Our Family Has Fallen

”So, do you understand now? Hamlet is not a normal place, at least not until the conspiracies of the Ascension Sect are thwarted,” Lance said. ”I suggest you leave this place. To oppose them is Hamlet’s fate, my duty. It has nothing to do with you.”

Lance’s explanation allowed Alhazred to quickly grasp the reasons behind Hamlet’s current state, revealing its horrors and the continuous struggle under his leadership.

”Fate has led me here; I can’t escape it anymore.”

Alhazred had no intention of changing his mind.

That force must be correct; this evil cult called the Ascension Sect must be related to it. Perhaps I can find relief here... a moment I have waited for far too long...

His words were somewhat rambling, but Lance understood their meaning and couldn’t help but concur, ”Perhaps it is fate; you were bound to come to Hamlet.”

Why was Lance willing to waste his time on him?

Apart from the fact that he had indeed helped the fleet gain a foothold in Totnes, it was also out of respect for a Champion Transcendent.

But what Lance truly valued was that Alhazred could actually see the corruption and decay the Elder inflicted upon Hamlet.

To fight the Abyss, one must understand the Abyss.

”We’ve seized quite a lot in our actions against the Ascension Sect, but I find them hard to identify. Perhaps you could help me.”

Lance brought out some of the mystically inclined items they had confiscated from the Ascension Sect.

He also consulted him on some ritual-related matters, such as the tombs guarded by the Ghoul and the sacrificial stone pillars in the Beast Lair.

Lance, Tamara, and Catherine had studied some of these, but many remained inscrutable.

Today, he intended to test the caliber of this Mystical Scholar.

「...」

Amanda was not as idle as before; she was, after all, the organization’s head for the imperial region.

And after Lance had concluded the trade negotiations with the Romani Elder, someone was needed to carry out those plans, and clearly, she was that person.

In recent days, Romani people had been continuously arriving in Hamlet seeking Sanctuary. As a nomadic people, they naturally arrived not as individuals but in entire caravans.

A large Romani group might consist of over a hundred people, while smaller ones still numbered in the dozens. Their attire was unique, and their possessions bore distinct characteristics.

Due to their nomadic nature, they had many wagons and goods, although the space-expanded Transcendent wagons were no ordinary items; typically, a caravan possessed only one. The remainder consisted of ordinary horses and cargo wagons.

Only the Transcendents of the group could reside within these special wagons, which also housed their most important belongings.

These Transcendents were crucial for the caravan. They divined auspicious and ominous signs, communicated with the organization, handled message transmissions, and managed transactions involving Extraordinary items.

Most were Transcendents trained by the organization; when one grew old, a new Transcendent would be appointed to succeed them. This was key to how the organization maintained control over the Romani’s loosely structured society and its underlying power dynamics.

These past few days, Amanda had been busy attending to these kinsmen. Taking over this task so suddenly was indeed troublesome for someone who was used to fieldwork.

Eventually, it was Lance who stepped in. He allocated a temporary area in the outskirts for them to stay and opened up a square for them to set up stalls and sell goods, quickly getting them settled.

Of course, everyone had to abide by Hamlet’s rules—no exceptions, not even for the Emperor.

Lance’s actions finally made Amanda feel supported, but the Romani, accustomed to their freedom, found it difficult to endure Hamlet’s various regulations.

Their resentment was naturally directed towards Amanda, the newcomer in charge.

The Transcendents managing the groups might have differed from Amanda in terms of strength, but they held no respect for someone who only possessed a title.

The imperial region head was supposedly in charge of them, but in truth, none took this young woman seriously.

Firstly, they were about to leave the Empire, so her supposed jurisdiction meant nothing.

Moreover, as the person in charge, she couldn’t accomplish anything without their cooperation.

Not to mention, some well-informed individuals had even heard that Amanda had offended someone important, so naturally, they didn’t dare to show any goodwill.

Amanda was aware of this. She knew she lacked support within the organization, which was why she was so eager to cling to Lance’s support. Therefore, she didn’t care about the attitudes of these Romani; as long as she could see them off and complete her mission, nothing else mattered.

Although the Romani had some unique channels for making money, the world of Transcendents was very different from that of ordinary people.

For the ordinary Romani, their sources of livelihood consisted mainly of transporting goods when moving between different places, selling some odd and curious items, performing for tips, and their legendary fortune-telling.

After arriving in Hamlet, they still remembered their traditional trades. Some folks wandered through Hamlet, trying to collect information to sell for a good price later.

Others came to the central square of Hamlet, set up stalls, and some Romani women dressed in exotic dancer attire swayed their hips, the crisp clinking of their ornaments attracting the attention of passersby.

Then there were those who pitched tents, claiming to perform divination or Necromancy.

However, most of the townsfolk had to work. Skipping work meant having wages docked and receiving a demerit; they figured it was better to just haul a few more bricks.

They were dog-tired during their lunch break; who the hell had time to wander those places?

Didn’t they need to go home at night? Most had families, and any woman would be wary of those coquettish Romani dancers.

Perhaps only those single men with a bit of money might go watch the Romani perform after work.

So, the Romani gradually realized they couldn’t make money here, and the presence of several different groups even led to competition.

Among the Romani, the best business turned out to be the stall selling snacks.

This situation left them utterly frustrated. They had never encountered such a predicament in other towns; Hamlet was simply too peculiar.

So, for the first two days, they stubbornly tried their luck. Afterward, they obediently resigned themselves to either lounging about or setting up small stalls to sell snacks and trinkets.

It was at this time that news of the fleet’s return to port spread. Those dozen or so merchant ships meant a massive influx of people for a small town.

Hamlet didn’t restrict the sailors; after simply informing them of the town’s rules at the harbor, they were allowed in.

Many of these sailors had been cooped up on their ships for half a month, and the first thing on their minds after reaching human settlements was to relax.

The ship’s freshwater was limited, and to survive, they had to ration their drinking water. Coupled with the constant sweating in the heat, their first priority upon landing was to find a tavern.

Consequently, the central square, the heart of the main thoroughfare, was instantly flooded with people.

The tavern, which was usually deserted during the day, was now bursting at the seams.

”Bring me some ale, quick!”

”Coming right up!” A single, overwhelmed employee quickly called over his colleagues who were supposed to be on break. It took three of them, plus the manager, to barely keep things under control.

The server bustled behind the bar, and pints of beer were drawn from the kegs, while the clinking of copper coins echoed incessantly.

The sailors gulped down their beer, finally quenching the thirst in their throats, but this, in turn, only stoked the inner fire. The more they drank, the thirstier they became, never finding satisfaction.

”Another pint!” A sailor held his cup high, drank the last drop, then smashed the oak mug loudly on the table, bellowing.

Why do ports bring a good economy?

These sailors earn decent wages. However, their jobs are high-pressure, they often lack settled homes or families, and they tend to spend freely on entertainment.

Essentially, they spend as much as they earn. Some small places even thrive on these sailors, just like the old Hamlet, where the main clientele of taverns, brothels, and casinos were sailors and mercenaries.

Some of them were old hands, capable of quickly finding places for amusement even in unfamiliar locales.

Moreover, their circles were tight-knit, so news spread rapidly. Once one of them knew something, the others would soon follow.