After gathering the information about the Bone Mountains, Vicente would be contacted by the patriarch of the Hogan family for the dinner he had previously promised to attend.
Formerly, Vicente didn't see any problem in attending the proposed dinner. But after his recent visit to Dryhaven and his experience with his maternal grandparents, he couldn't help but be suspicious of the Hogan patriarch's intentions.
He had already killed the man's two sons, so he decided to stay away from the Hogan family from now on. By refusing to accept a message brought to him by a subordinate of that family, he made his position clear.
He had no idea if this would cause problems for him in the future, but he thought it would be better for everyone.
With that, he returned to his normal routine in Saltstar City, his business with the Fuller and Mazzanti families, his studies regarding forging, his combat training, and his time with Nina.
He still had to produce items for The Ruby Devils, but he felt that wouldn't be the case for long.
...
In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since Vicente and Nova's return from Dryhaven.
In those months, Vicente still hadn't reached the peak of the 3rd stage, so he still had some time to think about his seclusion in order to advance to the 4th stage.
But while he hadn't advanced, several relevant family members had advanced, and the family's numbers had grown exponentially during that time.
With the actions of Sarah, Rory, and Bart, as well as some new associates and soldiers, the family had doubled in size, allowing for a significant increase in the number of cities in which they operated.
Millfall had been at the hands of Scarlet Syndicate's men for only a short time. In the last month, Vicente's new subordinates have made their way into the city and taken back control of the local underworld!
But no one on the surface knew what had really happened!
With the group's strategy of controlling figures outside the family, everyone in Millfall believed the city was under the control of the Scarlet Syndicate.
However, the Mazzanti family, now living in the shadows, controlled the town, just as they did with four other cities in Scott Province!
During this time, everything had gone according to Vicente's plans, with the province returning to its former "tranquility" before Cesar's rise.
More than four months after Don Mazzanti's death, practically no one in Millfall spoke of him. At the same time, the royal forces had already closed the man's case completely.
That was exactly what Vicente wanted when he plotted Cesar's death, so he was pleased as he manipulated his many men from the shadows.
With more cities and men working for him, he now had even more resources than before, contributing to the progress of the Mazzanti family members and Nina's improvements.
Nina had consumed three more valuable resources in those months, things that had already positively affected her life.
Of the three resources, two could show immediate effects, while the last would be felt only after the Awakening. In any case, these two resources gave her back some of her mobility and improved her health.
Nina had never had any serious health problems after her family's tragedy. But that was because Vicente had followed all the medical advice of the many specialists who had treated her over the years.
They advised him on many things, but they were all based on the same premise: that Nina's body was weak and susceptible to disease and injury.
Since then, Vicente has taken a lot of care of Nina, preventing problems but not changing her situation. However, with one of these two resources, she had significantly improved her immunity, resistance, and regenerative capacity.
Apart from that, she had entered her last months of basic academics and was already thinking about the royal academy.
...
After saying goodbye to Nina and Nova in the morning, Vicente heard the news of his group while still at the Fuller estate.
"So Rory has advanced to Mid-level..." Vicente smiled, happy for his friend for getting a little closer to him in terms of power.
Besides Rory, the others currently at the Mid-level of the 3rd stage were Jasmine, Sarah, and Nova, who had advanced on the previous trip, and Layla, who had also advanced then.
Shelby and Eve had advanced to the 3rd stage during this time, and Bart had become a High-level Mage, the first of the group to do so after Vicente.
The family currently had other Mid-level and Low-level Mages, but almost all of them were recent recruits from Saltstar City.
Despite their newness to the group, these people were already solving important problems for Vicente, with one of them acting directly in Millfall.
With the new additions to the group, Rory, Sarah, and Bart's work had been focused on supervising the men who dealt directly with their many branches while also dealing with the expansion of the family.
Vicente wanted his family to be as large as possible, as he would need the resources to grow himself and some trusted companions. To do this, he planned to dominate the Scott Province, a place he knew and had local nobles working for him.
With the help of Nicolas, Livia, and Shelby, his plans moved forward with great ease!
But while he was profiting, these people were also growing bigger than ever. In addition to Shelby's advancement, Nicolas and Livia had also recently improved their levels due to their partnership with Vicente.
As much as they had been forced to work for Vicente, the young Fuller knew that he would reap better rewards as they grew. So, he provided them with resources and incentives to work harder for him.
The soldier who had informed Vicente of Rory's advance and that of some of the other soldiers in the family then said. "He advanced during his visit to Martell Village. He spent a few days at his mother's house before going to Ironcrest."
Ironcrest was the city the group was currently focused on entering, where Sarah was already on her way to hand over control of the city's underworld to Vicente.
"Good. Keep an eye on her movements and let me know if anything happens."
"About Casey, we have information that he has left the kingdom." The soldier, a level 5 Acolyte, changed the subject.
Vicente's eyes narrowed at this information. Following Casey inside the Seidel Kingdom was difficult enough, but doing it outside the kingdom would be even worse!
