Julian Thorne kept his word. The day after the Serpent's Coil vanished from Marseille, a quiet memo circulated through the Labyrinth's hidden channels. It was a simple, unsigned message, but every member knew its source. It announced a conclave, a meeting of the network's most influential players, to be held at Thorne's library. The agenda was a single, cryptic item: "The Future."
Renji, as Mr. Silk, was the guest of honor. He walked into the library to find it filled with the ghosts of Europe's underworld. They were not street thugs or flamboyant gangsters. They were quiet, well-dressed men and women—bankers, logisticians, information brokers, the silent gears of a continent-spanning machine. They watched him with a mixture of fear, respect, and deep-seated suspicion.
Thorne stood before the massive fireplace, acting as the master of ceremonies. "Our world," he began, his voice filling the cavernous room, "is built on a simple principle: reliable information and secure transport. For decades, we have operated on a foundation of mutual, if begrudging, trust. That foundation is now obsolete."
He gestured towards Renji. "Mr. Silk and his Syndicate have demonstrated a new paradigm. They do not operate within our world. They operate above it. They have proven that they can see our every move, anticipate our every transaction, and sever our connections at will. To fight them is to fight the tide. It is illogical, unprofitable, and ultimately, fatal."
A murmur went through the room. A hard-faced German arms dealer named Richter spoke up. "And the alternative? We become cogs in his machine? We surrender our autonomy?"
"You misunderstand," Renji said, stepping forward. His voice was not the charming tone of Mr. Silk, but the cold, clear voice of Kyro. "Your autonomy is a liability. It makes you vulnerable. Under the Syndicate, you will have access to a network that is truly secure. Your operations will be protected by the most advanced digital and physical security on the planet. Your profits will be guaranteed. The only price is adherence to a new charter."
A holographic display lit up behind him, showing the Syndicate's core principles. No trafficking of human lives. No dealings with fanatical or genocidal ideologies. No actions that would result in mass civilian casualties. It was a code of ethics for a world without them.
"This is not a surrender," Renji concluded. "It is an evolution. The Labyrinth will become the central nervous system of the Syndicate in Europe. You will all be richer and more powerful than you ever were before. You will simply be… more disciplined."
He had laid his cards on the table. He was offering them a gilded cage, and he knew they were pragmatic enough to see that it was infinitely better than the alternative. The Labyrinth was his. Europe was his. The Syndicate had just transformed from a small, elite unit into a true global power, and it had done so without firing another shot.