. She never allows us to use them without permission, let alone give them to anyone else... This is no ordinary thing."

Lappland took out the vial of potion from her pocket and shook it.

The bright red liquid, as it surged, produced a captivating sheen.

Just by looking at it, you can feel the extraordinary aura it contains.

"I know you want to save your grandfather, but I also hope you understand that we didn't come back to save him."

Lappland's voice was stiff, even somewhat cold.

"We're back to investigate."

"If Salvadore was truly framed, leading to this situation, then you should put aside your own family ties and free him... But what if, what if his time has truly come?"

Lappland looked at the girl and patted her on the shoulder.

What are you planning to do...?

"I... I don't know..."

This was perhaps the first time Celinina had experienced the separation from her loved ones. Throughout her life, she had witnessed countless battles, but she had never imagined that such a thing could happen to someone so close to her...

"You should quietly see him off and tell him that we can take over his responsibilities... This is the most important thing in the family's legacy."

Lappland gave her answer, her expression frighteningly calm.

In her opinion, Celinina didn't seem like a member of the family at all, which might be related to the fact that the Texas Family only emerged in recent generations.

Salvadore single-handedly supported the prosperity of the entire family, but his children were clearly not prepared for the challenges of family succession.

She could only offer comfort to Celinina's dilemma, but did not agree with it.

The medicine is very powerful, and it does indeed have the effect of bringing people back from the dead.

But... so what?

Was Celinina really going to keep the potion a secret from Lady Maria and keep supplying it to Salvadore?

That's impossible!

"... I."

"Alright, let's not dwell on this... This is my first time in Columbia, aren't you going to show me around the city?"

Lappland didn't let Celinina remain immersed in this dilemma. She put her arm around Cellina's shoulder and tried to lead her out of the mansion, which was very much in the style of Siracusa.

In her opinion, all the problems would be clarified when she met with Salvadore a week later. If there were any problems, they could step in to solve them; if everything was normal, they should fulfill their roles.

As for now... just get some rest and make sure you're in good shape.

"I'm sorry, Lappland, I'm not in the mood."

But clearly, Celinina's complex feelings couldn't be resolved with just a few words. She shook her head and prepared to leave.

But Lappland laughed.

Instead of letting the girl leave directly, she forcefully pulled her along, heading towards the bustling city...

The Texas Mansion wasn't too far from the city center, and soon the two girls arrived in the vibrant downtown area.

The pedestrians were all dressed in standard, appropriate clothing, moving back and forth in various luxurious hotels.

Although they look decent, seeing too many of these similar clothes can actually give you the creeps.

Beneath the bustling city walls, almost everyone is exactly the same...

Among them, Lappland and Celinina stand out.

Many people gave this place strange looks.

However, Lappland didn't care about the strange looks from these people. She just glanced around and then curled her lip in disdain.

"These things just get the same after you see them a lot..."

How could you like a place like this?

"Generally..."

Lappland's outrageous remarks quickly attracted the attention of many people, who, after carefully examining the girl for a while, all showed expressions of disdain.

A country bumpkin from Siracusa.

If it were the old Lappland, he would have definitely started arguing with these people based on their expressions.