Our Family Has Fallen

But the later parts that Audrey wrote didn’t have much hardcore content; it was mostly a record of her gains from tomb-robbing. To put it simply, pure elementary school diary.

The only somewhat useful part is that it can be used as evidence to convict her and see how many times she deserves to be shot. No wonder she didn’t dare carry it on her.

"How are there still people who like keeping a diary?"

Lance was a bit speechless; these later entries ruined his collector’s itch. A perfectly good "Three Years Tomb-Robbing, Five Years Buried" got dragged down in quality by the added back half.

Since things had come to this, Lance didn’t say anything more; he could only shove the stuff into his pocket, not wasting even the food and wine.

If he didn’t eat it, he could sell it to those adventurers.

Hamlet didn’t have a single copper coin; even one grain of wheat was extra. Thrift and frugality are fine virtues...

When he returned to town, there was a disturbance from the Void. Wang Cai’s almost-fully-corporeal body surfaced, walking under the moon in a smooth, harmonious way, carrying an indescribable elegance.

"The moonlight’s really nice tonight, just right for visiting a guest." Lance had a faint, hard-to-read smile on his face as he casually walked forward.

Lance took Laura’s warning very seriously, especially when he was about to make a move; he couldn’t allow any accidents.

He just let Wang Cai act directly. Nothing could escape a Void Hound’s hunt; every move a Transcendent made stirred their Spiritual Essence, let alone Spellcasters.

Very soon Lance’s figure appeared at that inn. He had just raised his hand to knock when the door opened on its own.

Lance had no fear at all; he simply pushed the door open and walked in, seeing an elderly man with white hair and beard sitting to the side, as if he’d been waiting for a long time.

He wore a simple Magical Robe and held a long staff in his hand. It didn’t look particularly ornate, but the faint aura it gave off was enough to prove he was a powerful Spellcaster.

"I am Alviss. I’ve always wanted to have a face-to-face talk with the Lord, but never had the chance. I didn’t expect it to be under such circumstances; pardon the impropriety."

The old man’s face was kind, his speech appropriate, and his deep voice carried a sense of historical weight.

But this set-piece routine was useless on Lance. He talked on his own while walking over to sit opposite him.

"Wandering Mage Alviss, one of the few Legendary archmages within the Empire who don’t belong to any fixed faction.

There are rumors you’re the one who controls Totnes Rat Street. So instead of staying in Totnes, why’d you come here to stir up trouble?"

For any Transcendent, especially a Spellcaster, talent is the starting point of everything, but growth is inseparable from resources.

They call him a free agent, but in reality he still has a power base; it’s just that his "faction" is those free agents.

Because of its booming commercial environment, Totnes is the most lenient place in the Empire toward Transcendents. It has gathered most of the Empire’s free agents, and that’s exactly why Rat Street came into being—this is their easiest channel to access Supernatural Power.

Amanda had mentioned Rat Street and the situation behind it when discussing "academic" topics with him.

The one who created Rat Street is this Alviss. Anyway, he’s extremely low-key and mysterious, doesn’t get involved in various matters, and almost no one has seen him make a move—of course, it’s also possible that everyone who has seen it is already dead.

Only intelligence-focused groups like the Romu Organization might have a bit of information, maybe because they also have a Legendary Caster, so there are some connections between them.

Anyway, a big shot like this coming all the way to Hamlet definitely has a reason.

"I came for the sake of the broad masses of ordinary Transcendents. When it comes to Transcendent affairs, Lord, perhaps your words might..."

"That’s enough. You think I’m an idiot, saying that kind of crap to me? Who doesn’t know Totnes had Heretics appear, and you ran out to lie low?"

Lance cut him off, sounding slightly impatient. This wasn’t about politeness; it was about Alviss treating him like he knew nothing.

Don’t forget, Rom Sela is in Totnes. Lance maintained that channel using Ascension Potions while also receiving intelligence Sela handled.

The detailed reports might cost extra, but the briefings still showed up on his desk once a month, letting him know what was happening outside Hamlet.

Totnes was indeed relatively lenient, but the Church’s power still existed. If nothing happened, fine; once something did, those free agents were guaranteed to take the fall and get hammered.

And just recently, a major case had broken out in Totnes: a runaway monster, a twisted Heretic, appeared in the rich district.

The collateral damage was pretty big; several parties had to act together to suppress the monster. The Mendicant Monks and Candlelight Priests very likely went through that battle.

Totnes lives on commerce; you make that big a scene in the rich district, and the higher-ups have to make a show of it even if they don’t want to. The Transcendents from the major powers are definitely Teflon—they don’t take the blame—so only those free agents end up getting smashed.

According to the intel, Totnes Rat Street was shut down, and countless free agents were directly turned into targets of the crackdown.

The fact that Sela could still operate in Totnes shows it was more thunder than rain. You’re a Legendary Caster, and one with extremely high prestige among free agents— even the Church has to give you some face.

But when things blew up, you, Alviss, ran the fastest. You didn’t lift a finger to help control the Heretic, nor did you try to fight for Sanctuary for those small-timers.

And now you want to represent those free agents? Did you never ask yourself whether you have that qualification? Putting on this "pleading for the common folk" act in front of me is fucking disgusting.

"Besides, you never planned to meet me at all. You were spying and got caught, and only then were forced to put on this act.

You came to Hamlet maybe because you heard some rumor, maybe for the ruins; either way, it’s definitely not for these Transcendents."

Lance kept ripping off his hypocritical mask without the slightest mercy.

You’re not supposed to hit someone in the face, and however you look at it, he’s still a Legendary Caster—how is he supposed to swallow this? He immediately barked in a low, heavy voice.

"I was speaking to you in good faith; why must you humiliate me? Do you really think I’m easy to bully!"

But even that barely got a reaction out of Lance. His gaze just lifted slightly; after a brief glance, he carelessly tossed out a line.

"Then I’ll kill you."

Lance didn’t let a shred of aura leak out. The casual way he said it was like someone asking, "You eaten yet?" and him answering, "Yeah," just that simple.

That made Alviss feel like he’d thrown a punch into cotton; for a moment he didn’t even know what to say.

Fighting was out of the question. If he really had that much confidence, he wouldn’t be sitting here.

But the tough words he’d just thrown out had boxed him in, leaving him in a somewhat awkward, "tiger-riding" situation.

Alviss was still a Legendary powerhouse. Even if the records showed he rarely fought, at this level everyone usually gave each other some face.

The jianghu isn’t all about killing and fighting; the jianghu is about human relationships and social rules.

So what if you’ve guessed everything? I’ve already given you plenty of face, lowered myself, and tried to talk nicely. Would it kill you to make one more friend?

Who opens by tearing the mask off and giving no face at all like you did? Totally refusing to play by the usual rules.

Alviss hesitated for a bit, but then suddenly seemed to realize something.

Something’s wrong. How could my mindset get so impulsive?

As a Spellcaster, he’d actually forgotten the most fundamental skill. He quickly adjusted his state of mind and faced Lance anew.

Alviss had been in Hamlet for a while and had learned a lot. He knew he hadn’t done anything, and aside from that one witness, he’d left no traces; even that witness couldn’t prove much.

So he had no excuse to make a move. The Lord was deliberately provoking him; only if he attacked first could the Lord strike back, and then he’d be stepping right into the Lord’s trap.

Thinking this, Alviss lifted his hand to smooth his long beard, a faint smile on his face.

"I came through official channels, with all paperwork in order. I’ve neither broken any laws nor violated any rules. Then why is the Lord here?"

"I came to kill you."

Lance’s attitude remained calm, his tone flat, yet it inexplicably stirred up an uncontrollable irritation.

"Taking a man’s life without evidence—Lord, aren’t you afraid that people will find out you’re breaking the rules you set yourself?"

"If I kill you, then no one will know."