Our Family Has Fallen

It wasn't until after nightfall that Lance finished dealing with the accumulated various affairs and completed his review of the town's construction. Only then did he finally have the opportunity to return to his room and summarize the recent events.

To tell the truth, the battle in the wasteland had brought no monetary gain; in fact, there was a significant loss. Whether it was the logistical issues or the subsequent cleanup, a rough estimate put the cost of this battle at at least a thousand Gold Coins. Yes, Gold Coins. Even the affluent Lance felt a twinge of pain at this. It's true that waging war is like burning money. But this battle was necessary and was bound to happen sooner or later. Just as the battle with the bandits had cleared the old road and restored commerce, this battle eliminated the threat of the Witch and halted the corruption spreading across the wasteland. Incidentally, the Witch also helped him clear out a wave of monsters hidden within the wasteland; aside from those idiotic spiders, there was no longer a need to worry about other beasts attacking the Serfs. It directly opened up new possibilities for the wasteland. In time, he could send people in to clear a buffer zone and burn those mushrooms. Then, they could cultivate the fertile land purified by the flames, constructing new labor farms to expand the town's influence. Moreover, this would allow for the planning of an herb field dedicated to cultivating various medicinal herbs. One of his future sources of income was the Ascension Potion, and he had to keep the raw materials in his own hands.

Farm +1.

Lumberyard +1.

Herb Field +1.

And more...

Lance researched and found that there were actually quite a few benefits to developing the wasteland, but none of them were immediate. It requires time, development, and a larger population. These things can't be rushed. So, he had to set them aside for the moment and began examining other gains.

He considered the Old Witch's [Fox Tail Pendant], the Corrupt Giant's Toe Necklace, the Forest Wicked Woman's [Cursed Doll], and the Serpent-shaped Dagger.

Although not [Tributes], these items, unlike those belonging to the White Wolf, didn't have any usage restrictions and their functions were easily understood after some research.

The [Fox Tail Pendant] made one's movements as agile as a fox, making it easier to dodge enemy attacks, but it could also cause a loss of balance, leading to uncontrollable stumbles.

The Toe Necklace made one's body stable and difficult to unbalance, but it also made the wearer heavy and slow.

The [Cursed Doll] marked an enemy, dealing Spiritual Essence damage that ignored armor, but it caused a backlash.

The Serpent-shaped Dagger was especially sharp and sturdy, offering no enhancements but also having no negative effects.

Out of these four items, three had severe negative effects, and these three could also cause Spiritual Essence agitation. The backlash from the [Cursed Doll] was especially intense; it was essentially for a kamikaze-style attack, and probably only the Forest Wicked Woman, who had been altered by witchcraft, could use it. Of course, Lance could exempt himself from the backlash, but it seemed he didn't need such an item anyway. With his greatsword, whether an enemy had armor or not made little difference—they were either sliced open or smashed to death. Useless to him, and unusable by others. A complete waste. Three pieces of junk, with only the Serpent-shaped Dagger having no drawbacks and being usable by others.

However, Lance wasn't too concerned about this. Given the rarity of Extraordinary items, what good things could those creatures hiding in the wasteland possess? These crudely made Extraordinary Equipment were, at best, common, plain gear. The doll might be slightly better, perhaps qualifying as fine equipment, but its side effects were too severe. The real gains were the panel-certified Banshee Hatchet, as well as the Witch's complete set of equipment, her materials, and manuscripts. The cauldron and soup spoon had been borrowed by Grendel, but the hammer was in his possession.

The [Witch's Bone-Crushing Hammer] was heavy. Its square metal head featured peculiar patterns, and both striking faces were covered with dense spikes. The handle was made of an old, darkened wood. Holding it, one could feel a significant increase in strength—enough that even someone of his physique noticed the clear enhancement. Without a doubt, this hammer's boost was far superior to those other items with their many negative effects.

Only then did Lance realize why the Witch had been able to overpower him in raw strength during their encounter. Apart from the strength derived from her massive frame, her equipment also bolstered her. This weapon was excellent, but surely it wasn't that simple. It would require deeper research and testing to ensure it was harmless before it could be given to others. Lance had heard too many stories of weapons corrupting the soul. If the weapon was tampered with and the user became corrupted, it could result in a massive rebellion... By that logic, it was quite possible. After all, most of these weapons caused the surrounding Spiritual Essence to become agitated, indicating they could affect a person's soul. Just because he was immune didn't mean others would be.

An inexplicable sense of crisis arose. Lance knew that while these Extraordinary Equipment could be used, stringent usage protocols had to be established and enforced.

Putting these items aside, Lance then took out the most significant gain from this trip—the human skin book. The fact that the Witch had set traps for it indicated that it undoubtedly held some dark secrets. The curiosity to uncover secrets is an innate instinct in everyone, and he was no exception.

Lance caressed the human skin cover, its texture peculiar. The crude stitching and preservation had caused it to wrinkle slightly, and it also bore tiny holes etched by corrosion. He carefully turned the first page...

As Lance perused the book, the scribbled, strange writing made him frown. This wasn't a diary but the Witch's Notes for her research. Her origins were not mentioned, but the various mad scribbles interspersed within allowed him to roughly piece together the objectives of her experiments.