our family is gone

William believed that it was due to poor management that the mad dog ran away, so he did not refuse. Instead, he handed over the matters here to the apprentices and took Figus to participate in the operation.

Because those apprentices had been exposed to these things for a long time and were not unfamiliar with them, they took good care of the animal pens and Lance did not need to worry.

The animal stables are mainly for wolves and dogs, perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a dog training center. There is another place in Hamlet, which was newly built based on the bird eggs that Laura brought back.

Among the eagles of Bastia such a place is called an eagle's nest, but in Hamlet it is more directly called an aviary.

Laura was also called by Boudica to find the dog, but her side had just been set up, so Lance also went over to take a look.

Birds that lay eggs are very different from mammals like wolves. The eggs need to be incubated.

But here we can only use manual labor to replace it. No, it is actually chickens that hatch the eggs.

Hamlet Farm has a lot of chickens, so it is not difficult to find a few hens to hatch eggs. These eggs have been blessed by Lance and have strong vitality. They hatch quickly after being brought back, and there are no dead eggs.

These are the young birds of prey such as eagles, falcons and owls. They want to eat meat as soon as they hatch from their shells.

Normally, the parents will go out hunting, eat the prey and regurgitate it to feed the young birds. Because they have strong digestive abilities, they eat a lot and grow fast, and this process continues day and night.

Now, according to Laura's experience and the information found in the eagle's nest, the eagle basically needs to eat a meal every three or four hours and be fed six times a day.

However, in an artificial environment, they can only be fed mashed flesh and blood, and they cannot eat meat with too much fat, such as pork. It is best to eat rabbit and mouse meat, and with the bones.

Fortunately, Hamlet didn't have much of anything, but there were plenty of rats, and there were all kinds of them, including specially bred clean lab rats, docile rats bred by eagle groups, and crazy rats the size of cats.

We also recruited some staff here, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to feed dozens of chickens every two or three hours.

Those who like birds or have some talent are also selected to be bird trainer apprentices.

Laura is not as good at teaching as William. She is quite indifferent to everyone, like a lonely falcon under the moon.

But with simple guidance and so much information, there was no problem at all, and everything was quickly back on track. At least nothing would go wrong while Laura was away for a while. After all, the young birds were now able to eat meat, which was torn into pieces by the apprentices, along with the internal organs and bones.

As long as they grow up a little bit and can feed themselves, and then start to domesticate them, Hamlet will soon have his own flock of eagles...

Hamlet's calmness does not mean that it is the same outside. At this moment, a chase is taking place in the waterway, with a pirate ship chasing a cargo ship.

Although the ship Hamlet was on was a converted speedboat, it had a lot of cargo, so it was naturally difficult to increase its speed. The pirate ship kept approaching them at a faster speed, as if it was trying to catch up with them.

This was only delayed until now because of Tamara's reminder. Yes, she is also on this ship now.

She sensed something was wrong when the ship was halfway there, but the captain refused to listen to her and change the route. As expected, they were being targeted by pirates, which led to the current situation.

All the passengers hid in the cabin, while the crew were trying their best to control the ship. On the deck, Tamara complained to the captain.

"Humph! I told you to stay away a long time ago but you didn't believe me. It's too late to regret it now."

"We are not in the deep sea. The coastal waterways are fixed and cannot be changed at will. If we run aground, there will be no escape."

The captain explained patiently, but the fact that he did not panic in the face of the pirates still caught Tamara's attention.

"Are you really not afraid of those pirates?"

"Many of our brothers are retired soldiers. No matter how fast a pirate is, he can't be faster than a bullet." The captain patted the percussion cap revolver on his waist and said confidently, "Hamlet's ship is not so easy to rob."

Even the navy was affected by the military reform. They were too weak when they were established. They rarely fought in naval battles and most of the time they were used as marines.

Later, many people retired, which just filled the gap of shortage of seafarers. After all, many team members had been trained and knew how to operate the ship, and they were technical talents.

And there are also retired army soldiers? Those who survived these wars are simply not afraid of those rotten fish and shrimp pirates. Even if there are some powerful pirate leaders, can they withstand six bursts of bullets?
After testing, those in the research institute unanimously felt that percussion cap revolvers worked better on ships. In addition, with the recent rise of pirates, they selected some trustworthy ones and gave them to them for testing.

These official cargo ships all have tankers. There are at least five revolvers and dozens of flintlock pistols on board, which are perfect for testing the pirates.

"But what if the pirates start fighting from within?" Tamara couldn't help but sneer at the captain's confidence, with a slightly weird smile on her face.

Anyone who can become a captain is naturally not a fool. He understood what Tamara meant almost instantly and couldn't help but lower his voice.

"Pirates have sneaked in? They want to move the cargo?"

That’s right, the bulk of the cargo on their ship was people, or more precisely, ordinary people who wanted to go to Hamlet to beg for food.

Even without wars or natural disasters, countless people in the empire still starve to death or freeze to death every winter. In big cities like Totnes, this situation is not only not uncommon, but even more so.

Because they have no land, they are dependent on workshops, farms, shops... Once business activities slow down in winter or when there is no farming season, they will be abandoned.

It is impossible for the boss or the farmer to support you and will just optimize you out. Totnes attracts countless people every year anyway, so they can just recruit more when the time comes.

If you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will do it, and the new people are better. They come with a desire to stay in Totnes, work hard, and you don't have to pay so much.

As for how ordinary unemployed people will survive the winter, it is not something they consider, and it has been like this for thousands of years.

Now Lance has noticed this, and he understands that the development of Hamlet requires more population. These experienced farmers and workers have more experience than those who know nothing. They can start working as soon as they arrive. There is no need for long-term training, because Hamlet does not have such foundation.

What’s more important is that most of these people come with families, and once they come, they can’t leave.

The only place Hamlet had direct contact with the outside world was Totnes, and there happened to be countless people there. He sent people to workshops and farms to look for these people.

Now the boat fare is free, and food and accommodation are provided when you go there, and it is also considered wages. Once you pay off the wages, you will be free and can earn some money. Some people who have some money go there just to make a living and get through this cold winter.

To die in Totnes? Or to seek a glimmer of hope in Hamlet? They made their choice.

But because it was an open recruitment and they also sold tickets, the people on the ship were a mixed bunch, so it was not surprising that a few pirates got in. If a fight really broke out, those guys would shout a few words, and then a few more would come to cooperate, and the situation would get chaotic.

"Which cabin are those people in? What do they look like?"

“The whole ship is mixed up.”

The captain didn't waste any time and directly called a few sailors to bring their weapons and captured several people from the cabin according to Tamara's description.

"Why did you arrest us?"

"Let us go soon?"

"Brother, please let me go..."

The first few who were captured did not resist, probably because they thought they were not exposed. But later they realized something and wanted to resist and encourage others.

However, he was suppressed as soon as he showed his head. Even if he wanted to kidnap other people, it was a joke in front of Tamara, the champion spellcaster, who could control people with just some spells.

"These are pirate spies. They are the ones who led the pirates here. They have nothing to do with ordinary people. You don't have to worry. If you find anyone talking nonsense, they must be pirates." The captain tried to comfort the others. After that, he waved his hand and said, "Take them away!"

Several guys were brought onto the deck. The captain was also a ruthless man. He tortured them directly and found out that these guys were instigating those in the cabin when they were preparing for a fight, saying that Hamlet was going to sell them to pirates, and then the people mixed in with them would lead the riot and attack from both inside and outside.

After confirming this, the captain affirmed Tamara, "Thank you for your help, I will apply for a reward when I return."

"I said I'm a friend of your lord." Tamara didn't care about this. She helped these people just because she needed to show her face in front of Lance.

She had not been in Hamlet for long, so not many people knew her, and even less so now.

"Captain, the pirate ship is coming!"

The sentry's call made everyone nervous, and the captain didn't care too much and quickly started to make arrangements.

"Hang them up!"

"Distribute the weapons and show them who the prey is."

The pirates didn't have gunboats, so they could only try to come over to board the ship, but the screaming pirates were shot at as soon as they got close.

There are only thirty or forty people on a pirate ship. If there are more, they will fight among themselves. One third of them died in this round.

But the pirates didn't care about all this. They rushed up madly with ferocious faces, but they couldn't scare the sailors at all. Their guns were terribly steady.

Another round of shooting began. It was a habit left by the navy. These sailors generally had two guns, and they were loaded with shotgun shells. They did not aim to kill, but to injure in a wide area. It was even more deadly without a shield.

After these two rounds of shooting, the pirates felt something was wrong. They either fell into the water or were shot like a honeycomb and cried out in pain.

Even if a few of them rushed forward without being injured, they could not escape being targeted by the revolvers. One shot after another, the blood dyed the deck red, and then it was garbage time...

The bloody ship returned to the port of Hamlet, bringing along a pirate ship.

As those people got off the ship and were resettled, news of their experiences soon spread, and Lance also heard the captain's report. As for the pirates, they were either fed to fish in the sea or captured and sent to a sanatorium.

"Indeed, they are old friends. You don't have to worry about this matter. Just let her in."

The captain stepped back and soon Tamara, who had not been seen for a long time, appeared in front of Lance again.

However, she is no longer dressed simply or even plainly. Instead, she is dressed much more gorgeously. A large number of exquisite jewels make her look dazzled and her face is more refined. It is obvious that her improved strength has also made her more energetic and spirited.

But Lance seemed to have noticed something, and his expression gradually became a little subtle, but he still took the initiative to greet him: "It's been a long time since we last met. I didn't expect that I would bother you to help."

"What are you saying? Is it necessary for us to be like this?" Tamara approached me casually, and her tone was not reserved, but rather intimate.

Lance smiled but said nothing. Don't forget the connection between Sera and Amanda. He guessed something from the fact that Tamara stayed in Totnes and had not responded.

But it wasn't too strange because she was just like that. She wanted to steal the equipment from me when they first met, and she was reluctant to be recruited by me.

If it weren't for her special talent, Lance would not have wasted time on her. He kept her in case something went wrong in the duel with the ancestor, in case she might be useful. Now that the ancestor is dead and they haven't had any contact for a long time, she is not that important in Lance's heart.

It’s not important, so I won’t care too much about it.

Tamara also felt Lance's distantness, and her expression was stunned for a moment. She thought she didn't care, but for some reason she felt like there was a stagnation in her heart.

"I..." He struggled for a long time to say something, but when he opened his mouth he didn't know what to say and fell into silence instead.

"To be honest, I can't help you if you want to check the accounts, because I haven't been in charge of these things for a long time, and you can only check your side. My accounts are not yours."

Lance just helped her to open the topic. He came to Hamlet quietly just to find out Sera's problem, but Sera was doing a good job now and they were partners, so there was no reason to take her down.

Tamara couldn't help but say the words as she listened to Lance's businesslike words and calm tone.

"Has our relationship really come to this?"

Meeting Tamara's gaze, Lance's expression restrained a little. Just as he was about to say something, someone suddenly walked in through the door.

"It seems like I came at the wrong time?" Amanda's gaze lingered on the two of them, her expression looking a little strange.

"No~" Lance raised his hand and waved to Amanda, saying with a smile: "You came at the right time." (End of this chapter)