Texas now felt it was crucial to quickly demonstrate her worth.
Only this way could she prevent Hugh from taking advantage of their vulnerability. With the looming threat of the Wolf Hunter, Texas fully believed Hugh had both motive and capability to exploit the situation.
Therefore, reaching a closer partnership with T Corp sooner rather than later would likely be the safest move for the Thumb.
Meanwhile, Hugh casually sipped his tea.
He had deliberately leaked that information earlier precisely for this moment.
Let Texas herself initiate further negotiations, allowing Hugh to seize greater leverage in their trade…
After all, for T Corp, the deals made with Bellone and Rossati were still far from enough. Even after carving out a piece of the Venezia family, it was still insufficient.
Even going further, Hugh felt that even if he eventually consumed part of the Saluzzo family… it would still not fully satisfy his needs.
Time was something he could never have enough of.
Compared to what W Corp might eventually provide, even consuming all of Siracusa felt insufficient to Hugh.
But since W Corp was far out of reach right now, the best Hugh could do was extract as much time as possible from Siracusa.
In fact, he'd just managed to take a sizable bite from the Venezia family—basically trailing behind Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary, picking up her leftovers. While she slaughtered ahead, T Corp feasted behind.
In her berserk state, Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary wasn't perfectly thorough in killing everyone. For those left barely clinging to life, T Corp's freshly delivered batch of regeneration ampoules had come in extremely handy.
First, stabilize them with an ampoule; then transport them directly to T Corp's time-extraction facility and revive them fully there. That was T Corp's plan for this batch.
In Siracusa's system, these survivors were practically dead anyway, so recycling them through T Corp made more sense.
It was their final chance to offer something valuable in return.
Thus, about six hundred additional people had now been delivered to T Corp's distant extraction site. If Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary hadn't killed some people completely—without even half a breath left—T Corp could have harvested even more.
"Truly a pity…"
Hugh suddenly muttered, leaving Texas briefly puzzled. But before she could question him, Hugh immediately spoke again:
"Hmm… Future deals, you say? Of course, if you're interested, we can arrange something. But I'm afraid T Corp will demand quite a bit in return."
As he spoke, Hugh smiled at Texas, continuing:
"T Corp will supply you with certain special products during this trade—things like weaponry and equipment outfitted with our temporal technology. However, in return, we'll require your assistance with several tasks."
"…Go ahead and speak."
"First, I assume you've already planned to investigate the situation with the Saluzzo family, haven't you?"
Hugh's gaze rested casually on Texas as he spoke. Texas didn't respond immediately.
That was indeed the truth. If not for the sudden developments, Texas would already have organized an investigation into the Saluzzo family's unusual behavior.
Since Lappland had shown up… perhaps it was finally time to put her to work and exploit her identity.
For instance, infiltrating the Saluzzo family to gather intel. Texas was confident enough she could persuade Lappland.
Even after what she'd said earlier, Texas didn't believe Lappland would completely give up. By leveraging that unresolved relationship, she could convince Lappland to cooperate. Using both emotional appeal and the promise of freedom, Texas felt Lappland would ultimately agree.
It didn't surprise Texas that Hugh would know about this plan.
"We require that you share any intelligence gathered from the Saluzzo family. Additionally, if circumstances permit, it would be ideal for the Thumb to initiate some sort of conflict with the Saluzzos."
Hugh continued calmly, not waiting for Texas's reply before quickly adding:
"In addition, there's something else."
"During this period, we'd like the Thumb to provoke as many small conflicts in Siracusa as possible. It doesn't need to be anything large-scale—just your usual expansion efforts are sufficient. The important thing is creating consistent friction. Also, avoid killing directly as much as possible. Just deliver any wounded or captives to T Corp afterward."
After hearing Hugh's somewhat peculiar demands, Texas frowned deeply, trying unsuccessfully to discern Hugh's true intentions.
But facing Hugh's seemingly harmless smile, Texas eventually sighed softly and agreed:
"…Fine. The Thumb can accept these conditions."
"But I can't promise efficiency. Considering what just happened to the Venezia family… Signora Sicilia herself might intervene. The Thumb's movements may have to remain relatively restrained for the time being."
"That part's up to you."
Hugh waved his hand dismissively, smiling faintly. Texas remained briefly silent before exhaling deeply and stepping out of Hugh's room. Without further hesitation, she headed directly toward Lappland's quarters.
Well then, it's about time to speak with Lappland about this...
And have her investigate the Saluzzo family's recent abnormalities.
...
Meanwhile, in the room next door, Kali entered holding a bag containing a strawberry cake she'd just bought from a street vendor in Siracusa.
She'd bought it only moments ago. Hopefully, Hugh wasn't lying about Da'at liking strawberries.
"Da'at, I'm back…"
"You're finally here!"
What greeted Kali was a bright smile and an excited shout filled with pleasant surprise. Da'at quickly rushed over, leaning gently against Kali's shoulder. Even now, this scene always left Kali feeling somewhat dazed.
Da'at was about a head shorter than Kali and often liked leaning on her shoulder… At moments like this, Kali would quietly stand a bit straighter so Da'at's neck wouldn't strain.
This is the person I resolved to protect.
She repeated these words silently to herself again and again.
Since she'd already accepted that there was no going back… And since she'd finally made peace with the City of the past, no longer feeling guilty toward anyone there…
Then, in this new City, she would definitely protect the one person she most cared about.
As these thoughts filled Kali's mind, she gently patted Da'at's head. Da'at slowly closed her eyes, then softly spoke:
"Oh right… Kali, let's go out for a walk."
"Go out? Did Hugh have business with you—"
Kali blinked briefly, asking instinctively. But then Da'at smiled warmly and uttered words that left Kali momentarily stunned:
"Nope. It'll just be the two of us—alone—going out for a stroll. Let's explore Siracusa together."