Our Family Has Fallen

”The bodies are all intact; most of them were pierced through the heart with a single stab. It’s just this deformed dwarf whose skull was blown open, but it’s still well preserved.”

Paracelsus was examining the corpses. There was no doubt that most had been specifically brought by Lance, killed with one stab to preserve the bodies, with only the crippled Pigman having been slain by Dismas.

But Paracelsus did not care about that in the slightest and had already begun her work.

”A fusion of pig and human? This type of modification technique... this structure... this...”

Lance watched her engrossed appearance and could only smile helplessly. That’s how researchers are. Once they encounter something that interests them, they won’t pay attention to anything else.

Lance had been dealing with these Pigmen for several days, and now he felt nauseated at the sight of them and couldn’t bother watching any longer. Grendel, however, seemed quite interested; after all, it was something novel.

He turned to Grendel, nodded in acknowledgment, and then left the sanatorium.

With these corpses for her to study, those ”lab rats” in the sanatorium could probably have a few days of peace.

Upon returning, Lance finally had time to take stock of the gains from this trip.

The Beast Lair expedition had yielded various items of little value, fit only to be treated as scrap metal, which he had already dismissed.

It could be said that the Pigmen were truly impoverished. Had they not picked up a corpse in the middle, they would likely have left with nothing at all.

The Gold Coins had already been distributed, but the Crystal and agates had gone into his pocket.

After deep exchanges with Tamara, Lance actually understood the real use of these items. They were not luxury goods but ritual materials, essential in many ceremonies—their true value.

The items could be sold through Amanda using the Romani channels or through his own channels in Totnes. Either way, exchanging them was easy, but there was no shortage of money for now, so these resources were set aside.

Beyond that, only the items found in the secret chamber behind the hidden door had some value.

Lance had previously lacked the time to examine them closely, so he took out the scattered scrolls for a closer look.

The writing material was not leather but rather some rudimentary papyrus, with messily written content that would likely take a considerable amount of time to decipher.

The content itself was highly disorganized, with some being text and others drawings. In fact, Lance found several crude maps within, clearly depicting Beast Lair’s terrain, but only a small portion, not enough to give a full view.

Yet the value of these scrolls was self-evident, absolutely related to the activities of the Sect of Ascension in the Beast Lair.

As for the books, Lance browsed through them casually. One can always find interesting things even in trash. Some described Mysticism of dubious authenticity, and various chaotic rituals—did they seem to correspond with those scrolls?

Lance didn’t dwell on it, as it was only a preliminary check for now, with detailed research to be done later.

It was only when he picked up a particular book that he immediately sensed something was amiss. With just a cursory flip through, a look of disgust appeared on his face.

It was a book from the Sect of Ascension, preaching its doctrines: foolish, ignorant, utterly devoid of logic.

But that was not what caught Lance’s attention. What caused his reaction was the feeling that these writings seemed to be tainted with some kind of Extraordinary power.

Without guessing, it was likely that these had been held and recited daily by fanatical followers. Just like the torch in Junia’s hand, given enough time, they would certainly become imbued with some Extraordinary power.

If an ordinary person came into contact with these books, the power within might erode their will.

Released to sift through potential followers? The overt power worship, the power of Flesh, and the concept of Ascension indeed had the potential to attract certain groups, not to mention the strange power lingering on them.

They must not remain!

Lance stood up, ignited a fire in the stove used for heating water, and directly threw the book into the flames.

Unexpectedly, as the fire consumed it, Lance thought he heard a faint wail of nothingness. When he turned back, a black mist was rising from the burning book, advancing towards him.

Lance was acutely aware that this force was no less potent than the burst of power from the death of the Heretical Witch. In fact, the malice within was even stronger.

Containing the residual will of a zealous follower, this black mist, if it had infected an ordinary person, could have tormented them into mental breakdown with its malicious force.

Lance now understood why Tamara was always so cautious with items from the Supernormal Realm, especially mediums like books, which she directly assumed to be traps.

But such trifles were a joke to Lance.

”Hmph!” Lance turned his head away, paying no mind to the looming black fog.

He didn’t even need to lift a finger. Sensing the strong malice, the Wolf Spirit that had long been dormant on him detached itself and began tearing and biting into the black fog with its gaping maw.

A mere lingering will stood no chance against the Wolf Spirit. It was shredded and swallowed in moments, dissipating completely into the air.

Meanwhile, Lance returned to his seat, not even bothering to watch the conflict—only the Wolf Spirit silently returned to him.

But these were just appetizers. What truly caught Lance’s attention was the ancient box.

The item was removed from the Exhibition Room, and Lance studied it carefully. It was made of sturdy wood, coated with a layer of jujube-red lacquer. Its edges and seams were wrapped in brass, adorned with exquisite patterns.

One didn’t need to think too hard to know that this kind of box was definitely not for common folk—it was sure to be used by someone of significant status.

And its presence here left no doubt that it had come from the Hamlet Family.

Lance wasn’t just wildly speculating about a connection like, ”This item is fated for me,” since it bore the family’s crest.

It was locked, but this posed no issue for Lance. Using the lock-picking skills he learned from Dismas, he opened it in just a few tries.

Lance soon realized why the box was so heavy—it was filled with Gold Coins and a mix of Crystal and gemstones.

Picking up a Gold Coin and toying with it, Lance noticed something unusual, and a smile crept across his face.

He’d seen Gold Coins before, but those were the standard issue by the Empire. The style of these coins was noticeably different, clearly influenced by the Hamlet aesthetic.

It didn’t take much to guess that they were likely minted during the Hamlet Family’s era of prosperity.

While the value of a Gold Coin lay in the gold itself and exchanging different Gold Coins wasn’t difficult, the symbolism they carried was quite apparent.

The fact that there existed coins minted with their authority undoubtedly touched the very foundations of the Empire’s rule. One could imagine just how haughty the Hamlet Family was in those days.

But this wasn’t why Lance was happy. He was smiling because the family inheritance had finally fallen into his hands.

Lance plunged his hand into the coins, scooping up a large handful before letting go, watching the glittering Gold Coins slip through his fingers, emitting a crisp and pleasant clinking sound, like the music of the heavens.

”Hahaha, the old thing finally burst out Gold Coins!”

This was just over a thousand Gold Coins, and Lance quickly lost interest since he would have to recast the currency once he subdued the Hamlet Family. These items couldn’t be circulated any longer.

As the Heir to the Hamlet Family, Lance wanted to erase any trace of their existence in every possible way.

After emptying all the Gold Coins out, he faced the empty box with unusual seriousness.

In games, such family heirloom chests typically contained hidden compartments and traps.

Such mechanisms could only dupe the unprepared, but with the right preparation, disarming them wasn’t hard.

Soon, a small box was pulled out, connected with a clever little mechanism.

The box contained strange powder, ready to be triggered and spray out poison if forcefully opened.

Now finally able to open the hidden compartment, the contents inside left Lance somewhat surprised.

The first thing to catch his eye was a painting depicting a clearly unfamiliar face but giving off an inexplicably familiar feeling.

Lance examined the portrait for a long time but didn’t feel any peculiar Extraordinary power emanating from it. It appeared to be just an old painting with traces of history.

Though he didn’t understand why this portrait appeared here, he eventually resisted the urge to toss it into the fire.