Our Family Has Fallen

Lance spoke with an air of righteousness, but in reality, he couldn’t tell Grendel that the sole reason he promoted sanitation initiatives and invested in bathhouses was because he couldn’t stand the sight of feces and urine flowing through the streets and couldn’t bear that everyone around him never bathed, carrying a stench. To stay in such a place was sheer torture for him; even a king’s throne wouldn’t tempt him to endure it. Fortunately, improvements had already been made, things were gradually getting better, and he was determined to bring civilization to this world.

”There’s one more thing: the white wolf has disappeared.”

Grendel’s words snapped Lance’s attention back, and he couldn’t help but frown. ”What exactly happened?”

”The last sighting was shortly after you left town. It was seen running out into the wilderness and then disappeared completely.” As she spoke, Grendel, noticing Lance’s solemn expression, couldn’t help but add, ”Should we send someone to look for it?”

”No need,” Lance replied. ”Issue orders: if anyone encounters the white wolf, they are to remain vigilant. If it attacks, they are permitted to retaliate by any means necessary.” Lance hadn’t forgotten that the last time he left Hamlet to go to Totnes, Wang Cai had killed the she-wolf and the other wolf cubs. This time he hadn’t taken it with him, and it had run off. Who knew if it had triggered some killing instinct and turned into a mad man? Without him, others might not be able to control it. If it attacked ordinary people, the soldiers might hesitate out of consideration for him, their Lord. If casualties occurred, it would be troublesome. He was quite fond of Wang Cai, but he had to be firm: if it attacked allies, it was nothing more than a mad wolf.

Lance had previously mentioned that Wang Cai’s origin was as his trophy from exterminating the alpha wolf, but he hadn’t elaborated. Taking advantage of the moment, Lance explained Wang Cai’s situation to Grendel in detail.

Upon hearing this, Grendel gasped, her reaction surprisingly intense. ”This means it has already undergone a bloodline advancement ceremony, and moreover, it was an active bloodline awakening!”

”Is there a problem?” Lance had also read the scroll left by the alpha wolf. He was only aware of the ceremony’s process but didn’t understand why it was performed or know its effects.

But Grendel was slated to become a Priest of the Deerhead Tribe, which maintained good relations with all the tribes in the Mountains. Others might not be aware of such things, but how could she not know? She immediately thought of the situation of the Fang Tribe and went on to discuss various things related to the bloodline advancement ceremony and other related matters.

”You’re mistaken,” Grendel said. ”A full moon might be a condition that stimulates its bloodline awakening, but it’s certainly not the core issue. As far as I know, not all white wolves can awaken on their own without external intervention. Most of the white wolves in the Fang Tribe had to engage in cannibalism among themselves to purify their bloodline and finally awaken. Only white wolves with the potential to become the Wolf King could awaken on their own due to sufficient bloodline concentration, without any intervention.”

”You mean Wang Cai is special?”

”Very special. There are likely thousands of white wolves in the entire tribe, large and small, but there is only one Wolf King, and that bloodline is passed down strictly within the lineage; it would absolutely never go to an outsider. Your wolf must have experienced some bloodline mutation or genetic reversion for some reason. Otherwise, it couldn’t have awakened on its own.”

Lance was speechless. It wasn’t like he could just admit he had carelessly given them a [Bless] and a minor [Strengthening], resulting in the whole litter awakening, with Wang Cai merely being the final victor. Lance felt Grendel probably wouldn’t believe him if he said it out loud.

But Grendel wasn’t paying attention to Lance’s reaction. Instead, she was pondering Wang Cai’s behavior along these lines. ”These white wolves carry the Wolf God Bloodline,” Grendel continued, her expression grave. ”I think its sudden departure might mean it returned to the Mountains, or… there’s something nearby that attracted it.”

Grendel’s expression was serious; she had thought of that possibility but still hesitated a little. She worried that voicing her thoughts might make Lance feel she was stirring up trouble or pressuring him.

Lance wasn’t a fool. Of course, he understood the implication hidden in her words. What could attract the Wolf God Bloodline if not that ”Wolf God” of the Fang Tribe?

”I understand,” Lance said. ”Order an increase in patrol frequency for the time being, and tell everyone to be extra cautious.”

Lance was exhausted, after all. With his [Clean Freak] trait, he was simply unable to lie down on the ground of the Beast Lair. Consequently, he was essentially on night watch against raids, and even when resting, he could only sit and doze for a bit. Right now, he simply didn’t have the energy to immediately investigate Wang Cai’s disappearance. He would have to put it on hold until he recovered a bit.

”Come with me to the hospital. We discovered quite a few monsters in the Beast Lair this time.” Lance didn’t slow his pace, leading Grendel toward the hospital.

Everyone in town knew the hospital was not a good place, as those who entered rarely came out. They also knew this doctor was not to be trifled with—a fact made clear by the occasional screams emanating from the hospital.

Paracelsus continued to be busy with her research. If there wasn’t something important, disturbing her would likely invite trouble. Even Lance only dared to interrupt her research when he had sufficient ”gifts.”

When the corpses of the Pigman Butcher, Pigman Hookhand, Pigman Cripple, Pigman Drummer, and Rot Eater were neatly laid out, Paracelsus immediately became as excited as a child who had found new toys, quickly putting aside her work to come forward and inspect them.