Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 1 [The Family is Destroyed]

The sound of the whistle woke Lu En.

For a moment he didn't know where he was.

Because what caught his eyes was an old-fashioned cabin, a slightly swaying chandelier, and the endless sea outside the yellowed cabin glass reflected by the chandelier. There was a whistling sound of wind on the sea, which leaked in through unknown gaps, and it was very cold.

He couldn't help but shiver, and his head started to hurt.

He was clearly at home last night working all night on a card simulation game called "The Name of the True God". What was he doing here?
Rubbing his temple with his index finger, more unfamiliar memories began to churn in his mind.

Ethan Poletta, a native of Winster, a coastal city in the north of the Kingdom of Antusta, is the third son of the head of the Poletta family, one of the five major mafia families in Winster. He is nineteen years old and a sophomore in the Department of Classical Painting at the Kingdom Academy of Fine Arts. He is also one of the few people in his family who has no connection with the family business.

In his father's words, one of us has to be good.

At this point in time, he should have been enjoying the humid and warm autumn in the royal capital on the west coast and preparing for the autumn exams, but a piece of bad news forced him to board the ship to go home.

His father, Alberto Poretta, the head of the Poretta family, was attacked and seriously injured a few days ago and was in critical condition. He had to return to his hometown and stay by his bedside, which was a family tradition.

So, is it time travel?
Lu En withdrew his thoughts and looked at his hands. They were a pair of extremely delicate hands, even like jade.

He turned his head again to look at the face reflected in the porthole. He had a straight nose, deep blue eyes, and a pointed chin. It was an extremely handsome face, even a little delicate.

Now, it's his face.

Ethan Porletta.

"Dear gentlemen and ladies, the long journey has finally ended. Welcome back to the embrace of land. Winster has arrived! Let us praise the name of the sea god and look forward to our next meeting at sea!"

"Praise Isis!"

……

The sounds that came one after another interrupted Luen's thoughts. A middle-aged man in the uniform of a first mate at the cabin door made the above declaration-like words and then took the lead in making strange movements.

He spread out his hands with all ten fingers, placed them in front of himself, and then quickly shook his fingers upwards, as if imitating some kind of waves, or like tangled hair.

Everyone in the cabin followed suit without exception. Luen didn't want to stand out, so he did the same and praised Isis.

The next moment, suddenly, he felt some kind of fluctuation, everything around him became blurred, and an intense light appeared in front of him. Something was wriggling in the light, like a living thing, or like flowing mercury.

The true name of God?!
Luen remembered that he had finally finished the game last night, reached the final ending, and obtained the title of the True God. This was the scene he saw.

That thing is actually real and it traveled with me across time?
“Master Ethan, it’s time to get off the boat. I think your family is waiting for you.”

A voice brought Luen back to reality. He found that most of the people in the cabin had left, with only the first mate standing in front of him.

He also remembered the man's name, Carlos. This man had received favors from their family before, and it was thanks to him that he got the expedited ticket this time.

"Yeah." Luen, no, it was Ethan now. Ethan nodded and took a deep breath. The bright light just now had disappeared, like an illusion. He could only feel this new world first.

"I've heard about your father. I hope he's okay. After all, he's such a generous and great man." After walking a few steps, Carlos said behind him.

"Thank you." Ethan walked out of the cabin without looking back. The air on the deck was unusually cold. It was already afternoon, and the sun was hanging slantingly in the sky. I don't know if it was because of the floating ice on the sea in the distance, but even the sunlight seemed cold.

Ethan exhaled a breath of cold air and just as he walked to the side of the ship, he heard someone calling him.

“Master Ethan, this way!”

She was a young girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a stern expression. She was wearing an extremely slim-fitting black hunting suit and a newsboy cap of the same color on her head. Her silver hair was tied into a ponytail and hung behind her head. She also wore black leather gloves on her hands and calfskin boots on her feet. She looked extremely clean and neat.

Anya, Ethan remembered that this was an orphan adopted by his father. He trained her in various killing skills since she was a child, and she was to be the sharpest knife to assist his elder brother in the future.

How could it be that she came to pick up her second uncle in the family?
Normally he should be the one to pick her up.

Ethan reached the shore via the gangplank, and Anya had already turned and walked towards a distance.

There was a black, old-fashioned antique car parked there.

Of course, old-fashioned antiques are what Ethan considers to be old-fashioned. In fact, this type of car is the most fashionable nowadays, and the protruding front end like a gun tip is the most proud design of Claus Company this year.

After getting in the car, Anya skillfully drove away from the dock.

Anya didn't say the second sentence until Ethan saw people on the street escorting a huge wine bottle model parading past the car window.

"Master, except for your father, all your family members are dead."

"What did you say?"

Ethan frowned.

"Literally." Anya paused, then continued, "Your father fell into a deep coma after being assassinated. Your eldest brother Leonardo took over the family. He quickly discovered the truth about your father's assassination. The murderer was Joan, the leader of the newly rising Cabrera family. Two nights ago, your eldest brother led the elite of the family out for revenge, but was completely wiped out. If I hadn't been on my way back to Winster that night, I would have died that night too."

Anya's tone was cold, as if she was talking about someone else's family. From the rearview mirror, Ethan saw her eyes. Her pupils were dark green, like emerald.

There was a moment of silence, and Ethan really wanted to say, "Can I go back to the capital now and never come back?"

Anya seemed to have read Ethan's thoughts and spoke again, "You don't have to worry about your safety. Just yesterday, your father woke up and asked Sandro from the Conti family to mediate the matter. Joan has agreed to a ceasefire on the condition that the Poletta family completely withdraw from Winster. You have come back this time to deal with the family's funeral affairs. After all, your father can no longer get out of bed."

The Conti family is the largest mafia family in Winster. Sandro is honored as the Saint of Winster's underworld. He has supreme authority in Winster's underground world and no one dares to oppose what he says.

Searching his memory, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

But it is really uncomfortable to find that your family is broken up and everyone is dead as soon as you travel through time.

What's more, he has to do it himself.

There was a long silence in the car.

Ethan couldn't help but turn his gaze to the side.

The slightly dusty car window was covered by a newspaper that had been blown in from nowhere. The headline on it read:
The Royal House of Representatives passed the latest bill, and prohibition of alcohol will soon be implemented nationwide.

　Please read the new book!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)