CHAPTER 1021: CHAPTER 214: PRISON BREAK

Cold, damp, oppressive, dimly lit, indescribable smell, stains reflecting burning torches on the walls, the sound of water droplets echoing through the long corridor.

This place fits every imagination of a dungeon.

The damp stains originate from the moisture seeping through the underground rocks, because only those deemed "strange" by the Judiciary Guard are imprisoned here, and they naturally do not clean this place.

The only thing new is the enclosed prison cell, named after the ancient bronze metal walls.

Following the development of alchemical materials using substances like the Deep Sea Stone to block anomalies, the Judiciary Guard dungeon was the first to use them.

Puxiu and Ophelia, Merchant Anthony were detained separately in cells along the corridor, while Lu Li was led to the deepest part of the dungeon.

"Still 11 hours."

Entering the prison cell, Lu Li turned to face the captain of the guard outside the corridor.

The captain of the guard put down the oil lamp, responding to him only with the slow closing of the heavy bronze prison door.

Bang—

The prison door shut tightly, the faint sound of footsteps receding outside the door, silence engulfing the cramped cell lit by the oil lamp.

What does the Judiciary Guard intend to do?

The not-so-secluded Vena Ice-Free Port had already known that the God of the Deep Sea attacked Midnight City, and the warning about the potential attack on Vena Ice-Free Port from the God of the Deep Sea was handed over to Mayor Matthias by Lu Li, who arrived later—yet the shadow of the God of the Deep Sea still looms over the city, starting the 24-hour countdown.

Suspiciously, Vena Ice-Free Port is not without combat power—the threat of warships to Lu Li suggests Vena Ice-Free Port’s forces remain intact—even able to ambush awaiting Lu Li’s arrival.

The Judiciary Guard ignored the God of the Deep Sea out of some kind of fearlessness, or perhaps they have some connection with Him?

Key clues may lie in the existence worshiped by the Judiciary Guard, but unfortunately, Lu Li does not know who they worship.

Regardless...

Lu Li scans the prison cell impossible to break by human force.

Must find a way to get out of here.

Lu Li sits against the bronze door where the oil lamp is placed, falls asleep, and enters the dreams of Puxiu and Ophelia.

The bronze cannot block the power of the Cursed Title, Lu Li summons Puxiu into dreams based on the remembered location, then heads to Ophelia’s prison cell.

However, in the chaotic dream akin to a fog where direction is hard to discern, Lu Li miscalculates the distance and accidentally enters the dream of a Believer imprisoned in the dungeon.

Lu Li lets the frenzied Believer wait, withdraws from the dream, and finds Ophelia.

Her power is restricted by the bronze cell and the peculiar devices of the Judiciary Guard, making her no different from a regular human.

"Your... method... what is it?"

"Dream Walking."

Leaving Ophelia’s dream, consciousness returns to himself. After a brief wait to judge the distance, Lu Li dreamwalks once more, navigating through chaos, heading to the hall in memory where interrogation personnel are stationed.

Balentin’s frequent looking at the time signifies his anxiety.

This anxiety and the excitement of detaining a big figure didn’t make him more awake; on the contrary, the drowsiness enveloped Balentin, causing him to constantly doze off.

"I have to switch shifts..."

Balentin murmurs, standing up, suddenly sensing something, raising his head to look at the bronze door leading to the dungeon.

Moments ago, brought through the bronze door, Lu Li was detained in the cell standing in the shadows before the door.

Balentin stared at Lu Li in astonishment, looked at the tightly shut bronze door, understanding something: "How did you escape?"

"This is the dreamland I constructed." Lu Li emerges from the shadows.

"I’m already asleep..." Balentin closes his mouth, complexly gazes at Lu Li: "Are you really influenced by the anomaly?"

"This is the power of the Cursed Title, ’Dreamwalker’."

Whether in reality or illusion, the Cursed Title piercing through layers of mist clearly emerges in Balentin’s mind.

"So you found me because you want to..."

"Open the gate."

"We don’t have the key."

"Who does."

"The people above... on the ground."

"Is there another way out of the cell?"

"No... if you haven’t actually fallen, why not wait for the upper echelons to review?"

"There’s no time. The God of the Deep Sea’s corruption needs 24 hours, 11 hours left now."

The dreamland hall falls into a brief silence, Balentin can’t help but ask: "Is what you said true?"

"Yes."

"Why not talk to the Judiciary Guard?"

"Already did."

"They did nothing...?"

"Yes."

Balentin falls into a more prolonged complexity.

"They left an oil lamp in my cell." Lu Li says at this moment.

Balentin suddenly replies, "They will calculate the time and come down from above to add kerosene! About 7 hours later... is it enough?"

"If there’s no better option." Lu Li asks again: "Who do the Judiciary Guard worship?"

"Sun God."

A never-heard-of unfamiliar god, even difficult to judge if they exist—worshiping the sun is quite normal for human civilizations.

Lu Li prepares to exit the dream, planning to leave the dungeon when the Judiciary Guard comes down to add kerosene.

"Wait... you trust I won’t snitch?" Balentin suddenly calls out to Lu Li.

"Because this isn’t about saving me, it’s about saving Vena Ice-Free Port."

The calm words gradually fade away, Balentin awakens slowly.

The cold sensation of lying on the ground tells him everything earlier was a dream... a real dream.

Instinctively glancing at the bronze door leading to the dungeon, it remains closed.

Once considered the successor of One-eyed Vic, Balentin becomes suspicious and uneasy, agonizing over lengthy time.

Like 8 days, an arduous 8 hours later, the Judiciary Guard arrives, passing by Balentin who pretends calmness, opening the bronze door to enter the dungeon corridor.

In Balentin’s certain anticipatory gaze, not long after, a silhouette appears before the bronze door.

A white shirt worn under a black trench coat.

"There’s a hall outside, Wick the adjudicator is stationed there... he won’t let you through." Balentin complexly reminds.

"Is he a knight?"

"Uh... just a regular person like me."

Lu Li nods, thanks Balentin, and continues ascending the stairs towards the surface.

Dozens of stone steps later, Lu Li sees Wick the adjudicator mentioned by Balentin.

"I knew you’d escape."

Reclining in a chair, like a pirate covering one eye with a black cloth, One-eyed Vic gazes at Lu Li, suddenly flinging a copper key.

"Open the door and turn left, there’s a wall with a lighter color, turn the candlestick, you can leave through a secret passage."

"Do I need to knock you out?" Lu Li asks.

"No need."

One-eyed Vic impatiently waves his hand, watches as Lu Li disappears into the stairway depths, turns towards another end where noisy footsteps come from.

"The prisoner!"

The pursuing captain demands coldly.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about." One-eyed Vic spreads his palms open.

"Exorcist, Lu Li."

"He has left."

"The Judiciary Guard will penalize your betrayal." The captain states coldly, leading the team to continue their chase.

"Your words are like a villain’s."

One-eyed Vic gazes at the passing knights of the squad, mocking them.

"I used to think politicians were ugly and dirty, now remembering that time I realize I made a big mistake... ugly and dirty are us indeed."