Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Busy_1

”Don’t go too crazy; there are still some problems in town,” Lance cautioned before parting ways with them.

It was normal for them to need some relaxation after the stress of killing, but Lance didn’t have that luxury. There was still a great deal of affairs in town that required his attention, and he truly dared not relax in the slightest.

To begin with, the town wasn’t his alone to command. Through Walter’s words, he learned more about the town’s affairs.

The most powerful entities, the Church and the Mercenary Guild, had already withdrawn, deeming the town worthless after it was extensively damaged and its population decimated.

The second tier consisted of the town mayor’s constabulary and the brothel, along with the farm owners’ farms and Serfs.

He had already subdued these two, and they no longer posed a significant threat.

The remaining factions—the casino, the Ship Boss, and the tavern—were also not to be trifled with.

The casino owner was a former Pirate who employed several local ruffians as enforcers and had unclear ties to other pirates. Provoking him meant facing a group of pirates of unknown strength.

Currently, Lance lacked the capability for naval combat. If the town’s buildings were to be bombarded from the sea with a few cannon shots, they might be utterly destroyed.

The Ship Boss owned ships and operated primarily at the port. If he fled with the remaining vessels, Lance would face serious problems, as the recovery of the fisheries would be delayed.

As for the tavern, its significance stemmed from one person: the owner, a retired mercenary. Such establishments often had ill-defined connections with the Mercenary Guild.

In short, the fact that these three factions survived the bandit invasion spoke volumes about their strength. The previous mayor had managed to keep them stable by conceding profits. This was why Walter was concerned when Lance arrived and immediately asserted his dominance.

However, Lance was well aware that he did not intend to confront them until he was absolutely certain of his position. After all, controlling the most crucial food supply gave him leverage to bide his time.

Once he developed further, there would still be time to settle scores with them.

The more immediate issue was that tomorrow marked the end of the three-day period. If he stopped distributing congee and the living conditions hadn’t substantially improved, those people would undoubtedly cause trouble.

However, Lance didn’t plan to continue this form of relief. Instead, he intended to adopt a work-for-aid system to enable them to survive and to offer them hope.

Firstly, reconstructing the town was an excellent project. He needed a large labor force, and proper urban planning was also essential.

Fortunately, he had played a wide variety of games, including many dealing with construction. Although he couldn’t replicate them exactly, he understood many of the crucial aspects.

Simultaneously, he wanted to seize this opportunity to achieve many things, such as correcting some of the people’s poor living habits and transforming their customs.

To some extent, the bandits’ raid had actually done him a great service. Not only had they eliminated the two major powers—the Church and the Mercenary Guild—but they had also shattered the town’s previously stable yet somewhat insular environment.

Furthermore, the former mayor and the farm owners had helped him consolidate the people’s money and land. This created a situation where it seemed that progress required breaking the old order.

He was too busy, with too many things he wanted to do.

Luckily, with [Bless], he could work almost around the clock without needing sleep. Whenever he felt tired or sleepy, he could spend a little [Tribute] to refresh himself.

He had been working relentlessly day and night, effectively turning two days into four, all to devise rational and effective policies for governing the town.

Just as he was working through the night at his desk, Susan brought him a message.

Someone was causing trouble at the brothel, but Dismas had already brought the situation under control.

Upon hearing this, Lance furrowed his brows. Since he had closed it down, the place served as a temporary shelter for those women and a food distribution point. Why would Dismas go there? And what was the nature of the disturbance?

”Let’s go and take a look.”

When he arrived, nearly everyone in the brothel was awake and observing the commotion.

Two candles were lit in the main hall. On the floor nearby lay three men, bound hand and foot, still shouting defiantly at Dismas, who stood to the side.

”Do you know who we are? You’re asking for trouble, you know that?”

”Then do you know who I am?!”

Lance, wearing a coat with one hand on the pistol at his waist, entered emanating a murderous aura. His mere glance silenced the previously noisy hall.

”My Lord,” Dismas quickly got up and came before Lance.

Lance glanced at him coolly. ”What are you doing here?”

”This... I...” Dismas, who was somewhat proud just a moment ago, suddenly looked awkward. What else could bring him here?

”We’ll discuss your matter later. What’s going on with these men?”

Regardless, Dismas was one of his own men, and Lance didn’t intend to rebuke him publicly, so he turned the conversation back to these people.

”These three men barged in causing trouble, so I beat them up,” Dismas explained.

Lance moved closer. Under the dim candlelight, he could see the three men were badly beaten, their faces swollen and bruised. Dismas certainly didn’t hold back.

The crucial point, however, was that they didn’t look starved, meaning they weren’t ordinary townsfolk.

Accustomed to their usual arrogance, no wonder they dared to shout at me like that.

These ruffians might not recognize Dismas, who hadn’t shown his face much, but they knew Lance. They hadn’t expected to draw the attention of the Lord himself.

Nobility naturally held sway over commoners. Moreover, Lance had publicly beheaded the town mayor—an act that had thoroughly intimidated many.

”My Lord, it truly wasn’t us causing trouble! This man suddenly beat us up. We’ve been wronged!”

”That’s right, My Lord, we just came in to look around.”

The three were ruffians, accustomed to begging for mercy and playing the victim without any pressure. However, Lance wasn’t buying their act.

”What sort of place do you think this is? Here to see your mother?!” Lance snapped, whipping out his musket and pressing it against one man’s forehead. ”So you want to play, huh?”

To deal with such people, one must be more ruthless than they are. The feral intensity Lance radiated as he drew his gun without a second thought truly terrified them, compelling them to spill everything.

The three were all enforcers for the casino owner. What else would they be doing in a place like this if not soliciting prostitutes?

It had to be said, they certainly had their methods. Even though Lance had shut the place down, these men still contacted some of the women, and a few were willing to provide services.

While they were thus engaged, Dismas arrived. Mistaking them for troublemakers, he promptly attacked all three.

If Dismas hadn’t remembered Lance’s strict prohibition against killing, these men might have become corpses at the first exchange.

”Release them.” Lance listened and then said nothing more, merely gesturing with his hand.

Dismas wanted to say something, but seeing the situation, he couldn’t say much. He frowned and untied the three men.

”Leave the agreed-upon money, and then you can go.”

”Thank you, My Lord!”

The three didn’t dare haggle. They left whatever money they had on them and quickly scurried off.

But for Lance, things were just beginning.