The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

At this point, it no longer mattered whether Lateran was behind her or not—because she herself had already suppressed the opposition within Syracuse.

No one knows the truth about this.

But the other party seemed to have a clear understanding of this, and used Agniel as a starting point to instantly shatter the tranquility they had presented.

Madame Sicily stared at Qiao Yelan, took a deep breath, and felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

It seems it's time to pay off the debt.

"...Since that's the case, I wonder what Mr. Qiao Yelan wants to obtain?"

Qiao Yelan just smiled faintly, picked up the coffee-flavored sweet milk and took another sip.

He actually managed to trick him into revealing his secret.

Yes--

Qiao Yelan didn't actually know what Madame Sicily had done back then.

Syracuse is so insignificant in the Terra region, both in terms of land area and military strength, that it is dispensable to Qiao Yelan. If it weren't for the fact that it borders Kazdel, he probably wouldn't even bother to glance at it.

As for why there was such a test, it was simply because Qiao Yelan found some clues in the biographical records of Madame Sicily, and the words the Pope said to him during his first visit to Lateran made him a little suspicious.

Yes, even Lateran didn't know what Madame Sicily had done back then, otherwise the Pope would have told Joelen the truth—instead of just helping to send a meeting request.

Qiao Yelan certainly remembered what the Pope had said to her at that time—

[You've always seemed indifferent to Laterano, and we were worried that our actions might have some impact on you, so we've maintained absolute neutrality, trying not to cause you any trouble. It wasn't until nine years ago, when the [deity] of Sarkaz issued a warning, that I was forced to try to help Terra in my own way.]

At that time, the Pope proposed the "Messenger of All Nations" system to the countries of Terra without any prior preparation, but there were very few responses. It wasn't until now, when Qiao Yelan planned to involve Babel Tower in this matter, that things truly got on the right track.

Then a strange thing happened—nine years ago, something very important happened on the continent of Terra, so much so that the [gods] of Sarkaz directly warned the Pope?

Qiao Yelan went through all the records of the Battle of Babel that year and discovered that the biggest event of the year was Laterano's announcement of the "Messenger of All Nations" system...

But things get a bit more complicated as you go down from there.

A group of officials and judges who had been personally promoted by Madame Sicily were purged by Madame Sicily herself—without reason or evidence.

The prevailing reason was that these people had betrayed Madame de Sicily, but the investigation revealed that they were all fanatical followers of Madame de Sicily, who almost worshipped the "Law and Gun" she brought back. Before being purged, they were the most radical men Madame de Sicily had ever dealt with.

Originally, this didn't arouse much suspicion in Qiao Yelan, but he couldn't find any other connection between the Pope's actions and the matter, so he had to go back and recalculate the situation.

—What would have happened in Syracuse if the Pope had not proposed the system of messengers from all nations?

The answer surprised Qiao Yelan:

Syracuse will once again descend into civil war.

Because the then-Emperor of Letania was a madman who didn't care about anything, and had even declared Syracuse's independence valid decades earlier, and had proposed the Golden Law.

Kazdel to the east posed no threat to Syracuse, while Iberia to the south was already struggling to survive, let alone move north.

When Madame Sicily killed these people, it already revealed her decline.

Although she didn't admit it, it's interesting if she didn't kill these people herself—if the Grey Hall can't even protect the safety of government staff, what's the point of its continued existence?

So it must have been Madame Sicily who did it.

If the action was motivated by a defection, then even government officials and judges would defect, which indicates that Madame Sicily's base of support is already in turmoil and the people at the grassroots level are unstable.

What if the action is taken because of radicalism?

That actually means that Madame Sicily didn't have much confidence in reforming Syracuse.

Chapter 156 The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Power, But the Tiger Really Came

At this point, the chieftains finally remembered one thing: Lateran almost never interfered in the politics of other countries—the Sarkaz preferred mediation to developing their own front men.

No newly appointed person would choose to reconcile or make concessions with the existing beneficiaries when they have the ability to change the status quo.

In other words, Madame de Sicily, who had nominally unified Syracuse and established a legal system and administrative government, still lacked confidence in defeating these families.

Therefore, the patriarchs of each family began to consider this question—

Is Lateran really behind Madame Sicily?

To test their suspicions, the family fueled the ambitions of the young people, and Madame Sicily's reaction delighted them.

Wolves are sensitive to power and strength. Madame Sicily's bloody massacre did not deter them. On the contrary, they could only smell the hollow strength beneath the blood.

The clan leaders were already sharpening their knives; Syracuse had been embroiled in a civil war for seventy years—and for them, another seventy years of civil war was nothing compared to having another person to control them.

However, something unexpected happened immediately afterward.

—Latterland suddenly announced the implementation of the "Messenger of All Nations" policy.

This essentially undermines the very foundation of their plan—because the doubts surrounding Madame Sicily stem from the objective fact that Lateran never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries.

Now that objective fact has disappeared, the Sarkaz are planning to forcefully intervene in the entire situation on Terra—and coincidentally, this happens just as the chieftains are about to confront Lady Sicily.

Coincidences are always worthy of suspicion.

So the families of Syracuse immediately put their plans on hold, quickly and almost frantically withdrawing their outstretched claws.

Madame Sicily breathed a sigh of relief, but the problem was never truly solved—she still did not have enough power to completely wrest Syracuse from those families.

Thus, the situation in Syracuse has remained deadlocked until now.

Until Qiao Yelan stepped into the reception room.

"What I want... is something you can't give me right now."

Qiao Yelan said with a hint of amusement.

The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point once again. Agniel unconsciously adjusted his collar, realizing for the first time that his clothes were making his throat feel uncomfortable.

Madame Sicily's expression did not worsen; in fact, it softened slightly.

The other party said "temporarily".

“I need Syracuse to have a leader, someone who can decide the life or death of a family at any time, instead of someone like a speaker of a parliament who has to fight with the members below him.”

The man and the Sicilian woman stared at each other, their indifferent gazes carrying an unquestionable, regal air.

"Therefore, I will help you become such a person, Madame Sicily."

The two people opposite were struck dumb.

"You—you mean...?"

“Just like you heard, from now on I will fully support you until you have complete control of Syracuse—after that, I will tell you what you need to give up.”

Qiao Yelan's casual words made Agnier involuntarily tighten his grip on his guardian pistol, barely finding a sliver of peace of mind.

The other party's meaning was clear—he would cultivate Madame Sicily into a usable pawn.

in other words......

"Am I not even a pawn now?"

"It was Madame Sicily," she said in a low voice, her eyes blazing with molten fury.

"Don't misunderstand, Madame Sicily."

Qiao Yelan gave a cold laugh.

“What I mean is—it’s not even a chess piece, it’s Syracuse now.”

The rage was forced to halt before the cold sea.

There was deathly silence in the living room.

"Is there anything wrong with what I said? Is there any 'country' on the continent of Terra more awkward than Syracuse?"

Without any metaphors or reservations, Qiao Yelan laid bare the most brutal facts before Madame Sicily.

Whether from a geographical or cultural perspective, Syracuse is a country that can be described as abnormal.

The humid forests in the east and the arid wastelands in the west occupy most of Syracuse. The former is mountainous with a long rainy season, while the latter is vast and arid, teeming with wild animals.

Therefore, most of Syracuse's population is concentrated in the east, and there are fewer than twenty cities that can be called cities. Even so, their food industry is no longer self-sufficient, and they have to import large amounts of wheat from countries such as Lateran every year. Otherwise, pizza would be a luxury that can only be enjoyed at family banquets.

Syracuse has no army, no defense, and not even a complete industrial system. The country is currently incapable of building new mobile cities, and its weaponry, apart from some cold weapons, is entirely dependent on imports.

The reason Syracuse has not fallen is simply because no surrounding country has any appetite for its territory—and the Rupert who live there are all incredibly rich in rebellious spirit.

Therefore, both Letania and Da Yan, intentionally or unintentionally, indulged the chaos in Syracuse.

While wolves may fight side-by-side against lions, when they begin to fight each other for territory, the infighting among them is no less intense than when fighting lions.

Therefore, for both countries, it is enough as long as Syracuse remains in chaos.

This is why, even though Madame Sicily used Lateran as her background, she still couldn't integrate Syracuse—because there were indeed external funds involved.

"Then it seems we have nothing to talk about."

Madame Sicily, with an icy expression, gave them the order to leave.

Qiao Yelan didn't take it to heart, and simply raised her hand, signaling Ace to push her away.

"Mr. Qiao, please wait a moment."

It was Agniel who spoke.

He placed one hand on Madame Sicily's shoulder, pressing her down while staring at Qiao Yelan.