Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 485: Chapter 309: The Situation_2

”Initially, the war was instigated by the Old Nobility, who drove refugees to attack cities and wage war against the new nobles. However, this chaotic situation attracted various organizations with different agendas, and now events have spiralled out of control.”

”What about the Church? What’s their stance?”

”The Church doesn’t care about this because no matter who wins, they will ultimately need the Church’s support.

Furthermore, the Church within the Empire hasn’t been faring much better recently. Many evil cults that were previously suppressed have re-emerged to cause trouble amidst this chaos. To suppress them, the Church was even forced to halt its Crusade and recall several Legions.”

”With the Church not intervening, the Empire’s situation is now quite straightforward: the Royal Family and new nobles are pitted against the Old Nobility and the refugees. Which side do you think will win? Which should we lean towards? How should we arrange our affairs in the Empire going forward? What can we gain from this transformation within the Empire?”

The old woman posed her questions with a smile, but they plunged the younger woman into silence.

How could the situation of a region be so simply divided? Choosing sides was equally impossible. The Elder had posed this question more like a test, or perhaps a trap.

She didn’t know what the Elder intended this time. However, the collapse of parts of the Empire’s Spiritual Network and the Elder’s sudden, unannounced arrival signaled that their organization was planning significant action in the Empire.

After careful consideration, she dared not take any radical actions and chose a more conservative response.

”From the perspective of the Romani’s true interests, any overt act of taking sides is foolish. It would pit us against everyone, making it impossible even to maintain neutrality. We should stand apart and interact with them as a neutral party.”

Upon hearing this response, the old woman remained calm. The answer wasn’t wrong; it aligned with the Romani’s way of survival—maintaining neutrality.

But in the increasingly chaotic situation, this approach could only be considered mediocre.

”The failure of our Clairvoyance means countless Romani caravans are in grave danger. It also signifies that the information we currently possess is rapidly losing its value.

Our priority now is not to ponder neutrality but to evacuate all Romani from the war zones as quickly as possible. We must also utilize this batch of intelligence before it becomes obsolete.

Regardless of the potential gains, hedging our bets has always been the safest approach, provided we act covertly. This way, we can exchange a batch of soon-to-be-outdated information for goodwill.”

Neutrality is for survival. If we can’t even ensure survival, what’s the point of neutrality?

”I understand. The Elder is worried about the situation in the Empire.”

”The situation in the Empire is not so simple right now. The Royal Family and the new nobles may have their own conflicts. Similarly, the refugees are not entirely controlled by the Old Nobility, and the Old Nobility themselves are not a monolithic bloc. We need to...”

The old woman actually had some understanding of the Empire’s situation before her arrival, even though the information had been consolidated by the woman before her.

However, the same information can lead to vastly different interpretations depending on the individual.

Simply put, people consider matters from different angles, and their perspectives and stances also vary.

The Elder’s wisdom provided a valuable reference for the woman in handling current affairs within the Empire.

However, this approach is a luxury only the Seekers of Omens can afford.

The most evident case is the predicament Lance currently faces.

His knowledge extends no further than Totnes. His impression of the wider world is still fixated on Ovando, and his understanding of the Empire’s situation remains confined to the ongoing war.

But as for analyzing information, he is currently limited by its slow dissemination. News of critical events, like the breaching of the Empire’s capital, might take a month to reach his ears.

Then there’s the difference in their level of understanding.

The conversation between the Elder and the younger woman touched upon grand strategy at the highest echelons. In contrast, Lance only knows that a war has begun and is intensifying. He is likely completely ignorant of the causes behind these battles and the factions involved.

This demonstrates the Seekers of Omens’ indeed potent information channels and the deep foundations they have cultivated over many years.

”No matter how chaotic the situation in the Empire becomes, it doesn’t matter much to us. If things get too bad, we will just leave this place and come back after it’s stabilized.”

After all that discussion, the Romani’s true expertise is flight. If a situation turns unfavorable, they simply leave. They feel no psychological burden from abandoning their ’homeland’ because they are inherently nomadic and never stay in one place for long.

However, the Elder’s next words delivered a profound shock to the woman.

”However, if we do not handle this matter well, we might provoke a terrifying enemy.”

Upon hearing this, the woman realized this was the true reason the Elder had appeared here; even the problems with the Spiritual Network were secondary.

As a field agent—a ’general on the frontier,’ so to speak—she operated throughout the Empire year-round and was largely unaware of the situation at headquarters. This particular matter was highly confidential. Moreover, the failure of their Clairvoyance had severed most communication channels. Consequently, she had suddenly received the task of directly coordinating with the Elder now active in the Empire.

It was clear that only after those previous words had she passed the Elder’s test and earned the right to know about this issue.

Indeed, she awaited the old woman’s question.

”What are your thoughts on Hamlet in the Northern Borderlands of the Empire, both past and present?”

She had expected something different. Was this truly the question she had been waiting for? Was this a new test?

However, the woman did not dare to question the Elder and honestly shared what she knew, though it was all familiar, old news.

Upon hearing this, the old woman showed a hint of helplessness and couldn’t help but remark,

”This is all information from over a year ago, isn’t it?”

”Yes. After all, no one would visit such a desolate little town, especially after piracy devastated the docks. With nothing but food available and no local spending power, our caravans would never venture there.”

The woman’s words also revealed a crucial aspect of how the Seekers of Omens gathered information: their reliance on Romani caravans.

These caravans pursued profit. The more prosperous a location, the more caravans passed through, resulting in more frequent information updates.

But Hamlet was too remote. Located on the fringe of the northern border, it wasn’t a transit hub for other regions. This was especially true after it lost its maritime access, which is why their information on it was still two years old.

The old woman no longer held back and roughly explained Hamlet’s current situation to her.

After all, regardless of whether their future endeavors succeeded or failed, they would inevitably have dealings with this place. Therefore, the person in charge of their operations within the Empire needed a precise understanding of it.

”How is that possible! That’s a completely dilapidated town, with probably fewer than a thousand inhabitants, most of whom are serfs! How could a young-looking Legendary expert suddenly emerge there? How could they suddenly possess an army of several hundred soldiers? And where would they get the money for major construction projects? How could we have absolutely no information about this place?”

The woman found this utterly unbelievable, continuously citing outdated information in an attempt to refute it.

Damn it! If this is true, doesn’t it mean I’m a completely incompetent leader here?

”Whether it’s true or not, you’ll know once you get there.”

The old woman remained calm in the face of the younger woman’s outburst. Those involved in intelligence gathering often faced such challenges; errors in the information they procured signified an invalidation of their efforts.

However, she believed the woman would recover.

True enough, the woman soon calmed down. She understood that it was all likely true.

After all, if it were false, their Clairvoyance wouldn’t have failed, and the Elder wouldn’t have needed to come personally.

Realizing her earlier reaction might have been too intense, the woman apologized to the Elder.

In response, the old woman smiled and offered a comforting remark,

”We are only Seekers of Omens, not gods.”

Yet, her voice also carried a hint of helplessness.

Indeed, they were only Seekers of Omens. Within the world of Supernatural organizations, they were merely considered medium or small-sized, surviving by their unique skills.

Even Clairvoyance, a technique many factions also possessed in similar forms, wasn’t unique. Their existence had always been a struggle. As an Elder, she was acutely aware of this.

The carriage continued its journey, and no one knew where the future would lead the Romani.