Our Family Has Fallen

The reason Lance reacted so strongly is because there is a uniquely shaped altar placed right in the center of the room.

It’s a strip formed by black metal twisted into tentacle shapes, with a human-head-sized, dark red energy entity embedded in the middle, containing a strange power, and even inside it you can glimpse space cracks.

This thing evoked some unpleasant memories for Lance; he knows what it is, known in the game as the Cripple Walker’s Altar.

Indeed, the Limping Walker is what was summoned back when the evil cult’s Saintess sacrificed herself to the void during their encounter in the Beast Lair.

Similarly, inside the game one could follow the instructions—fire sacrifice is the beginning of destruction; desire the power of the void, then offer fire!

Simply put, using fire to ignite the altar can summon the Limping Walker.

This means the altar is a beacon for the Limping Walker; why is such a dangerous thing placed here?

Lance thought the ancestor was crazy, but didn’t expect him to be this mad—that he dared to keep this thing at home. Isn’t he afraid of waking up at night to find a Limping Walker next to him in bed?

The initial shock quickly dissipated; Lance calmed down and realized something wasn’t quite right.

What am I afraid of, a Limping Walker?

Lance came to his senses, realizing he almost got fooled; he had killed Limping Walker before, though it was almost a fiasco back then. It was Alhazred at a critical moment who made the breakthrough and took it down.

But back then, I was only a champion, whereas now I’ve already advanced to the Legendary rank, supported by Black Armor. Having defeated it before, now, alone, I’m not afraid of it.

With the filter off, Lance realized this wasn’t danger, but opportunity.

The Limping Walker is full of treasures; it might even drop equipment, and even if it only offers Spiritual Essence in welfare, that’s better than other methods.

In that instant, the Cripple Walker’s Altar before Lance’s eyes turned into a treasure, like a hen laying eggs, sparking ideas for assembly-line operations.

Form a specially prepared team, summon and cut down a Limping Walker, eat our fill after the sacrifice, and then continue summoning.

If this method is deemed too inefficient, it doesn’t even require people going up to cut it.

Simply establish a fortress like a duel ground; instead of spectators on high platforms, there would be cannons.

Summon the Limping Walker, then a salvo of cannon fire, and with such firepower coverage, he can’t believe it would survive.

If it doesn’t die, no problem—directly load for a second round, what Void Demons, in the end are nothing but a heap of rotten meat.

Lance only needs to sit and wait till it’s over, with Spiritual Essence flowing into his pocket, then reverse the Bless of Spiritual Essence, raising a powerful army to flatten the world.

To hell with it, just one word—cool!

Earlier, Lance thought the ancestor was crazed; then, what did that make him?

Treating powerful Void Demons like pigs on a farm, even the ancestor didn’t dare think that way.

No, pigs in a farm at least need to be raised; he’s just reaping the void’s growth.

With innocent thoughts in mind, Lance started researching the room’s condition.

Then he discovered things that even shocked him.

This isn’t an isolated altar; it’s arranged within a ritual.

Yes, footprints dispelling dust revealed the complex ritual carved into the ground, with Lance sensing the power contained within and turning to look to the side.

It’s an exquisite cup-like object inlaid with jewels, whose detailed design further reveals opulence, but what concerned Lance most is the power contained within and its resonance with the ritual, which Amanda mentioned as the source of the ritual’s suppression.

Without a doubt, this is a Holy Grail, which, like the [Iron Torch] in Junia’s hands, must have been used by some powerful figure, a holy relic which, despite endless passing time, can still suppress the evil aura of the Cripple Walker’s Altar.

Lance did not randomly move these things, slowly stepping out of the ritual patterns, starting to seek more information from the surroundings.

Sure enough, the ancestor never fails to surprise him; in the corner of the room, he found a large scattered pile of manuscripts, picked them up for a quick look.

Lance realized he still underestimated the ancestor, whose ideas aren’t inferior to his own.

Because this Cripple Walker’s Altar is one of the ancient artifacts he collected, and through researching it, discovered the method of activation.

Originally, due to deepening experimental research, he began to feel disappointed about the power of human flesh, but the unique Void Demon of the Limping Walker inspired him.

So the ancestor managed to harness the power of the altar, even creating a new altar, capturing the Limping Walker and imprisoning it for research.

As to whether he succeeded, couldn’t Lance guess?

The Ascension Sect, with its [Seed] that rapidly turns humans into monsters, and the purple-black eyeballs popping out from deranged cultists, or the tentacles summoned, even the Limping Walker’s own body...

All sorts of phenomena indicate the old man extracted significant research findings from the Limping Walker, though they are bizarre.

However, this also reveals the difference in their thought processes.

Lance was only thinking about harvesting growth, while the ancestor focused on research.

One is a capitalist, the other a researcher; it’s truly embarrassing... Though the ancestor’s experimental results aren’t commendable.

For Lance, it’s a pity there’s a lack of research data on this part; it seems the experiment site isn’t here, this place merely stores the altar prototype.

This ideally should be handled by professionals like Alhazred, but given the current lack of conditions, only Amanda can take a look.