Our Family Has Fallen-Chapter 487 - 310: Intelligence_2
After all, I can’t very well tell her that the Lord chose not to reclaim his territory because he’s battling an evil cult and busy saving the world, can I? I don’t even fully believe this claim myself, let alone her. To be honest, we Romani have no strong desire to save the world. We believe there will always be someone else to take the lead. All we need to do is leave dangerous areas and return when it’s safe. She came here simply because she doesn’t want us Romani to offend a powerful individual with great potential; it’s part of our survival strategy. Shortsightedness is pervasive among us Romani—one might even call it an inherent flaw of our people. Even the higher-ups harbor this escapist mentality to some degree.
Suddenly, however, an issue with the carriage’s pace caught their attention. They had encountered many bandits along the way, and such occurrences were even more common in this remote area.
"What happened up ahead?"
"A trader caravan. It looks quite large. We need to wait for them to pass."
The driver quickly explained the situation, and the two saw the procession of carriages laden with goods that seemed somewhat out of place.
"Anyone daring to travel at a time like this must be powerful. Do you recognize this trader caravan?"
"No flags, no distinct markings—it doesn’t look like it belongs to a large trading group. It’s probably a smaller caravan focused on nearby routes."
"We’re now passing into the Northern Borderlands of the Empire, aren’t we? Perhaps these local traders will have more information about Hamlet, which would be useful for our subsequent actions."
"Yes!" The woman understood the Elder’s intention and immediately rose to make contact with the caravan.
And, quite unfortunately for them, the only caravan still on this road was the one that had just departed from Hamlet.
When the woman approached, Walter was a bit dazed. He instantly recognized her as Romani, but what connection could his caravan possibly have with them?
They exchanged pleasantries, though only superficially, until she subtly inquired about the caravan’s range of operations, eventually steering the conversation toward Hamlet. The mention of that place immediately put him on alert.
What do these Romani want with Hamlet?
"You must also be an expert, knowing how critical trade routes are to us; they’re our way to make money."
Walter adopted the clear posture of a merchant wary of competitors encroaching on his market, giving no hint of his Hamlet origins.
"Are you aware of the situation outside? We’ve just come from there. Perhaps we could exchange information. It would be very beneficial for your business."
The woman was far from simple; she had already begun to trade nearly expired intelligence for the resources she needed.
One could say that anyone responsible for a region couldn’t be a fool; they understood immediately.
Her attitude only deepened Walter’s curiosity; they seemed very concerned with Hamlet.
If this were in the past, I would have traded Hamlet’s information for my own benefit without any hesitation. I was a businessman, after all. Whether it harmed Hamlet’s interests was irrelevant to me; only my own interests mattered. But now, I am a part of Hamlet, and Hamlet’s interests are my own.
After a slight hesitation, Walter responded with a smile, "This is confidential business data; it’ll cost extra."
Moments later, the exchange ended, and the woman left with the information she had received. Walter turned to find Vick, whom he knew the Lord had placed with him. As for why, he wouldn’t ask—and didn’t want to.
Walter quickly briefed Vick on the situation. Hearing it, Vick also furrowed his brow but remained calm, not rashly accusing Walter of betrayal for exchanging intelligence.
Vick said nothing, but Walter couldn’t help but explain himself.
"I only talked about some very common business information. These people are definitely after Hamlet. Now that the town is open and taking in refugees, it’s impossible to keep such basic intelligence a secret. It’s better to trade it for something useful. With the current chaos outside, we need intelligence to assess the external situation and plan our development."
As Walter explained, he quickly took out paper and pen to copy the intelligence they had just exchanged. Vick also snapped out of his deep thoughts.
"Boss, why do you think they are interested in Hamlet?"
"It’s probably related to the two Romani by the Lord’s side." Walter was also guessing, for he had heard from his daughter about those two women clinging to the Lord. But he didn’t know much more, nor would he inquire. Such matters were best left to the Lord.
"Take this!" Walter handed the letter to Vick, then pulled out a map and pointed to a region. "I’ll hold them off for a while to buy you time. The Lord should be around this area eradicating bandits now. I’ll give you two horses. Find someone to deliver the intelligence as quickly as possible. It must arrive before these Romani reach Hamlet."
Vick glanced over the intelligence and, without the slightest hesitation, immediately turned to make arrangements.
Soon, a rider with two horses broke away from the rear of the caravan. Simultaneously, a small commotion arose within the caravan—apparently, a carriage had broken down.
Such minor issues were not unusual within a caravan, but the repair and subsequent passage still consumed a considerable amount of time.
The Romani, however, noticed nothing amiss. They were busy analyzing the intelligence they had obtained.
To be honest, this was almost identical to what Amanda had initially reported, but it was enough to confirm that Hamlet was not just an ordinary town, but a strong and vital "heart."
Before long, their carriage moved on again, its rumbling wheels unknowingly carrying the Romani toward an unknown destination.
Vick didn’t even ask anyone else to go; he took two horses and rode off himself.
Previously, such an action would have been very dangerous, as the roads were infested with countless bandits.
But now, the roads were clear of bandits, save for some refugees who posed no threat to him.
This was all thanks to the Lord, who had recently led the Cavalry to wipe out those scoundrels.
It must be said, when I saw the Cavalry charging and effortlessly sweeping away that trash, my heart surged with excitement. I wished I could grab a saber and join them, following My Lord in the charge.
I knew that if I asked to quit this mission and become a warrior again, My Lord would likely approve, even advising me not to feel pressured. But after calming down, I realized that Hamlet doesn’t need another cavalryman right now; it needs a pair of eyes, a set of ears.
My Lord had told me so much: the world was vast, the Empire merely a part of it, and Hamlet a place so small it could hardly be smaller. This had been a huge shock to me. I grew up in the old Hamlet; the farthest I had ever ventured was likely to work for a farm owner.
Originally, I might have ended up like my father, trapped here for life, not even qualifying as a serf when the bandits arrived. But My Lord’s arrival changed everything. I became a warrior, protecting Hamlet.
And in the future, I will continue to contribute my strength to Hamlet, just from the shadows instead of in the open.
Vick reaffirmed his conviction. My Lord needs me. Hamlet needs me.
When Lance initially determined the route for bandit eradication, he discussed it with Walter to ensure the subsequent caravan movements would not be affected by bandits.
Therefore, Walter could roughly estimate Lance’s current location, though it was still a general area. If luck was against them, they might miss each other entirely.
Vick had some luck, however, as he happened to encounter Lance leading his troops back.
Vick then reported this information, along with Walter’s letter, to the Lord.
"Do you think they have hostile intentions?"
"I don’t know. But it’s probably not hostility, as they didn’t seem overly eager. Besides, Walter mentioned they only had one carriage, which is different from the Romani’s usual habit of traveling in caravans." Vick quickly grasped the real meaning behind the Lord’s words and subconsciously asked, "My Lord, do you think the intelligence they gave is false, intended merely to mislead us?"
