This ti, before Chen Fei could ask another question, Stuvia had already begun to explain. "Yes, sir, the Ashford Family is far from simple. You must be aware of the Eleven Great Mafia Families and the three Mafia Great Families, right? In Europe, our Brad Family counts as one of the Mafia Great Families, and the Ashford Family of the United Kingdom is another. It's just that our Brad Family has always been stronger than them! That's why we've occupied the second of the Dark Council's eleven seats for years. The Ashford Family holds the third."
"The Dark Council's eleven seats?"
Hearing this, Chen Fei's eyes flickered. He simply motioned for the other man to sit down, saying with great interest, "Tell everything. What are these eleven seats of the Dark Council? And what's the story with the Ashford Family? Tell all you know."
"Yes, my lord." Stuvia nodded and imdiately began, "About the eleven seats of the Dark Council... to the snobs outside of Europe, our Eleven Great Mafia Families are a single entity. So, our ancestors seized the opportunity to unite, forming the Dark Council and its eleven seats. The seating is determined by the strength of the families, and the top three are qualified to be called Mafia Great Families, with the authority to command the other, ordinary families."
He paused briefly before continuing, "As for the Ashford Family... they rose to prominence very, very long ago. It seems they had already deeply entrenched themselves in the Great British Empire during the colonial period. They went on to control and dominate the European economy for nearly two centuries and were considered the wealthiest family in the world! But perhaps because of this, their ambitions began to swell. They were the ones pulling the strings behind the great war that swept across the world early in the century before last. They failed, however, and the blow they suffered was severe. They've only gradually recovered in recent tis."
"But even so, sir, there is a very fitting ancient Huaxian saying to describe their current situation: a starved cal is still bigger than a horse. The Ashford family still controls most of Europe's economic lifelines, a point on which even our Brad Family must admit defeat. As for how much influence they wield in the shadows... from my position, I can't even begin to describe it," Stuvia said, looking troubled.
"That powerful? It seems this Ashford Family really is sothing else," Chen Fei mused, stroking his chin, genuinely taken aback.
"Yes. But with your current status, if you only need to ask for a jade bracelet, I imagine they wouldn't dare be so disrespectful," Stuvia said, as if it were obvious. "After all, strictly speaking, the Ashford Family has many vassals, and the Stephen Family is just one of the more insignificant ones."
Clearly, in his mind, while the Ashford Family was indeed a terrifying behemoth, Chen Fei—a monster from the East whom even their great Clan Leader, Old Brad, would not dare to slight—was no pushover either. It was just a jade bracelet, just the Stephen Family... How could the Ashford Family possibly offend such a formidable figure over sothing so trivial? That would be most unwise.
"Perhaps," Chen Fei said with a noncommittal smile, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "It just ans... it looks like I'll need to find ti for a trip to the United Kingdom."
Because what Stuvia said seed to be correct. With his current power, even a legendary assassin like Jack the Blade had fallen at his hands. Would that so-called Ashford Family not need to be wary? Besides, to them, the jade bracelet was likely just that—a jade bracelet. rely sothing valuable.
anwhile, in Florence, Italy, within a top-tier intensive care ward at Saint George Ruarg Hospital—an institution renowned worldwide for its cardiovascular treatnts—several solemn-faced n in crisp black suits stood guard outside a room. Inside, a group of doctors, so Black and so white, stared with furrowed brows at the comatose patient on the bed.
Aside from the doctors, two other individuals were particularly conspicuous. One of them was a portly, blond foreigner with a wrinkled face, likely in his forties or fifties. If anyone present had recognized him, they would surely have gasped, "Oh, my God! Is that Mr. Tucci?!"
Indeed, this portly blond foreigner was none other than Tucci Saint Laurent, the world-renowned fashion designer and chief of the luxury conglorate Saint Laurent. He was the very man Chen Fei had saved in Huaxia a few months prior. His status in the fashion world was akin to Jas Caron's in the film industry—an undisputed top figure. Yet his posture right now was strange. He stood respectfully behind another man, poised as if waiting on a person of great importance.
That person was a man with a goatee and dark brown hair who appeared to be in his fifties or sixties. His deep-set eyes emanated an air of nobility. Nearly everyone in the room who dared to sneak a glance at him did so with a mixture of awe and fear. This was because the man was none other than Pierce Saint Laurent, the current head of Italy's famous luxury group, Saint Laurent. He was also a noble Earl within the great Saint Laurent Family of Florence. Although Italy had long since abolished royal titles, it had little effect on ancient families like the Saint Laurents, who maintained such traditions and lineages.
As for the Saint Laurent Family... As the pinnacle and an iconic presence in the European continent's underworld, the Eleven Great Mafia Families were undoubtedly its most dazzling, uncrowned kings. Of these eleven families, Italy alone was ho to a staggering five—a truly astonishing number. The Saint Laurent Family was one of them, with a business empire that stretched across the globe. As the public face of such a vast and terrifying family, Pierce Saint Laurent was naturally a figure looked up to and even revered by countless people. Even a man like Tucci had to bow his head in his presence.
But at this mont, his mood was foul.
Because his one true love, his wife, was ill. Gravely ill. She was suffering from a very serious cardiovascular disease: malignant cardiac arrhythmia. Her situation was dire.
How dire? The fact that the so-called top, most authoritative cardiovascular experts in all of Italy, who now stood before him, found the situation utterly confounding and could not devise a single solution, said it all. Perhaps that was why these top experts were standing there so anxiously, panic-stricken and at a complete loss. They had no choice. The man before them was the great Earl Pierce of the Saint Laurent Family, a man who could send them to et their maker with a single word. And now, the great Earl's one and only beloved wife was sick, yet they were powerless, unable to find any way to salvage the situation. How could they not be terrified? If the great man truly lost his temper, they would all be fed to the sharks.
"I don't want to hear your explanations or excuses," Pierce said, his face grim as he issued a final warning. "Tomorrow. I will wait until tomorrow, at the latest. If I don't hear good news from you by then, if I don't see Rosa awake... believe , God will be quite pleased to et a few good-for-nothings like you!"
"Tomorrow?! Oh, no, my lord, that is simply too much to ask! We... we really can't..." the doctors panicked, protesting with exaggerated despair.
One of them, a white-haired elder who was clearly in charge, looked at Pierce with a wry smile and said, "Oh, my lord, I completely understand how you feel right now. But we are only humble doctors, not omnipotent gods! Malignant cardiac arrhythmia is a recognized global challenge. Once it presents, it can easily lead to sudden death, to say nothing of the fact that Miss Rosa now has severe problems with her heart and entire cardiovascular system. So..."
"...Doctor George, is there really no way?" Pierce asked, his expression growing darker and more agitated.
If it had been anyone else, he might have already erupted in a furious tirade. But this was Doctor George... a top cardiovascular specialist renowned not just in Italy, but across the world. If he personally said there was no hope, then perhaps... there truly was none.
"My lord, forgive my bluntness, but you should know I've just rushed back from Lo Yabes," Doctor George said frankly. "Given your wife's current condition, even if she were taken to Lo Yabes, the chance of a cure would be twenty percent at best."
As an official mber of the Arican Lo Yabes dical Alliance, one of the world's top three dical consortiums, the aning behind his words was painfully clear.
"My... Rosa..." Pierce couldn't help but reveal a look of tornt, his eyes turning bloodshot.
However, at that mont, Tucci, who had been standing silently behind Pierce all this ti, suddenly spoke up. "My lord, perhaps... I have an idea we could try."
"What is it? Speak!" Pierce urged impatiently.
Tucci straightened his posture and said slowly, "Have you forgotten, my lord? In the East, there is an ancient and mysterious land!"
"An ancient and mysterious land in the East?" Pierce repeated, stunned. Then, a sharp glint flashed in his bloodshot eyes as he asked, "You an... Huaxia?"
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