Our Family Has Fallen

Lance raised his hand and sacrificed the fat pig, and the feedback of Spiritual Essence inevitably brightened his eyes.

Wow, it was actually comparable to four or five Pigman butchers.

When he sacrificed the Pigman assassin who had killed Amanda, although it was short in stature, the Spiritual Essence it returned was stronger than the Pigman he had encountered before, which might be due to the presence of Supernatural Power.

But when he looked at the Pigman assassin killed by Wang Cai, his expression turned somewhat helpless.

This was why Lance did not like to let Wang Cai take action; it would directly devour the Spiritual Essence of the prey, causing the body to lose all value for Sacrifice.

Lance was now struggling to feed himself, with empty pockets, so Wang Cai would have to suffer some hardship.

However, there was a silver lining: the bodies whose souls were devoured by Wang Cai showed no signs of physical damage and remained relatively intact.

This made them perfect material for dissection, which was certainly good news for Paracelsus.

After a brief cleanup of the battlefield, Lance lifted his torch and continued deeper. Just a few steps in, he found the Pigman drummer who had been controlled and then killed by inflicting damage.

There was nothing special about it. Its appearance was similar to the others he had encountered, though Alhazred commented at that moment.

”`This Human Skin Drum has gathered intense resentment; I can almost hear the agonizing wails. It is the product of evil witchcraft, requiring the live flaying of human skin and the use of secret techniques in rituals to seal souls in extreme pain and despair...`”

Alhazred was truly a professional, even knowing the method of creation, but as he spoke, he hesitated.

”`But… how could such a heretical ritual appear here? These Pigmen...`”

According to the Scholar, this meant that the ability of the Pigman drummer to beat out drum rhythms that eroded sanity was not inherent but assisted by the Human Skin Drum.

But there must have been someone who crafted it and taught them how to use it.

Lance knew bringing him along would uncover things he wouldn’t have discovered on his own, but sometimes excessive curiosity was not a good thing.

Nevertheless, Lance had no intention of curbing his curiosity, as in the end, it was the Sect of Ascension that would take the blame.

”`Rest in peace,`” Lance said, raising his hand to sacrifice the body, along with the Spiritual Essence of the Human Skin Drum, effectively clearing the residual resentment.

Alhazred noticed this. Although he remained calm, he was somewhat shocked because the evil aura on the Human Skin Drum had completely vanished—so cleanly that it was even a bit difficult for him to comprehend.

However, as he gradually witnessed the Lord’s power, Alhazred understood that the strength of the man before him was unfathomable.

He hoped that one day his own soul could also find peace in his hands...

”`Let’s go, let’s cause a ruckus and tell the Pigmen...`” Invigorated by the Spiritual Essence brought by the fat pig, Lance couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile. ”`I’m fucking here!`”

”`Big Flying Pillar, you just wait for me!`” Boudica lifted her Axe Spear and howled, clearly having recovered from the previous battle.

But her words carried some resentment. She was obviously not pleased with how close she had come to losing.

The journey resumed, but because of the Pigman assassins’ ability to stealth, they adjusted the team’s structure.

Boudica took the lead position, Amanda was in the second, Alhazred in the third, and Lance brought up the rear with the torch.

In truth, because the passages had been widened by the Pigmen, the second and third positions were nearly side by side, forming a diamond-shaped formation.

The terrain of the Beast Lair was complex, with many interconnected passages. Lance couldn’t guarantee that Pigmen wouldn’t circle around, as such occurrences had happened several times before.

Not to mention, now there was an additional Pigman assassin capable of stealth and invisibility!

Since people don’t have eyes in the back of their heads, entrusting one’s back to the darkness meant facing greater pressure, a constant need to be wary of what lay behind.

But Lance always seemed unconcerned.

Amanda was accustomed to carrying out assassination missions alone. Even when working with others in the organization, they would each do their own thing, rarely experiencing such proactive team spirit.

When Lance willingly stood in the most dangerous position, without needing to say much, he gave Amanda a strong sense of security.

She only knew there was nothing to worry about behind her.

The team continued to advance, now entering areas they hadn’t explored before, but they still had to mark and map them as necessary.

Once he had a clear understanding of the Beast Lair, he would bring the Honor Guard for training. What could they learn from fighting humans? They needed to be progressively exposed to more of Hamlet’s specialties.

These were the enemies that the Heart of Steel would have to face in the future!

「On the outskirts of Ovando, Walter Manor.」

The team returning from Hamlet, compared to when they departed, had gained an additional twenty horse-carts, also loaded with various resources.

On the way there, they collected materials urgently needed by Hamlet, such as Iron Ingots and gunpowder. They even managed to obtain weapons and equipment from the armory, like armor and crossbows.

Along the way, they also bought food and livestock, taking everything that could be brought back to Hamlet to provide for production and development.

Returning, the carts no longer carried such materials but were mainly filled with bags of grain and agricultural produce.

Among the agricultural produce were mainly eggs, salted fish, and smoked pork. These items hadn’t been very expensive previously, as most city dwellers with steady jobs could afford them.