Wait a Moment

He appeared fearless in the face of death.

Maria also clearly saw that many of them had some twisted crystals on their bodies... Based on previous experience, it can be determined that these people should all Infected.

"They've been here since the city was founded."

Seeing Maria's gaze, Sicily quietly offered an explanation.

"They were originally a group of Infected living in the wilderness, but when we decided to develop this area, they voluntarily came over, wanting to work in exchange for supplies to survive."

"To our family, they are a very simple and useful group of people, and we are happy to provide them with additional funds to help them survive, in addition to providing them with work and food."

"But even so, those Infected will still be a group we won't accept."

As they were talking, Madam Sicily slowly came to a stop.

Right next to her was a dilapidated tailor shop.

Madam Sicily gently knocked on the door, and soon the joyful voices of children could be heard from inside the room.

But the other party did not open the door.

"Is that your brother?"

Maria found it strange, but the Madam Sicily beside her silently shook her head.

He then continued speaking in a cold voice.

"No, it's not..."

The room became noticeably chaotic, but then, even faster, a boy's voice rang out again.

"What brings you here? We're closed for the day."

"I've come to see you on behalf of the Sicily Family."

Madam Sicily continued speaking.

These words, however, made the wary children lower their guard.

After hesitating for a moment, the door opened a crack.

Maria could see a timid child peeking out from among them, looking at Madam Sicily.

Upon seeing the other person's luxurious attire, he quickly realized that this was the family member his brother had been talking about.

Although his knowledge was not yet sufficient to support his views on the so-called family, he could still sense from the words the family had once spoken that it was a powerful entity.

So he quickly opened the door and welcomed Maria and Madam Sicily inside.

"I'm... sorry, my brother hasn't come back yet today."

The little boy seemed very scared, but he still bravely looked at Maria and the others.

Maria took this opportunity to look around.

This must be a small workshop. The only thing in the room is a clothes rack with a few plain, unpatterned garments on it, and next to it, there is a rusty sewing machine.

It's clear that this family is struggling financially.

"There's nothing interesting here!" the boy quickly said when he saw Maria turning her head to look around. But then he realized his tone was inappropriate and quickly lowered his head, "I... I didn't mean that..."

"... nothing."

Maria ignored the child's tone and didn't mention that there was another person in the room. She simply turned her head silently and looked at Madam Sicily.

She still didn't understand why Madam Sicily had come here at this time.

After a moment of silence, Madam Sicily looked at the boy.

"May I have your name?"

"I...I am called Delis, madam!"

The boy was nervous; his large, darting eyes didn't know where to look.

"Delis ..."

After a moment of silence, Madam Sicily turned her head away again.

"You just said that Deli hasn't come back today, right?"

"Yes, madam."

"I killed him..."

Madam Sicily ruthlessly announced the outcome, and Maria, standing nearby, suddenly remembered who Deli was.

That's the man who betrayed his family and sided with the Texas Family in the alley.

In other words...

Is this boy his younger brother?

Maria.

Meanwhile, another girl in the room couldn't hold back any longer.

She decisively ran out from the corner, her eyes bloodshot, and loudly questioned him.

"Why!"

"Dessa!"

The younger brother, or rather, the older brother in this family, Delis decisively stood in front of his younger sister.

Maria could see that he was also terrified and trembling, but he had still grown in that instant.

When there is no breadwinner in a family, the eldest child will always be the first to mature.

After stopping his sister, Delis looked at Maria with trembling lips.

"So... you're here to kill us?"

"... You are not members of the family, so I have no reason to harm you."

Madam Sicily shook her head.

She didn't say much, but silently placed a stack of banknotes that she had prepared beforehand aside.

"You are far too insignificant compared to the family, child. I won't explain much to you, but now, you and your sister, take this money and get out of this city."

"Columbia does not welcome you, nor does it have a place for you."

After speaking, Madam Sicily turned and left.

Meanwhile, a crying girl clutched her brother's clothes tightly with both hands, while the boy stared at the money in deep silence.

"..."

Maria didn't say much, and turned to accompany Madam Sicily on the way back.

During the journey, Madam Sicily seemed liberated, looking up at the two bright moons overhead, and appeared somewhat sentimental.

Maria sensed that the other person had something weighing on their mind that needed to be released, so after a moment of silence, she asked again.

"Why?"

"Deli betrayed me...but to be honest, I don't really resent him."

Madam Sicily spoke slowly, as if she had known all along.

"Just as I said, even families do not accept Infected."

"When our Sicily Family first arrived in Columbia, I, as the representative of the Sicily Family, was attacked many times... Deli protected my safety on many occasions."

"I remember very clearly that at the beginning, he was not Infected... and it was impossible for him to be infected within his work area. Obviously, he was infected during one of the operations."

"The family is gentle; it protects every family member equally. But the family is also cruel; it won't waste its energy on useless things... And Deli, back then, was just a henchman."

"As Infected, he obviously cannot stay in the family... If he were a true member of the family, he would be given some money and then driven away."

"But for Deli, he had nothing."

"So, when I later discovered he was Infected, I could understand why he betrayed me... Infected aren't welcome in this world. He might have been prepared, but just like when he first came to ask for shelter for his younger brother and sister, he still had things he cared about."

"The Texas Family must have promised to protect his younger siblings to win him over... But I'm completely focused on figuring out how to manage the Sicily Family in this land."

"I ignored these people's feelings... which ultimately led to all of this."

"I know nothing I say now can make up for it, but I feel that at least I should do something for these people, for their families... at least they fought for it."

"Texas is a family that keeps its promises, but I feel that what Deli wants to do is not to let his younger siblings live under the family's protection."

"What they want is a peaceful and stable place."

As Madam Sicily spoke, she lowered her head and let out a long sigh.

She didn't know when she had become so sentimental... There had been people like this in the family before, but she had always just ignored them indifferently.

But ever since she had her own child, those pure and innocent eyes have gradually made her realize that she just hadn't experienced it.

Just as she had told Maria before, Maria had difficulty understanding her own feelings because Maria had no children.

She was just a henchman trying to make a living, and she found it hard to understand the resolve of those who would give everything for what they valued.

Maria listened silently to the sound of the music, then looked up at the sky.

Over there, only a bright moon hangs high in the sky...

Chapter 102 Wait a minute

"I can't offer you any comfort..." Maria shook her head.

Madam Sicily's actions are now driven by an emotional perspective, which is precisely what Maria is least adept at... She struggles to understand the complexities of human emotions.

But she still wanted to remind the other person of something.

"That child...that Delis, there was no confusion in his eyes...I've seen countless people grow from ignorance to maturity, so I know very well that he has made a decision, but it may be somewhat disadvantageous for you."

"Of course I know... I can even foresee his future revenge against me, after all, no matter what the process is, the result is that I killed their only support."

Madam Sicily smiled. "I... but I have never been afraid of any challenge or revenge. This is the story that accompanies every member of the family throughout their lives!"

"... Perhaps."

Maria still didn't quite understand what a family was, but she had already received Madam Sicily's answer, so she didn't need to think about it too much.

Soon, the two returned to the Sicily Family mansion.

Maria was assigned to the fourth floor of the mansion's main building by Sicily. Her main job was to play with the big-tailed child... The child seemed completely unafraid of strangers and liked to stick close to Maria whenever he saw her. Maria didn't dislike children, so she just took care of him.

A few days passed quickly.

Thanks to Madam Sicily's efforts, a banquet for the Columbia family has been arranged to be held before the next full moon.

The news that the Poporo Winery had been acquired by the Texas Family gradually spread, and many people were curious about what had happened.

It is worth mentioning that the Sicily Family, far away in Siracusa, also learned of this news.

But regarding their attitude... Madam Sicily simply gave Maria a helpless look.

Clearly, although Madam Sicily was the Sicily Family's sole representative in Columbia, she still did not hold a very high position when facing her own family.

This is not to say that the Siracusa family is much stronger than the Columbia family.

In fact, there are hundreds of families, large and small, in Siracusa, but most of them are only two or three people... and they are still related by blood, so they are families in the true sense.

Siracusa is ruled by a family of twenty-four powerful wolves who, according to legend, have existed since the time the great clock in Siracusa began to run, and who control the entirety of the day.

There, the Siracusa regime was relegated to a corner, while the power of the families became unparalleled.

The so-called Sicily Family is merely one of the twenty-four major families that has achieved some success... but it is estimated that it will soon decline.

They had already foreseen this, which is why they sent Madam Sicily to develop this emerging Columbia as a backup plan... and their Wolf Lord agreed to this plan.

This made Maria realize that the so-called Wolf Lord were not just pure beasts. Although they were arrogant, they also had their own wisdom. They knew that when they could not confront the enemy head-on, they could choose to use a more roundabout tactic.

But the only thing that remains unchanged is that they still retain the cunning and greed of wolves.

In fact, under the wife's leadership, the Sicily Family in Columbia has now grown to a level comparable to that of the Sicily Family in Siracusa.

However, due to her status and rank, she still found it difficult to gain any initiative in family meetings.

This is also what puts her in a difficult position.

Maria suggested that she could break free from the so-called family's constraints, but this suggestion only earned Madam Sicily's helpless shake of her head.