Ethan felt himself submerge into the deep sea once again.
The entire world turned incredibly surreal, he drifted within, yet he no longer saw scenes like the previous conversation between Joan and Fred.
Eventually, he found himself before a string of bizarre and indescribable text.
It was his 'True God's Name', Instigator and Protector of Violence.
The strange text squirmed slowly, its surface had turned completely black, but in its movements, it faintly revealed a mercurial undercolor.
It flowed, suddenly enveloping Ethan, and he felt something inside him being absorbed.
Before he could struggle and resist, he was already awake.
He was still in the car, which was still moving forward.
He was no longer slightly tipsy, out of control.
The only change was that the 'True God's Name' before him had become a lot more full, its color deeper and more unfathomable.
Recalling how he had killed Joan, who carried the power he could control, he somewhat understood.
The 'True God's Name' could absorb that sort of power, and his loss of control was likely due to the power reaped from Joan not yet being transformed.
But that was merely speculation, as he had been in this world for too short a time, knowing too little about Names, Authority, and the mystical powers derived from them.
He could only put it aside for now, as there were other issues to deal with at the moment.
The car, driven by Anya, had quickly left the area where the Beihai Star was located, but instead of leaving the city, it seemed to be heading further in.
"Where are we going now?"
"Virel Tavern."
Anya was now completely devoid of any emotional fluctuation, her eyes fixed ahead like a machine.
Virel Tavern...
Ethan had no concept in his mind since his former self hadn't been involved in the family's business and had little feeling towards Wenster.
"Virel was once Al's sharpest blade, and he was also my teacher." Anya, once again reading Ethan's thoughts, explained, "Virel's loyalty is not to be doubted... Since you're not planning to leave, Young Master, we'll need manpower to start the war."
Instead, Ethan was even more puzzled—wasn't it said that the family's core forces, along with his elder brother Leonardo, were all lost?
"In fact, after aging, Virel has always existed as Al's hidden strength, so that night Leonardo didn't have time to summon him."
Anya turned the wheel, changing the route again, clearly trying to shed possible tails.
She continued, "In the original plan, after sending you away tonight, Young Master, I was going to rendezvous with Virel and then seek revenge for Al together."
Though called revenge, it was actually a suicide mission; without Ethan, Joan wouldn't have stood there foolishly waiting to be shot through the forehead.
Yet the resolution in Anya's words, and the calmness in her narrative, still struck Ethan with an alternative impact.
He said no more.
It was not until the car finally stopped that he spoke, "Now it's good, we can truly avenge my father and the whole family."
"Yes." Anya nodded firmly.
They both got out of the car.
The Virel Tavern had already closed, its sign dim, and the interior was also pitch black.
However, Anya skillfully walked to the back of the tavern and rhythmically knocked on a closed door.
Very soon, a small iron window on the door was pulled open, revealing a man's face full of muscle, who scrutinized Anya before nodding and saying, "You're here, Anya, Virel is waiting for you downstairs."
As he said this, he opened the door, but paused when he saw Ethan following Anya.
"Who is he?"
"Young Master Ethan."
Anya didn't explain further, and directly led Ethan inside. Although the hulking man was puzzled, he did not stop Ethan.
Inside was a not-so-large room with a few men drinking or playing cards under dim lights; they only glanced at Ethan and Anya, not paying much attention.
However, Ethan noticed that these men seemed quite skilled, with obvious marks on their hands from gripping guns.
It wasn't that Ethan's perception had risen to some terrifying level, but anything related to violence made him particularly sensitive.
Virel was not in this room; Anya led Ethan through it, entering a downward passage.
This passage finally led to a huge wine cellar.
As soon as Ethan and Anya stepped into the cellar, they heard a dull roar of gunfire.
"Bang—"
"Bang—"
"Bang—"
Three consecutive shots, very steady, very continuous.
Just by listening to the gunshots, Ethan could already determine that this person was a master marksman, and these shots surely hit the bullseye.
And indeed, this was the case.
Rounding the oak barrels storing the wine, Ethan and Anya saw a large, well-equipped shooting range.
Under dazzling lights, a slightly hunched figure stood holding a gun facing forward, the smoke from the firearm's blast hadn't yet dissipated, and afar on the target, were three rounds hitting vital points—forehead, heart, and liver.
Not a fraction of an error.
"Excellent marksmanship." Ethan clapped lightly, watching as the man turned around.
His age was about the same as Alberto's, but he appeared older, coupled with his hunched posture, there was a somewhat elderly aura about him, yet his gaze, turning back wielding the gun, was sharp as a ferocious hawk.
"Anya, you've come earlier than expected. And this is..." Virel put away the gun, gave Anya a glance, then looked at Ethan, and subsequently said, "Young Master Ethan? Why are you here? Haven't you left yet, Anya!"
He was questioning Anya on why she hadn't sent Ethan away but instead brought him here.
Ethan was Alberto's last offspring, and although he didn't particularly like this rarely-seen young master, he couldn't let Ethan die in Wenster.
"Just about half an hour ago, Young Master Ethan killed Joan, the war has restarted, Virel." Anya answered Virel's question.
"What?!"
Virel thought he heard wrong.
Joan was dead?
Killed by this young man?
He found it totally unbelievable.
As an old-school Mafia member, he had spent his life rolling in the mud, so it went without saying that he had no fondness for this Young Master Ethan who had always studied art in the Royal Capital and was completely uninvolved with the family business.
Indeed, to put it bluntly, he looked down on such a person.
A family is a family, and someone like Young Master Ethan was utterly a coward who betrayed his family.
Now, suddenly, someone was telling him that the Bolita Clan's greatest enemy, Joan, who single-handedly destroyed Bolita, was killed.
Killed by the Ethan, whom he despised.
How could that be?