Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 1280: Chapter 699: Underlying Currents Stirring (Part 2)

But not all the equipment is like that.

If the candle is a weak item, then the potion bottle is truly garbage.

No practical value, and the extraordinary effect is downright laughable.

It increases vitality, but at the cost of needing to eat a lot — what use is that?

Everyone else is fighting, and you’re just eating.

Are you here for a meal?

It’s a joke!

Lance merely glanced at it and casually set it aside, but the following tentacle puppet is interesting.

Although its form is twisted and bizarre, appearing quite evil, surprisingly, it has no negative effects, not even spiritual fluctuations.

This is unlike the series of ancient equipment encountered before.

Lance suspected this thing wasn’t crafted by the ancestors and might have been a protective charm gathered from some other place back then.

That’s right; this tentacle puppet functions more like a protective charm.

However, it involves matters of soul and life, which makes Lance wonder about the connections among the scrolls.

But just as he was contemplating these things, the door was pushed open, and someone walked in hastily, without even knocking.

”Uh...”

Grendel walked in, her worry fading, replaced by confusion.

She was clearly alarmed by the strange aura Lance released from opening the display case earlier, followed by intensified spiritual fluctuations.

She knew the lord had just returned from somewhere and worried that something had happened to Lance, which is why she rushed over, surprised that Lance had woken up so quickly.

But what puzzled her even more was the room filled with all sorts of things.

Piles of books, scattered scrolls, and countless pieces of equipment emitting various auras were placed randomly.

”This is...?”

Lance understood why she came and what she was worried about; after comforting her, he began explaining excitedly.

”I’m fine, just woke up and taking stock of the spoils from this battle.”

”All of these from just this time?”

Grendel had seen grand scenes before, whether in the tribe or in Hamlet, heaps of gold and silver treasures had been seen.

But this was the first time seeing so many extraordinary equipment, not to mention some legendary items among them.

If Lance said these were long accumulated, she could accept that, given the constant battles in Hamlet, but just the spoils from one battle, that completely exceeded her understanding.

”Our decision to bypass the ruins and launch a surprise attack was absolutely correct, catching those cultists off guard! These materials...”

To this, Lance just smiled and began to speak, though he didn’t emphasize the dangerous intensity of the battles but instead highlighted the current weakness of the Sect of Ascension, their abandonment of the old mansion to scatter, intending to stir other nearby nobles to take action.

And most importantly, the complex situation of the dungeon, though a direction has been found.

Previously, even with messengers, only major information was communicated, not to mention the direct loss of connection below the dungeon.

Now Lance finally had the time and energy to discuss it with her in detail, sharing enough to give her a basic understanding of Hamlet’s current situation, his strategic focus, and upcoming action plans.

Grendel wasn’t foolish; she understood the implications of Lance’s words, quickly absorbed the information with a minor thought.

”Do you think those nobles will attack Hamlet now?”

”Those guys can’t hold back, the only restraint is their mutual apprehension.

But they absolutely can’t allow Hamlet to develop, especially with those cultists interspersed among them, who will also push for war.”

Lance was very sure the surrounding nobles would make a move, a conclusion based on past matters, despite the Empire’s efforts to bring down Hamlet, they still needed a weak, divided Hamlet.

They couldn’t sit back and watch other territories swallow Hamlet’s rise yet were also impotent, so in turn, they disgusted those lords with noble claims.

This resulted in local nobles having annexed a lot but never gaining official assent for enfeoffment, meaning these areas were nominally always part of Hamlet.

Now that Hamlet’s on the rise again, how will they deal with lands annexed back then?

Who will relinquish the benefits at hand? The contradictions between both sides are almost irreconcilable, leading only to war.

Grendel didn’t doubt this judgment because she had access to even more affairs, knowing Lance has long viewed those guys as enemies.

Even constantly using trade caravans to gather information about those places, inserting intelligence agents to gather local situations.

The most recent large operation was hyping up the ruins to incite nearby domains to seek fortunes in Hamlet.

Yet, promoting the ruins was just a cover for inadvertently promoting Hamlet’s rural system — anyone who migrates could free themselves from serfdom, eat well, have houses allocated.

Elsewhere wouldn’t treat ordinary people, especially serfs, the way Lance treated them in Hamlet; those nobles, bureaucrats, and farm owners didn’t regard them as human.

Hence many serfs, unable to survive in those places, escaped here daily, all welcomed by Lance under the guise of seeking the ruins.

This strategy of siphoning away surrounding populations was like cutting off their roots, weakening their war potential, as a large core of those feudal noble armies consisted of knights with drafted serfs.

Not that Lance underestimated them, but reality was just like this.

”Apart from surrounding lords, there are other forces too; they won’t side with us, likely taking the opportunity to strike.”

Not to mention those strong forces initially eager to interfere in Hamlet, only to be shut down by a single word from Lance, appearing to achieve nothing despite efforts, fleeing embarrassingly without firing a shot.

But that was because they lacked power locally in Hamlet; no native nobles, no significant merchants, as for civilians and military, there was fervent support for the lord.

Previously, some development happened, but it was wiped out by the movements Lance incited; some are recuperating in sanatoriums, others in labor camps now.

Pirates brought in from outside were dealt with, and adventurers gathered were diverted, divided by Lance with the ruins as bait.

Once Lance dismantled all their methods and nipped trouble in the bud, those guys couldn’t stir up any storms.

But their influence in surrounding areas was considerable, seeing Hamlet as a piece of meat everyone wanted a bite of, likely joining in attacks targeting Hamlet.

”These people don’t need territory; their interests differ from nobles, so cooperation between them strengthens those nobles’ power greatly.”

Grendel quickly caught on and added, to which Lance could only sigh.

”That’s why this raid on the old mansion was still too late; if we acted sooner, we could have captured them all, avoiding the current situation akin to cancer metastasis, putting us so passive.”

Lance was initially a bit smug, given the enormous harvest, but a mistake is a mistake.

If he had acted right after securing the bay, completely wiping out the upper echelons, the rest wouldn’t be a threat, preventing a passive stance.

Yet, at the time, he chose the Beast Lair, due to the military having just endured a wild war and Beast Lair clearing, compounded by the most devastating Deep Diver attacks.

Series of battles exhausted Hamlet considerably, requiring time to recover, so Lance didn’t dare risk further, sealing the Beast Lair to consolidate wilderness achievements.

Simultaneously, much was gained — pigmen eradicated, final wild threats removed, paving the way for further wilderness development and relic exploration.

Also, weaponizing healing potions, securing raw materials, along with the [Heart of Flesh].

Though these are past events Lance cared not to dwell on, they highlighted that Hamlet’s current situation isn’t as good as it seemed, beneath the calm brewed various undercurrents, liable to cause issues with any misstep.