Chapter 1078: Chapter 598: Retreat and Return_2
"Don’t mind that thing, run! Get out of here!"
Although everyone was puzzled, they knew Laura wasn’t the type to act impulsively like Boudica, so they moved to retreat.
Retreat wasn’t running away, but a calculated tactical maneuver, an arrangement that had been discussed before they came down.
Boudica led the way as the vanguard, Alhazred followed closely in the second position, and Laura, positioned third, occasionally fired arrows into the dark as she covered the retreat with Balistan.
After retreating a certain distance, Alhazred seemed to have realized something, and the Skull Candleholder in his hand suddenly ignited.
The ritual they had set up in the passage activated, summoning countless shadow tentacles that blocked the pursuing enemies, creating distance.
At that moment, the other two teams in the Pigman modification room and breeding room also seemed to sense a faint tremor from deep within and the strange pig squeals, realizing something was amiss.
The Pigmen seemed to be bursting with energy, rushing out from deeper inside, stronger and more dangerous.
"Retreat."
The other two teams almost made the same decision because they had a complete plan before coming down.
The most dangerous part in the Beast Lair wasn’t the Pigmen, but the potential for a cave-in, and the situation was very unstable.
They had marked their paths coming in, easily finding their way back, with the second team being the first to withdraw among the three.
"What happened?"
Everyone looked at each other without getting any answers.
When the deepest third team came out, all eyes focused on them.
But the problem was that Alhazred and his team also didn’t know, so all eyes turned to Laura.
"A strange ritual... a monstrous creature like a mountain of flesh, and those Pigmen worshiping it as a king..." Laura said uneasily under the circumstances.
"This is beyond what we can handle, we’ll pause the operation against the Beast Lair, we need to notify the Lord."
The decision was mostly agreed upon, and the operation halfway was forced to stop. The Honor Guard cutting through the Beast Lair was also recalled, and everyone guarded the passage, awaiting orders from the Lord...
So what was Lance doing now?
"The little boat~ gently drifting on the water~"
Lance was quite leisurely, sailing from the Bay back to Hamlet.
During the journey, he casually took stock of the haul from this trip.
Various pigeon egg-sized gemstones were casually tossed into a box, only those containing Supernatural Power were placed separately.
As for the Gold Coins and other treasures, they were stacked, covering the hold; if it weren’t for the Ghost Ship shrouded in Supernatural Power, the keel might have been broken.
The value of the gold and silver treasures was now meaningless; the wealth of Hamlet could drive the entire world mad.
But Lance was indifferent to it, only sorting out the supernatural artifacts with strange powers separately.
Only the power’s protection could ensure these items passed down.
Among them, Lance found strange twisted idols, alien-style antiques, sinister scrolls, eerie tools...
If not for the Deep Divers sealing them, one could only imagine the havoc these would wreak if they entered human society.
The power within would lure people to fall, bringing power at a heavy price, even taking everything unknowingly, including the soul.
In any case, these things told him - the world is chaotic.
This was the true nature of Supernatural Power, full of evil and distortion, stability being rare, with the cost long lost in history.
In some sense, it was a kind of selection mechanism because overly evil powers easily backfired, cutting themselves off from inheritance.
Only relatively stable, mild Supernatural Powers had a higher chance of being passed on.
But none of these powers could shake Lance; if not for the lack of time, he’d love to study these powers thoroughly.
For now, he tossed them together in a box, curious to see which one might overpower the others. Lance was eager to see what "Paranormal Buddha vs. Iron Warrior" would look like.
The only thing valuable to Lance was the manuscript found in the secret compartment, but there was no time for it now.
Because Hamlet was in sight.
Lance, sensing something, stepped out of the cabin, looking at the buildings faintly visible on the horizon, but his gaze wasn’t focused there, turning instead to the surrounding sea.
The sea breeze blew, waves roared, but the former sinister aura was gone.
The Deep Divers had all fed the ship, and the blockade Hamlet faced was resolved by Lance in an exaggerated manner.
Maritime trade, the lifeline of every port, could resume now that the routes were safe again.
Fog suddenly arose over the sea, but as the Ghost Ship sailed in and wasn’t seen again, when the fog was blown away by the wind, only the smaller pirate ship was left on the surface.
Lance had no intention of letting the No Light appear in the public’s eye and returned it to the Void.
Hidden trump cards have the greatest effect; exposed, they’re just ordinary ships.
Lance navigated the pirate ship toward Hamlet alone.
On Hamlet’s coast, patrols continued, with port docks staffed to prevent Deep Diver harassment and invasion.
But from a high platform, someone on duty saw a ship in the distance that looked like a pirate ship, with a red cloth tied at the mast’s top.
Strangely, amidst the Fishmen’s chaos, this ship had sauntered over without being attacked by the Deep Divers.
This situation was reported immediately, but instead of panic, the leadership was excited.
"Red cloth? That means the Lord is back!"
Lance had already informed Grendel, and the news had also reached here.
The administrator prompted his subordinates, seeing their lack of reaction.
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and prepare."
"Yes!"
The news circulated swiftly, and the usually quiet docks stirred with activity once more, many coming voluntarily to watch.
The ship docked and entered the shipyard, and Lance disembarked, acknowledging the crowd.
"The monsters are gone, and the sea blockade is over; you can all head out to sea again."
This announcement electrified the entire port; finally, there was no need to fear monster invasions.
Fishermen in debt could quickly head out to fish again.
Supply of seafood like fish and shrimp could resume for the town, essential sources of affordable, quality protein.
"The Lord returned, and the Fishmen vanished!"
"Long live Hamlet!"
Lance merely waved and smiled; returning by sea in front of everyone was meant to achieve this effect.
Only by allowing everyone to see the Lord returning by ship could they believe the sea’s safety; otherwise, a mere statement couldn’t dispel the public’s fear of the sea.
Even if the sea opened, many would hesitate, and true recovery’s delay was uncertain.
But with the Lord’s direct demonstration, nothing was more convincing.
Amidst the cheering, Grendel arrived with a team to handle the subsequent opening of the sea matters. In truth, plans had long been in place.
This was why Lance kept advancing the new administrative model, clearly defining responsibilities and planning, so everyone knew their tasks with the plans provided.
A top-down approach without regard for process and only focusing on results lacked efficiency and bred corruption, leading to uncontrollable power.
For now, Hamlet looked good, but the future was uncertain.
Lance slipped away from the docks with Grendel following, briefly reporting the progress of current projects.
No major disruptions had happened over these days, with everything moving steadily.
Just as Lance planned to relax for a few days, a message was delivered by a Hawk.
