In Terra, she is a hunter and a bad woman.

Maria did not choose to continue wearing her unique tricorn hat. She just tucked her feet together and sat quietly in front of the lady.

"Nothing, I just feel... your temperament is very unique."

"I don't get compliments like this very often, but thank you all the same."

Maria nodded silently, then slowly straightened her posture.

"In that case, we should talk about something, right?"

"What a worried lady."

Seeing that the originally beautiful girl in front of her had suddenly turned back into her previous cold warrior appearance, the lady hesitated for a few seconds and shook her head helplessly.

But she did not continue to immerse herself in her own thoughts. Instead, after taking a few deep breaths, she raised her head again and looked at the other person seriously.

"But I don't dislike your attitude. I believe you can see that this invitation is not just an expression of gratitude."

Maria nodded.

She is a bit of a natural, but that doesn't mean she can't see anything.

At least, she could clearly sense that the other party pulled her home and took a shower together, which was definitely not just to express gratitude.

To express gratitude, giving some money or gifts is actually enough.

The most we can do is provide some help and convenience.

What you are doing now must have a purpose.

Maria didn't mind listening to what the other party needed.

But before that, she needed to know one more thing.

"By now, I should probably know what to address you, Madam?"

Maria looked into the other's emerald eyes and spoke slowly.

The other party also took a deep breath and raised his head silently.

"You might call it..."

"Mrs. Sicily..."

p.s. I think no one would have thought that the woman was the Sicilian lady!

P.S. Regarding the timeline issue, don't worry, circle setting is a must-learn course for authors! You can't miss it!

Chapter 100 Invitation

It’s raining again in Colombia…

Although it is quite far from Syracuse, the climate here is almost the same as that of Syracuse.

The air is always filled with moist water vapor, the sky is always gray, the sun can be seen only a few times a month, and the rain seems to never stop, coming every now and then.

This also leads to the fact that people here rarely eat various rice, flour and wheat. Most of the time, the table is filled with vegetables and fruits, and finally a glass of warm wine.

Maria sat at the edge of the family dining table, stroking the big-tailed girl whose throat was gurgling, and patiently tearing vegetables to feed her.

Just now, when Lady Sicily wanted to talk business with Maria, the little girl who inherited Lady Sicily's light yellow hair and emerald green eyes crawled out from somewhere.

Or perhaps it was the child's pursuit of the fragrance, she actually crawled directly to Maria's side, babbling.

To be honest, this really surprised Maria.

But afterwards, she began to observe this little life with curiosity.

Babies, or also known as infant humans.

Her existence usually represents life and hope. No matter how cruel the world is or how bleak each person is, everyone has this consensus.

Having a baby means having hope for the future.

Maria hadn't seen a baby in years... not even the orphan from Yharnam.

That's why she was full of curiosity and kindness towards the child.

Even actively feed it.

It's just that the technique is a bit crude.

On the side, Mrs. Sicily watched the scene helplessly.

"what is her name?"

Maria suddenly asked.

"She doesn't have a name yet."

Lady Sicily shook her head and gently took the child from Maria's arms.

The babbling girl didn't cry, but subconsciously moved closer to her mother.

"no name?"

Maria was a little confused.

She could understand that some ethnic groups had the custom of not giving names to premature children, but from her observation, the child's teeth had already grown, and it was time for him to have a name of his own.

This is very important stuff.

But Mrs. Sicily clearly had a different opinion.

"I'm not qualified to name her yet. Right now, I'm still Lady Sicily..."

"A name is a code that accompanies a person throughout his life and serves as proof of his identity."

"You are not from Syracuse or Colombia, so you may not understand what family means here, in a place like this."

"I love my family, but I love my children even more."

"She shouldn't have her own identity in a place like this..."

"She is the most precious treasure in my life. Even though I have no feelings for her deceased father, it still does not stop me from loving her."

Madame Sicily gave her child a kiss.

Maria could clearly feel that the kiss was full of love.

Just like the Virgin Mary kissing her Son.

But this kiss also had a touch of sadness.

Maria didn't know how she could feel such negative emotions from such a warm picture, but she definitely felt it.

A person... a woman who is a mother, feeling helpless about not being able to promise her children a future.

“I find it hard to understand this feeling…”

"This is normal." The lady chuckled. "I couldn't understand it before... until I got my own treasure."

"One day, when you have your own child, you will understand that she is like a treasure that suddenly appeared in your life and you will never forget her."

The lady smiled, and her smile was very charming.

"Are you worried that giving her a name and making her officially your child will put her in danger?"

Maria did not dwell on this issue too much. After a moment of silence, she turned around and asked about the other party's concerns.

And Lady Sicily nodded silently.

"Just as you said, but with a few differences."

Cheng: "It's not that I'm worried that she's in danger...but that she's already in danger."

As the lady spoke, a hint of sadness appeared on her face.

This was the first time she showed negative emotions in front of Maria, and Maria was the only person in the city to whom she could express her emotions.

She couldn't show her emotions to her subordinates or family, as that would make them realize that the woman in front of them was a coward and was no longer fit to stay in her current position.

She could not express her emotions to her opponents, as those greedy fangs would never be hidden or restrained.

That is Maria, this carefree outsider, to whom I can confide some of my concerns.

"You should have heard the conversation in the alley about the Popolo Winery... It's a crucial step in expanding our family's influence over the next ten years. We've expended countless manpower and resources to establish connections and secure its existence."

"I have no interest in torturing each other with crazy statistics, but this winery is very important, and now it's owned by a Texas family."

"The family won't wait for this to happen."

The woman said this, but she couldn't help but sigh.

"So, you want me to help you get that contract back?"

Maria was a little confused.

But Lady Sicily shook her head.

"Taking it back is meaningless... Families value contracts the most. Faced with such a tempting pie, the new Texas family leader will definitely sign it immediately. From that moment on, that piece of land will have been marked with the name of Texas."

"If we want to get that land back, there are only two ways."

"First, buy it from Texas. Second, let the land lose its owner and wait for time to let it become ownerless."

"But both of these will undoubtedly take some time, but my family won't give me that much time. Other families outside are also watching here, trying to figure out what's going on."

"So what are your plans?"

Maria was a little confused... Although she had experienced a lot of calculations, she was obviously not good at such brain-intensive work.

After all, it has been a long time since anyone dared to make plans for her.

It was a familiar yet strange feeling for her.

But she is also happy to try such activities.

"I'm going to hold a banquet... right here, where I'm going to invite all the families in Columbia, and then fix this mistake that shouldn't have happened."

The woman sat there, raised her head, and looked at Maria seriously.

"My family has been very good to me, but I can't imagine what it would be like for my children to live with them... and I also know that such an action would be a betrayal for them."

"And the other families will realize that I have weaknesses too, and there will definitely be no shortage of assassinations and conspiracies against her!"

"I've witnessed your powerful military prowess, so I hope you can protect her during that banquet, which is bound to be fraught with problems... My child, I will handle the main issues."

"It won't take too long of your time, just one week... just one week!"

Lady Sicily pursed her lips towards Maria and made a rare request in her life.

The only response she got was an uncomfortable silence.

Chapter 101: Only One Moon

"can."

Maria finally agreed to Lady Sicily's request.

This is mainly because she really has nothing to do during this period of time.

While helping her out, I can also help her understand more about the situation in this country, which is not a bad idea.

After getting Maria's consent, Lady Sicily also breathed a sigh of gratitude.

Obviously, the sudden discovery of betrayal by family members today gave her a headache.

Being able to recruit someone like Maria who has strong individual fighting power at this time did make her feel a lot more relaxed.

Of course, they still have things to deal with before waiting for the banquet in a few days.

Soon, real night began to fall.

The lights in Colombia began to turn off, and the world fell into darkness. Only a few houses still had lights flickering...

After coaxing the baby to sleep, Maria and Lady Sicily secretly changed into more convenient clothes and quietly left the family mansion.

Following the information she had received, Mrs. Sicily took Maria all the way from the city center to the slums in the city.

Here, groans of pain continued to sound.

Maria saw destitute people lying on the streets everywhere... many of them were drunkards.

They didn't care whether the ground was clean or not, they just found a cool place to lie down where they could shelter from the rain.