NOVPUBJust like the way they dealt with Marquis Ryan, Ursula’s older brother, the imperial authorities of the empire seemed to have been secretly controlled by an unknown force. Those guys could turn white to black, black to white; citizens of the empire had no chance to resist them.
"You know about the infiltration of the Blood Clan within the empire these days?"
Lanci asked the Mafia leader Barton.
"...?"
Barton was obviously startled.
He remembered that Professor Landry should be a staunch Imperial Hound, so how could he understand so well the true state of the empire?
Ursula and Elsa were completely confused as they listened from behind.
Had the Cerryti Empire really been infiltrated by the Blood Clan?
What a terrifying story.
What exactly did the two of them know?
"Landry, regardless of what you know, leaving the handling of the Blood Clan member in the Mafia’s territory to me is the safest choice. As long as you take him out, even on the way back to the Saint Kray Monastery, there will be great risks."
Barton warned the young professor with black hair and blue eyes, his expression unchanged.
He believed that a smart person could understand good and bad intentions.
The Blood Clan could not only scout but also use divination. A slight carelessness could get one locked onto by them, and the Mafia territory was a rare shielding area, interfered with by ancient magic devices, making even divination magic hard to interfere easily.
The only two types of people who had a clear understanding of the current situation inside the Cerryti Empire were either enemies of the Blood Clan or those controlled by the Blood Clan.
Although he couldn’t rule out the dangerous possibility of "the Blood Clan sending a Clan member to fake-defect and fish for trust by sacrificing a Viscount," Landry was unlikely to be a member of the Blood Clan because his research on "Biological Transformation," "Magical Energy Fission," and "Sustainable Energy" would undeniably make the Blood Clan the biggest victim.
Once it truly advanced to a substantial stage, some people in the empire would probably fully support him, while others would definitely try to stop him.
"In that case, Mr. Barton, I’ll leave this Bloodline Viscount with your Mafia, but it’s only being stored here with you. I will oversee the research, and you must not interfere. I will share the final results with you, and we can discuss the details of our cooperation later. If you can give me this promise, I will hand over the Bloodline Viscount to you."
Lanci offered a solution.
Truth for truth.
Talia could tell from Barton’s eyes that he was not lying, which meant that Barton was a man of his word and could be dealt with.
"..."
Barton thought for a long time,
"I cannot make the decision; only my boss can judge how to cooperate with you and whether to cooperate at all,"
he answered.
He was very cautious about deals and would not rashly agree or make promises to others.
"Could you take me to meet this boss you mentioned?"
Lanci inquired.
So the Bulida Mafia indeed had a mysterious behind-the-scenes boss.
If one wanted to make an alliance, they would likely need to have a detailed discussion with the true boss of the Bulida Mafia.
"If you want to meet my boss, I can tell you very responsibly, you should be prepared to be killed. If terms are not agreed upon, she will take what she wants, silence those who need silencing, and might even consider enslaving you,"
Barton said, looking at Professor Landry and the two students behind him.
He did not seem to be joking.
Barton Hall was unexpectedly quite principled.
Even though he had fallen to the position of a Mafia leader, the military bearing in him had not changed.
For him, the safest solution would be to silence Landry and his siblings along with Ursula to prevent anyone from knowing that Viscount Carmel had fallen into his hands.
Barton Hall, however, adhering to some principles, did not intend to do so.
But his boss was clearly different.
Elsa and Ursula both felt a chill. Only at this moment did they fully realize that they were actually on the territory of the notorious Bulida Mafia.
It was impossible for the two of them to return alone to the Saint Kray Monastery under the night sky. Elsa had encountered the Blood Clan today because she had been alone; it was safest for them to travel with Landry today. If Landry was going to meet the boss of the Mafia leader, then naturally they needed to accompany him.
"The boss won’t let too many people see her. She will probably only let you see her, while your two students can wait outside. I can only try my best to ensure their safety, but if my boss wants to do something to them, I can’t oppose her,"
Barton explained.
Still, he didn’t quite recommend Landry meeting the boss.
"We won’t hold you back."
Ursula seemed to have read Elsa’s thoughts and said to the professor.
"...Let me meet your boss, Mr. Barton."
After considering for a moment, Lanci gave his answer to the Mafia leader Barton.
The gap in combat power for the battle of Blood Moon City was too large; he couldn’t afford to miss any potential high-powered allies.
"Lanci, once you’re truly inside the core building of the Mafia, it will be the enemy’s home turf. If there’s an opponent stronger than Barton, even going all out, I might not have the advantage!"
Talia reminded him anxiously.
If the fight was to take place amidst traps filled with restrictions and barriers set by the enemy, it wouldn’t be much different from facing the city’s defensive installations.
"It seems that the other party is an enemy of the Blood Clan as well. We certainly cannot pass up the chance to form an alliance, even if the Mafia’s big boss isn’t someone easy to deal with; we still need to take a gamble and talk."
Lanci told Talia,
"Don’t worry, if we encounter any danger, I’ll protect you."
He assured Talia.
"Who’s protecting who."
Talia’s spirits whispered increasingly softer.
She never imagined she’d need a borderlands youth to protect her.
But she didn’t say anything else, which meant she agreed.
"I’ll contact her."
Barton looked helplessly at Landry and pulled out the Ultra Long-Distance Communication Program.
He had already made himself clear.
If Landry still insisted, he wouldn’t delay any further.
"Boss, someone wants to meet you, to talk business with you."
Barton dialed through Communication Magic, speaking to a semi-transparent card glowing with purple light.
With Communication Magic, he always took great care, knowing that any of the widely used magic could be subject to information theft.
"Who?"
A blurry female voice came from the semi-transparent card.
"·The·Professor."
Barton replied concisely.
"Bring him over."
The boss responded and then hung up the communication.
Under the cover of night, the alley remained as unfathomably deep as ever, but Barton had already turned, signaling with his eyes for Landry and the others to follow, heading towards the core territory of the Bulida Mafia.
...
Elsewhere.
The heart of the Mafia, hundreds of meters underground within the Riverport Building, a secret palace.
This subterranean space seemed to be in another world, its silver-white hexagonal Anti-Magic Steel walls appearing to devour most of the light and echoes, the Mechanical dome heavy under the sparse lighting, with the silence and coldness of the deep sea.
Several giant pillars of Anti-Magic Steel stretched upwards, supporting this underground palace, flickering with pure white specks of light. Each pulse of light marginally brightened the area filled with experimental stations and Magic Devices.
Through the gaps of the Anti-Magic Steel, there stood a figure in the center, like a statue covered in frost, surrounded by piles of books.
The shadow in the Mechanical ice cave hung up the communication.
Frost Qi covered the walls, similar to the layer of frost covering her skin, but it was soon evaporated by the crimson wounds on her body.
She had short silver hair, the tips slightly curled just reaching her jawline, giving her an effortless and fresh look.
However, within her auburn eyes was a madness filled with sadistic pleasure.
"I didn’t expect this Imperial Hound to come right to my door..."
She picked up a scalpel from in front of the operating table, clutching it in her palm,
"Let me dig into your brain properly and take control of you."
