Our Family Has Fallen

The old mansion as a whole actually looks like a very complex architectural complex. Apart from the main structure, there are some ancillary buildings surrounding it.

Unfortunately, most of the surrounding buildings have collapsed due to lack of maintenance, leaving only the main structure relatively intact. However, their journey here has revealed that there are still many damaged areas.

In front of them, the path is blocked by collapsed bricks and stones. Lance does not rush to take action but instead observes the surroundings.

"It’s not a new collapse; clearly, it has been some time, maybe even long ago."

Amanda knows what Lance is thinking—it’s nothing but a worry that those evil cultists might have rushed in and caused the collapse.

Lance can naturally see from the traces and adds.

"Precisely because of this, maybe we can find something interesting behind."

This statement implies that the sudden collapse sealed off the path, naturally not giving those cultists a chance to tidy up.

"Those lazy fools can’t be bothered to clear it away; what could there possibly be?" Boudica can’t help but gripe upon hearing this.

Clearly, she doesn’t want to waste time here.

"Our perspective is different from the cultists. Just like they might think those books, antiques, or jewelry have no value, but they are very important to us."

Lance explains slowly, but facing this collapsed passage also leaves him somewhat conflicted.

"But how to get across..."

Audrey steps forward, tapping the surrounding walls with a pickaxe. She then comes to the collapsed site, carefully observing and points out a safer spot.

"Digging from here poses the lowest risk since the two pillars on either side are still stable."

Upon hearing this, Lance nods in surprise. He didn’t expect Audrey to speak up. He almost forgot there’s a professional among them.

This reminds him of the notes; as a tomb robber, Audrey often faces collapse risks, and the first thing to learn is civil engineering structure.

Taking a shovel from the display room, he tosses it to the idle Boudica, "Get to work."

Though Boudica loves eating, she doesn’t talk back when working and begins to dig, employing her brute strength to good use.

Lance picks up his gear and joins in. Audrey, although not called upon, feels awkward just standing there, so she joins in too.

Amanda, despite disdain for Audrey’s sycophancy, doesn’t intend to join the digging since the space is cramped, and adding more people would reduce efficiency.

Another reason is that someone needs to keep watch. They are still in the cult’s base and need to stay vigilant until the threat is completely cleared.

Soon, the collapsed path is cleared. This is just a minor obstacle for Lance’s advance; the team continues to sweep through the third-floor corridor.

Honestly, behind the collapsed area, there isn’t anything particularly noteworthy, similar to previous areas.

Boudica turned out to be right; there’s nothing valuable here.

Nevertheless, only by seeing for oneself can the threat be lifted, or else there would always be a lurking risk.

Quickly, the third floor is cleaned, and the team advances towards the fourth floor without pausing.

Just upon reaching the fourth floor, Amanda perceives something, issuing a warning.

"Something’s not right; it’s the force of a ritual."

As she speaks, she takes out the black Crystal Ball named [Goddess of Fate] to sense the surrounding environment, soon explaining to Lance with a grave expression.

"A large sealing ritual covering the entire floor; I can’t decipher its origin unless we find the core of the ritual setup.

Usually, these rituals are for suppressing or sealing uncontrollable things, which isn’t a good sign here."

"You rest here first; I’ll go ahead to check."

"Boss, I wanna go too!" Boudica fears nothing, eager for a fight.

However, she clearly doesn’t grasp the undertone in Amanda’s words.

Loss of control is not just about those sealed things but also for people.

Rituals used for sealing involve objects capable of causing pollution, much like the Twisted Statue Lance received from the Bald Sorcerer.

Even the Wizard, despite being cautious, suffered backlash and pollution, indicating the significant danger to spellcasters.

Lance is certain he wouldn’t fall prey, but doubt remains whether Boudica’s mind can withstand such pollution, thus bringing her along would require divided attention.

"No, you need to stay and protect them. I’ll return shortly."

Lance gives simple instructions to Amanda, temporarily handing over command. Should anything go wrong, the first line of action is not to save him but to quickly retreat and find someone to bombard the mansion, directly blowing up the pillars with explosives.

Lance’s decision is quite ruthless, not factoring his own life at all.

But it undoubtedly shows his confidence that his power would only be trapped, not killed. As long as the firepower sufficiently disrupts the sealing ritual, he could seize a chance for escape.

Without contemplating victory, he first considers the worst-case scenario; contingency plans must be thorough—this is Lance’s habit.

Amanda, however, doesn’t think much about it and agrees to Lance’s instructions.

Audrey, on the other hand, is puzzled, fearing Lance might send her as cannon fodder to lead the way.

But how did things turn out so strangely?

Isn’t others usually the cannon fodder going ahead? Why is he risking himself?

No one pays attention to her thoughts; Lance proceeds directly, leaving her standing, unsure how to react.