Evening at the port of Genoa.
With the soothing sound of a ship's horn.
The massive ocean liner departed from the bustling comrcial port.
Watching the slowly departing liner, Lavinia took a gentle breath: "New Continent, Texas, Wolf Race Federation... Potter is there, he should be able to make good use of his talents, right?"
"Of course, I've heard Jeanne ntion that although the Wolf Race Federation in Texas occupies vast territories, it has a sparse population and limited educated talent. Potter, after all, is a high-achieving law graduate. One day, you may receive a letter from across the sea, with Potter telling you that he has beco a pioneer of the Texas justice system."
"You speak so well; your charm with won must be considerable, right?"
"Barely so."
"Let's go, stop standing here in the wind, it's all smoke from coal everywhere."
Although Genoa had lost its status as a world-class port with the decline of diterranean trade, it remains an essential trade hub in the diterranean. Even if local industry is underdeveloped, the bustling shipping still causes considerable air pollution.
"Losa, since you've decided to step into this quagmire with , I should tell you the details of this matter."
"Speak."
"My teacher was the Chief Prosecutor of Milan, of course, now already forr, as he committed suicide by gunshot at ho two nights ago. The reason was that the Sassari Family forced him to imprison Mr. Madlen."
"Just because of that?"
"Not just that, Mr. Madlen is a good man, young, upright, often helping the poor. In his factory, every worker's salary is much higher than the industry standard. If he hadn't done this, it wouldn't have been discovered that he used improved magic stone technology in the process."
Losa nodded understandingly.
To raise worker wages would increase costs, which in today's highly competitive market, and in the still developing industrial Northern Apennines, is almost impossible. It wouldn't be long before he is squeezed out by his peers.
"The teacher was a coward for quite so ti, and it wasn't the first ti he said 'no' to the family, but it was definitely the last."
Losa listened attentively.
He didn't know much about Lavinia's teacher, but truth be told, becoming a high-ranking official on the Apennine Peninsula without suppressing one's conscience, unless from a powerful family, is almost impossible.
"Don't you wonder why the Sassari Family would treat an inventor with such promise this way?"
"Yes."
In Losa's view, Mr. Madlen, being young and good-hearted, the forr implies limitless potential, and the latter a weak spot. Both traits make him a golden egg-laying goose in one's grasp.
If such a talent appeared in his territory, even if it were a Nubian Black Eunuch, Losa would definitely find a way to draw him in, rather than using forceful asures to compel compliance at any cost.
"The reason is simple; because the improved magic stone technique wasn't invented by Madlen, but ca from a treasure he possesses."
Losa suddenly understood, so Mr. Madlen wasn't a golden egg-laying goose, but a rooster hiding a golden egg without the ability to lay eggs. Hence, it was only natural for the Sassari Family to kill the goose to take the golden egg.
"I see, so what should we do now, storm into the Milan prison to rescue Mr. Madlen?"
"That's not possible, the Sassari Family isn't a small third-rate family. Though their power is far from Saluzzo, they are quite formidable, nearly matching the Bologna Family. If we don't rely on the family's power, trying to forcefully break in and rescue the prisoner would be futile."
Lavinia shook her head and continued: "The root of this issue actually began with a middle-ranking mber of the Sassari Family, who, after losing workers to Madlen, wanted control of Madlen's factory. It was after Madlen's arrest, during the machinery inspection, that they discovered the magic stone powder."
She paused slightly and added: "And Mr. Madlen's reputation in Milan is very high, almost on par with that of the forr Bishop Urding, so this issue has caused much dissatisfaction among many people."
"I plan to try leveraging the public discontent, along with my studies, to clear Mr. Madlen's na in court."
Losa was taken aback for a mont, then gazed seriously at Lavinia's face before saying, "Are you serious?"
"Very naive, right? But I do want to see if justice is truly dead on the Apennines."
Lavinia felt sowhat lost; she once believed she could bring truth and justice to the people, but after leaving the campus, she found herself actually unable to do anything or change anything.
"It's not entirely impossible..."
Losa paused in silence, then spoke: "If there were no order, no justice, then this high heel-shaped peninsula would have long beco a ghost land, ruins. Even the Wolf Race, for the most part, are willing to follow the rules."
After all, as Valentina said, these rules already heavily favor the families.
"Ever since the Sassari Family lost Sardinia, they gained the support of the Yakxi Family, and their actions have beco increasingly shaless. Their presence is everywhere in the Northern Apennines, and this Turin incident is also deeply connected to them; certainly, the disgruntled families aren't limited to just our Saluzzo Family."
Lavinia nodded: "Nor just the Bologna Family."
This was certainly good news to her, but she found it hard to feel happy because this so-called struggle between justice and evil was essentially still a clash of interests at the root.
"Losa, do you think the problem lies with the world, or with what we were taught and printed in textbooks during school?"
Lavinia grasped the railing tightly, unconsciously twisting the rusty iron into a spiral.
"Nia, problems are always there."
Losa paused and continued: "But if even the content taught in textbooks is about crooked ways — how to connect with family mbers for personal gain, how to accept bribes, how to form networks of interest, disregarding the law — then the problem is enormous."
"What you learn in books, growing up being influenced by it, often differs from reality; that's entirely normal."
Losa felt a pang of lancholy.
Lavinia's current state of mind resembled that of many fresh graduates, possessing lofty ideals on one hand, while encountering the reality of self-serving maneuvering on the other.
The books teach you to remain genuine and honest, adhering to fundantal truths, but such individuals often find it hard to get by in society.
"Losa, in your view, what can be done to change all of this?"
Lavinia asked, puzzled.
"Haven't we discussed this before? To , doing our duties well is sufficient. When your ti cos to pass, knowing in your heart that the world hasn't gotten worse because of your existence is already enough."
Losa pointed to the railing and suddenly said, "According to the Public Facilities Maintenance Act, how much should you be fined for doing that?"
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