Losa instinctively turned back and saw a young girl in a black leather double-breasted jacket, her shoulder-length black short hair.
Although she was dressed snugly, it was still possible to sense the explosive strength underneath the clothes, like a leopardess, carrying an irresistible sense of allure or oppression, making one feel a natural awe.
Speak of the devil, and he will appear.
Losa sighed inwardly but maintained a calm facade, saying, "It’s truly surprising that anyone wouldn’t like soone as remarkable in martial skill and appearance as you and Miss Chelina."
"You sure know how to talk."
Valentina pulled out a chair and sat down familiarly next to Losa, her eyes fixed on his face for a mont before she furrowed her brows and asked, "Have we t before?"
Recognized already?
In the last operation report, he did et Miss Valentine once, but it was only once, and he had disguised himself since then. It would be difficult for anyone not familiar to recognize him.
Losa maintained his composure, saying, "Of course, Miss, technically I’m your cousin, just a bit distant."
"Oh right, I do recall you sowhat."
Valentina’s eyes showed a hint of realization, "Even if we didn’t et here today, we’d run into one another tomorrow."
"Is that Turin judge tough?"
"A bit difficult, don’t think about using force. Even together, you both wouldn’t be a match for her, and directly assaulting a city-state judge isn’t quite proper."
Valentina seed to think of sothing, smiling wryly, "We are the creators and maintainers of the rules, it’s better not to break them, considering they are already quite biased towards us."
"She?"
"Yes, she’s a woman from the Bologna Family, nad Lanivia, graduated from the Turin School of Law. People like her should’ve served as our Wolf Race’s white gloves, but she seems to have unusual sympathy for humans."
Losa wasn’t surprised; in the Apennine States, all existing officials are either family mbers or have family backing.
Those unwilling to ally either had to flee like Urding or be secretly executed by family mbers.
"So, is this judge opposing us just out of a sense of justice?"
"This is just my guess, but the Bologna Wolf Race isn’t on amicable terms with us, who knows if they have a deeper sche..."
Here, Valentina paused in her speech.
Losa estimated she was worried about it involving not just the Bologna Family’s intentions, but possibly orders from the Yakxi Family.
After all, Saluzzo used to be too close to the Basilicata Family, even sending elite mbers to join the Wolf Race Expedition Army as an oath of allegiance to the Wolf Lord, but no one knows if this will quell the Wolf Lord’s anger.
"In any case, you two don’t need to worry about deeper matters, just probe out this judge’s true intentions. If she’s simply a justice-driven idealist, let her off."
"Would you like a drink, Miss?"
"I’ll have a hot cocoa, sa as always, extra sugar."
"Do you want sothing to drink or eat? Their pasta is quite good."
Elr said sowhat nervously, "Anything is fine, the both of us aren’t picky."
Since Valentina appeared, he seed overly tense. To soone from his low-level family background, it was like a dream to dine at the sa table with a princess from Valentina’s family.
Valentina comforted him slightly, "We’re all family, no need to be so formal."
Then she instructed the waiter, "Tonight, their bill goes under my na."
At this mont, soone approached Valentina and whispered sothing.
She furrowed her brow, "Right, got it, I’ll be there shortly."
With that, she stood up and nodded slightly to the two, "I have so business, so I have to leave, tomorrow we’ll et at the base in Turin. I might be late, but you can start acting early and report your findings to then."
"Okay."
Watching Valentina leave, Elr, who had been tense, finally let out a breath, "Wow, I didn’t expect we’d have the fortune to dine with Miss Valentine and go on a mission together. Seems like luck is on the rise for us."
Seeing Losa with a smile, he couldn’t help lowering his voice, "Aren’t you nervous? When I saw Miss Valentine approaching and heard your impudent words, I almost broke into a cold sweat."
Losa shrugged and casually fibbed, "What’s there to be nervous about? We’re family; at most, she’d just beat up."
"Let’s go."
"Where to?"
"Hungry, let’s get sothing to eat; didn’t you hear Miss say she’d treat us to a al? The expenses here aren’t low, and with our appetites, if we eat openly, your monthly salary wouldn’t be enough."
"You’re really gonna eat?"
"What else?"
Losa rolled his eyes, "This mission’s deep, we’re just pawns scouting ahead. We might get gunned down by the Bologna Family right after reaching Turin. What’s wrong with eating her al?"
Elr hesitated, then seeing Losa heading for the bar, hurried to follow.
"I think you have a point."
...
Valentina stood in the garden of the Saluzzo Family mansion, gently swirling her wine glass, a shadow crossing her deanor. The previous ti she stopped the Yakxi Wolf Race’s pursuit of Chelina had caused severe consequences for her.
Within the family, there were even voices calling for the abolition of her family inheritance.
Luckily, the Wolf Race Expedition Army nearly t its downfall.
This led so of the powerholders within the Saluzzo Family to contemplate whether they could "hedge their bets," considering that Texas’s Wolf Race Federation had shown initial signs of potential to challenge the Wolf Lord.
"Nina..."
"Rest assured."
She whispered softly, drinking the wine, "Saluzzo won’t beco your enemy."
She lowered her head, a fleeting glance of wildness and defiance in her eyes, "It’s ti for those ambitionless old n, who’ve long served as dogs for Yakxi, to lay down their power and make way for the young."
...
Early the next morning, Losa arrived at his Saluzzo Family base, where Elr was already waiting with two horses. Seeing a surprised expression on Losa’s face, he couldn’t help but smile:
"You don’t know how to ride a horse, do you?"
"Not really. I thought there was a daily midday public carriage to Turin, and we’d take that."
Elr replied helplessly, "Going out this ti represents the family’s image after all. Taking a public carriage... might as well ride a bike. If you can’t ride a horse, we could rent a carriage."
"Don’t worry, I can ride."
Losa patted the neck of the horse, "My riding skill is quite good; you better keep up, or you’ll be left behind eating dust."
Elr challenged, "Then let’s race."
He wasn’t directly related to Saluzzo. Previously working as a groom, he considered his riding skills couldn’t possibly be worse than Losa’s, given that the Wolf Race had never historically ford cavalry units nor did they traditionally practice riding skills.
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