Our Family Has Fallen

It’s a pity there’s nothing left after that, but I have to thank the evil cult cardinal for calling them all here at his dying moment, otherwise searching each room would have been quite troublesome.

"Come, wash your hands and have some water first." Lance took out a kettle and handed it over, having already prepared supplies before arriving.

Why is fighting essentially about logistics? Because combat takes a heavy toll on the body and mind, necessitating rest and replenishment.

Your backpack doesn’t need to carry Gold Coins, but it must carry food and water.

The group briefly cleaned the blood off their bodies; actually, only Boudica was the most exaggerated, while the others just had a little stained.

Washing hands before eating was one of Hamlet’s peculiar rules, then he brought out some bread wrapped in wax paper, filled with cheese and meat slices.

These were all hardened people who had fought among piles of corpses, so skipping a meal was out of the question.

Boudica was genuinely hungry, grabbing and eating with big bites. For her, life was all about fighting, eating, drinking, and sleeping.

Sometimes, people overthink things; she’s living a carefree life, that even made Lance a bit envious.

Typically, one shouldn’t eat too much during a mission—only around forty to fifty percent of one’s fill—otherwise, it would affect one’s condition. Otherwise, Boudica could eat four or five of those loaves at once.

But cravings can’t be denied, and just as the others hadn’t finished eating, she went searching again.

"Hey boss, any alcohol?"

"No, get lost." Lance gave her a glance full of resignation, completely unmoved.

Drinking is strictly prohibited during mission time, a rule set by the Lord. He didn’t want to stress it again after any problems occurred; setting the rule from the start is the most straightforward way to avoid them.

That being said, Lance still tossed a sugar wrapped in wax paper her way.

"Hehe!" Boudica was not polite at all, instantly taking it to eat.

Lance passed some to the other two as well. Amanda naturally accepted it, but Audrey seemed a bit reverent, apparently finally understanding what respect meant.

Upon unwrapping it, there was an amber-colored crystal. Seeing the others eat it, she put it in her mouth.

The rich sweetness immediately spread in her mouth, saliva uncontrollably secreted, and her body craved this more direct and rapid replenishment method.

Perhaps compared to the bitter and pungent absinthe, this sugar suited her more...

Boudica devoured it like Pigsy eating ginseng fruits, and in a few moments, it was gone.

Seeing the others, she went up to Lance again.

"Boss..."

"Be careful with your teeth; they’ll rot entirely." Lance, seeing Boudica coming over, knew what she wanted. He flicked the greedy eater, but still gave her his portion.

Boudica, thick-skinned, wasn’t afraid of Lance hitting her, taking the sugar despite it.

Lance didn’t mind; truth be told, he hadn’t even warmed up, let alone expend any energy.

However, he did prioritize these supplies. There was no sugarcane, no beets, honey yields were unstable and took too long, and more importantly, they weren’t solid at room temperature, making them hard to carry.

Fortunately, Hamlet is a grain-producing region, full of wheat and barley, so they could make malt sugar even when black bread was scarce elsewhere, with byproducts used as feed without any waste.

Sugar quickly replenishes rapidly depleted energy, and sweet taste can sooth tense nerves, but it’s too low in yield and high in cost.

Hence, this stuff isn’t for sale, instead used in the military, replacing pills with sugar is better.

Boudica’s fast eating also had its benefits; she found time to hone her axe blade.

With hackings on armor and bone, successive battles left it with many chips, yet after honing, those become like serrations, likely leading to festering wounds.

After some simple rest and adjustments, the team recovered from the string of battles.

The first floor was cleared, so they went up the stairs to the second floor.

Unlike the first floor’s kitchen-turned-Alchemy Room, or the rooms filled with materials, antiques, clutter, and junk,

the second floor’s rooms were more intact, with signs of life—someone seemed to have lived here—and they appeared slightly better than the first floor, likely where the middle-tier folks stayed.

Still, these were all history; maybe these antiques haven’t been touched in years. Do those evil cultists know a dust-covered badge, sculpture, portrait, or even a tapestry may be of immense value?

Audrey was indeed a professional, able to find hidden treasures in the rooms: Gold Coins, gemstones, even some jewelry, significant in value.

She even found loose gemstones in the corridor’s torch brackets; who knows what might have happened back then for things to be placed there.

Lance suspected the Tomb Robber’s Transcendent Ritual had given her an exceptional treasure-hunting trait, but he didn’t delve too deep.

Her value is showing by being brought here, but for Lance, information recording carriers held more worth.

Scattered scrolls and slips in those rooms can’t be reviewed in detail now, better to gather them first.

"This is the study!"

Lance quickly found his real target—what’s most valuable in this old house—many of the ancestor-collected mysterious books over the years.

It was clear those evil cultists weren’t interested in these, judging by how long it seemed since anyone had gone in there.

With sealed doors and windows, surrounded by cobwebs—some wooden bookshelves had even collapsed, books scattered everywhere, making Lance’s heart ache.

Regardless of content, knowledge was too precious for this era, to be treated carelessly...

The only good news is that because it’s been shut for years and the study itself was built with storage conditions in mind, it maintained a relatively stable environment, sparing these books from sea wind corrosion’s fate.

Lance swept up the books like an inventory check back to the display room while others checked the surroundings.

Most were ordinary books, yet soon enough Lance sensed spiritual essence fluctuations among them—some books containing Supernatural Power were stored here.

This discovery thrilled Lance, a family whose lineage spanned who knows how many years, this was a real foundation.

Alas... our family has fallen...

The study was emptied quickly by Lance; he knew the Alchemy Room and study’s findings justified the effort but the exploration had to continue; completing the manor’s cleaning was just the first step.

The second floor was scoured quickly; the evil cultists had indeed left everything they had here, no more of those annoying fellows along the way.

The third floor was far more chaotic than the second, with some rooms filled with signs of desecration, strange blood-red graffiti, Ascension Sect’s emblems.

Among them were bizarre human skeleton configurations and tanned leather scrolls of an unclear origin.

On the third floor, Lance’s team also found a specially cleared space. From the traces left, perhaps these guys hosted a developer conference here with the Choir.

Nonetheless, ordinary members likely couldn’t join; the third floor was for the likes of Head Clerks and Cardinals of a higher rank, meaning hierarchies were clearly defined already.

Sect of Ascension, a cult hoodwinking with Ascension as its core, still had such a clear hierarchy.

I’ve ascended, for fuck’s sake, why is someone still above me? Didn’t I ascend for nothing?

You’re not called to the developer conference, but called to face the sword.

Do you still believe they’ll let you ascend? Better trust the idea of ’early flyers bringing along the late ones.’

Yet none of this has much to do with Lance and his team; instead, they found many Sect of Ascension management documents. The words on human skin scrolls would clarify the internal situation for him.

The exploration must continue...