Sir! Don't close the net!

“You can also choose to find Ashley’s letter among these letters, but I must remind you that even if you are very lucky enough to find Ashley’s letter, you cannot ignore the other letters,” Li Yili spread her hands, enjoying Dante’s distress with a look of pleasure.

"Damn it—" Dante cried out in anguish, clutching his head.

It's one thing for the young ladies to be more interested in him, but he's very confident in his own feelings and integrity. No matter what sweet talk they give him, he'll say no. But what he's afraid of is those young ladies talking badly about him to Ashley all the time. He's not worried about a day or two of slander, but he's really afraid that those young ladies will talk about him every day and then take action.

To be honest, his own background is really not strong enough to withstand slander.

“By the way, after replying to the letter, let’s continue our discussion about ruling the Jurassic Circle,” Li Yili said with a smile, continuing to put mental pressure on Dante.

Sure enough, Dante's face contorted at the mention of ruling the Jurassic Circle.

"Can't we just not bring this up?"

“Mr. Dante, I must remind you, this is not my business, but yours. Your dear father has obtained a weapon more powerful than firearms and is eager to start a revolution,” Li Yili said, brandishing a short knife at Dante. “Once your father feels he has this power, they will immediately start shooting the Chalk Circle. Once they do, fate will have chosen you.”

Dante fell silent.

“You are lucky. Now you have the opportunity to choose your own destiny,” Li Yili said, placing the dagger on the pile of letters. “You just don’t have enough time, not that you can’t do anything.”

Annie, sitting in her wheelchair, frowned slightly.

She didn't understand why Li Yili was in such a hurry for Dante to make a choice.

From her own perspective, if the Jurassic Circle gangs really obtained the legacy of the ancient gods who supposedly unleashed true power and intended to continue the revolutionary war that they hadn't been able to wage back then, then the situation would be truly terrible. She wanted to change things, but she didn't want destruction. If the Jurassic Circle mob society were to spread throughout the entire wasteland, then the wasteland would truly be doomed. But no matter how terrible things were, she wouldn't place her hopes on Dante.

The outbreak of a war is never caused by one person alone.

The single shot was merely the fuse; what truly ignited the war was the accumulated contradictions. The conflict between the Jurassic Circle and the Wasteland had reached a point where it was not surprising at all that war had broken out. Even if Dante were a prestigious second-generation heir, sitting in the position of the Godfather would only choose to start a war.

Dante was probably aware of this problem, so even though it would destroy his relationship, he didn't take any positive action.

After much hesitation, Anne felt she needed to say something to ease the increasingly tense atmosphere.

"Mr. Yellow Raincoat, I think..."

“Perhaps you’re right,” Dante sighed before Anne could finish, waving the letter in his hand at Li Yili, “but at least wait until I’ve settled my affairs. This matter, if it gets complicated, can really kill people.”

“Hehe—then let me ask you how you plan to proceed,” Li Yili said, tilting her chin up and walking around to the other side of Dante with interest.

"How to do it... of course, I'll go have a chat with my dear daddy," Dante glared at Li Yili with annoyance, pulled out a new sheet of paper, and frowned as he looked at the letter in his hand, which he didn't know was from some young lady, and began to think about how to reply.

“呜哇——总感觉你会被揍一顿直接丢出去，”李依理探了探头，“对了，我建议的你写信的时候多提提艾什莉，这样就算没有猜到哪一封是艾什莉的信，也能够刷艾什莉的好感，顺便还能够让其他无聊的大小姐们意识到你对艾什莉爱意。”

“我才不会被揍一顿，最多也就被痛骂一顿而已，”但丁不爽的回怼一句后盯着信纸嘟囔起来，“让其他无聊的大小姐意识到我对艾什莉的爱没有别人插足的余地这个道理我倒是懂，但艾什莉小姐真的会开心吗？我每一封信都提艾什莉小姐岂不是在告诉她我认不出她的信？”

“But apart from that, in every reply you wrote, you expressed your love for Ashley,” Li Yili said, holding up a finger and waving it from side to side. “The young ladies will definitely bring up the replies at the tea party and discuss them. And what they will discuss is only your confession to Ashley. Ashley will definitely be sad because you didn’t find her reply, but she will also be overjoyed because of your straightforward declaration of love, right, Miss Anne?”

Anne blinked, crossed her arms and thought for a moment before nodding. "Indeed, what you do behind someone's back is more important than what they say. I prefer this kind of clumsy honesty. I'm sure Ashley will be happy that you rejected all of the young lady's curious questions, even though she's frustrated."

Anne paused for a moment and then sighed.

"At the tea parties that will follow, your beloved Miss Ashley will be the talk of the town, and every young lady will envy her."

“Really? That’s great. All that’s left is to stop the mob from trampling on their free gardens,” Dante said, scratching the back of his head.

Li Yili was somewhat surprised, "Are you getting serious?"

“You’re absolutely right. Rather than being chosen by fate, you should choose your own destiny,” Dante rolled his eyes. “So now you can give me some advice.”

"Hehe—" Li Yili became interested, "I'm getting excited now that you say that."

Chapter 83 Even when oppressed by life

"Isn't this the lackey of that brat named Carly?"

Sherry and the others, who were carrying boxes, froze and turned to see a group of homeless people led by Ryan walking brazenly toward them.

Ryan glanced at Shirley and the others. They were still wearing tattered clothes, but they were very clean, and their hair was also quite well-groomed, unlike normal homeless people who were covered in grease stains and occasionally had small pets showing off their presence.

Ryan looked around, his gaze finally settling on the elderly couple watching them nervously from a distance. A slight smile played on his lips as he reached out to knock the box from Sherry's hand.

"What are you doing—"

Sitch and Lorne put down the box and, using their shoulders, shoved Ryan's right hand away, glaring fiercely at him.

“I would like to ask you what you are doing? This is a critical time for us homeless people to unite against the bullying of the Triassic Circle. As our guide, Carly’s companions, how can you bow down to the residents of the Triassic Circle who always bully us homeless people? This is a very bad betrayal.”

Ryan drew out his words, and his underlings behind him joined in the jeering.

Shirley's face darkened as she turned to look at the elderly couple not far away. She was about to explain, but the fearful expression on their faces made her heart sink.

"Stop calling me 'you guys'! Are we that close? Don't forget what you bastard did to the rest of us to steal those sewer pipes," Lorne said, putting the box aside and yelling at Ryan, who was much stronger than him. "Bullying? Don't you guys have any idea what kind of mess you've been making lately? You're just a bunch of thieves in the guise of the weak!"

Ryan's eye twitched violently. If it were any other time, he would have already turned on Lorne and taken him down with his weapons. But not now. The relationship between Lorne and Carly was one thing, but more importantly, they, the homeless, were a vulnerable group. One of the signs of a vulnerable group is unity. They could attack the residents of the Triassic Circle because they were fighting under the banner of resistance.

But the fights between these homeless people are just simple fights, and the masks of weakness worn by these perpetrators will be ruthlessly ripped off.

The peeling off.

"What are you talking about? I remember your name is Lorne, right? Everything before was a misunderstanding. We had no choice about taking over the sewers. We wouldn't have done it if we hadn't been so oppressed that we couldn't live anymore."

Ryan suppressed his anger, forced a friendly smile, and reached out to hook his arm around Lorne's shoulder, but Lorne easily dodged it before he could even touch him.

"Really? I see you're enjoying it," Lorne glanced at Lorne from head to toe, then scoffed with a look of disgust.

Sitch noticed that Ryan seemed to be hesitant about something, so he walked over to Lorne with the box in his arms. "If there's nothing else, you can leave now. We're busy and have work to do."

Ryan took a deep breath and forced out a single word, suppressing his anger. He then turned and left with his other underlings. He had originally planned to use Sherry and Carly's companions to get close to Carly and thus enter the sights of those noble lords, hoping to obtain donations from the Cretaceous and Jurassic Circles. However, Sherry and the others' attitudes were what they were.

Let alone connecting the wires, it might even cause him trouble.

Ryan turned his head and looked at the elderly couple who seemed to have relaxed a bit since they left, but before he could scare them with his eyes, Lorne and Sitch blocked his view.

"What are you looking at! Are you planning to take revenge in secret? Have you no shame?!"

"I'm telling you! We're right here! If you've got the guts, kill us all and let everyone see the true colors of you weaklings!"

Ryan's lips twitched violently, he snorted coldly, turned his head, and left somewhat disheveled with his underlings.

Lorne and Sitch stuck out their tongues, raised their heads with a smug look, and turned to tell Sherry and the old couple the good news. But the old couple's fearful expression overshadowed their joy, and they were at a loss.

Shirley sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead, and bowed slightly to the elderly couple whose faces were filled with fear.

"You've all seen the situation in San Die Quan. Those people from earlier weren't exactly friendly. They might sneak over tonight and smash up your shop."

“But they don’t want to get into a conflict with us, so as long as we’re still here, they won’t come back to attack you.”

Lorne and Sitch nodded vigorously, but their nods only made the old couple more frightened.

“I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to blackmail you. We won’t ask you to pay us protection money,” Shirley glared at Lorne and Sitch, who seemed oblivious to the tension.

"Okay, we don't need the wages. You're being targeted because of us. We just hope that if you have any leftover food, you can share some with us. We'll wait until the fog gets thicker before we leave tonight."

Lorne and Sitch stared wide-eyed. Lorne instinctively wanted to refuse, but Sitch immediately grabbed him.

“That’s the only way,” Sitch shook his head at Lorne.

Lorne glanced at Sitch and Sherry, then at the elderly couple. After a moment of silence, he scratched the back of his head, chuckled, and held up a finger. "Um, if I work hard, could you spare me some meat?"

The elderly couple exchanged a glance and then sighed deeply. The woman shook her head, turned around, and went into the shop, causing Shirley and the others to feel a chill in their hearts.

“The food processing plant burned down, and now food is in short supply in San Die Quan. Every household is hoarding food, not to mention the entrepreneurs. They not only want to be full, but they also want to eat well,” the old man sighed deeply with his hands behind his back.

Lorne's right hand, which had been clutching the back of his head, drooped down, and the fingers of his raised left hand gradually bent down as well.

Sitch remained silent, and Sherry sighed helplessly, "We understand, but we'll keep an eye on things around here for the next few days. Of course, we absolutely won't disturb your lives. Those guys are real bastards and very petty."

"Um...is bread okay?"

Just as Shirley bent down again, preparing to leave with Lorne and Sitch, the old woman squeezed out carrying a basket full of bread.

“We’re not that stingy,” the old man waved his hand. “You’re different from them. Your clothes and hair are clean and well-groomed. Have something to eat. You need to be full to have the energy to make a living. If you don’t mind, you can stay at our shop tonight.”

Lorne and Sitch stared wide-eyed, raised their hands above their heads and cheered, while Sherry let out a long sigh of relief, wiped her eyes and bowed to the elderly couple.

"Thank you."

Chapter 84 The Benefactor

In the not-so-spacious inn, Dante put down his pen, stretched, and the relief from his tense muscles made him hum in response.

After relaxing his body, Dante began to examine the results of his efforts. The more he examined them, the more satisfied he became with his writing. Finally, he couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead, "I really am a sinful man."

“Mr. Dante, I don’t mean to discourage you, but your writing is terrible,” Li Yili said, shaking the letter in her hand. “You’re like a bumpkin who thinks crab is the best thing in the world after eating it, and rejects all other seafood.”

Anne paused, picked up Dante's reply, glanced at it, and suddenly realized what was going on, casting a subtle look at Dante.

Dante's face flushed red instantly, and he abruptly stood up. He wanted to protest loudly, but standing up...

After pausing for a while, he slunk back down, picked up the letter in his hand, and stared intently at the words on it, as if there were a trap in the letter that would kill him.

After a long while, Dante's head drooped down onto the pile of letters, and his whole body turned ashen.

“But you don’t need to worry that your beloved Miss Ashley will see through anything,” Li Yili saw through Dante’s thoughts and patted Dante’s shoulder. “Your beloved Miss Ashley didn’t sign her name, which means she knows about the other young ladies’ actions and is involved in them. Miss Ashley will definitely be able to see through your ‘concealing your talents’ move.”

Dante's lips twitched.

But he didn't hold back; he even seemed to have used up all the literary talent he had accumulated in his life.

"I...I did it on purpose!"

Dante had shown his last bit of stubbornness, but Li Yili didn't try to discourage him further. Instead, she pulled up a chair, crossed her fingers in front of her, and said, "Then we should discuss serious matters. To be honest, I don't expect you to be able to control the entire Jurassic Circle. That's unrealistic. The key point now is how to prevent the Jurassic Circle from starting a war."

“You know this isn’t realistic,” Dante muttered, crossing his arms and frowning. “I don’t know either. I have no direction. You’ve all seen the situation in the Jurassic Circle. It’s a criminal society built by gangs. In the eyes of the wasteland, the Jurassic Circle is a cancer. If we can’t get rid of it, we can only watch this criminal society grow stronger.”

"Given the opportunity, the Wasteland royal family would definitely choose to purge the criminal society of the Jurassic Circle, and the Jurassic Circle gangs are well aware of this. However, for some reason, the Cult of Steam and Steel has been maintaining an ambiguous stance between the Jurassic Circle and the capital, Millennium, to the point that both the Wasteland royal family and the Jurassic Circle gangs are wary of each other."

Anne frowned for a moment, then nodded after thinking for a while. "Indeed, the Wasteland Royal Family values ​​its class system highly. Classes like the Jurassic Circle that do not obey the Wasteland Royal Family, and even criminal societies that once challenged their absolute class status, are simply thorns in their side."

"Because they know that the people of the Jurassic Circle will revolt if they get weapons, the Wasteland Royal Family tries every means to prevent the people of the Jurassic Circle from obtaining the legacy of the ancient gods in order to maintain their rule. The Jurassic Circle, in turn, tries every means to obtain the legacy of the ancient gods."

"But one or two ancient gods' legacies are not enough. To win the war, we need a continuous stream of ancient gods' legacies, and it would be best to have the help of those favored by the gods."

Anne paused, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"But in theory, this is impossible. There are no temples in the wasteland that can be used to excavate the relics of the ancient gods. Even the wasteland royal family obtains the relics of the ancient gods through foreign trade. The Jurassic Circle, which is sandwiched between the Cretaceous Circle and the Triassic Circle, has no chance to come into contact with foreign trade."

“But now they’re preparing for war with great enthusiasm,” Dante scratched the back of his head. “Well, I can tell that not just the Godfather, but the entire Mafia is serious. They must have received funding and have confirmed that the supply of the legacy of the ancient gods that has unleashed true power is very stable.”

“The problem and the solution lie here,” Li Yili said, crossing her legs and waving her right index finger from side to side. “As long as the supply is unstable, war will not break out. After all, the reason why the Jurassic Circle gangs start wars is not because they can’t survive, but because they want more. They don’t want to risk everything they have.”

"Ha—so you mean we need to investigate their backers?" Dante crossed his arms, nodded thoughtfully, and then glanced at Li Yili with some surprise. "You're providing some reasonable ideas, aren't you?"

Li Yili shrugged.

He can do more than just provide ideas; he can even expose the identities of the Mafia's backers—he might even be one of them.

“Speaking of which…” Anne rested her chin on her hand, raising her eyebrows slightly, “Mr. Yellow Raincoat, you seem to know a lot about the legacy of these ancient gods that unleashed true power, and even… call yourself a professional?”