Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Wolf Spirit Guard_1

The bloodline-induced extraordinary inspiration made him aware that this was an extraordinary item. It was imbued with a kind of magical power.

But as for what it specifically was, he did not understand, nor did he know how to use it.

And why would the Collector be wearing this on his head?

Do the other Collectors have them too?

If they all have this hood, does it mean that the Collectors are artificially created?

Or could they have transformed from humans...

Could it be another one of the old man’s schemes?

It wasn’t unreasonable for Lance to think this way. The ancestor was truly adept at creating trouble, so producing another batch of Collectors wouldn’t be surprising.

However, Lance wasn’t intent on dwelling on this matter. After making a casual remark, he tossed the item into the Exhibition Room.

”I don’t know what this is either, but it is indeed an extraordinary item.”

After stabilizing the situation, Lance remembered the scene where the wolf’s head repelled the Collector. What exactly was that ethereal wolf head?

Approaching the wolf leader’s corpse, he didn’t give it much thought before lifting his hand to initiate [Sacrifice].

In the blink of an eye, a wolf head phantom appeared out of thin air above the blood-cooled corpse, but under the power of the ritual, the wolf head was instantly erased as if it had never been there.

The huge body of the wolf leader was consumed by the Void Devourer. Unlike the Collector, whose Yellow Robe had also been consumed by the Void Devourer, there was still a lot left of the wolf leader’s body after the sacrifice. This included Fish Scale Armor and a Shield. There were no surprises.

Just as Lance let out a sigh of relief, he hadn’t expected that the wolf pelt, detached from the body, would also be consumed at the same time, much to his surprise.

Is there going to be a loot drop?

But the next moment, his train of thought was interrupted. The [Tribute] from the wolf head didn’t seem to want to merge into his body. Instead, it condensed out of thin air into a blue-white, luminescent wolf head phantom.

Without waiting for Lance to react, it rushed into his body.

”Huh?”

Lance touched the front of his body in confusion, not feeling anything too strange, unaware of what had happened.

Hurriedly checking his panel, he noticed that an additional line had been added to his traits.

[Wolf Spirit Guard]: You have received the protection of the Wolf Spirit.

Was that thing a Wolf Spirit? Was it protecting the soul of the wolf leader just now?

But I quickly realized my soul already had a powerful entity’s Sanctuary. Did it need this new protection?

So, the [Tribute] in exchange was a completely useless trait?

Damn it! A refund!

Lance was speechless, but he couldn’t control this thing anyway. Fortunately, the many instances of [Sacrifice] had allowed him to discern a pattern.

The [Tribute] from [Sacrifice] was always random. It didn’t just include energy points but could also be Abilities, traits, or equipment.

Forget it. Lance knew this was a meaningless emotion. Just then, a call from the other side caught his attention.

”My Lord, he’s still alive.”

Lance hurried over to find that Dismas and the others were talking about the Captain.

Although still alive, he was covered with injuries and barely clinging to life, struggling on death’s doorstep...

A few people gathered around to block the sunlight, and the Captain opened his eyes to look at them.

”Who are you?”

Without waiting for Lance to answer, the Captain started talking to himself.

”It’s all meaningless... I made a mistake... I shouldn’t have trusted her...”

The Captain seemed to remember something. His emotions suddenly became agitated, and with his neck tensed, he looked up and shouted.

”She’s a devil!”

His already severe injuries made him cough up blood, and before he could fully rise, he fell back down again.

He was already on the brink of death. The burst of energy he had just shown was like the last flicker of life; he now hung by a thread, his words coming in broken gasps.

”I’m sorry... I’m sorry, brothers. I couldn’t take you all home...”

At this moment, a man facing death let tears slip down his face, leaving a speechless impact on everyone around.

His consciousness was already blurring. Even the strength to open his eyes was gone as his eyelids trembled; he was now muttering meaningless words.

Lance had to stoop down to catch the gist of what he was saying.

”Whoever you are... you must... kill that woman... She’s a devil...”

The words of the dying are not lies. Lance, sizing up the Captain, fell into thought until his frown gradually eased, and he raised his hand to touch him.

”You might die... but not today.”

He activated [Flesh Reconstruction].

Energy was being consumed. That eerie power unfolded before everyone; flesh and blood healed as if obeying his command.

The flesh reconnected! The pain was momentarily alleviated...

Although Lance took action, it wasn’t to the extent he had for the old soldier. He had only stabilized the Captain’s condition, temporarily keeping him alive.

The Captain fell into a deep sleep, but his weakened breathing stabilized.

”My Lord, why did you save him?”

Dismas and the others were puzzled. This scene was in stark contrast to the recent execution of Laosan.

”Didn’t you hear what he said? This matter isn’t so simple. I need him alive to get more information. As for Laosan...”

Lance simply explained the situation based on that conversation; the reason for his choice was straightforward.

Laosan was no longer useful, but the Captain still was.

The things the Captain had mentioned unconsciously made Lance suspicious. This matter was not so simple; something might be eyeing their territory from the shadows, indicating a deeper problem.

He needed the Captain alive to delve deeper. He was also curious about what exactly had happened in that battle Laosan had refused to speak of.

Lance openly disclosed the situation without hiding anything, and his explanation was understood by everyone.

”It’s your attention to detail, My Lord. I would never have thought of these things.”

Dismas’s words also reflected what they all felt, and they now admired their Lord’s intelligence even more.

In this strange world, it was better to be upfront about things, because secrets and riddles could easily lead to mistrust.

Once trust was eroded, the team would be in jeopardy.

Some matters, once discussed openly, would naturally dispel conspiracy theories.

”You all rest here for a bit and keep an eye on him. I’ll clean up the battlefield.”

Lance left this instruction and continued working, his words seeming odd to the others.

Nobility usually don’t clean up battlefields themselves, not even low-level leaders. In the military, this task is generally assigned to recruits and laborers.

According to protocol, it should have been them taking action, not the Lord himself.

But Lance had a penchant for doing these dirty, tiring jobs.

Not to mention his many years as a gamer had given him a sort of hoarding impulse; picking up refuse gave him a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

Not to mention the [Tribute] that flowed into his body, accumulating strength—his capital to survive in this world.