The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

Until one day, the families could no longer resist her.

And all of this stemmed from Qiao Yelan's gentle push.

With just one Sarkaz legion, he pried open this stubborn boulder called Syracuse, causing it to roll down its pre-planned path.

Madame Sicily will eventually realize her dream—

Under huge inertia.

Cold sweat covered the Sicilian woman's back.

So far, this is still just a plan, a plan that only exists in Qiao Yelan's mouth.

But unfortunately, she couldn't find a way to stop the plan.

The patriarchs will not give up their struggle for power and profit, the people below will not give up their exploitation of wealth, the people will not give up what originally belonged to them—Madame Sicily—nor will they give up their ideals.

This plan demonstrates an unparalleled mastery of human nature and the human condition; even when the other party lays out their cards in plain sight, she simply cannot find a way to counter it.

Apart from the dead, every living person in Syracuse becomes part of the plan and drives it forward, without even realizing it.

They were doing what they wanted to do—and that's what Qiao Yelan wanted them to do.

Are these people following their own will, or Qiao Yelan's will?

She couldn't tell the difference!

Madame Sicily once again gained a profound understanding of the question Agniel had asked her earlier—

Qiao Yelan, do you really need them?

Perhaps Qiao Yelan is saying that she should be the final victor—but the truth is, the things she needs to do in this plan are things that the other twelve families can do just as well.

In Qiao Yelan's plan, Madame Sicily was never irreplaceable.

Madame Sicily took a deep breath, her expression somber and dejected.

She knew this was her last chance.

The woman's slender fingers twitched and trembled as she drew her sword.

She rose, pale-faced, bent her back, and placed the sword on the table.

Then, this nominal supreme leader of Syracuse knelt before Qiao Yelan, obediently exposing his neck to the man before him.

The beast offered up its claws and surrendered its head.

“I will offer you my loyalty—but I beg you, my lord, not to unleash the flames of war upon the land of Syracuse.”

The voice, barely audible, sounded less like words and more like a believer's prayer to God.

Agnier closed his eyes in pain, but his body reacted in the same way as his friend.

Only those who have a more thorough understanding of power will have a greater sense of awe towards it.

What use is your loyalty to me?

The man's voice remained calm, but Madame Sicily's body trembled violently.

“My plan has been formulated long ago, and my goal is so clear—I need a unified Syracuse.”

"As we all know, a contract is based on the principle of equivalent exchange. You want to use your loyalty to get me to stop the plan, but if I stop the plan, I will lose a unified Syracuse—what I give will be more than what you give."

She suddenly raised her head and argued almost desperately.

"I can do it, Your Excellency. I will definitely unify Syracuse."

"Really? But it seems like you can't do it right now—otherwise Syracuse wouldn't be the way it is now, would it?"

Madame Sicily racked her brains, knowing she had to do something—the other party had come to her first with this plan, so they must have something to gain. Although she didn't know what they were after, she knew this was her chance.

Equivalent exchange...equivalent exchange—that's right, equivalent exchange!

"Your Excellency, in your plan, the cost of deploying 15000 Sarkaz troops, the resources consumed in launching a war, and the time required for the war—these are the costs you have decided to pay in order to execute your plan. In other words, you believe that it is acceptable to exchange these costs for a unified Syracuse."

"I assure you, if you hand this investment over directly to me, I can unify Syracuse without this legion even needing to intervene! The same effort, the same reward, and my loyalty is only in exchange for you ceasing your war plans!"

A hint of surprise flashed across Qiao Yelan's eyes. He hadn't expected that this woman could remain calm and think clearly despite his blow, and seize her only chance.

He nodded slightly—if the other party could do that, then they were qualified to become his pawn in Syracuse.

“Your words seem to convince me, madam.”

Qiao Yelan smiled and nodded.

"I think we can move on to the next phase of negotiations."

Chapter 160 Theresis: The Horsewoman

"Thank you for your generosity."

Madame Sicily uttered these words in a voice like a drowning person grasping at a straw.

"Whether I am generous or not depends on your ability, madam."

Qiao Yelan chuckled softly.

"Of course, before we get back to formal negotiations—I would like you to apologize to my guards first."

Ace was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Qiao Yelan to say that.

Without the slightest hesitation, Madame Sicily bowed deeply to Ace.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you because of my impulsiveness."

The man remained expressionless, while Madame Sicily maintained her bowing posture.

After a brief standoff, Ace realized that Qiao Yelan had no intention of speaking.

"......It doesn't matter."

Upon hearing this, the woman straightened up and turned her inquiring gaze toward Qiao Yelan.

"Then please sit down, Madame Sicily. Admitting your mistakes and correcting them is a work ethic that I personally admire very much."

Qiao Yelan extended his hand, inviting the other person to sit down.

Negotiations began again, and this time, no one dared to defy Qiao Yelan's will.

“Where were we? Oh right, it was your second question, Madam. You claimed that you lacked a force strong enough to break the current stalemate in Syracuse, and my solution was to use a Sarkaz legion to wage war and drag all the families into it.”

Qiao Yelan slowly and methodically explained the current situation clearly and thoroughly.

"Yes, yes, but I urge you to reconsider this plan."

“I have always believed in fairness and democracy. Since you oppose my plan, you should come up with your own plan. It doesn’t have to be better than mine, but it should at least be an equal alternative.”

Having said that, the man spread out his palms, indicating that Madame Sicily could begin to speak.

The woman knew very well that this was probably her last and only chance to turn the situation around, so she didn't rush to speak. Instead, she reviewed the solution she had just come up with in a moment of inspiration before finally speaking.

"Your Excellency, the Sarkaz army is indeed a powerful weapon of war, but it has never been a weapon that can be easily controlled by others. The only thing they obey is the [Demon Lord] of the Sarkaz race. Given your relationship with Laterano, you should understand that this is not a good weapon."

The entry point was chosen quite well.

Qiao Yelan nodded slightly.

The best way to change someone's mind is not to come up with a better solution, but to guide them to discover the shortcomings in their own plans.

If Qiao Yelan was really just an ordinary merchant who hired the Sarkaz army, then this statement alone would be enough to shake his resolve to continue the plan.

“What you pay is the price of hiring a legion, plus more than a year of time—you just need to give me this money and another year, and I can secretly train a more loyal force while also sowing discord among these families.”

Seeing that Qiao Yelan still did not speak, Madame Sicily felt even more confident, so she continued to explain her thoughts.

“As you know, Syracuse only has so much land and so many people. I was forced to compromise with my family because I am actually a tree without roots and water without a source—Latland is not my backing, so I cannot obtain enough funds and resources to realize my ambitions.”

"If you are willing to give me a chance, installment payments are also acceptable. I will show you that your investment is worthwhile, and I guarantee that the entire plan will be under your supervision. I will report all the progress to you in detail."

In terms of strategic planning, we need to take it to the next level.

Qiao Yelan raised the rating of this Sicilian lady by one level again. After discarding her arrogance and anger, this lady, worthy of being a strong woman who had once stirred up the political situation in Syracuse, immediately demonstrated her due ability.

She didn't blindly follow Qiao Yelan's ideas. Rather than introducing an external enemy to utterly defeat Syracuse, she thought of using Qiao Yelan's resources to strengthen her own power as much as possible—regardless of whether Qiao Yelan's desire for Syracuse to become strong was genuine or not, increasing her own bargaining chips was never a bad thing.

It seems that this lady is indeed very capable and has a good overall perspective. The only pity is that her true abilities are limited by her own limitations.

An admiring look appeared in the man's eyes.

He didn't care about some underhanded actions that were driven by personal motives. As someone who deeply hated char siu, his only requirement for his subordinates was that they at least do their jobs well—everything else was up to them.

“Your plan sounds great, but I can’t just leave Syracuse satisfied after looking at your PowerPoint presentation. I can approve the first batch of funding for you, but I need to see your results immediately.”

"For the next month, I need to go to Kazdel to deal with the Sarkaz Legion issue. If your results satisfy me after a month, then we will proceed with your plan—if your results do not satisfy me, then someone else will come to see you next time."

Qiao Yelan's words sounded like heavenly music to Madame Sicily.

"I won't let you down."

Madame Sicily said it with absolute certainty.

"I am looking forward."

After saying this, Qiao Yelan left without any hesitation, leaving behind nothing but the goods in the two trucks.

Madame Sicily and Agni watched Qiao Yelan's caravan depart, then exchanged glances and gave each other a wry smile.