Our Family Has Fallen

Black Jack plundered Hamlet, then sold it cheaply to Totnes, such a traitor, the ancestor getting rid of him was indeed a good thing.

So, even Totnes was involved...

Lance had a playful expression, adding Totnes to his list, planning to settle accounts with them once the ancestor was dealt with.

It’s all because of these bastards that I can’t just lie down and enjoy; this is a deep-seated vendetta!

But now is not the time, Lance didn’t mind playing along with them for a while longer.

"Does Black Jack really have treasure?" Lance asked, having lost interest in money long ago; his happiest moment was when he had no money at the start, and the mayor’s gold coins exploded.

But his spirit of exploration remained, for pirate treasure is one of the classic legends of the world.

Then Lance received a shell from Redbeard, which he got from capturing Black Jack’s son years ago.

After years of investigation, it was said another piece was needed to complete the clue, but its whereabouts were unknown.

To this, Lance could only remain silent.

Better than nothing; everything depends on fate.

Such a fleet with ships of various sizes definitely couldn’t just return to the port dock.

Lance set a slight deviation in their course, dragging the ships to a place a bit further up.

Gradually, the fog dissipated, No Light reentered the void, and around them, countless ships were anchored just off this undeveloped coast.

The navy was notified to come and take over, and everyone was sent to the sanatorium, thus concluding tonight’s mysterious operation.

The navy had no idea what happened but could tell that the ships were pirate ships.

These pirates could have sparked an invasion, especially in the nighttime when who knows how many would have died.

But now they stayed quietly here, both ships and people.

Yet when the lord appeared, no one found it strange; they wouldn’t question anything and just did as the lord instructed.

Loyalty!

When Lance returned to the Lord’s Mansion, he found Grendel waiting for him. Indeed, he hadn’t mentioned tonight’s actions, but she seemed to have guessed.

"Are those pirates all taken care of?"

"Yes, those people were colluding with a big pirate called Redbeard, gathering a few ships to attack Hamlet tonight, but now they’re all in the sanatorium."

Lance spoke carelessly, in a tone as if discussing what he had for dinner rather than an encounter with pirates.

In these words, Grendel also realized that Lance didn’t seem to intend to further escalate the matter.

"Since it’s confirmed that they’re responsible, and we’ve captured the key witness, with Redbeard’s accusation, why not just get rid of them?"

"Who would fill the gaps for me if I got rid of them? Who would help us consume those Undead Skeletons, or draw the Ascension Sect’s attention?"

Lance was indifferent, even joking about those people.

"Without a pirate leader, those guys wouldn’t dare make a move; you’ll see how they find excuses to stay tomorrow, looking ridiculous."

"Is it really okay to let them stay? Those merchants have been finding ways to evade regulation for ages, avoiding taxes, and reselling goods for profit, which might disturb prices.

Moreover, the people from the Association of Healers have started moving; they conducted medical activities this morning, even free healthcare.

This is just what we can see; there’s much more we can’t. They haven’t acquired the formal approvals and licenses, completely violating the rules you established."

"Pigs need to be raised to get fat; if you kill the piglets at the start, how would you have fat pigs to eat later?"

Grendel’s thinking was still too straightforward, with a kind of Barbarian Tribes’ innocence.

Lance didn’t mind slowly explaining these to her, just as it was right to brief her about the follow-up situation, so someone could make decisions if something went wrong.

"Why do I need to create a town? Think about what constitutes the town’s main body? Not Hamlet’s People, but those adventurers who came for the relics.

So even if those guys stir up trouble, only the adventurers are affected, having nothing to do with us.

On the contrary, we should let them indulge until the adventurers can’t bear it, use our laws, our rules, to demand us to take action, that’s the proper time for us to intervene."

According to Lance’s understanding of those people, it wouldn’t be long before they engaged in black gambling and prostitution, smuggling contraband, lending at high interest, and other activities.

What can be reaped in the town is only those outsiders, and this cuts deeper than Lance’s scythe, as Lance cherishes his feathers and only dares to cut the surface, while they dare to cut to the root.

What Lance did was simple; he was very clear that those adventurers only followed Hamlet’s rules out of pressure, not genuinely agreeing with them, rather feeling it infringed upon their freedom.

This sentiment didn’t just belong to these people, even some Hamlet’s People had similar thoughts, complying out of loyalty to the lord.

Now, Lance intended the town as his trial ground, using the actions of those chaotic organizations to highlight the harm.

So he aimed to subtly transform these people into Hamlet’s People; Hamlet must become a place of hope.

Wanting to change these people, letting them accept Hamlet’s rules from the heart, using those chaotic organizations to make them feel despair.

And his role was to plant the seed of hope, only by learning to wield the "weapon" Lance left for them can they be truly transformed, as they must first acknowledge these rules to borrow the power.

This enlightenment process was destined to come with a heavy price, and for Lance, the cost didn’t matter; it was part of the plan.

Of course, the wealth accumulated by those unscrupulous merchants would also end up in Lance’s pocket, but he assured that wasn’t the main reason.

Grendel was thoughtful, and regardless of whether she understood, she supported Lance’s decision, focusing more on another matter.

"Is it time to set off?"

Based on past situations, Lance usually arranged things before departing, just like today’s meeting, and now with the pirate threat resolved and the ruins open, there was no reason to hold him back.

"Maybe tomorrow..."

Faced with this question, Lance seemed hesitant, even a bit confused, but soon regained his determination.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled long, then opened his eyes sharply, speaking with undeniable conviction.

"This is my mission, I must stand up!"

He had no retreat, none!

He could only keep moving forward, cutting down everything blocking the way.

Grendel, sensing Lance’s pressure, didn’t say much, just gently embraced him and whispered:

"I want to go with you."

But Lance directly shook his head in denial upon hearing this.

"No, that place has no room for natural growth; only if you stay in Hamlet will I not be distracted here."

"I’m scared..."

"Don’t make it seem like I’m going to my death, without assurance, I wouldn’t possibly take action."

Lance found it somewhat amusing but rarely saw Grendel in this state, so he could only console her.

"I think you need to feel my strength before we have this conversation."

Lance picked up Grendel directly, intending to prove his strength with facts!

A great battle was imminent...

Some are happy, others worried, as time passed all sailors were recalled, and by nightfall, the port dock had fallen into silence.

The flames on the few scattered torches were disfigured by the sea breeze, and apart from the Hamlet patrols, no changes were evident.

Only a few people knew of the plan, but the rest were instructed to remain vigilant, with core members patrolling continuously instilling unease among others.

Those who knew of the impending attack were especially sleepless, caught between struggle and imagination, unable to rest.

Like the calm before the storm, each ship was filled with tension...