our family is gone

Chapter 821 Follow-up
"So now you know who I am?"

Lance looked at the dozen or so people who were called over. They were all brokers who used to be active here. However, according to the first time he met them, there were still a few missing. They should have run away after their first meeting, and these were naturally the ones who stayed behind.

Everyone knows how legendary Hamlet's rise is, but these brokers have heard more rumors from the outside world. In their eyes, the lord is as ugly as a devil, his mind is as crazy as a beast, and he is a tyrant and dictator with extremely cruel means. But he can't be compared with the seemingly ordinary young man in front of them.

But that doesn't stop them from making a choice.

"My Lord, we were also forced by those pirates."

"That's right, we haven't done anything bad."

"My Lord, please forgive us..."

Some people fell to their knees in front of Lance, while others, even those who didn't, cried and begged for mercy. They didn't care about their dignity at all.

"Go and help us deal with these things first."

Lance kept them for a reason. They were most familiar with pirates and knew many things that Hamlet was not aware of. They could help the soldiers better deal with the problems that would arise after the war.

But Lance was not willing to deal with these mundane matters at all, so he just left them to the people below and went to pick up trash.

What good can pirates have?
Yes, there really are, and there are quite a few of them, because many of the things they looted cannot be sold or are reluctant to sell. After all, the only thing circulating among pirates is currency. Other miscellaneous cultural relics, artworks, or books have no audience at all, so they are piled up and become collections of those big pirates.

The territories of the big pirates had been looted by pirates long ago, but it was difficult to find the things hidden by those big pirates in such a short time.

For Lance, it was very easy to open the secret room. He was too lazy to look at the gold, silver, treasures, jade and jade, so he just looked for antiques, books and scrolls, or materials and props with extraordinary powers.

Lance didn't think that pirates would collect these on purpose, so they must have been collected by Black Jack and not given to the ancestor in time, or they were left behind for bidding, and were later divided up by his men, and finally fell into Lance's hands. It was truly fate.

Anyway, Lance didn't pay for it, so he got it for free.

"Sir, we have completed the reception of the prisoners..."

"News from the front line: the navy has completed the encirclement and suppression and is assisting..."

"Report……"

Lance was counting the spoils in the house of one of the big pirates, and people kept reporting the news to him.

From the soldiers' reports, it can be heard that the situation has become clear. More than 2,000 prisoners alone were captured. Of course, some of them were ordinary people who were captured and used as slaves for hard labor.

As for how many pirates died, the statistics have not been completed yet, and the related gains are still being counted. It will be impossible to do it without some time.

As for the naval battle, it was generally successful, although some ships still escaped. Fortunately, they were all small fish and shrimps and there was no need to worry too much. Their escape would not change the situation, and even letting them escape could spread the news and scare away the pirates who did not participate.

In the final analysis, the navy is too small. When the enemy does not fight with you head-on or tries to run away, there is no way to intercept them effectively. The control of a sailboat is very difficult and the speed also depends on the weather.

Lance didn't care about it. The Shipwreck Bay that the pirates had operated for a long time was taken over. Without this shelter-like supply point, they would not be able to form a large scale and would not pose much threat to Hamlet at sea.

To put it simply, after this battle, the pirates around Hamlet fell into decline...

"Reporting to the Lord, the big pirates have been found, and only two are still alive. They mixed in with the pirates and tried to escape, but were discovered and reported and caught."

As he spoke, the soldier handed over something. It was the shell that Lance had released earlier. There were traces of blood left in the cracks on the shell after washing.

Not all the big pirates took part in the fight for the shells. Some of them sensed something was wrong and held on to their territories but were broken through. Anyway, in the chaos of the battle, Lance didn't find anyone to pay too much attention to these mortals.

Just like what the pirate captain said before, only extraordinary battleships can fight against those, and individual strength is very weak in naval battles.

Of course, spellcasters are excluded. For example, the shamans among the deep divers can create tsunamis, which are a force that cannot be matched by gunboats in naval battles.

"Does your Excellency wish to see me?"

The soldier's question brought Lance back to his senses. He took the shell and nodded, "Then let's meet. Bring the informant along."

Soon, two tied-up middle-aged men were brought up, yelling and cursing at the informant along the way. If they hadn't been restrained by the soldiers, they would have attacked long ago.

"You did a great job."

Lance also found it interesting because the one who reported it was the broker, and when the broker heard this he immediately perked up and agreed as if he had someone backing him up.

"I have long been disgusted with these evil pirates. It is all thanks to the Lord that he gave me this opportunity."

"Alright." Lance was too lazy to deal with his nonsense and turned to look at the two embarrassed pirates. "You guys want to be the pirate king too?"

"You just use a piece of garbage to stir up trouble and get us to fight."

"Humph! Why don't you dare to fight us for real? You are just cowards who only dare to use such means!"

“You all know that this news is problematic, but you just can’t help but bet. If Hamlet gets up, you will still be doomed.

What’s more, this thing is not fake, but what Red Beard got from Black Jack’s son. Everything I said is true.”

Lance looked calm and was not affected by them at all. He even mocked their greed and gambling nature.

"I should have guessed it long ago. Red Beard disappeared towards Hamlet. Although there are rumors of monsters appearing in the sea, there is only one truth."

"If you want to kill me, just kill me. Stop talking nonsense!"

The other one didn't care about it at all. As a pirate, he was already prepared for this day, but the broker next to him suddenly added something.

"Sir, I know where his family is. I am in charge of all these matters."

"Ah!!! I'm going to kill you!" The pirate just shouted and was knocked to the ground by the butt of a gun by a soldier next to him.

"Sir, he has committed too many crimes. We cannot let him go. His entire family must be killed!" The broker knew that he had offended someone, so he had to kill them all, otherwise he would be in trouble.

"Why bother? You have family in Totnes. Do you think you can just run away? We have done so many things. Which one did you not participate in?"

The other pirate was a little helpless, but he could also hear that these words were a warning and a threat. You know too much. We have been caught, but some people will not let you go.

Sure enough, the broker's expression changed a little, but Lance just laughed and mocked him.

"He is just a mouthpiece, at most he is a little greedy. If Hamlet moves to a small town and changes his name, who will recognize him?
It is up to me to decide whether to let him go or not. Who are you? What is the barking of a stray dog ​​whose owner doesn't even want to recognize him?
Or do you think the guys who support you can protect your families? They can't even protect themselves, I said."

After saying that, Lance was too lazy to talk nonsense with them. He waved his hand to signal the soldiers to take the two guys away, but he also said something to the broker.

"Go tell the other brokers, if you want to save your life, write down everything. I want the details. You can only live if they die, and..." Lance waved for him to come over and gave him some more instructions.

"I understand, sir, don't worry!" Although the broker was a little puzzled, he still agreed flatteringly.

Lance sent it away and continued to bury himself in the books and scrolls, most of which contained horrifying knowledge or strange and evil rituals.

Lance thought he was abstract enough, but compared to these things, he was still a little too simple.

It took most of the day to capture this island, but to completely clear out the main island and the surrounding islands would probably take more than a few days to complete. There were even pirates hiding on the main island, so searching the mountain would take time.

"My lord, Hamlet's supply ship is here."

As evening approached, another fleet of five cargo ships loaded with the necessary personnel and cargo arrived here.

Ordinary businessmen would definitely not dare to come, so the people who operate the ships are retired soldiers, and they bring with them the personnel and equipment needed to manage and transform this place.

This shows that Lance never considered the possibility of failure, otherwise these cargo ships would have gone directly into the pockets of the pirates.

That’s right, if things really get out of control, he will take action.

"Leave half of the pirates here to transform this place, and transport the rest back to build the road."

"My Lord, where are the slaves and women?"

“They were kidnapped and their homes are not here. Now we just need to provide them with basic treatment, and the brokers will take care of the rest.

Let the military hand over the matter to those who come to take charge, have a good rest tonight, and take action tomorrow morning."

The people below naturally would not question the lord's orders and responded immediately.

Lance looked a little gloomy, he was not a man who was willing to suffer a loss, on the contrary he would report any flaws, and would never wait until the next day if he could report it. It was impossible for him to go out just to beat the dog without confronting the dog's owner.

…………

Even in Totnes, which is known for the widest flow of information, when the news of Black Jack's treasure came out of nowhere, it was only circulated within the circle, and there was not much response among ordinary people.

The main reason is that things like the Pirate King's treasure have little to do with merchants, and they would rather stay away from these guys.

Even if there were some people who were paying attention to this aspect, after the legendary ten days had passed and no new information had been received, they conceded that this was just another farce and soon lost interest.

At this time, a man in a coat was walking on the streets of Totnes Midtown, looking up at the surrounding scenery from time to time with a hint of nostalgia.

Of course, it would be better if there weren't so many homeless vagrants. There are even some who huddle in a corner, not knowing whether they are dead or alive. What's more outrageous is that their bodies will not be found in a corner until the spring when the place starts to stink.

Winter does not have the same bustling business activities as other seasons, because in many places the roads will be blocked as soon as it snows, and parts of the rivers will also be frozen.

Another thing is that many places will have enough supplies stored in the fall, so naturally there will be a situation of reduced demand, which leads to the merchants being unwilling to support them for a whole winter and directly firing them to reduce pressure.

And this is already better than previous years. At least Hamlet is recruiting people, and they can get on the ship and go north to make a living. There is no large-scale disaster.

This is Totnes, the most prosperous place in the empire...

The man didn't care too much. Since he chose to stay in Totnes, he respected the blessing.

It was not until the man arrived at the entrance of the former Rat Street that he lifted his hood to reveal his face. It was, of course, Lance.

If Tamara hadn't led him there, there would have been no way he would have discovered this place. Now it has become ordinary because the most core part has been closed.

The core part is that after Alvis obtained the inheritance, he folded the space through a ritual, isolating ordinary people and hiding this part, allowing only extraordinary people to enter and exit, and collecting rent to maintain the operation of this place.

After the closure, the people and shops inside were exposed to reality. Without cover and shelter, they soon disappeared, and perhaps most of them are still hiding in the city.

Rat Street is equivalent to a website. When it sensed the crackdown from above, it shut down its server and ran away in advance for fear of being affected. No one knows when it will reopen, so the people and things inside naturally dispersed.

If Alvis were still alive, it would be easy to reopen it with his appeal as a legendary spellcaster. After all, there is a demand for it, and the higher-ups also need such a place to accommodate the extraordinary people.

It's a pity that he is gone. Lance walked into a small building next to him, took out the key and opened a door. It was an ordinary room, but the dust seemed a bit thick, and no one had been there for a while.

Lance seemed to know something and walked straight to the standing mirror that was as tall as a person. He stretched out his hand and actually went straight through it. Inside was a small independent space, which contained some resources left by the wizard, together with the space core of Rat Street. It seemed that he had prepared to have three burrows, but now he got the advantage.

When he came out, the core of the ritual was no longer maintaining it, and the mirror became an ordinary object, which meant that Totnes Rat Street disappeared completely.

No one knew what happened here. Lance didn't even stay for too long. He just took his things and left. Alvis's legacy was just something he did when he returned to Totnes. What he really had to do was...

"Let me see who is the first one?"

Lance took out his notebook, which was filled with densely written names, all of whom were people related to pirates.

Nobles, bureaucrats, businessmen... the list involves hundreds of people, as well as the families of the big pirates who settled here, but it is not important to Lance.

The Great Reckoning is coming...