Our Family Has Fallen

As the fleet appeared, small boats sailed from the harbor to communicate with them. Then, under the guidance of these small boats, the vessels entered the dock in an orderly fashion.

Simultaneously, people came out to meet each ship. The overall management was even more thorough than in Totnes, which relied entirely on self-discipline.

The captains of these cargo ships had traveled to many places. They initially thought such a large fleet would overwhelm a small port like this for quite some time, but they didn’t expect to be accommodated so quickly.

These cargo ships, visiting Hamlet for the first time, also sensed the power behind its order and regulations.

”John, take this gentleman to see the Lord first.”

The cargo ship captains needed to oversee the handover of goods, but they obviously couldn’t let their honored guest wait.

”Yes, Captain!”

Little John knew the Lord had sent him with the ship to learn more. So, he didn’t hold back, actively participating in various tasks on board, asking questions when he didn’t understand, and striving to seize the opportunity the Lord had given him.

Clearly, he had gained everyone’s approval during the voyage and had finally shed the ”Little” in his nickname.

Little John escorted the man off the ship. As they walked through the streets of Hamlet, he couldn’t help but boast about the changes in the town.

Meanwhile, the man’s gaze swept around, though his focus was on different things.

Corruption hasn’t spread...

At that moment, Lance was in his room, his tabletop covered with a heap of strange items.

These items were spoils from the Beast Lair, obtained from a secret chamber there. Lance instinctively felt these things were related to the Sect of Ascension’s plans in the Beast Lair.

Lance was trying to decode the strange manuscripts—ancient symbols written on human skin. As his research progressed, he discovered that most of them concerned research on the Pigmen, including many surgical notes on their modification.

The documents not only contained records of arming and modifying the Pigmen and providing them material support, but more eerily, they even mentioned that an ”ancestor” was guiding the Pigmen to awaken their intelligence. According to the observational records, the Pigmen seemed to have developed a form of primitive worship—a kind of collective consciousness.

The object of their worship was vaguely described in the text, but one could still glimpse from occasional phrases that it was definitely not benevolent.

The bloody sacrificial site they found in the Beast Lair confirmed this.

Considering the material of the papers, they must have been many years old. Judging from the current development of the Pigmen, it was evident that they were far from simple.

The development of the wilderness was now accelerating due to the new refugees, but fully clearing it would still take time. Lance had to use this period to expedite the cleansing of the Beast Lair; otherwise, if the ”ancestor” truly allied with the Pigmen, it would become troublesome.

In fact, Lance’s pockets were empty, and this made him, a Hoarder, feel very insecure. It was time to ask the Pigmen for some funds.

The last time he visited, although the environment wasn’t great, their service had been enthusiastic, leaving Lance with a profound impression.

He would visit them again next time.

Just then, Lance seemed to sense something. He looked outside, his gaze appearing as if it could penetrate the walls.

”My Lord, the fleet has returned. Little John wishes to see you, but he has brought someone with him,” Susan’s voice came through the door.

”I know. Let Little John come in first, and take the guest to the parlor,” Lance responded casually. With a sweep of his hand across the tabletop, all those items were stored in the Exhibition Room.

”Understood.” Susan’s footsteps receded outside, replaced by a brisker set approaching.

”My Lord!”

”Come in.” Lance smiled as Little John pushed the door open and entered. ”Well done! You’ve grown quite a bit. A man needs to venture out to mature.”

”Thank you, My Lord, for giving me this opportunity. Otherwise, I might never have made it out of that grain store,” Little John said.

”Did you encounter any dangers on this trip? What interesting things did you come across?” Lance didn’t immediately dive into business matters, instead taking a moment to show his concern.

A simple greeting could bridge the distance between them, providing a sense of psychological satisfaction to someone who had just completed a mission.

Clearly energized by Lance’s approval, Little John became visibly excited and readily spoke about their journey.

Salted fish and similar goods didn’t fetch high prices in coastal areas; those were items Walter’s caravan transported inland.

As for grain and livestock, Lance had prohibited their export. On the contrary, he had been purchasing them in large quantities. He anticipated that times would become even harder, and in such an era, whoever controlled the food supply held the initiative.

Thus, this voyage’s cargo consisted mainly of agricultural by-products like eggs, smoked meats, cotton and linen fabrics, handicrafts, and most importantly, Snowflake Salt.

Once Snowflake Salt was marketed with connections to Totnes, Alchemy, and as ”exclusive to foreign Nobility,” it could easily fetch high prices, with no concerns about sales.

This was because, after losing grain as a major export, Hamlet had little else of significant value to offer.

At the same time, Lance had also spent a significant sum of Gold Coins to order a batch of pistols, gunpowder, and Iron Ingots from Totnes. These goods were so voluminous that their own ships couldn’t carry them all, forcing them to hire additional cargo ships, which explained the size of the returning fleet.

Of course, another reason for the large fleet was Totnes’ limited-time ”special offer”: free refugees.

According to Little John’s description, the refugee camp in Totnes hadn’t shrunk; instead, it had expanded, and conditions there had become even more dire.

It seemed the shadow of war was looming, and even the powerful city-state of Totnes was feeling the impact.

However, for Lance, bringing back over a thousand carefully selected refugees on this trip was highly beneficial. Their arrival would elevate Hamlet’s development to a new level.

In reality, the expenses of this trip far outweighed the profits. However, in Lance’s view, it was worthwhile because he had gathered valuable information about coastal cities and port towns.

He had also used Gold Coins to reopen the shipping route. In the face of gold, even Pirates found it difficult to obstruct their determination to ride the winds and break the waves.

”That man was strange. As soon as our ship entered the harbor, he approached us on his own...” Little John suddenly brought up, his expression odd as he recounted the details.

Hamlet’s trading company, by striving to establish itself in Totnes, was bound to draw attention. After all, with a market of a fixed size, new entrants inevitably meant a division of profits.

For merchants, it was like a meat grinder, and there was also strong xenophobia. The enforcers they employed were used precisely for such moments.

This also served as a test to see if the newcomers had the capability to establish themselves in Totnes. If they lacked the strength, they would have to rely on local channels, as Walter once did, which naturally meant sharing a portion of the profits.

Those powerful and influential figures didn’t even need to conduct business themselves; simply lending their name to an endeavor could bring in endless streams of money. They could just sit back and wait for the cash to roll in.

Submitting to those scoundrels was not in Lance’s character, and he had, in fact, prepared for this. The Navy soldiers led by Captain Wilson were no strangers to bloodshed.

Moreover, Walter had an establishment in Totnes, so his main transactions involved purchases rather than dumping goods. His business was small enough not to warrant excessive concern.

”That man followed us. Then, inexplicably, he told the captain that we would be attacked that night. Captain Wilson took the warning seriously and increased the guard. Sure enough, an attack occurred in the middle of the night...” Little John continued.

As Lance had expected, the trained and coordinated Navy soldiers had no trouble handling the Gang members.

However, the muskets used by the Gang members still injured many soldiers. It was at that moment the mysterious man made his move.

”We repelled the Gang that attacked us, but several of our brothers were wounded so severely that everyone felt they were beyond saving. Yet, he stepped forward, claiming he could save them. His only request was to return with us,” Little John recounted.