Our Family Has Fallen

She learned about the Flesh Ancient God from the Old Ancestor's bedside. At that time, the Old Ancestor had only just begun his research into the dungeon and, trusting this confidante greatly, shared the secret with her.

But not everyone was as ruthless as the Old Ancestor. Some, including her, went mad at the mere sight of the door to the Primordial God, without ever having laid eyes on the deity itself. Unable to withstand her madness, the Old Ancestor expelled her from Hamlet, driving her into the wilderness.

Abandoned by the Old Ancestor, that scoundrel, and having witnessed the power of the Primordial God, she knew that when the Primordial God awoke, the world would descend into an apocalypse. However, her fear of the Primordial God left her with no intention of saving the world, focusing only on self-preservation.

While the Old Ancestor studied the Primordial God, hoping to replace it, she, after witnessing the god's power, began researching how to survive the impending doom. If you are a Flesh Ancient God who controls Flesh, then I will survive without it.

The Witch was also a woman of great determination. Indeed, she rooted herself in the wilderness to begin her research. Lance didn't quite understand her thinking, only that under certain circumstances, her ideas were quite interesting—and they had been successful. Looking at those fungal parasites, one could see they had cast aside Flesh and "lived" on.

Of course, Lance did not approve of this way of living. Being transformed like that would be worse than death. But there was no denying that the Witch was an absolute genius for accomplishing all this on her own, in an environment like the wilderness and without significant support. He considered her a mad genius.

The little story was merely the least valuable part of this human skin book; the true value lay in the research documented in her notes. The Witch's philosophy centered on surviving the apocalyptic awakening of the Primordial God and resisting the minions of the Evil God. Besides transforming human bodies into plant-like beings, the Witch also researched methods to enhance human constitution.

For instance, human gigantification: those Corrupt Giants, and the Witch herself, were not naturally of that size but were cultivated. The giant size indeed conferred great strength and robust Life Force. Perhaps he could continue to perfect this project and include it in the Ultimate Warrior Training Program. A host of giants over two meters tall, with bulging muscles, equipped in Heavy Armor, wielding heavy weapons, every strike a 'tree trunk slam.' What could stand against that? My Hamlet will be invincible under heaven! Just the thought of it is exhilarating!

But this was not the end; the Witch's legacy was far more extensive. In her vast research, she not only conducted human experimentation, figuring out how to avoid the disasters brought by the Primordial God's awakening, but also how to combat those Flesh Monsters.

For this purpose, she developed a pathogen specifically targeting Flesh. One type was the Withering Fungus, which devoured Flesh and turned people into mushroom-headed beings—the very source of the Withering Disease. To Lance, this was useless except perhaps for adjunctive therapy. However, another type of fungus was particularly special: the Gangrenous Fungi. The Witch had developed this terrifying pathogen specifically to target the rapid healing abilities of Flesh Monsters after injury. It caused flesh to dissolve and rot, thereby suppressing its regeneration.

It seemed the Witch still held a grudge for the Old Ancestor's betrayal and had been working against him ever since. This knowledge would become a precious asset for Lance in his battle against the Evil God.

It's such a shame the notes contain so little about traditional Herbology. After all, the Witch was someone who had once captivated the Old Ancestor; she surely knew many interesting formulas that are now lost with her death.

Lance held the human skin book, no longer feeling his earlier disgust. Instead, he cradled it like a treasure.

This continued until Wang Cai, lying in his doghouse, suddenly opened his wolf-like eyes and looked towards the door, his demeanor clearly hostile. Wang Cai's unusual behavior interrupted his research. Lance, however, had a good idea who it might be; there was only one person in Hamlet capable of making Wang Cai hold such a grudge.

"Please, come in," Lance said, closing his notebook and gesturing.

Seeing Grendel enter alone, Lance didn't forget to ask, "How are the patients?"

"It's not that simple. Completely eradicating the plague will take some time, but the patients' conditions have stabilized and won't worsen."

"Thank you very much," Lance said, not putting on any airs. Instead, he stood up to guide her to another room for receiving guests. "I understand what you want to know. I will tell you about the White Wolf's Claws. Before I became Lord, a group of bandits raided the town…"

As Lance recounted the past events, he busied himself lighting the stove to boil water. Grendel found this surprising. He was a Lord, after all. She hadn't expected him to be alone in the entire house, without even a Maid. However, she soon became too intrigued by the story to care about such details.

When Grendel heard about the strategy to make the tiger devour the wolf, only for the tiger to be devoured by the wolf pack in turn, with the Head Wolf on the brink of victory, an unstable spiritual agitation emanated from her. It revealed her deeply repressed emotions and the immense pressure she was under.

Fortunately, Lance had no intention of keeping her in suspense. He quickly recounted how he led his team to launch a surprise attack on the Barbarian Gunners, followed by a fierce battle where they killed the Head Wolf. Finally, they set a fire that completely annihilated the Wolf Faction, leaving only a few White Wolves alive.

"I have to say, the Mercenary Corps led by the Head Wolf, the White Wolf's Claws, was very strong. They were all elites. With over thirty men, plus the wolf pack coordinating closely, they managed to use tactics and terrain to turn the tables on the artillery units. If it weren't for us, he probably would have absorbed the bandits, continued to grow stronger, and eventually destroyed the town."

Lance couldn't help but sigh with emotion. This brought Grendel, who had been engrossed in the story, back to her senses. She had noticed some discrepancies. Grendel knew the strength of the Fang Wolf Tribe's warriors. Their leader, the Head Wolf, was undoubtedly a Champion-level fighter. How could he have been defeated by just a few people? Some things couldn't be accomplished with just a few simple words; killing a Champion wasn't that easy.

Lance, of course, noticed her skeptical attitude. Without wasting words, he directly brought out several spoils of war: the Head Wolf Pendant, rendered useless after being consumed by the Wolf Spirit; the Wolf Head Statue; and the scroll.

"In the exhibition hall, you'll find the Head Wolf's Great Shield and his full set of equipment. You can go see for yourself. Facts don't lie."

Indeed, facts didn't lie. Grendel was all too familiar with that sickening power.

Lance, unhurriedly, took the kettle. Boiling water poured into the delicate teapot, causing the tea leaves to unfurl in the warmth, exuding a unique fragrance. Tea already existed in this world but, like spices, had always been a luxury. He had conveniently "liberated" these leaves while robbing the rich to aid the poor in Totnes.

"Please," Lance said, offering the tea and pushing a cup towards her.

Grendel hesitated for a moment but still removed her mask, revealing the face hidden beneath.

Lance had indeed been curious about the face beneath the mask, but it was only curiosity. Until this moment. He was stunned.

Although both were from Barbarian Tribes, Grendel was different from Boudica—that stubborn girl with a fierce look and muscles for brains. Grendel's features were gentle and beautiful. Her emerald green eyes shone with wisdom, and her long green hair, full of life and vitality, cascaded down as she removed the mask. Her presence seemed to possess a certain magic, instantly relaxing anyone who looked at her and evoking an inexplicable sense of fondness.

This wasn't witchcraft; he was completely immune to such things. The uniqueness lay in her distinct personal charisma.

"You are beautiful," Lance complimented sincerely. Then, snapping back to the matter at hand, he stated, "I know you're from the Deerhead Tribe. I also know a few things about the Fang Wolf Tribe."

This caught Grendel off guard, but she quickly recovered. "Did that Barbarian warrior tell you?"

"We're both intelligent people; there's no need for probing. If you have something to say, just say it directly. I want you to stay and help me."