Chapter 633: Chapter 632: The Prison of the Great Witches_1
"Mr. Bloodcoat has vanished without a trace, making it impossible to predict his movements. Regardless, he only has two objectives: one is to eliminate me and take the ’Wordless Code,’ the other is to seize the Hand of Oblivion, though he might not know where it truly is now," Aiden began his analysis for the Great Witches. "He will prioritize targeting me, so I plan to temporarily hold out in the prison, which after all is my home ground."
If holding out in the prison was the principle, then naturally the more combat power within the prison, the better.
"If he attacks the entire prison indiscriminately with the ’Betrayal’ power, all the prisoners will go mad," Abigail reminded. "Even if the prison is filled with your people, you can’t use them against that guy."
"I will use my own powers and the ’Wordless Code’ against him, the other hands are not meant for Mr. Bloodcoat, but for his disciples," Aiden responded. "I usually operate in the city, and no matter where I battle him, innocents could be harmed, so it might as well be restricted to the prison."
"I see, so Warden, you are seriously considering stationing us in your prison to avoid being too late to help when something happens, right?" Qiqimora asked.
"That’s right," Aiden nodded.
"Do you plan to use your privilege to get us a job in the prison?" Lamia hissed.
"How could that be possible, all of you are witches who violated ’The Covenant,’ and Lamia is an official wanted criminal. To hold a position in the prison, you need a quite formal identity," Aiden seriously said.
"What do you mean then, Warden?" Abigail asked.
"Just disguise yourselves as prisoners. You fake an identity, illegally sell ’Magic Potion’ once in the black market and get reported. You only need to be locked up for less than two months before you can get out," Aiden said seriously.
If so many organizations and individuals could use this method to infiltrate Aiden’s prison, then Aiden could also use the same tactic to let his own people lie in wait in the prison for Mr. Bloodcoat.
Aiden had heard of cases where police developed minor offenders into their informants, arranging for them to enter prison to approach serving gang leaders or drug lords to gain their trust and extract key incriminating intelligence.
Facing someone as extremely dangerous and ruthless as Mr. Bloodcoat, developing the Great Witches of the coven into such "informants" for an ambush within the prison wasn’t a bad idea.
Previously, he would never have agreed to let these culprits capable of using divine words into his prison, for the prison’s facilities had no resistance to divine words, but now he could use his powers to establish "an unbreakable covenant" to restrict the other party.
"..."
All three Great Witches fell into silence simultaneously.
"Why aren’t you speaking?" Aiden was somewhat puzzled.
"Are you serious, Warden?" Qiqimora sighed.
"This sounds... very much like a trap. Could it be that once I’m in, you’ll just leave me locked up and then go collect my bounty?" Lamia asked.
"My current duty is to watch over prisoners, not to capture them," Aiden replied calmly. "And I’m not short of money, why would I covet your bounty?"
"You’ve been a Heretic Inquisitor and you’ve never inquired about it? Lamia’s bounty in the Empire is a full fifty thousand pounds—that’s the price for a corpse. If captured alive, it seems it can be doubled," Qiqimora said.
Aiden was taken aback; the bounty was ridiculously high, probably more than half the total bounties of all S-ranked fugitives that had appeared in the last decade combined.
"After all, she is the centuries-old Queen of Magic Potion, rumored to have the secret of the elixir of life," Qiqimora explained.
"There’s no such thing as a potion that makes you completely immortal, but I can still make something close to that effect," Lamia hissed. "I’m telling you, kid, you haven’t really started getting any funny ideas, have you?"
"It’s just... a bit surprising, that’s all," Aiden coughed dryly. "These are perilous times, with a powerful enemy threatening us, how could I possibly consider stabbing my own allies in the back?"
"But staying in prison always gives you a bit of the creeps," Qiqimora said.
"Moreover, that’s your prison, after all. Isn’t it odd to tempt us to go in?" Lamia shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows if you have a secret little dungeon there for private ’rendezvous’ with female prisoners?"
"...What are you all imagining?" Aiden denied.
"Just now, there seemed to be a pause," Abigail interjected.
"Look, so far my credibility with you should still be okay, right? I haven’t even started to suspect that you might pull something in my prison," Aiden raised his hands. "My only concern is dealing with Mr. Bloodcloak. Whether or not you help is your business, but if I fail, who he will target next, I don’t need to remind you."
Qiqimora and Lamia exchanged glances, both falling silent.
They were not the types to suffer in silence. After making enemies in Sunset City, neither of them would be pleased to see Mr. Bloodcloak get his way. Moreover, Mr. Bloodcloak would eventually set his sights on the Hand of Annihilation that Qiqimora possessed.
If Aiden were to lose, the Wordless Code would also fall into the hands of Mr. Bloodcloak, and with the support of Death behind him, Mr. Bloodcloak would become a monster that no one but the Sovereign could handle.
"Of course, if by chance I win, I also hope you will understand a principle," Aiden persuaded them while the iron was hot. "He who does not work, neither shall he eat."
Qiqimora and Lamia began to waver further. Mr. Bloodcloak’s divine words, divinity, and the sole authority he held—these were all things they were very interested in. If they did not participate in the final battle, naturally, they would not have a chance to reap any benefits.
"I won’t stay in prison. Banquet Forest is not too far from Silvertown, and if necessary, I can make it in an hour," Abigail was the first to declare her stance.
Aiden glanced at her. Abigail’s response was within expectations. She was not only more of a homebody than the other Great Witches but also a bit more cautious.
But Aiden was curious how she would manage to get here from Banquet Forest in an hour.
Aiden turned his gaze to the other two Great Witches, who were clearly giving it serious thought.
"What’s the food like in prison?" Lamia suddenly asked.
"It’s passable. Our canteen offers some special dishes that you can’t find outside," Aiden replied and added a few more words, "But you’re not allowed to eat the other prisoners."
"Can you smoke?" Qiqimora asked.
"You can smoke, but only in the designated areas and times," Aiden answered.
"Can you do research?" Lamia inquired.
"You can propose some mild projects. I would very much welcome research into medicinal drugs that can cure diseases," Aiden spread his hands.
Qiqimora and Abigail exchanged glances again; Aiden realized that they were seriously considering his offer now.
"If you need confirmation, you could have Qiqimora come over to visit Daili and the others to check with them," Aiden smiled. "I am looking forward to seeing you in prison."
"..." Abigail stared at Aiden without speaking.
If those two agreed, it seemed like more than half of the recognized Great Witches would end up in this man’s prison.
Why does it suddenly feel like the alliance I formed... is about to be hollowed out?
