14
His tone softened, but every word was like a nail. "That substance accumulates in the human body, and it can be passed on to the next generation.
"That's why symptoms suddenly broke out throughout Flevance."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Doffy adjusted the edge of his sunglasses, his gaze behind the lenses betraying no emotion. "In other words, that country poses no risk of infection.
"The royal family has already fled. The wealth and population left behind... are essentially an unguarded warehouse?"
Trebol squeezed a short, sticky laugh through his nose.
He understood: because it bore the label of a "deadly plague,"
the three neighboring countries only dared to blockade it, locked in a stalemate with the civilians of Flevance.
If someone reached in at a time like this-
"There's no better time to strike than in the chaos."
"No."
Rossi interrupted him. "We don't want gold, silver, or treasure.
"Those things-"
His gaze swept slowly around the room.
Doffy, Trebol, Diamante, Vergo, Pica, Gladius, Bainessarna, Oni-these faces had long been familiar to him.
Bolkin and Wesker had spent these years guarding the Family's holdings in the North Blue. Their territory had not expanded, but they had never yielded an inch.
"Are worth nothing to us."
As for Monet, Sugar, and Baby 5, the three girls were still too young to understand much. Besides, Rossi had long been raising them as future pillars of the Family, so there were naturally things he need not conceal.
From now on, their training would be supervised by Gladius and his elder sister.
"That money belongs to the ** Army."
At those words, the expressions of everyone at the table tightened.
"What we want is people."
Rossi's finger came down on the unfolded newspaper. The photograph showed the civilians of Flevance,