Our Family Has Fallen
Chapter 996 - 560: Aftermath (2)
These should estimate to two thousand, filling the gap and even making a profit of four or five hundred Gold Coins.
This Lord, although peculiar, is fair!
Now, she has slightly started to like this place, Hamlet.
Lance had no intention of continuing to deal with her and directly left with Amanda.
"You overpaid earlier." As soon as they got off the ship, Amanda couldn’t help but speak up, "And I’ve already made the transaction with her, that person didn’t lose anything."
It should be noted that she was the one who advocated the involvement, operated it, and was even critically injured as a result.
And Sela had been dragging her feet, it was only when she presented the token that she relented. Seeing her gain benefits made it all the more frustrating.
In response, Lance casually explained with a smile, "I know, but she kept you safe; as long as you’re alright, any amount is worth it."
Needless to say, Amanda found Lance’s words quite reassuring and immediately lost her temper.
"Tell me, what exactly happened? How did you detect the Fishmen’s attack?"
"This actually has something to do with Sela..."
Amanda could have claimed all the credit herself, as it was difficult for Lance to verify, but she chose to recount the events in full.
Starting from the beginning, when Sela sensed something was wrong and approached her, then she found the Deep Diver and persuaded Sela to keep them there while she went to the coast to sound the alarm to lure the Fishmen away and prevent the dock from being destroyed.
Then the battle began, armies and militias got involved, knowing her front-line role was limited, she boarded a ship to find a way to harness that power over the battlefield.
Amanda specialized in targeted single-target damage and was indeed quite powerless in the face of war. Lance understood her choice, and subsequent events proved she made the right decision.
The army and militia couldn’t hold them back, suffering heavy casualties, but The Church Duo emerged to stabilize the front line, drawing much of the Fishmen’s attention and alleviating pressure.
This shows that the duo from the Church indeed made significant contributions, even remaining on the field despite severe injuries, regardless of their personal intents, they later incited a riot, but their achievements were undeniable.
Then Baldwin stepped in, forcing out the Fishmen’s Spellcasters, the Deep Sea Shamans, who summoned a storm attempting to destroy Hamlet during a fierce spell duel.
The Church Duo fled, Baldwin charged into the storm, while she used the token to exchange for a key to counteract the Shamans using the power onboard, though successful, she was gravely injured and also cursed by the deep sea. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
If things continued this way, Amanda wouldn’t have had much time left, fortunately, Sela didn’t watch her die, and she awaited Lance’s arrival.
"If it weren’t for that Sela dragging her feet, we would’ve countered the Shamans’ spells from the beginning, preventing things from escalating to that extent." However, Amanda clearly didn’t appreciate it and criticized directly.
No wonder she lost the token, something that links to the organization, cutting off a channel for receiving information.
Lance wasn’t so petty. The series of battles had opened up a situation, despite the heavy casualties, the gains were substantial.
"What’s the deal with those two from the Church?"
"That Mendicant Monk is called Martyr Martin..."
Amanda briefly explained what she knew, surprising Lance.
"So that old man has a high status within the Church?"
"Well, Sela said the Bishop of Totnes’s Church wouldn’t dare offend him."
"I just beat up both of them."
"What?"
When Lance suddenly blurted this out, Amanda was baffled.
But after a brief explanation, Amanda realized that so much had happened while she was unconscious.
Not knowing what to say about it, the two fell into silence for a moment.
Lance brought her back here, and despite forcibly removing various negative states, her overall condition needed adjustment.
"Though you’ve healed, you also need time to adjust. Go back and rest well," he said, not forgetting to emphasize, "Rest assured, I never mistreat my people."
Amanda showed her demeanor, and naturally, Lance had to assure her, which is very important for Romani who lack a sense of security.
"Uh... okay." Amanda wasn’t sure what she was thinking but snapped back, looking at Lance as he walked away and then towards the coach meant for her.
Busy handling various affairs, Lance briefly reassured Amanda before turning to leave, only for his gentle smile to gradually fade, replaced by contemplation as he walked.
Lance isn’t the kind of fool who gets swayed by a woman’s words, nor is he overly suspicious and distrustful.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have adopted such a stance earlier, compensating Sela and personally bringing her back, consoling her along the way - a treatment even Grendel didn’t receive.
But the Romani deserve caution in matters involving them.
She said it was Sela who alerted her to the odd situation, that she used a ritual on the ship to discover the Fishmen’s attack, then sounded the alarm, controlled the ship using the token for a decisive blow.
However, if you examine it closely, aside from the alarm, the rest of Amanda’s account only she and Sela could confirm.
Who’s to say Sela didn’t mess something up to lure the Fishmen, and Amanda shifted the blame to Hamlet, who had to clean up their mess?
If indeed these Fishmen were linked to the Romani, it’s not the Romani who were wronged, but him!
After all, it’s not surprising if the Ancestor could command Pigmen, since he raised them himself.
But the Fishmen are more independent, as seen from the deep sea gaze showing they have their gods.
They might not share the same goals as the Ancestor, let alone be driven to attack Hamlet, something nagging at Lance.
A more thorough investigation needs to be conducted to fully understand this matter as the losses were simply too great, with hundreds of lives now weighing on his shoulders.
Moreover, the actual hero, Baldwin, still awaits treatment.
He hurried to find Baldwin, and although the Mendicant Monk hadn’t fully saved him, with the blessing of Divine Arts and Grendel’s potion, his condition was recovering well, given his robust constitution and innate recuperative means.
The real trouble lay in the unusual curse of the Deep Diver, but Baldwin’s strength was far superior to Amanda’s; his artifacts could shield against corruption, so it seemed not too serious.
Regardless, Lance thoroughly healed his injuries, a simple task for him, and discussed with him precisely what transpired.
"I rushed over after receiving the mobilization..."
The situation broadly matched what Lance understood; Baldwin indeed felt a force opposing the Fishmen’s Spellcasters, which was why he survived.
"I got swept into the storm with no option until a sudden force disrupted the storm, giving me the chance to break through to the core and sabotage the ritual."
Listening to this along with their shared curse scenario, Lance, unsure about Sela, was mostly able to confirm Amanda as an ally.
This was good news for him, as he liked to believe in others, and this trust helped unite them.
However, he hated being deceived, or rather, nobody likes a betrayer.
Considering all the information, Lance found it was a very fortuitous timing, had the fleet not arrived, bringing the Church Duo and that batch of gear, and Baldwin and Amanda not somehow cooperating to disrupt the storm, it’s uncertain what loss Hamlet might have faced.
But in any case, it’s finally over...