Our Family Has Fallen

No matter how those people act, they cannot affect the operation of Hamlet.

The port and docks are still bustling with activity, as boxes and bags of cargo are laboriously transported by dockworkers from ships into warehouses.

Although it’s grueling physical work, smiles often appear on the sweaty faces of those hardworking dockworkers.

Their ability to smile is simple; previously, they earned at most two or three coins a day, still having to pay protection fees to those gangs, or suffering under the exploitation of shipowners, because manpower was cheap, and laborers could be found everywhere.

Now, with hard work they can even earn up to five copper coins a day, which allows them to support their families and send their children to school to learn to read.

And the single men can spend time in taverns or even go to learn, as Hamlet provides adult education.

A large number of these people are not yet considered Hamlet’s People; they must register here, have a legal income for three years, pay taxes normally, and not have a criminal record.

Of course, they can also choose not to stay here, but go to farms or new towns, where they can become citizens of Hamlet after just a year of labor.

More importantly, they see hope in Hamlet.

Because here there is no extortion from gangs, a job pays what it pays, and anyone caught skimming off the top will be dealt with by the Lord’s people.

This doesn’t refer to the management of Hamlet, but the shipowners, who would often try to underpay under various excuses.

Excuses like things being damaged, missing items, not done on time, and so on... essentially squeezing more sweat and blood from laborers.

But this tactic doesn’t work in Hamlet, because every ship’s cargo must first be checked and registered by an accompanying administrator, and any issues can’t just be claimed by the shipowner; they require third-party investigation and certification.

If anything is genuinely damaged or missing, the compensation amount is agreed upon, and if not, the shipowner, wasting public resources and disturbing dock order, will have to compensate.

Initially, some shipowners tried this, but were caught and also found to be smuggling.

At this point, it wasn’t just a matter of paying a little money; police came and seized the goods, and the offenders had to face hefty fines, as Hamlet is not their turf.

Without a doubt, Hamlet protected the legitimate rights of these laborers; when you stand united with them, they will also show their worth.

Therefore, nothing that happens on the docks escapes supervision, from petty theft to large-scale smuggling.

Anyone causing trouble will quickly be exposed; never underestimate those dockworkers, who’ve been around the docks for years and know everything that goes on. So, don’t challenge others’ expertise.

When those people made their decision, the news quickly reached the upper echelon of Hamlet.

"Did they finally relent? I thought it would take another night."

"Accounting for all this, they’ll lose at least thirty percent; I don’t know what they were thinking. If they had sold to us earlier, none of this would have happened."

"Because they guessed Hamlet’s demand for supplies was high, trying to push us to keep them so they could raise prices.

But now we ignore them, and with more and more cargo ships coming to the docks, they naturally become anxious, as holding cargo for a day incurs significant losses."

Tiffany, off to the side, complained somewhat speechlessly; she had never seen business conducted in this way.

Yesterday, they had angrily claimed they would unite to not sell, said they would return to Totnes, yet not only did they not leave after a whole night, they dragged on for an entire day.

This behavior was just like directly slashing their own throat, pointing to the blood that won’t stop flowing, and saying, "See how ruthless I am."

It’s simply abstract...

Compared to Tiffany’s thoughts as a typical bureaucrat, Grendel, also in the office, said nothing more.

Within Hamlet, military and political affairs are separate; Tiffany and the others are unaware of some military maneuvers and have no clue what happened last night, nor know what the mercenary-filled ship intended.

They tend to evaluate those actions based on commercial behavior and profit relations.

Did they notice the mercenaries disembarked from the ship?

Noticing doesn’t help; there’s a plethora of explanations for it, and it’s not their responsibility.

Because of Baldwin, Grendel withdrew from administrative duties, and theoretically, she shouldn’t be here now.

But the fact is, she has been paying attention to Hamlet’s matters today, though her presence is not to express any opinion or influence their decisions.

Instead, as an observer, she gathers information to relay Hamlet’s situation to Lance via the [Messenger].

This means she’s one of the few who knows what’s happening in both military and political circles in Hamlet, as she is the Lord’s shadow.

After roughly understanding the situation, Grendel did not stay longer and quickly left; the specifics of those transactions were not under her purview, and her task was to report.

Lance specifically instructed those guys at the docks emphatically before leaving, and now it’s finally resolved.

Stepping outside and watching the gradually setting sun, a bit of worry settled in her heart.

She took out the Messenger to call, and the magical force connected their consciousness once more.