Chapter 4 Family, Evil Gods, and the End Times <TOC> Chapter 6 Welcome to Hamlet
Translator: SumTLMan
Though the tainted and void monsters were indeed real, as were the Evil Gods. And their awakening could lead to the end times, the root cause of it all was in fact that old fellow, his ancestor.
To resist them, one needed a certain understanding of these matters, and it was only a matter of time before the truth had to be revealed.
The grand narratives he spun provided ample mental fortification for them, at the very least preventing them from collapsing and fleeing at the sight of a monster.
The story session was merely a sifting process, and the real crux would follow.
“Don’t be so pessimistic,” Lin Bei said, “in reality, my lineage did leave me with some power to resist the evil.”
His eyes fell upon a corpse as he reached out and touched it.
As [Sacrifice] was activated, the recently deceased body was swallowed by the darkness as though it were collapsing, leaving only clothes and fragments on the ground.
As the caster, Lance could see dots of light drifting from the void and seeping into him.
At this moment, he felt as if his body were a vessel filled with these irregularly floating light points.
Originally, Lance didn’t quite understand the meaning of Gifting described in the skill, until he finally realized the changes brought by the Sacrifice.
Gifting was those light points which could be considered as experience points or energy bars.
[Blessing], on the other hand, could strengthen the body by consuming [Gifting]. It was essentially leveling up and could even enhance items.
More importantly, Blessing not only strengthened him but could be used on others. That is to say, as long as the Gifting was sufficient, he could forge a powerful army.
Lance keenly felt that this was the key to his standing in this world.
After depleting all his Gifting, the light points within his body vanished. A warm current seemed to spring from nowhere, circulating within him, instantly clearing the fatigue accumulated from his previous hustle. His weary anxiety was driven away by the endlessly emerging power.
He had a very direct sense of his body getting stronger, but that feeling vanished in a flash. Lance knew he needed more Gifting.
The sight surprised both Dismas and Reynard, it had transcended their comprehension.
Had it not been for the prior inoculation, they might have panicked and attacked Lance as a monster by now.
Noticing their reactions, Lance only explained after he had performed Sacrifice on two more bodies.
“That Evil God is the God of Flesh and Blood. It taints and attracts monsters for the purpose of causing conflict. Every creature that dies in this area feeds its power with their flesh and blood. So killing the enemy isn’t enough, we also need to cleanse the bodies left behind.”
“My ancestor acquired mysterious and formidable powers during his divine enlightenment. In the long struggle, the family members relied on the power of the Ancient Bloodline to perform the ancient rituals left by our ancestor, purifying the enemy’s flesh and blood completely. This is the only way to prevent the Evil God’s power from strengthening and breaking free from its seal.”
Of course, Lance couldn’t possibly admit to performing a sacrifice on the bodies. Framing it as purification made it more palatable.
In fact, the ancestor did plan to ascend to godhood by harnessing the power of flesh and blood. Lance’s act of sacrificing the bodies did, to some extent, weaken the ancestor’s power.
Fortunately, the earlier story had its intended effect. Even though they had never seen such a bizarre ritual, they chose to believe it.
“There’s no need to be surprised,” said Lance, “in this cursed land, there are many more wonders. You will witness even more incredible things in the future.”
Silencing his words, Lance bent down to collect the discarded garments from the ground, using them to scrub the blood stains from his firearm. Strapping the dead brute’s gunpowder pouch to his waist, the scholarly demeanour he usually carried was subtly tainted with an unsettling edge.
Back at the carriage, Lance performed the Sacrifice ritual on the marksman’s corpse. The sensation of the increasing light points within his body felt like a miser watching his gold balance grow, offering him a semblance of reassuring fulfillment.
However, he refrained from immediately employing these Gifts. The meager enhancements they offered were not significantly beneficial, and saving them was akin to securing an insurance policy.
The scattered crates contained essentially personal belongings of the deceased, items of little importance to Lance. What truly mattered was the certificate of inheritance on his person, tangible proof of his identity as the Heir.
Selecting a few items to store in his briefcase, he tossed the long-barreled flintlock rifle to Dismas. Among them, only Dismas could put the weapon to good use.
The rest of the items were piled into the dense shrubbery of the forest. If they could be found later, that would be for the best, but if not, it would be no great loss.
Briskly and decisively, he set everything ablaze, watching as the robust flames devoured the carriage bearing the family emblem. Without a hint of nostalgia, Lance, carrying his briefcase, turned to his two companions, gesturing them to follow him.
“Let’s go! Onward to Hamlet.”
Trudging along the familiar path, with the break of dawn and the sun tearing through the heavy clouds, scattering the darkness over the landscape, the vague outlines of human architecture came into view in the distance.
Finally, they had arrived.
The journey served as a harsh reminder for Lance of why game developers put a limit on inventory. Even the slight burden he carried left him feeling fatigue. If it weren’t for the Blessings continually fortifying his body and warding off exhaustion, he’d probably be dragging his feet at this moment.
But this method had drained most of his sparse Gifts. Now, his only desire was to locate the absconding steward and put an end to him with a single shot.
Daring to steal my horse!
Without waiting to move forward, Lance halted the pair and produced two small leather bags from his pocket, handing one to each of them.
Their task was to escort him to town, for which the total reward was a thousand copper coins — five hundred for each. This money was provided by Lance’s mentor, the elderly professor who had raised him.
According to the currency exchange in this world, one gold coin equated to twenty silver coins or two hundred and forty copper coins.
A thousand copper coins thus amounted to four gold coins and forty copper coins.
Although it might seem a small sum, in a world with low productivity like this, the purchasing power of currency was quite substantial.
In Lance’s memory, a regular craftsman in the city earned three copper coins for a day’s labor. Only those in technical positions could expect a slightly better pay of five copper coins per day.
His mentor, a university professor, earned five gold coins a month, putting him in the high-income bracket in the city.
As for serfs, they might not even get to see money, exploited like slaves by the landlords, living just enough to fend off starvation.
The two men, however, did not accept the money, looking at Lance in puzzlement.
“Take it. This is your reward for the task,” Lance emphasized.
“Milord, what do you mean?” Dismas appeared annoyed, feeling as if he was being insulted, “I pledged my loyalty to you to annihilate evil.”
“But even loyal men need to eat, don’t they? And your equipment needs maintenance, right? Surely, you don’t expect to accompany me in battle against evil on an empty stomach and with shabby weapons,” Lance placated with a smile, “If you are with me, it’s my responsibility to provide for you. This is not in conflict with our goal.”
With that, he thrust the money bags into their hands.
Now was the time to win their hearts, and Lance wouldn’t be parsimonious enough to cause grievances. It would be ludicrous to pinch pennies now only to end up dead later.
Finally, persuaded by Lance, they accepted their pay, and together, they entered the small town of Hamlet.
Chapter 4 Family, Evil Gods, and the End Times <TOC> Chapter 6 Welcome to Hamlet