Damn It, He Got to Look Cool

"However you came in is however you leave." Yaxiu understood instantly. "You mean... the ship that transports death row inmates?" The healer nodded. "Shattered Lake Prison sits right in the middle of Shattered Lake. There is no transportation other than ships and flight. But the surrounding airspace is a military exclusion zone—any flying object is scanned and verified, and anything without flight clearance is shot down by the Lex rapid-fire cannons set up by the prison. As for the waters, they are teeming with large swarms of finger sharks. Unless you belong to the fishman race, even a sorcerer specializing in defense would find it almost impossible to dive and swim away. "From start to finish, there has only ever been one way to escape: leave on the ship carrying condemned prisoners. Even when we and the prison guards travel to and from Shattered Lake Prison, we take that very ship. No exceptions. Prison supplies are delivered at the same time while transporting inmates." Even thinking with one's toenails, anyone would know that ship was bound to be heavily guarded, and a death row convict couldn't possibly hide aboard to escape. Still, it at least provided the right direction to think in, sparing Yaxiu the awkward scenario of trying to dig through the sewers only to disrupt the finger sharks during feeding time. "Are there really no exceptions?" Yaxiu only asked offhandedly without expecting anything, yet the healer pondered for a moment and actually nodded. "Actually, there is. By law, if a mayor faces extremely serious allegations during their term of office, but critical evidence like memory proof hasn't been found, the mayor must immediately step down from all duties and be temporarily detained in the nearest Blood Moon Prison—and the only Blood Moon Prison in Kaimeng City is Shattered Lake Prison—to undergo temporary isolation. Only after the Sin Hunting Hall finishes its investigation will they either be reinstated or formally imprisoned on the spot." Yaxiu was somewhat surprised. "If no memory proof can be found, doesn't that prove their innocence?" The healer nodded, then shook their head. "Generally speaking, yes, but among sorcerers, there are sorcery spirits that can rewrite memories—such as 'Overwrite,' 'Cut,' 'Erase,' and the like. Although memory editing is a top-tier felony punishable severely for both the sorcerer and the subject, most dirty politicians and council members still rewrite their memories, leaving the Sin Hunting Hall unable to discern truth from falsehood right away. "Therefore, when investigating important figures, they basically search the memories of everyone close to them. Other people's memories can also serve as evidence for conviction. If nothing can be found whatsoever, then it is proven to be a false accusation." "Has a mayor ever been imprisoned before?" "In history, probably three or four times? All I remember is that each time ended with the mayor reinstated, their reputation skyrocketing, and them even winning reelection." "So that proves the mayors were innocent?" "That's the general belief," the healer said indifferently. "After all, not a single flaw could be found in the due process." "Still, no matter how good the system is, it's humans who carry it out." "Is that the excuse you used to explain yourself to the hunters when you got caught?" That topic quickly passed. Something like a mayor being placed in isolation in prison was far too rare to be taken into consideration for an escape plan. Yaxiu brought up several more whimsical ideas—such as disguising himself as a prison guard, hanging onto the ship's exterior, or hiding inside a slop bucket for food waste. The healer shot down every one of his ideas and expressed utter revulsion at the last one. As they spoke, a chime suddenly rang outside. The healer uttered an "Ah." "It's already twelve o'clock. Hurry back to your dormitory. If you run into any guards, tell them you were delayed by medical treatment. Whatever you do, don't take any detours on the way. Deliberately loitering at night will cost you contribution points." Yaxiu nodded and put on Nagu's pair of 'Shadow Monarch' boots, feeling that these cool boots looked entirely out of place with his prison uniform. Wearing such nice boots without a matching, stylish outfit really didn't sit right, did it? "Wait," Yaxiu suddenly realized something. "What time did you say it is?" "Twelve on the dot. That chime just now was to remind sorcerers to enter the Void Realm. After midnight, the Blood Moon strengthens our connection to the Void Realm, allowing soul energy to recover faster during Void Realm Exploration." The healer shrugged. "Not that it has anything to do with you, of course." Yaxiu blinked, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his forehead. Previously, he and Sword Princess had always agreed to enter the Void Realm around ten at night. Which meant right now... ... ... The Void Realm, Sea of Knowledge, legacy islet. Bzzzt— Thunder wrapped around an iron whip, roaring wantonly; the thunder-wreathed whip was completely indestructible. Stray electric arcs crackled through the air, and the sandy ground had been blasted into crystalline glass! "I uphold righteousness in silent devotion; moved by dreams, I commune with spirits." The Thunder Wielder chanted an eerie, obscure verse in a raspy voice. He was bare-chested, his brown skin covered in jet-black tattoos resembling geometric diagrams. Not a strand of hair could be seen on his face, his pupils were bloodshot, and his hands wielded spinning iron whips of lightning, forming two barriers of thunder guarding his flanks! Sonia panted heavily, propping herself up with her wooden sword. Charred ashes still clung to her hair, exhaustion and dread filled her face, and her form had grown faint and blurred, as if she might be swallowed by the white mist at any second. 'Am I really going to surrender my first Void Realm death so soon? But Felix hasn't died even once yet. Wouldn't that make me rank a head below him in Professor Trozan's eyes? Then again, Senior Leonie said she lost her first death on her second trip to the Void Realm, though I don't know if that's actually true...' Sonia didn't fear death. Sorcerers were bound to die in the Void Realm eventually. Even Metas the 'Spellbinder', a Legendary Sorcerer of the Starry Country, had once claimed to have died twenty-one times in the Void Realm, taking great pride in it: 'Among four-wing sorcerers, my death count is considered relatively low.' To a sorcerer, dying in the Void Realm was a lot like taking compensatory leave. While you didn't particularly want it to happen, once it did, there was nothing you could do except cheerfully accept the grim news and figure out how to spend the upcoming holiday where you no longer had to clock in to work in the Void Realm. Sonia also knew a first death wouldn't hurt Professor Trozan's evaluation of her. Dying early was merely bad luck, while dying late wasn't necessarily a good thing either. There were setbacks and lessons that a sorcerer simply had to experience firsthand to gain wisdom. It was just that, being young, who hadn't harbored such a fantasy: 'Perhaps I could become the first sorcerer in history never to die in the Void Realm.' Now, seeing this achievement on the verge of being declared a failure, Sonia wasn't especially discouraged. After all, holding out until her fourth visit to the Void Realm before handing over her first death already put her ahead of ninety-nine percent of sorcerers. The vast majority of sorcerers met their first death on their very first entrance into the Void Realm, with drowning being the most common cause. Although countless sorcerer notes repeatedly emphasized never to dive beneath the Sea of Knowledge, a sorcerer soaking in seawater could rarely resist the urge to peek at the seabed. Entering the Void Realm promptly at eleven tonight, Sonia found that the Watcher hadn't shown up, and naturally there was no boat, leaving her soaking directly in the water. She hadn't felt it while sitting in the boat, but submerged in the water, Sonia found it truly hard not to wonder about everything beneath the surface—were there fish? Was there a seabed? Were there treasures? What sorcerers lacked least was curiosity. So, after suppressing her longing for the ocean floor, Sonia directed her gaze toward the surrounding white mist. Soaking in the water, she called out several times for the Watcher without receiving any response. Sonia had to accept the fact that the Watcher was not exploring the Void Realm with her this time. This was how things normally were; exploring the Void Realm alone was the daily reality of every sorcerer. That she had been able to explore the Void Realm alongside the Watcher in the first place was a miracle in itself, as absurd as a student taking an open-book exam and bringing their teacher along as a reference tool. Yet Sonia felt no anxiety. Instead, like a child slipping free of parental supervision, she eagerly set off to explore the Void Realm on her own. However, Sonia soon found herself adrift in bewilderment. Without the Watcher's guidance, the mist was too thick for her eyes to pierce. She had no idea where to go and could only pick a direction at random to swim. Swimming consumed far more soul energy than sitting in a boat. After swimming for over an hour, Sonia felt more exhausted than she had when helping her mother harvest wheat as a child, to the point where she was ready to exit the Void Realm on her own initiative. Yet the Void Realm didn't seem inclined to let Sonia leave empty-handed; despite thrashing around aimlessly, she actually stumbled upon a legacy islet. Naturally, Sonia hurried onto the islet to face its trial. She was brimming with confidence right now. Armed with the 'Water Moon' miracle that could counter and defeat Senior Leonie, she had even begun to feel there was nowhere in the Sea of Knowledge she couldn't tread. And then she was beaten black and blue. The sorcerer on the legacy islet was a lightning sorcerer wielding a pair of nine-section steel whips. In terms of faction counters, thunder arts and sword arts were both renowned for ferocious offense, with neither holding an inherent advantage over the other. Yet the moment they clashed, the Thunder Wielder whipped Sonia around like a spinning top. The Thunder Wielder didn't use many sorcery spirits, but his combat system and battle experience utterly outmatched Sonia. Imbuing the nine-section whips with lightning, he could thrust them from afar like whip-spears or lash across at close range like iron chains. His offense was as fierce as a thunderclap, and his defense was as solid as a thousand-pound rampart. When he spun his electrified nine-section whips, Sonia didn't even dare draw close. Wave Sword was neutralized by the whip shield; Moon Silk was torn to shreds by the lightning whips with ease; and even the counterattack miracle 'Water Moon,' on which Sonia had pinned high hopes, was effortlessly broken by the Thunder Wielder's long-range piercing thrust with his nine-section whip. Tremendously powerful and blazing fast though Water Moon was, its attack range was simply too short. No wonder people said the Void Realm was the best teacher; Sonia had to admit she had learned a lesson. Previously, she had always viewed sword arts as merely a medium for casting sorcery spirits, but seeing the Thunder Wielder's flawless mastery with the nine-section whip, she realized how far she still had to go. Truly formidable sword arts ought to be able to handle any situation, rather than being lashed into helpless confusion as she was now. Even so, Sonia was not one to wait for death. With the corner of her eye, she glanced at the sea behind her. The edge of the islet wasn't far away. If she seized the right moment, she might still have a chance to escape. The Thunder Wielder would certainly pursue her, but he would never leave the islet. Sonia could only hope the seawater would blunt his attacks and buy her a sliver of time to get away. Once in a safe zone, she would have time to find the Gate of Truth within her sorcery spirits, directly exit the Void Realm, and return her consciousness to reality. She silently swore that tomorrow she would sign up for swimming lessons; a dog paddle was far too slow. Bzzzt— The nine-section whip in the Thunder Wielder's right hand suddenly morphed, turning into a whip-spear that thrust forward like a bolt of lightning! Now! Sonia unleashed a blast of Wave Sword and used the momentum to retreat, preparing to leap into the sea. Yet the Thunder Wielder seemed to have anticipated this. He whipped out his left-hand nine-section whip, sending it spinning through the air like a thunderous boomerang sweeping toward Sonia's legs! She was finished. Sonia had to jump now; otherwise, the spinning nine-section whip would wrap around her legs and trip her in place. What's more, the lightning cloaking it was no mere visual effect—the fierce electric current was enough to incapacitate her for several seconds! Yet jumping would play right into the Thunder Wielder's hands. His thunderous whip-spear would extend further until it pierced straight through Sonia's chest! Her only bet was that she could jump faster than his whip-spear could strike! Sonia gritted her teeth and leaped backward with all her might. Just as she was about to clear the maximum range of the whip-spear, the Thunder Wielder flicked his wrist. A spiraling storm of lightning erupted from his wrist all the way to the tip of the whip-spear, and the foremost section detonated forward, accelerating toward Sonia like a concealed throwing dagger! "Son—of—a—!" Sonia's eyes widened in sheer outrage as she shouted a curse, praying desperately in her heart for a miracle. And a miracle did happen—with a smack, Sonia found her back colliding with something, stopping her midair! Out in this vast open sea, how could something be on the water's surface? Could a mudfish dragon have happened to leap up for a breath of fresh air and collided with her in a waterborne traffic accident? Bzzzt— Faced with the lightning whip inches away, the dread of death seized Sonia's heart. Her mind went blank, and she closed her eyes instinctively. Clang! "Huh?" Waiting two seconds, Sonia realized she hadn't been kicked out of the Void Realm. More importantly, she found her feet planted firmly on solid ground rather than falling into the sea. She cracked open one eye to assess the situation. She saw a barrier of sword-shaped airflow hovering in front of her. The lightning whip hammered ripples across its surface, yet failed to pierce through. Looking down, it was the familiar small boat. "You're truly fortunate to have me around." Turning her head to see the Watcher emerge from the white mist, Sonia was left with only a single thought: Damn it, he actually got to look cool.