our family is gone

Hamlet, Newtown.

It's a new day again. A large number of adventurers wake up from the taverns, casinos and brothels, and prepare to go to the ruins to search for treasure.

Recently, more and more news about people finding good stuff has been reported. Of course, given the habits of those guys, they would blow a copper coin into a gold coin, and some would even say a gold coin was a copper coin.

But whether it is true or false, it inspires those who are eager to get rich overnight, because many people have really picked up some jewelry, citrine, and of course coins scattered in the ruins.

After these days of cleaning, the outer skeletons have basically been knocked into pieces, and after losing the evil power, the bones have been severely weathered.

The bones that were originally difficult to break even with a knife or an axe seemed to have finally exploded after more than ten years of wind and sun. They turned into pieces with just a touch, and turned into powder if stepped on directly.

Those adventurers were very good at accumulating experience. After the initial panic, they quickly adapted to the situation in the ruins, and their awe of the ruins also quickly faded.

Just avoid facing them directly at night. During the day, you can lure the skeletons out of the buildings and kill them, and then go in to search.

Ordinary adventurers or scavengers were still restricted to daytime, while some powerful mercenary groups had already spent the night in the ruins.

All you need to do is clear out a sturdy building from among the skeletons near dusk, then seal it off and prepare enough firewood to set up camp.

The bonfire can dispel the evil spirit in the air, and the higher the altitude from the ground, the smaller the impact.

What’s more important is that the bonfire can deter the rats, and the blockade can stop the skeletons but not the rats. One person’s ear was bitten by a rat.

"It's dawn now, those skeletons should start to retreat, everyone get ready."

A little light shone through the cracks in the wooden windows, indicating that the Scorpion Mercenaries had survived another night. Judging from their calm demeanor, it was obvious that this was not the first time.

After Scorpion finished speaking, he stood up and walked to the window to look outside. He could see that they were now on the third floor, which was almost the highest point of the house, but not very high compared to the surrounding areas. This meant that they were getting deeper and deeper into the once prosperous area of ​​the ruins.

And his words were also revealed. As the sun came out, the skeletons surrounding the building, longing for the breath of life, began to retreat and look for dark and sheltered places.

"Captain, the supplies we brought can only last for another day. If we can't find any more supplies, we will probably have to stay here tonight and go back."

The team member who was counting the supplies gave a reminder, and others echoed it.

"I've been out for three days. Every day when I open my eyes, I see skeletons. When I close my eyes, I see mice. Apart from some odds and ends, I don't see any treasures."

"The damn weather is getting colder and colder. I want to take a good bath in the bathhouse now."

"Why aren't you hugging a woman?"

"It's so cold, how can a woman take a bath to feel comfortable? I can't count on a medicinal bath. It would be even better to take a sauna after the bath."

"You know how to enjoy yourself, kid."

As they spoke, they all looked relaxed. Upon hearing this, Scorpion realized that everyone's high-intensity exploration was almost reaching its limit.

Scorpion looked at the spire of the church in the distance and realized that there was no chance, so he had to give up and changed his words:
"Our main task today is to search the surrounding buildings and collect as many good things as possible, then go back and rest for a day or two."

The reason why Scorpio made such a decision was because he also felt that something was wrong. He did discover some things along the way, but they were not inspiring gains. Instead, everyone was under a lot of pressure.

Because active in the core area are not only civilians transformed into skeletons, but also some soldiers or sheriffs, and these skeletons are equipped with armor or weapons.

Although he could still cope with it, the intensity of the battle was gradually increasing. Scorpion could not keep the team here. He had to go back to rest and collect information about other people.

No one knows what happened to Hamlet back then, but if so many skeletons were left behind, it means that many people did not leave at that time. But why is the wealth discovered so scattered?

I guess many people have also thought of Scorpio's suspicion, but why are they just suspicious?

Because it is normal to let the master go first. If something really happens, the lower level will not receive the news, but the masters will definitely be able to feel that something is wrong, so it is possible that they will pack up and run away in advance.

But who cares? The mercenaries couldn't help but cheer when they heard Scorpion's words.

"Great!"

The originally low morale recovered a little, and everyone simply packed up and went downstairs to move away the piled up debris. Then they could see that the door and the surrounding brick walls were covered with various scratches, which were the results of the skeletons digging around all night.

"Kill them!"

…………

Those adventurers dared to stay in the ruins for various reasons, but Hamlet's team was much more conservative and came back after dark, even the guards and heroes.

Since they are not looking to destroy skeletons or hunt for treasure, they naturally don't need to take too much risk.

After all, those "treasures" were put in there by the Royal Guards, how could they not know what was going on?

Last night, when the lord took away Junia and a team of personal guards, he left behind a batch of extraordinary equipment. Of course, he kept some for himself, and also wanted to distribute those low-level equipment that he could not use.

Of course, the extraordinary equipment has value, but those things are like cabbage to Lance.

The value of a few pieces of equipment is at most a few hundred or a thousand gold coins, but if you really want to mobilize so many people, it will not be this much money.

Not to mention that they are the ones who pay and work hard, and in the end the money will go through their consumption and finally return to Lance.

This is equivalent to the card drawing games in later generations. If you don’t win, you can only blame yourself for being unlucky, but there are always people around you who win, so you will feel that the next one... the next one must be me.

Give them some hope and let them think they are fighting for themselves, but in fact it is nothing but a pitiful joke.

Hamlet earns what Hamlet spends, and wants to take it home with him.

The Royal Guards brought the prepared goods into the ruins, and some heroes formed a team to enter to maintain the fragile order. The ghost called Hamlet's Order hung over the heads of all those who wanted to make trouble.

And Reynard and his troops also began to prepare to mobilize the troops on the front line according to the lord's orders, some taking leave and some changing guard.

The soldiers on the front line will be replaced and stationed in several surrounding farms, cities, and outposts, and those will be transferred back to the front line of the ruins for training.

There are countless skeletons used as targets, as well as ruins and relics for them to train and cooperate with.

Everything seems to be in order, everyone is working hard for their own reasons and doesn't care about anything else.

But the world is always complicated...

In a large monastery standing on the top of a mountain, white is the main color to show its holiness. Deep in this huge building complex is a quaint but not dilapidated place, where rows of burning candles on the altar are arranged in a staircase shape, and the number of candles decreases as you go up.

Some candles have bright flames, while others are as weak as soybeans, as if they could be extinguished by the slightest breeze, but they still persist stubbornly.

Originally, no one would care about this place. Compared with the bustling past, the peacefulness day after day is normal.

But just today, a candle at the top suddenly went out, and then a scream was heard in the room.

"what!"

A monk who looked middle-aged and dressed in gorgeous monk's clothes hurriedly walked out of the hall, shouting with fear on his face.

"Hurry up and inform His Holiness that the candle of the saint has been extinguished."

This sentence immediately caused panic in a corner of the monastery until an old man appeared.

The most striking one was the one wearing an exquisitely shaped white robe and a shawl with countless complex patterns on the outside.

He wore a tall hat of similar style, inlaid with jewels, and his entire attire was mainly white and gold, so exquisite that it seemed as if it was made of gold and silver threads.

He held a staff with a golden cross head that was as tall as a man. It also had intricate patterns on it and was inlaid with the most precious gems. Behind him followed two guards in full armor and holding halberds. The powerful aura he exuded was probably no weaker than that of a legend.

Both the clothes and the staffs are extremely luxurious, and the legendary strongmen who are placed in other places for worship are just the Pope's guards, which shows how exaggerated the power of the church is.

On the contrary, the old man who is the protagonist looks very ordinary, without that powerful aura emanating from him. If it weren't for this set of appearances, it would be hard to believe that he is the Pope.

"Your Majesty the Pope!"

In that room, there were several people who had arrived and were waiting. They were all dressed luxuriously and exuded an extraordinary aura. Those who could come here were probably high-ranking officials of the church.

However, these people, whose empire would tremble if they sneezed, no longer had their usual calmness on their faces. Instead, they all showed a hint of uneasiness.

Those who can come here all know some information. The saints of the church are passed down from generation to generation. When one dies, the body and equipment will be preserved.

There have been mistakes over the centuries, and many things have been lost, but in the end, they were all passed down with the power of the church.

But not every time is so lucky. The previous generation finally disappeared in Hamlet's territory, causing the church to directly cut off this inheritance.

But the church did not give up and kept sending people there. That was why the church's Holy Light Knights appeared in a dilapidated town.

Unfortunately, that damn place is the ancestor's territory, and with all kinds of blockades, how could they possibly find any trace of the saint?

Fortunately, the faint light showed that the saint was still alive, giving them a glimmer of hope. As long as they found the saint, they could pass on the legacy, which was a very important thing for the church.

only……

It was as if the Pope's eyes were not on those people, and he did not react much to the greeting, because the first thing he looked at when he entered the room was the candles being offered.

And now, one of the lights at the top of the stairs has gone out, and everyone knows what this means.

The saint died.

The Pope was also a little disappointed, and turned to look at everyone and asked, "Everyone already knows, tell us."

"It must be those heretics of Hamlet who killed the saints. We must strike hard!"

"Wage a holy war and send out Hamlet!"

"The body of the saint must be found at all costs. It would be a disgrace to the Church if it fell into the hands of others!"

The Pope did not react too much to those instigations, because he knew the current situation of the Church. It did not matter if the external holy war failed, because with the Empire as a blood bag, a large number of young people would follow the call of the Holy Light in a few years, and then they would fight back.

But the problem is that the empire has also run into trouble. There was a severe drought in the central part of the empire and a civil war in the empire, which directly crippled the empire. In addition, some evil cults and organizations have emerged in various places. Now the church is unable to take care of itself, let alone start another holy war.

Our church is in decline...

Why did the church not respond to the remains of Hamlet that stirred the world? Because the period after the catastrophe was the time when the ancestor's control over Hamlet was the weakest.

At that time, the ancestor was trapped in the ritual, the Ascension Sect had not yet developed, and the Necromancer had not yet summoned so many skeletons.

In order to save the saints, the church also organized people to enter the ruins. Although they did not find the people, they knew that there was nothing inside. Without any benefits, they naturally did not bother to move.

And they also wanted to use this opportunity to eliminate the undead and consume Hamlet's power. They wanted to be the one who benefited from it, so they let it go.

In their view, Hamlet's methods are extremely ridiculous. They are looking at the matter from a God's perspective and think they are in control of everything.

And this time the death of the saint gave them a slap in the face, a slap that hurt their hearts.

Who the hell knew you could actually find the Saint! And kill him.

Saints are of great significance to the church. In some cases, the reason why the church fell into decline may very well be due to the disappearance of a large number of elite members, legendary masters, and saints.

But just like they said, we must get the body of the saint back, and perhaps we can continue the legacy. As long as the saint comes back, everything will be fine.

"Back then we suspected that the Saint was trapped somewhere in Hamlet. This time we heard that Hamlet was encouraging adventurers to attack the ruins. Could it be that the Saint was discovered?"

“The Church cannot lose its saints any more than it can lose its holy city.”

"Withdraw your forces from other places and let other believers suffer first. I will bear the blame."

They also speak in abstract terms.

The holy city has been lost long ago, and the saints are now dead, both are gone. It seems like you can come back with just a word, but I don’t see you coming.

As for shrinking power in other places, that will certainly cause disasters. The blame will be on the church, so why are you worried?
However, these words of advice still made the Pope determined. He paused for a moment to quiet the scene, and then spoke.

"Let's do it. Although suffering is coming, how can we watch Hamlet's followers fall under the threat of the undead? No matter what, we must eliminate the cancer controlled by the undead."

The Pope is the Pope. He starts with all kinds of high-sounding reasons, but for those below him, it is profitable to take action. (End of this chapter)