9 years agoAlois and his group rented a car and headed for the designated port.They went unarmed, assuming there would be a body search anyway. Alois also didn’t want to carry weapons and risk making the other party uneasy.　Besides, they were dealing with cornered mafia. If they were handling drugs that could make them money—if it meant they could reign as great mafia bosses once again—they wouldn’t go out of their way to ruin the deal.Alois tried to look at things as optimistically as possible. The Felix Faust situation was enough to keep him pessimistic. The man who would surely come to kill him in the future was not Cheerio Cartabiano, but Felix Faust.As they entered the port, men in work uniforms approached and shone flashlights into the car.“Are you guys from the ‘Federation’?”“Yeah. We’re here for the deal.”“Drive straight to the fourth warehouse. Get out of the car there.”　After saying that, the man in the work uniform guided Alois’s car into the port and began locking

9 Years Ago　There was no need to smuggle weapons.In the “National Union,” you can buy weapons at the supermarket. And you don’t need an ID or anything. If you think, “Oh, come to think of it, I’m out of milk and my magic-powered pistol,” you can just go to the nearest supermarket, easily buy both, and head home.　The “National Union” had faced calls for gun control following a series of mass shootings, but unfortunately—and fortunately—that movement had not borne fruit. Alois and his group had Cheerio easily prepare firearms for them to use in the turf war, and they prepared for battle.Maverick chose a compact, highly portable magical submachine gun. Marie picked up a hunting sniper rifle. Alois was the only one who didn’t carry a weapon. He feared that if he handled a weapon carelessly, it might become evidence against him.What they were about to do was crash a turf war between rival mafia groups. The corrupt cops on each mafia’s payroll would turn a blind eye to the incident. To

9 years ago　The venue for the peace talks designated by Cheerio was a warehouse in the port of Reclia Island.　Normally, meetings of the Five Major Families are held at hotels or similar venues. This served as a showcase of the mafia’s wealth, and more importantly, hotels aren’t places where things can get too rough. It was a safety measure.　But even so, the executives of the Five Major Families had no choice but to comply.　If the feud continued as it was, they would be completely wiped out. If that were the case, they had to do whatever it took to survive, even if it meant swallowing a bitter pill.　The Five Families intended to accept all the conditions set by the Cartabiano Family. In exchange, they intended to secure recognition for the continued existence of their own families. They were agreeing to the meeting for the sake of their families’ survival; that was the bare minimum.　Cheerio had replied in advance that he would agree depending on the outcome of the negotiations, a

The feud over a series of drug deals has come to an end. The Cartabiano Family emerged victorious, and the surviving members of the Five Families joined the Cartabiano Family’s ranks and began dealing drugs. A new drug trafficking network has been established here. The Alois-Cherio Network is complete. The Alois-Victor Network controls the West Coast, while the Alois-Cherio Network controls the East Coast. Drugs flow through these networks, and this new network—operating independently of Heinrich—has become a massive source of income for Alois. Alois believed this would be enough to support an army. The vast quantities of weapons and ammunition consumed by the army, the soldiers’ salaries, and special bonuses for missions—all of it could be paid for. The wealth generated by the Alois-Victor Network and the Alois-Cherio Network exceeded 10 billion ducats per month. Cherio was more professional than Victor. Like Victor, he had bribed police officers, but he had bribed hig

Nine Years Ago　Alois boarded a plane and returned to Freedom City after being told that Cheerio wanted to meet him in person—that there were certain things they couldn’t discuss over the phone.　The city was as bustling as ever, but a quiet poison was seeping into its fabric.　It was Snow Pearl.　The Snow Pearl that has flowed into the East via the Alois-Cheerio Network is being peddled by a drug trafficking network formed by reconstituting the remnants of the Five Families. Cheerio is doing well. He is making full use of the Alois-Cheerio Network, keeping a close watch even on the street-level dealers to prevent their connection from being exposed. No screw-ups. No betrayals.　So far, those two promises have been kept.Alois is escorted by one of Cheerio’s men, who was waiting at the airport, to Cheerio’s new office. Officially, Cheerio runs a trading company. Well, in reality, he’s trading drugs.“This looks like it’s going to be boring.”“Yeah, constant turf wars would be a real