Our Family Has Fallen-Chapter 35: Worker_1

"Who serviced clients, step forward."

Such a plain statement made the onlooking women reveal strange expressions, as the oppression they had long suffered resurged with these words.

Among them, a few stood out particularly, their faces filled with fear.

What punishment awaits those who disobey?

Just the thought caused involuntary tremors.

"My lord..." Dismas had just begun to speak when he was silenced by a look from Lance.

The first to speak up were not those who had serviced clients, but the others who feared being implicated. Amidst the uproar, several women were pushed forward, yet they dared not look at Lance, only lowering their heads and huddling together.

"I said I was shutting down the brothel. You secretly took clients, breaking the rules. Considering it’s your first time, you’ll only be confined for three days."

Upon hearing this, they fell to their knees before Lance, begging for mercy with tear-filled eyes but not daring to cry too loudly for fear that annoying Lance would lead to harsher punishment.

Lance remained unmoved by their demeanor and watched as Susan had them taken away.

Clutching the copper coins in his hand, he felt discontent.

He was fully aware of what these people were trying to do, merely attempting to earn some extra money. Since they didn’t know what would change after three days, only money seemed real to them.

However, Lance could not allow such behavior to continue. If all the young women in the town turned to this trade, it would spell disaster for the future of his domain.

This was the last thing he, as a Lord, wished to see.

It had to be suppressed!

"My lord... I..." Dismas followed him out, attempting to explain something, only to be interrupted by a gesture from Lance.

"It’s alright."

Yet Lance did not chastise him; instead, he consoled him.

"I know you’re under a lot of stress, and it’s fine to relax a bit. Just make sure you don’t force anyone. Agree on a price, pay what’s due, and don’t tarnish our team’s reputation. If you do that, I won’t interfere."

This made Dismas feel even more ashamed. He had broken the rules, and yet My Lord showed him understanding.

Lance reiterated, "But remember our mission, and don’t get lost in these distractions. For evil will not rest, and corruption is always ready to spread its influence."

"I, Dismas, will never betray My Lord’s trust."

"You’ve been busy all day, get some rest."

Lance wasn’t too concerned with his oath. I still have to work overtime, so I don’t really care what that kid gets up to.

In this world, or rather among its people, there was a very divided response to carnal desires.

Organizations like the Church and its Clergy, as well as believers, were very conservative.

But the common folk were quite liberal. People of status in cities, or those with influential positions, might be a bit more particular, but the lower classes didn’t care at all.

The reason was that life’s struggles had already exhausted so much of their energy. Being treated as beasts of burden or tools, they no longer had the luxury to be concerned about such matters.

Not to mention, during the long and endless nights, that kind of thing was their only pastime.

Since Dismas was originally a wandering mercenary, he was used to such activities. For him, finding someone to relax with was normal, so Lance didn’t care much either.

However, Lance himself had no interest in these women, not because of any feudal notions, but simply because they didn’t bathe.

Bathing, for the common people, was also a considerable expense, and it was not something they could afford to do every day.

So you can imagine the smell of someone who entertains clients every day and doesn’t bathe for ten days or half a month. It was unbearable just to be near them, let alone to have any contact.

Moreover, in his previous life, having seen all kinds of beauties, he really couldn’t muster any interest in these common folk.

...

The events of the previous night weren’t a major issue. By daylight, everything had returned to normal, and Lance took a few people to investigate the buildings in town.

The sanatorium was the hospital of this world, a place that took in patients and treated them.

But this building should not have appeared in such a small town, as a run-down place like this could hardly afford such a sanatorium, let alone recoup the construction costs.

Lance and his team entered it to explore, discovering that its structure was very strange and drastically different from the sanatoriums he remembered from the city.

The main structure was built from large stones, giving it a solid, heavy feel. However, such a large space inexplicably lacked windows for light and ventilation. Consequently, the entire corridor was extremely dark. Without a light source, it was impossible to see anything.

The sanatorium had three levels: two above ground and one below. On each floor, corridors were flanked by patient rooms, all secured with large metal doors that locked from the outside. The room doors on the first and second floors were latticed. In contrast, those in the basement were solid iron plates reinforced with many rivets, featuring only a small observation hole above and a meal slot below...

The architectural style made it look less like a sanatorium meant for healing and saving lives, and more like a grim, terrifying prison.

However, thinking about the terrible deeds of the old ancestor and combining it with the eerie environment here, Lance then understood that the sanatorium’s true purpose was likely a site for the old ancestor’s human experiments.

And it was likely that few patients sent here ever left.

This massive investment had been abandoned since the disappearance of the old ancestor.

After a thorough investigation, Lance and others exited, then moved on to other buildings in town.

The dilapidated church, the roofless guild hall, the collapsed blacksmith’s shop...

These individuals were not fighters like Dismas and his men, but rather the most reputable and skilled construction workers.

Lance had found it strange when he was taking stock of the townspeople, wondering why the original craftsmen of the town had vanished. It wasn’t likely that bandits would selectively target these individuals for murder.

It wasn’t until he took over the farm that he realized all these people had been hand-picked by the farm owner.

The town’s sudden decay caused everyone to stop spending. As a result, the craftsmen couldn’t monetize their skills and ran out of money. Since many of them also lacked land to sustain them during disasters, they were among the first to lose their livelihoods.

And David’s choice to take in these people was, in a sense, indirectly helping Lance to retain these skilled workers. One could only say he was too good a person; even in death, he was still looking out for others.

It was part of Lance’s Deliberation to transfer these people—carpenters, builders, and the like—from the farm; having them do farm work was simply a waste.

Being locals, they were very familiar with the area and also understood the construction of the buildings well.

With their explanations, Lance learned which buildings were worth repairing and renovating, and which should be demolished for materials to be utilized to the fullest.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for him to do all this. Even though he had inherited this territory and, by law, everything within its confines belonged to him.

However, the deeds in the hands of the townspeople would have impeded the implementation of his policies. No one would let him demolish on a whim; these people were what is commonly referred to as ’nail households’.

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