Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 1394: Chapter 750: What About My Subsidy? (Part 2)

”Why are those students eating this?”

Lance raised his hand and tapped the table, allowing the man to finally stop guessing the Lord’s intentions. However, instead of feeling relieved, he became more flustered, stammering and unable to explain.

Fortunately, the Lord was quite understanding and helped him make an explanation.

”I heard them say it’s because the darkness caused issues with material transportation, is that correct?”

”Ah... Yes, yes, yes! It’s the issue with timely transportation of materials, that’s it... I will promptly resume...”

The man seemed to have found a lifeline, his face blossoming with a smile once again, nodding frantically while shifting blame and promising various improvements.

However, anyone who had dealt with the Lord would know that Lance’s goodwill was usually not so easily consumed.

Yet Lance listened to him without rushing to refute, instead smiling and waiting for him to finish.

Whether it’s Extreme Darkness or Blood Moon, it does have an impact on Hamlet’s material supply; it’s the downside of urbanization—they must import food.

Upon returning, Lance immediately had someone organize information from this period, and from the data on hand—

During the Extreme Darkness period, the difficulty of going out to fish increased, ocean resources shrunk, and the production of vegetables and fruits plummeted.

In terms of reduced production leading to material shortages, this may still be considered normal, and Lance had nothing to say about it.

However, farm-produced materials are available, like eggs and milk where the production might be a bit less, but they are still able to supply.

Not to mention the expired milk storage conditions, which are not prone to waste; and let’s not forget the large reserves of dried fish and smoked meat, which are definitely unlikely to be simply gone.

His words purely take advantage of the typical aristocratic lords who wouldn’t get involved in such matters, so they generally don’t understand.

But Lance happens to be very clear on these, because emergency plans and resource allocations are crafted by him leading a team, aware of every situation.

Thus, he spoke seeming reasonable, special conditions are hard on everyone, bear it a bit, but Lance understood this guy was just barking blindly.

Once he finished speaking, Lance finally revealed the ”goodwill” hidden beneath sharp fangs.

”The Hamlet’s military administration has been responsible for material transportation during this period, with the priority supply given to schools despite the Blood Moon, I don’t recall any shortage in their reports to me.”

Lance, agitated yet mocking, asked sarcastically, ”Are you suggesting that my army is also corrupt?”

”Ah! No, no...”

Lance’s voice of questioning made the man deny promptly, his forehead sweating profusely in this autumn-winter season, his face so pale it resembled a corpse.

Now he realized what had truly happened, recalling that it might really be this case.

If these words spread, even if the Lord lets him go, those armies absolutely wouldn’t want to be humiliated, who knows if he’d be drowned at the dock overnight.

”Then tell me, where did the missing materials go?”

Lance’s additional words were simply a killing blow, as everyone knew but feigned ignorance, forcing him to spell it out.

Yet Lance underestimated people’s ”strong” faith; though scared to death, they still refused to speak.

Lance enjoyed it; he loved playing games.

”IT’S SIMPLE, check the ledgers of the farm, logistics, and school, and you’ll know where it went missing.”

Lance advocated for work traceability, records and signatures were involved in the transitions between different departments.

Material production, transportation, and usage are logged separately; checking these will reveal the truth.

This sentence directly weighed it down, as it meant things were clarified and had to be investigated according to rules.

”My Lord, I’ll tell! I’ll tell...”

At this point, how could he not realize what was happening, overwhelmed by pressure, he cried out and confessed.

It was actually a rather simple matter, some time ago, when Hamlet was facing financial constraints, he tried cutting costs and improving efficiency by diluting milk with water, making bread smaller, and such.

Once some things start, it’s hard to stop, even when economic conditions improved later, he didn’t stop, and this part of the profit was connected through his efforts, channeling materials to the ruins town.

This was not just price margins anymore, but profit-making without capital, everyone was happily sharing the spoils.

Later when darkness descended, prices skyrocketed, he became even more unscrupulous, withheld more, became dissatisfied.

Only the ordinary students and workers behind were backed by their families or had resistance capabilities, even he didn’t dare, then he targeted these defenseless orphans.

As the Blood Moon arrived, a large number of outsiders got trapped here, prices were even higher privately, he took advantage to collaborate with others and made a ruthless fortune.

If he had stopped at this point, Lance might not have found out; however, his courage now emboldened, the school cafeteria belonged to him.

”If ordinarily you embezzled a bit, that would be it, mix inferior with the good to earn price margins, if the amounts weren’t large, and didn’t affect students’ normal lives, legally it would be pay back the losses, then a fine, at most you’d dig roads for two years, with good bookkeeping you might not even be noticed.

But why did you target this sum? Snatching food from those children’s mouths, and in such dire circumstances, well now, no need to repair roads, you’ve dragged your family into this too.”

”They have no family? No background? Easy to bully?” Lance’s gaze grew fiercer, his growl like a roar: ”I AM their family, I AM their background! I will show you today if they’re easy to bully!”

”Young Brigade, assemble!”

Lance shouted, and soon many young ones over ten emerged from amongst the students, both boys and girls.

Under normal circumstances, children who performed well and had the intention were selected, compared to regular fitness physical education, they received basic militia training.

Whenever Hamlet faced issues, they’d pick up weapons, even if just simple spears, to maintain school order, even protect the school.

”You, call... You, notify...”

Lance gave orders, and the children immediately ran off.

Issues here eventually drew increasing attention, one could say every action of the Lord was monitored.

First, the principal Rosa also arrived, though she seemed a bit uneasy and angry.

Her main focus being the quality of education, she was busy with various matters every day, who would think something as simple as a cafeteria could go wrong.

”Did you know about this?”

”No.”

”If you ate in the cafeteria, you shouldn’t not know, or did you occupy a private room as well?”

Lance remained calm, even cold; just a while back he inspected the school, warmly praised the principal’s achievements, and now it’s like this.

His changing faces was a testament to his speed, he didn’t care about human relations either, if it’s good, it’s good, if bad, it’s bad.

”When busy, it’s directly sent to the office; sometimes coming to the cafeteria here I didn’t notice, it’s my fault.” Rosa was quite speechless, truly dragged down by incompetent teammates.

”It’s not entirely your fault, if it weren’t a holiday with only orphans left here today, honestly I wouldn’t have noticed either.”

Upon hearing these words, Lance’s expression slightly softened, nodded to affirm she wasn’t involved, however he followed with another sentence.

”But cooperate as needed for the investigation.”

”My Lord, I am willing to cooperate with any investigation or penalties, but this matter mustn’t affect the school’s normal operations as much as possible.”

Rosa spoke with resolve, she had her own personal interests; this happened on her turf, tainted her reputation, reducing the impact was for the best.

Lance was indifferent, ”Nothing should be unsaid, it’s precisely right in front of the children, tell them, some things can be done, some can’t, no lesson could be deeper than today.”