I! Cleaner!-Chapter 1018 - 937: One Facefruit Short

"This... doesn't seem very appropriate, does it?"

Faced with Leon's request to observe the punishment, the middle-aged Prince's amiable smile faded slightly, revealing a hint of discomfort.

"His crime is significantly more severe than yours, likely warranting a whipping. Observing the punishment might expose you to the smell or dirt... Moreover, you need to meet my father later, so it's best not to go to such unsavory places."

Unsavory places indeed...

After glancing at the prison's shiny floor and the glaring white walls, Leon sighed inwardly, certain that his guess was correct. He then rejected Prince Vernon's advice, shaking his head firmly:

"I still want to go over there for a look."

"Alright then..."

Seeing Leon's unwavering insistence, knowing any further obstruction would be futile, Prince Vernon's smile faded further as he waved to his guards behind him:

"Go over there and notify them that I'm bringing His Highness to observe the punishment, and have them tidy up, remove all those unsightly things..."

"Your Highness."

Interrupting Prince Vernon's words, Leon grabbed his raised arm, his eyes unwavering as he spoke:

"There's no need to notify them in advance, let's just go."

"..."

Faced with Leon's rather rude action, Prince Vernon instinctively frowned, wanting to withdraw from Leon's grasp. But Leon's hand seemed like a vice, gripping his arm tightly and gradually squeezing inward.

"Let's go then!"

Knowing he couldn't physically compete against these freakish cleaners, and having done his homework recognizing Leon's "third-level cleaner" status, Prince Vernon had no choice but to abandon the request to have someone do some pre-cleaning.

As Leon dragged Prince Vernon out of the pristine prison towards another building over 200 meters away, the turbulent Heart Lake penetrated through the dirty walls and flooded Leon's vision.

Indeed, the fairness of the Carleighwen Kingdom was not as equitable as Prince Vernon claimed... The fairness that a prince like himself enjoyed compared to the fairness an boarding tower security officer could enjoy was hardly the same thing.

Following the path marked with hexagonal punishment clubs, amidst the astonished looks of passersby, they arrived at the entrance to another massive prison. Observing the surroundings that matched his expectations, Leon couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

Unlike the so-called "prison" he had just been in, before him lay several rows of damp, dark green stone steps spiraling downwards into the underground. Droplets of water seeped from the wall cracks, reflecting rusty dark red under the dim glow of the cylinder wall lights.

Faint traces of a bloody smell, mixed with a very slight decay, drifted up through the vertical ventilation shaft, despite meticulous nets and incense lamps hanging, attracting swarms of buzzing flies circling outside...

With such a presentation, even a fool could see this was certainly no good place!

Leon, knowing what to expect, dragged the unwilling Prince Vernon, expressionlessly stepping onto the descending stone steps. As they delved deeper, the initially decent condition of the dungeon became increasingly dire.

Beams of light streaming inside through narrow skylight windows stirred up dense mold dust, the ground's potholes accumulated water mixed with suspicious grime, muffled thuds of blunt objects striking flesh mingled with the sharp cracks of whipping and painful cries...

Relying on Prince Vernon's face... or rather, the royal insignia embroidered on his clothes, they passed several rounds of guards who came to block them. With furrowed brows, Leon followed the direction of Heart Lake and found the location of the boarding tower security officer.

The good news was, since he'd only been confined for a few minutes before being released, and realized the discrepancy immediately upon leaving, he hadn't suffered much.

But the bad news was, the criminals in the same "punishment area" as him were emitting extremely painful screams under relentless whips laced with wire.

"What's going on here..."

"His Highness Leon, there's nothing worth seeing here."

Stepping back two paces driven by the stench from the punishment area, Prince Vernon glanced at the prisoners with their skin lightly torn from whipping, especially the security officer tied to the punishment post, then spoke displeased:

"Taking on all the other charges, the judge gave him a lighter sentence. The penalty for violating the royal order, after paying part of the Reduction Fine, amounts to only thirty lashes.

This situation won't leave any lasting damage. Just have him get two supplements and rest for three to five weeks, and it'll be fine. Don't worry; I'm not going to add any further punishment. Once he finishes the lashes, this matter is over."

"..."

That's the truth.

Staring at the slightly rippling Heart Lake of Prince Vernon, Leon frowned, realizing he really shouldn't say anything further.

Simply bringing up the Luminous Church as a "tourist" and then being subject to thirty lashes by an iron-braided whip is undoubtedly severe, one could even say it's a brutal punishment. But as an outsider, he truly had no standing to criticize the laws of another nation. Yet...

"Can you do me a favor?"

Although he usually detested saying this, looking at the security officer's terrified eyes, Leon ultimately could not resist, helplessly appealing:

"After all, I was the one who crossed the warning line first, and he just came over to remind me. So can you..."

"His Highness Leon, it's best not to say any more!"

Slightly squinting his eyes, Prince Vernon let go of his nose and reminded sternly:

"You may not know, but obstructing judicial justice here is a serious crime! Worse than violating a royal order!

If you even finish saying this 'can you', even considering your unfamiliarity with local laws, you might still have to spend some time back in that prison!"

"..."

"His Highness Leon, it's time for us to go!"

Glancing at Leon, silenced from being rebuked, Prince Vernon stretched his previously squeezed arm, somewhat impatiently urging: 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"The smell here is too strong. Changing clothes and applying incense won't cover it; you'll need to bathe to mask it... Don't you have important business with my father? Then hurry up! Stop wasting time here."

"..."

Though continually feeling the punishment to be questionable, Prince Vernon's explanation and request sounded reasonable enough. Leon felt compelled not to blatantly "break the law", reluctantly departing the punishment area under the security officer's despairing gaze.

And after Leon and the others left the prison, the boarding tower security officer's back slightly bulged. Two pale green lance-shaped leaves, surrounded by small bright red cones, emerged from a narrow blood vessel on his back.

Once the cones fully emerged from the security officer's back, the slightly larger red cone shook, knocking against the smaller one, triggering a barely detectable spiritual ripple.

'Olivia.'

Through the Parasitic Oak's fruit shell, glancing at the frowning red-haired director within the other cone, the middle-aged man sitting cross-legged inside couldn't help but sneer:

'The one you claimed changed the cleaning bureau and might even change the current world... is this all?'