"So, was it really you who killed my foolish younger brother?"
Giana asked the last question, watching John's retreating figure.
John paused at her words, then shook his head, "No."
When John stopped, Giana's eyes were fixed on him. From her understanding of John, she could tell if he was lying, but the result disappointed her.
However, one thing was certain: they indeed didn't kill him, but John's apprentice, Zhang Jie, definitely knew who did.
John left.
The reunion of old friends ended there. They didn't know in what form they would meet again in the future.
Sometimes, circumstances are not determined by individual will.
Even if they were old acquaintances, even if there were still stories between them, what did it matter?
With Giana's coronation, everything would undergo unpredictable changes.
Although she was grateful that Zhang Jie had dealt with her brother, who had intended to commit patricide, she was helpless.
After John left, he soon encountered Cassius outside.
Cassius didn't know why John was there, but he only knew one thing: if John appeared at the coronation ceremony of a Mafia leader, something bad was bound to happen.
The two glared at each other, the atmosphere becoming extremely tense and anxious.
But neither fired first, though both had their hands on their guns.
At that moment, Giana walked out. Seeing this, Cassius breathed a sigh of relief and took his hand off his gun.
John also relaxed.
He had come this time to put in a good word for Zhang Jie, his main goal being to stop Giana from continuing her investigation.
But it seemed to have worked out well so far.
Just like that, John once again disappeared into the crowd, but he didn't choose to leave; instead, he quietly observed from within the throng.
He watched Giana, in her ceremonial dress, slowly walk towards the ruins of the open-air bath. The ceremony wasn't complicated; she simply needed to walk there, fully enter the bath, and only emerge after bathing to officially accept the coronation.
This ritual had to be completed under the gaze of all family members of the crime syndicate to be considered officially crowned.
Thus, John's gaze followed Giana as she slowly moved towards the ruins of the open-air bath.
Giana then took off her elaborate dress, which was received by a female subordinate nearby. She then slowly walked naked into the bath, symbolically splashing some water on herself.
Subsequently, several core members stepped forward, picked up the silver cups placed nearby, scooped water from the bath, and then came behind Giana, slowly pouring the water over her shoulders.
Finally, they placed the silver cups on the edge of the bath and retreated. Giana rose again, water continuously flowing down her body.
It eventually turned into droplets, which gradually decreased as she walked forward. Two female attendants came forward to wipe Giana's body clean, and Giana changed into clean clothes.
At this moment, an elder from within the syndicate approached, holding a crown of olive branches woven from silver.
Giana smiled and bowed slightly. The elder then gently placed the crown on her head, and a series of gasps and applause immediately erupted from the crowd.
No one knew what Giana was thinking at that moment; everyone seemed to be wearing a mask of a smile.
The next ritual involved all core members of the syndicate family approaching Giana with wreaths. One by one, they stepped forward and placed the wreaths in their hands around Giana's neck. Before long, her neck was laden with wreaths.
And from this moment on, Giana officially assumed the position of family head of the Italian Mafia crime syndicate.
The entire venue erupted in thunderous applause, and the bosses of other crime syndicates who were observing the ceremony did the same, for they had witnessed the handover of an ancient crime syndicate, and another boss had risen.
Giana's demeanor gained a few points of composure. Her gaze fell upon John, hidden in the crowd, and she nodded slightly.
Both their eyes held an indescribable expression, but it was fleeting.
This was immediately followed by the leaders of various crime syndicates approaching Giana to offer congratulations and converse. Giana knew all these people and had interacted with them before; some had good relationships, some were indifferent, and some were hostile, each differing.
But this was the rule of the underworld: no matter how good or bad your relationship, at such a time, you must be present, otherwise you will be ostracized by all crime syndicates.
It had nothing to do with personal will, and nothing to do with the stance of your crime syndicate. If you want everyone to play along, you must follow this rule. Afterwards, things can go back to normal, but at this moment, you must come to observe the ceremony.
However, the arrival of one person made Giana's expression turn quite sour.
"Moriarty, I didn't expect you would actually dare to come." Giana's tone had grown considerably colder.
"Oh~ oh~ oh~ My beautiful Ms. Giana, this is not what you should be saying to me. This is your coronation ceremony, I had to come, didn't I?" Moriarty leaned on a small cane with an eagle's head, slowly approaching Giana. His expression was a little comical, and a little cold.
His neatly slicked-back hair, combined with his gray suit, was very distinctive, and the short-trimmed mustache on his lip added a certain charm.
"If I'm not mistaken, you provided many schemes to that damned professor, didn't you?" Giana's tone remained cold, clearly not buying it.
"Hmm, of course. I am a consulting criminal, providing crime strategies, technical support, and legal evasion services to my clients. This is part of my job." Moriarty walked up to Giana, bowed slightly to her, displaying a very British gentlemanly demeanor.
"But those things are in the past, aren't they? The Professor isn't looking for my services now, and he's also gotten himself into big trouble." Moriarty's tone was as soft as ever, like the hiss of a snake.
This was also one of the reasons Giana couldn't stand Moriarty; every word he spoke was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, making her uncomfortable.
Having gotten the answer she wanted, Giana said nothing, but bowed slightly to Moriarty, "Then, thank you, Professor Moriarty, for attending my coronation ceremony."
"You're welcome."
Moriarty turned and walked to the dining area, picked up a glass of champagne, took a sip, and then raised his glass to Giana in a gesture.
"James Moriarty…"
John, standing in the crowd, softly murmured a name.
"James Moriarty, an IT genius, a master of criminal planning, skilled in psychological manipulation, high-tech crime, and precise disguise, with a mercurial personality that combines both madness and calmness. I didn't expect him to appear in Italy."
Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous corner of the gathering, Eggsy was constantly speaking into his hidden earpiece.
It should be known that the coronation ceremony of the leader of the Italian Mafia crime syndicate was extremely grand and blatant, not conducted under any hidden circumstances, so all forces were paying attention to it, and the Knights of the Round Table, to which Eggsy belonged, naturally couldn't avoid it.
Especially after seeing Moriarty, the surprise on his face was even more evident. This notorious high-IQ criminal from England had actually come to Italy; he wondered what he was plotting now.
"Pay close attention to the reconnaissance. If the situation is not right, evacuate immediately."
Merlin's voice came through the earpiece.
—
Yay, daily quota completed, hehe.
Thanks again to the great boss Yakong for the full-body massage~
Moriarty has appeared, and Giana and John's storyline has also emerged. Click the little yellow button more, and let the rewards fly~
Thanks to all the bosses for correcting my mistakes. I type very fast and often don't notice typos or awkward sentences, plus I'm used to initialisms... But at least it proves I'm really typing by hand, not AI, right? Hehe
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