Our family is in decline

Several gangsters surrounded a mother and daughter. One wanted to take a little girl away by force, and the other dragged the woman by her hair and tried to drag her away.

"Mommy mommy!"

"What are you doing? Let go of my daughter."

"Get out of here bitch!"

"Damn it, you look so fair and you didn't notice it."

"It's worth at least one gold coin!"

"Hahaha!"

No matter how much the woman struggled, she could not resist several adult men, and the others around her were a little numb when they saw this scene. They just wanted to avoid being implicated and did not dare to say anything, let alone help.

Lance was not too surprised that something like this happened in broad daylight, because he had seen too many in the refugee camp in the past two days.

But being calm doesn't mean he will sit back and watch.

"Go and chop some of them up for me."

Lance raised his hand and pointed, and Boudica, who was bored, became excited, picked up the halberd and rushed forward with a strange scream.

"Waaagh!"

A halberd passed over and split the person in half. The blood splashed directly onto the woman's face, making her scream.

Those gangsters didn't expect that a madman would suddenly appear. Before they could react, they were killed like melons and vegetables. Only the frightened woman with half her body stained with blood and the girl who was at a loss were left.

"Boss, this little shrimp is not enough for me to kill him with a knife." Boudica was raising the blood-stained halberd in a silly gesture.

"Okay, okay~ Be careful not to make it so dirty next time." Lance also walked over at this time, his words were somewhat helpless, his eyes turned to the woman's side and asked: "Are you okay?"

The woman came back from her panic and looked at the smiling man in front of her.

"Huh?" Seeing that she was still in a daze, Lance thought she was scared out of her wits.

And this sound also called the woman's attention back, and she quickly stood up and pulled the child aside.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

The tear stains on the little girl's face have not disappeared, her small eyes are red, and her thin appearance really makes people feel pitiful.

But I don't know if it was the influence of the environment or something else. She didn't have much reaction to this bloody scene. I can only say that the environment is the most training one.

"It's okay, don't cry." Lance squatted down to even out the height difference between them, and raised his hand to gently wipe away the tears on her face.

"Sir, please take her away. She is still young, but she is very smart and can do anything. If you raise her for another two years, she will be able to serve you."

The woman was heartbroken when she saw Lance's behavior. She couldn't let her daughter continue here under any circumstances. She might not be so lucky next time. Even being a maid to a rich family would be better than dying here.

"May I have your name?"

Lance looked at the girl, and he had to say that he was indeed interested, because the girl had extraordinary talents. When she was emotional, she erupted with strong spiritual fluctuations. That was the strongest talent he had ever seen.

"Joan of Arc." The girl uttered a name with a cry in her mouth.

"A very nice name." Lance ruffled the girl's hair and stood up, "You two, come with me."

The two were brought back to the camp. The original wasteland was now used, and at least two thousand people lived in it. Lance boldly used the refugees who had just arrived, just to test their abilities.

The woman held her daughter's hand and looked around the camp. The eyes of the people around her did not reveal madness. On the contrary, they were all doing their own things honestly. The feeling of returning to order temporarily calmed her heart.

What's more important is the aroma of the food. The mother and daughter haven't eaten anything normally for several days.

"Take them to take a bath first, put on new clothes, and then get some food."

Lance raised his hand to summon a woman. Everyone who comes in here must follow the procedures.

He had no experience in transporting slaves, but he knew that getting sick in such a dense environment on a ship would be a disaster, so the first priority was hygiene.

Fortunately, the weather is not cold now, so you can wash your body directly with river water. For this reason, he also had a simple bathroom built as a shelter, and he also prepared a set of simple clothes for everyone.

Tiffany couldn't understand why Lance was wasting resources here. Wouldn't it be the same for these refugees to go directly to the river to bathe? Not to mention new clothes.

Tiffany is not the only one who thinks so, she just dares to say it.

Lance had no explanation for their doubts. He could only say that he regarded the refugees as human beings and hoped that they could live with dignity.

Instead of being dragged into the water like livestock and washed under the eyes of others.

When the dirt on her body is cleansed and she puts on new clothes that are simple but fresh and smell of sunshine, the woman only feels that the pressure accumulated on her body for a long time has been eliminated.

Not to mention that holding the salty and meaty porridge in her hands made her feel infinite admiration and peace of mind for this camp and the man in front of her.

I came to life~

Because of Joan's talent, Lance didn't mind spending some time with her. He sat next to the two of them and understood their origins in just a few words.

They were all in the same situation. They were hit by a disaster and then fled here, but their family lived in the city. She was a teacher, and her husband was a painter. Their life was not very good, but it was stable and prosperous, but they never thought Reduced to this point today.

They still paid money to escape with the caravan, but they were separated by bandits halfway and were forced to separate. Their fate was unknown. She took her daughter and used the remaining money to exchange for a boat ticket to Totnes. This was their agreed purpose. land.

But the captain asked for more money on the way, but she couldn't get it out and was left behind. Fortunately, it was not far away. She walked for three days with the last bit of food and finally arrived here.

But they didn't expect that Totnes, who had just come close to their dream, would encounter the scene just now.

The woman was still a little scared when she said that if they were taken away, she and her daughter would definitely suffer inhuman torture.

Lance couldn't help but frown when he heard this. Totnes was still singing and dancing, but in the mainland, even the cities couldn't withstand it. How serious is the situation there?

However, he came to his senses and looked at the woman to reassure her.

"Don't worry and settle down. Now you are my people, and I will ensure your safety and your life."

"Thank you, sir!" The experience along the way has made the woman no longer dare to be too demanding, and now she is very satisfied.

"Of course, everyone must bear certain responsibilities. Since you were once a teacher, then help me manage those children for the time being, and we will talk about the rest when we return to the territory."

After arranging things here, a person was welcomed outside.

"Sir, is there a man named Winston at the station looking for you?"

Lance's eyes lit up when he heard this. He simply settled the two of them and immediately rushed back to the station in Zhongcheng District.

I have almost everything I need to prepare these days, just waiting for news from him.

Returning to the station, Winston was among them.

"grown ups!"

Lance asked him to do his best to communicate and hand over the matter, and now he finally handed over an answer sheet.

The two briefly communicated, and Lance also learned about the current situation of the craftsmen from him.

Not only was Lance waiting impatiently, but it was even more so for these craftsmen. They were expelled from the academy, and although those outside did not know why they were expelled, they would always be labeled with poor skills.

It comes with a question: "Otherwise, why should I fire you instead of firing others?"

Not to mention that these people are making guns, and the low-end and high-end related markets have long been full. For other forging workshops, instead of recruiting them, it is better to find a few new apprentices, and they don't even have to pay.

There is just no shortage of people in Totnes.

You must know that the consumption pressure in Totnes is too great, and now the source of funds is cut off. If you are single, it is okay, but the worst thing is that you have a family to support, and you may be evicted from the rental house tomorrow.

It can be said that when Winston came to visit some of them, some of them had already changed careers to do other jobs. They just wanted to subsidize some family income so as not to be kicked out of the city.

It was also the first time that Winston felt that Totnes was so strange.

Lance didn't expect the situation to be so exaggerated and fell into thinking.

Winston also seemed a little troubled when he saw his appearance, and after much hesitation, he finally spoke.

"Actually, sir...if you want to lower the wages...it's not impossible~"

As an intermediary, he should logically be on Lance's side, because he is on commission, but he is also a craftsman, and although he is not very familiar with them, he has some personal emotions for those people who are in trouble, and he hopes to help.

Lance waved his hand when he heard it.

"Tell them that as long as they are willing to come, I will pay them whatever salary they get from the college's workshop, and I will be responsible for their housing issues."

Although Lance knew their difficult situation, he had no intention of lowering the price. On the contrary, he was willing to give them good conditions.

He is willing to respect talents as long as they are used by him.

When Winston heard this, he immediately agreed and revealed a piece of news.

"There is one person among these craftsmen who I feel you should meet in person."

"who?"

"Master Eugene." Winston emphasized with respect, "There are no more than a hundred people in Totnes who can be called masters."

"Then isn't your golden hammer more valuable than his?"

Lance asked curiously, but Winston was so embarrassed that he could only explain.

"The Forging Competition is a folk competition held by the workshop itself. It is held once a year. It is only the seventh year now. Of course there are not ten craftsmen, but the craftsmen who can hold the title of master are all sitting on the judges' table. They all have their own unique skills. , or there is a major invention."

Lance understood that Winston's previous bragging was somewhat flattering, but it was undeniable that his skills were indeed very good, otherwise it would be difficult to stand out among so many craftsmen.

Winston quickly brought the topic back to avoid embarrassment.

"Master Eugene was a watchmaker by trade. His most outstanding invention was a mechanical device that can magnify objects. He became a master with this, and later joined the academy to become a professor and craftsman, responsible for researching gun manufacturing techniques.

Different from those who were dismissed, the craftsmen said that Master Eugene quit on his own initiative. It seemed that he had a quarrel with people in the college. After the master left, layoffs began. "

"I would like to meet this master."

Lance suddenly became interested, and even if it wasn't for the people, he still wanted to go there for the unique invention.

However, he did not let Winston accompany him, but asked him to contact the remaining people as soon as possible. As for him, he went to Master Eugene's residence alone.

According to what Winston said, Lance originally thought that Master Eugene lived in a detached house, but he didn't expect that he also rented a house, and it was still a very ordinary old city.

It feels a bit dark when you enter it. Most people go to work during the day, so there are not many people nearby.

"Is anyone there?" Lance knocked on the door, but no one responded. After knocking several times, there was finally movement behind the door.

Unlike the craftsmen who were mostly strong men in his impression, the door opened and an ordinary middle-aged man wearing glasses appeared in his sight. He looked more like a scholar than a craftsman.

"Who are you looking for?" The man looked at the visitor hesitantly and found that he didn't recognize him at all.

"Is this Master Eugene?"

"What's your business?"

"I would like to invite you to participate in a project in my territory."

"Not interested~" Eugene looked away lightly and was about to close the door.

"So do you know why there are layoffs at the factory? Why funding for the gunnery academy is being cut?"

Lance asked tentatively, and sure enough, after hearing this, Eugene stopped moving, as if he didn't know what was going on here.

"Let me go in, sit down and talk slowly. This will interest you."

After a slight hesitation, Eugene stepped aside to let him in. Lance noticed that the place was a bit messy, with various manuscripts piled all over the room. At a glance, he could see the rough design of what was on it.

There are some books on the bookshelf, as well as some unnamed medals and trophies. The most unique one is a device with a brass body and a lens. This appearance immediately reminds Lance of optics. Here comes the microscope.

There is no reception area above the hall, but a large long table with various drawing tools and an unfinished design drawing placed on it.

It can be seen that he doesn't interact with people often, because the chairs in the room have accumulated dust, and there is no second cup or the like.

Lance learned from Winston that he had been single for many years and seemed to be a master who devoted himself wholeheartedly to research, and this kind of person was the best to deal with.

Also don't try to beat around the bush, they won't understand.

"The reason for all this has been blocked by high-level officials, but I can tell you some useful information, such as a humiliating defeat..."

As soon as he sat down, Lance got straight to the point and told the story of the original war.

However, he did not elaborate on the details of the battlefield, but only emphasized the failure of the artillery unit. The senior officials were no longer optimistic about their willingness to invest, which in turn triggered a counterattack by the traditional factions, leading to a reduction in the academy's funding.