Liberi Reader

You sent for me, Don Venezia?

Anton has a question for you.

Over here, Carle.

Antonio...

Any cars headed towards Sicilia recently?

Passenger routes are operating as usual. Though, most people are coming in here, and not out.

Good.

Go pack up your belongings. You should be able to make the last ride over.

Gotcha—

Uh, Huh? Antonio, what's the meaning of this?

Don't you have a fratello in Sicilia? You can't stay in Nuova Volsinii any longer, and can't go back to Montelupe either, so you should go to him.

Your negligence has caused us to lose a whole carload of 'tires'.

I gave you a chance. Just greet the don at the port, couldn't even manage that. That old Saluzzo stronzo even got to meet papa before you did.

Carle, I've already given you the most decent ending possible by letting you leave, alive. Take this—

Call it a settlement fee. Without the famiglia's protection, you'll need a lot of money.

I've been with the Venezias for more than a decade. I was following the Don before you even came in here, can't you just, for his sake—

D-Don Venezia—!

Employees who make mistakes must naturally be punished, yes?

Of course. You're the head of Venezia Trucking. You call the shots.

Anton... you didn't inform me about this in advance.

Please don't blame me for this.

The police were just here earlier. They wanted to inspect the vehicle factories and service stations under the Venezia name. They said it was just a routine inspection before Carnevale, but the official warrant said it was an impromptu check.

I also just received news that Alberto was suddenly temporarily detained for corporate qualification issues.

I have no doubt the trial this morning has upset our dear judge Lavinia. She's hoping to control a situation she knows nothing of this way.

The situation spiraled out of my control, so I had to deal with Carle like that. It'll be hard to convince the masses otherwise.

...

This year, Venezia Trucking has carefully complied with the New Urban Management Act, and the only clue we had proving otherwise was burned to cinders yesterday at the port.

The only person who can affect our business has been dealt with.

But when Carnevale is over and Lavinia has her hands free, I'm afraid she'll try her best to target us.

How do you plan on handling it?

My original idea was to slowly transform this city—Let it have a set of laws absent in other cities, while establishing an underground order the Siracusans are accustomed to.

Venezia Trucking's business has been smooth sailing. The trick is to follow these two tenets: Comply with the New Urban Management Act, but also not.

Of course, the other famiglie are doing the same, but adapting to the rules of the new game is quite difficult.

The Venezias can fit perfectly into both sets of laws, and we've been excelling at it.

So much so that today we can discard one and switch to the other immediately.

...

So you want to completely control this city?

You've lost yourself, Anton. Don't forget Nuova Volsinii has Signora Sicilia's endorsement. She supports the youths' reforms.

You're openly defying her authority and turning us against all of Siracusa this way. You're using the entire Famiglia Venezia as your betting chip!

It sounds like that, yes.

The last one to do that was Bernardo... he only died last year!

Are you afraid of Signora Sicilia, afraid of the youngsters at City Hall yelling their ideals across the room?

You've really gotten old, papa.

We Venezias hold a most unusual seat in the Grey Hall, a 'hybrid' famiglia. Lupos with no blood ties who left their previous pack, Vulpos like Ingrid, and Perros like you...

The other famiglie don't think too kindly of us, but we stand here today nonetheless. Our presence here embodies every Venezia's sweat and blood.

Our ties run closer than bloodlines, and I want everyone in the famiglia to have a decent end.

But you, you want to put us in great danger... Anton, I think you've forgotten my teachings.

Papa, have I ever mentioned how a Perro like me ended up in Siracusa?

...

I was a soldier, serving the True Bolívarians.

I have but a superficial understanding of the situation in Bolívar...

It actually doesn't matter which flag you fight under in Bolívar. You don't have to understand why the three parties are fighting one another. I mean, everyone's just trying to survive by giving it their all.

I was in a guerrilla force raiding a village under the Singas dynasty, but we were discovered, and the entire squad became captives.

The twenty of us emptied every pocket and piled our possessions together to bribe the executioner to spare us, change our status from 'death penalty' to 'hard labor'.

The officer responsible for driving us was a paunchy aristocrat. He was drunk that day, made a mistake during the review process, and only came to us with a truck... big enough to sit just ten people.

The executioner asked him what to do next. Can you guess how that stronzo replied?

...

He belched from his drink as he whipped out a pen and drew a circle on our list, saying: There's clearly only ten people on the list, right?

We killed him, cut off his head, escaped Bolívar, and what happened next, I'm sure you know.

Anton, this is the first time I've heard of—

Haha. It's been too long I almost forgot about it.

Do you know why it suddenly came back to me?

I was discussing with our young and promising mayor about building a logistical network in the city. He refused me, and then shared how the city came about, and its mission...

A so-called 'experimental ground', with a new order governing people from the old, vastly different from the Siracusan tradition...

He knew people would have trouble adapting, irreconcilable conflicts would occur, and the system might even swallow groups of people in the process... but it couldn't be helped, there was a potential future.

And all of that happened because four young people sat at the Grey Hall's round table and lobbied for their idea so passionately...

Signora Sicilia allocated them one of Siracusa's twenty-three cities, without hesitation...

A move so cavalier, like that aristocrat who circled half our names away.

Papa, Leontuzzo was indeed quite sincere and inspiring at the time, but I almost lost control, I wanted to burst into laughter... That boy knows nothing at all.

You said I lost myself?

No, not at all. What I want to do has always been the same.

I hate that aristocrat and Signora Sicilia. I hate their power to wantonly draw their circles as they please. I want to take it all away from them!

Anton...

Phew—Alright, Papa. I've said a bit too much today. I'm not here to let you lecture me on decency or dignity, nor am I here to analyze what's going on in Siracusa.

My activities this year alone are not enough to land a seat at the gambling table...

Papa, don't we have a landship en-route nearby? I'd like the rights to make an emergency dispatch.

This is something only Don Venezia can do.

If I refuse, will the men guarding the door deal with me like how you handled Carle?

Of course not, you're a truly decent man worthy of a dignified end.

...

You're old, Papa. Haven't you always suggested you retire?

Scusi, is Eirene not here right now?

...Y-Your Honor?

U-Uh, Eirene's not here. Everyone went to celebrate her acquittal, that's why.

So why aren't you with them?

I-I'm just servicing these trucks. See?

Carnevale's tomorrow, and they'll need a lot of our cars...

Someone has to do it.

...

You're lying, Signore.

When you see her, please let Eirene know I need to meet her, even outside of office hours.

...Got it.

Eirene, here. The schedule table for this year.

As you said, I marked all the Venezia Trucking related records. Trip times, loading instructions, driver names... they're all in there.

Yep, matches with Sommer's notebook.

Sommer wanted to bring Guri here; Carmelo was secretly nursing his injuries with alcohol and couldn't get it from us; Gianni and Ruggiero had their own troubles too...

Every member of ours they targeted was carefully selected.

There aren't many records, but the shipment frequency is very consistent. That night wasn't the first time they smuggled weapons into the city for sure...

You were right. That judge did come looking for you at the camp. After she left, some famiglie associates were tailing her in secret.

So...

I drove behind her car and came back here only after I saw her enter the courthouse.

Good.

There's also one more thing.

What is it?

I happened to see Saluzzo Vino's legal team hurrying into the courthouse.

I asked around, and apparently not long ago the police suddenly showed up at one of the Saluzzo wineries and took Alberto away.

Venezia Trucking also got the cops at their door at the same time. The police and judges should be inspecting their factories right now.

Lavinia probably doesn't know about the weapons yet, but the car accident and port fire has already sent out a dangerous signal...

Leontuzzo's injured and still hospitalized even now. As Nuova Volsinii's Supreme Justice, she tries her best to get the situation under control.

She didn't use a direct method with us like she did with the other two... she went to camp to warn us.

In other words, an ultimatum.

Wait, about what Lyudmila just said...

Neither Alberto or Venezia Junior will willingly meet their demise.

Lavinia's in danger right now.

Those wise guys only followed her with no intentions to harm her.

We're in Nuova Volsinii after all, we got cops patrolling the streets. Besides, they have an even better time slot available...

You mean Carnevale...?

We could let the judge know.

Are you still hesitant to let her know about the Truckers' Union? But can you really just stand here and watch something happen to her?

She's not a bad person at least.

You got it wrong, Lyudmila.

It's too late for us now to stay out of it.

If the famiglie dare make a direct attempt on Lavinia's life during Carnevale, there's no chance they'll let the Truckers' Union go. If that happens, we can only wait for the slaughter to happen.

I'm just thinking what I should do. I don't want something like what happened with Sommer to happen again...

...

Giving Lavinia a direct warning isn't the best choice here.

Lyudmila, did you see the weapons? How many were there?

Based on the amount I saw and total number of shifts on the schedule—

I estimate there's enough Venezia weapons in the city to arm several tactical squads with dozens of people in each.

We have more than two hundred registered members, but if we include ad-hoc staff and contract workers, we'll have several times the number of people.

I just realized the Truckers' Union is actually the largest organization in Nuova Volsinii.

Maybe we can manage it. Protecting a single person in the dark.

Do you really just want to protect that judge?

Sommer taught me one thing at least: no one can be trusted in this city but ourselves.

So we can only protect ourselves... even if that means resorting to violence.

...

When I was in Ursus, I knew someone with similar ideas. She lost herself in the end.

You want to stop me?

No... What happened with Sommer needs a proper ending.

But of course, he wouldn't want to see you lose yourself either.

Eirene, I guarantee you won't cross that final line...

I promise you I won't, Lyudmila.

I'm perfectly aware what I'm doing.