The thing about I Portatori dei Velluti is that both its triggering incident and its resolution are unrelated coincidences, not something that happens with the specific purpose of affecting the greater plot - the car crash at the start of the story is ultimately just a simple accident, a banal aftereffect of the Fangs' fight and not something that was premeditated, but since Nuova Volsinii was still in a very precarious position slowly trying to force its way out of the swamp that is Siracusa the mere fact that it happened was more than enough to kick-start the entire chain of events that takes place during the event, like hitting the first piece of the domino. And this is relevant to the main argument of the arc, to the way Lappland is testing whether there's a real chance for things to get better or if Nuova Volsinii is just putting on a nice mask while things stay fundamentally the same (just like the mafia is shown to still be able to do the shit they were doing before as long as they learn how to keep themselves clean in the eye of the law, hiding everything under the surface), and in fact not only was a simple car crash enough to almost destroy a year's worth of the people's work towards the future, but the only reason it didn't destroy it was just another coincidence, Antonio being shot in an alley and the sound bringing Eirene back to her senses before the worst could happen and everyone put off their "masks".
But what's neat about it is that this is not just Lappland putting on her joker costume and successfully showing that we live in a society, that there's no difference between humans and wolves and Nuova Volsinii is a doomed project, because you can also say that a single gunshot was enough to stop the fight.
Lavinia, Leontuzzo, the citizens of Nuova Volsinii are all doing their best, but their city is still in the middle of the swamp, still not free from Siracusa's cycle, and as a result just a little push might very well be enough to ruin everything it stands for in just a few days, burying all the hopes of the new generation. But conversely, just a little push can also ensure that the ideals it's founded on can not only survive but also prevail. Is there any other city in Siracusa where that lone gunshot could have stopped such a fight? Where the mafiosi would have held back from shooting even for a moment? Where a don of one of the Dodici Famiglie could be imprisoned by the law? Is it that a fortunate coincidence was the only thing that stopped the worst possible result, or is it that a fortunate coincidence is all it took for things to end well? There's a reason if despite the way the fight was stopped Lappland still recognized that Texas won the bet.
It'd be easy for her to just be a Joker-like villain that gives a little push here and there to make society crumble and prove her point, but what makes her iconic is that both here and il Siracusano she acted to help, because if violence was just the natural state of things for Siracusa and escaping it was impossible, than it would happen regardless of her help. Instead she gives a little push here and there to make things better, testing Nuova Volsinii not because she wants to prove that it's going to fail but to see if it has a chance to swim through the swamp. She was one of its original investors, after all!
By the end of I Portatori dei Velluti, whatever the reason for that is, not only did the Carvenale go mostly as planned, but the city is freed of both the Fangs' game and two powerful Dons. Pretty much one of the most positive conclusions an Arknights' event ever had, not being limited to just putting the basis for societal change but actually producing very concrete results.
She really earned that medal.
