Mage Manual-Chapter 101 - 94 Danger!
Chapter 101: Chapter 94 Danger!
“Three-winged Holy Sanctuary Sword Master, Blood Frenzy Hunter Gerard…”
Ash hid in a corner of the restaurant, observing the spirited white-haired hunter within the crowd, his mind filled with disbelief and doubt.
He was no longer the newcomer who had just crossed over into this world and naturally understood the significant standing that this white-haired Hunter, who had made his crossover experience quite awful, held in this city.
One-winged silver, two-winged gold, three-winged Holy Sanctuary, four-winged Legendary.
Under the starry skies, Legendary Mages were the pinnacle, the top echelon of all forces, the limit of individual combat power. The Three-winged Holy Sanctuary was the mainstay, and while Legendary Mages delved into the study of magic and explored the Void Realm, Holy Sanctuary Mages often managed important affairs, wielding the greatest secular power and represented the highest level of standard combat power.
This also showed that the cult of The Gods of Four Pillars that Heath had stirred up was not the ragtag group Ash had imagined. The fact that Kaimon City could deploy Gerard, the Crime Hunting Hall’s leading hunter, was clear evidence that Heath was deemed a high-value wild monster worthy to be considered a ‘political achievement.’
...
Compared to his status, Gerard’s strength brought on even more despair. Initially, Ash and his group had assumed their hypothetical enemy would be a two-winged Mage level Blood Frenzy Hunter. Now, with the sudden appearance of a three-winged Holy Sanctuary, Gerard alone was enough to wipe out Ash and his group in a bundled massacre.
If there was originally a thirty percent chance of survival in their plan, now it was a certainty of death. The transport ship couldn’t possibly return to Kaimon City within ten minutes, and the prison would definitely discover their jailbreak within that time—seizing the transport ship was part of the plan, and they couldn’t avoid a fight with the Blood Frenzy Hunters.
Ash heaved a sigh, “Since it’s him, giving up on the plan is inevitable; we’re just really unlucky.”
“No, it’s not just about luck.” Igula took him to the Shattered Lake port. “Look.”
Ash glanced at the ship covered like the head of a bullet. “The shape of this ship… it’s very fluid-dynamic!”
“This is no ordinary ship,” Igula said. “This is a mobile prison… and coincidentally they are also boarding it now.”
In Ash’s astonished gaze, those death row inmates queuing near the port, under the watchful eyes of the hunters, boldly crossed the yellow line, exited Shattered Lake Prison, and stepped aboard the transport ship.
Shattered Lake Prison’s infamous ‘Black Beast’ Tuk turned his head before stepping onto the transport ship, extended his fist towards the prison, and laughed loudly, “Hahaha, I’m finally out of this shithole!”
Nearby death row inmates looked on with envy, but that yellow line painted on the ground was like a great chasm that they could only watch others leave, while they were not even permitted to approach.
“They are volunteers!” Ash finally remembered the volunteer recruitment from a few days ago. “This ship came to transport them!”
“This is the loophole in the plan!” Igula bit his finger in frustration. “Because this is such a rare event, I didn’t take it into account! Hence why it’s not an ordinary transport ship that’s come, but a ‘Pig Cage’!”
“‘Pig Cage’?” Ash had never heard such a strange name for a ship.
“This ship won’t return to Kaimon City but will travel directly down east through Shattered Lake, towards the lakefront battle zone in the eastern part of Kaimon City!” Igula’s face was full of annoyance. “I should have thought of it earlier. Even if the mayor persuaded the Order Organization in the council with benefits, they would never allow death row inmates to return to the city area; that risk would be too great!”
“If the news leaked out, letting the citizens know that death row inmates had escaped judgment, it’d cause widespread uproar; the whole council would be doomed! The citizens would use their ballots to reshuffle the council entirely!”
“Therefore, the only destination for those volunteers is the lakefront battle zone, which is tasked with suppressing the Waterway Abyss!”
Watching the last volunteer step onto the ship, Ash remarked, “So, if we board as well, we’re essentially walking into a trap, fleeing the prison for the lakefront battle zone where the average person is a strong fighter?”
Although Ash still didn’t have a thorough understanding of the Kingdom of Blood Moon, piecing together ‘suppressing the Abyss’ and ‘battle zone,’ he could guess with his toes that it wouldn’t be any kind of water paradise.
“No, we don’t have a chance to board,” Igula shook his head. “This ship also has processors that will automatically check any life form that boards. People like us who don’t have permission will trigger an alarm and have our positions marked the moment we set foot on the ship!”
Ash was taken aback, “Wait, that means your plan was impossible from the start! If every ship has such a security system, there’s no way we could escape Shattered Lake Prison by ship—”
“No, only ships like the ‘Pig Cage’ with a special purpose are equipped with processors; most other transport vehicles don’t have a security system,” Igula explained.
“Ah? Why not? Are the processors used for security checks very expensive?”
“The value is indeed high, first, because these processors are Mage-made and require manual creation by Mages, and secondly, scanning someone’s chip without authorization is a serious illegal act.”
Ash blinked, his expression somewhat confused for a moment.
He touched the back of his neck and asked, “Outside, scanning chips is a violation?”
“Yes, absolutely,” Igula looked at him oddly. “Such invasions of privacy are very serious crimes.”
While Ash understood there were surely many differences between inside and outside the prison, hearing ‘outside is a nation that values privacy rights’ still made him feel as if Igula was teasing him.
Could a place that implants control chips in the human body from birth, can access memories, abolishes the family system, rears children entirely socially, and turns the death penalty into a variety show truly value privacy rights more than this prison that made him defecate in chains!?
He dropped the subject and pressed on, “So why can this ‘Pig Cage’ ship check the chips of any uploader?”
“Because the ‘Pig Cage’ is a punishment tool prepared for warriors,” Igula stated. “The Waterway Abyss suppressed by the lakefront battle zone requires periodic expeditions into its depths to survey the situation.”
“But the deeper one delves into the Waterway Abyss, the more likely a Mage is to develop mental disorders, such as losing reason, self-harm, flight, and various other conditions might arise.”
“Since almost no one is willing to undertake such a task, the war zone will place soldiers who have erred into ‘pig cages,’ implant numerous rules into their chips, and let the ship’s processors control them to prevent self-injury, escape, or killing each other. At the same time, the processor also has to take on the responsibility of detecting lifeforms on the ship, and if any monsters enter the cabin, it will alert the soldiers to clean them up.”
“When they complete the mission and return, they will have made amends for their crimes, and all transgressions will be expunged.”
“Even if the war zone thinks it’s overkill to escort a death-row prisoner, Mayor Fernand will certainly demand that they send out ‘pig cages’!”
Ash gritted his teeth and said, “I clearly knew what kind of person Fernand was… he would definitely get involved in matters concerning his future… all the details would definitely be arranged to the highest standard!”
Ash looked up resolutely, “You’ve even deceived the Mayor?”
“I’ve considered the plan, but the risk was too great and the success rate too low, so I eventually gave up,” Igula said gloomily. “If I had known that I was going to end up in prison anyway, I would have given it a try—now, the most significant figure I’ve swindled is just a councilor.”
People engage in deception to make money, are you deceiving for the sake of achievements…
Even though Ash didn’t quite understand what Mayor, war zone, Abyss meant but he could detect the subtext in Igula’s words: “Does this mean our plan is facing insurmountable problems at every turn?”
“It’s just not feasible this time,” Igula said. “There is a Blood Moon Judgement on the 1st of next month; if we are to proceed with the plan, the timing can only be set for the 11th of next month. However, given Professor Selin’s influence, I highly doubt that the Blood Moon trial on the 1st will not pick you—”
Suddenly!
A Light Screen popped up in front of Ash!
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“Good afternoon, everyone. This is the administrative office of Shattered Lake Prison, and I am the Prison Guard Nagu McMillan,” Nagu said on the screen. “I will now announce two notices.”
“First, there will be an additional Blood Moon Judgement on the 27th of this month, and the list of those on trial will be released in the morning of the same day.”
“Second, to set up the scene for the 27th’s trial, Blood Frenzy Hunters will need to stay overnight in the prison. We hope that everyone will cooperate earnestly with the Hunters’ work. Those who assist the Hunters will be rewarded with varying degrees of contribution.”
When the Light Screen automatically shut off, Ash still couldn’t recover from his shock.
An additional Blood Moon Judgement?
Blood Frenzy Hunter staying overnight?
“Generally speaking, this added Blood Moon Trial is probably prepared for those political prisoners who have just been incarcerated,” Igula said gravely. “But if your name is selected for the trial, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Ash’s face turned a sickly pale, “They wouldn’t be that cruel, would they?”
“When you think things are going to get worse, they definitely turn out worse than you imagine,” Igula said. “That’s the one lesson I’ve managed to impress upon my clients throughout my many years as a Swindler.”
“I know you like to beat the wealthy on behalf of society, no need to keep flaunting your achievements in front of me,” Ash replied irritably. “At worst, I’m on the list for the 25th’s trial, could things possibly get any worse?”
Just then, Ash suddenly felt the light dim around him, as if a tall figure had blocked the light from behind.
“Ash Heath, you’ve been staring at the ships leading outside all this time, are you thinking about escaping?”
Igula stealthily moved to the side.
Ash turned around, took a step back, and managed a forced smile at the newcomer: “Of course, what young man in prison doesn’t think about escaping?”
“That’s not necessarily true, even the wicked may repent, and the scum may seek to correct their errors. To bestow upon you the correct despair is the meaning of the Blood Moon Judgement.”
Gerard looked down at Ash from a superior position, glancing at Igula, he said indifferently, “Found a new friend? Fitting for a favorite Believer of the Pillar God of Evil, I do wonder if staying here too long, you’d turn the whole prison into a hotbed for the Evil God.”
“I’m off for a nap now, Captain Gerard, if you’re looking for someone to chat with, you can talk to this Igula Bokin; he is quite adept at investment and finance, surely you could gain something from him—”
“Wait, Ash Heath.” Gerard stopped him, “The prison has ordered you to assist the Hunters’ work, right? I need your help.”
Ash felt a sense of unease: “Help how? Look at me, I can barely lift my arms; just titanium alloy trash that eats and sleeps, I doubt I’ll be able to meet your needs—”
“Perfect, you just happen to meet my needs,” Gerard snapped his fingers. “Here’s the thing—because there are too many inmates in the prison, there aren’t spare chambers for us Hunters who are here to help. As the captain, I would obviously give the single rooms to my teammates, while I will make do sharing space with a prisoner.”
Ash inhaled sharply, “Sorry, I don’t know any of the fine ladies here in prison to introduce to you, why don’t you consult with Igula—”
“No need for that.”
The Hunter placed his hand on Ash’s shoulder, his crimson eyes brimming with a mocking smile: “Ash Heath, I imagine you wouldn’t mind squeezing in with me for the night?”
