20. The real Kilmainham Prison

Outside the courtyard wall of the new home flows the Lucavaro River, the scenery is quite enchanting.

Kilmainham Prison is located in the Maen District and Lucavaro District, both of which belong to the outer fifteen districts, outside the old city walls of Strasbourg.

Looking down from the terrace, the first thing that catches the eye is the courtyard of Charlotte's new house, which is quite large, about six or seven hundred square meters, with a stable and a well, a pleasant surprise.

The maids are working very hard, and as the evening approaches, they light up kerosene lamps, carry buckets, hold rags, and move in and out of the rooms, bustling about with their tasks.

Charlotte took a short nap on a sofa in one room, and when he woke up, he saw a very clean and tidy room, several maids had worked all night to clean the building thoroughly.

Feeling slightly guilty, Charlotte paid them double and sent the maids away before hailing a public carriage straight to the Maen District.

He had only taken one day off and still had to go to work at Kilmainham Prison today.

Charlotte's immediate superior, Menierman Sumei, did not inquire about his leave of absence from the previous day, instead assigning him three times the normal workload.

Charlotte worked until he was dizzy and couldn't finish on time. In fact, he didn't get to leave at all and ended up sleeping in the office that night.

When he woke up again in the office, what caught his eye was an army uniform-clad beauty sitting cross-legged on his desk.

Charlotte's first reaction was actually, "Sister Menierman always seems to wear an army uniform, I've never seen her in any other style."

Charlotte hurriedly stood up and straightened his jacket, saying, "Warden, is there any work for today?"

Menierman Sumei seemed in an odd mood, somewhat somber as she said, "Today there's no paperwork to handle, come with me."

Charlotte didn't say anything and followed his senior.

Menierman Sumei led him deep into the prison and downward.

Having worked at the prison for some time, Charlotte had never left the office area, so it was his first time venturing into the depths of the prison.

To his surprise, this largest prison of the Empire had few prisoners, with many cells empty and desolate.

He wasn't very concerned with the prisoners' affairs and didn't ponder what this implied.

Kilmainham Prison was a fortress-style structure, within its thick, towering walls were only five buildings—the first and second office buildings, the military guard barracks, the stable, and the main prison body.

Charlotte had just found out that the prison's underground portion was much deeper than the aboveground section, having followed Menierman Sumei down seventeen or eighteen floors before he finally reached the very bottom of the prison.

The lowest level of the prison was not dark.

A grand door imbued with a sacred aura stood at the center of the underground chamber.

Dozens of armed prison guards stood at the ready, fully equipped.

Upon Menierman Sumei's arrival, the guards hastily saluted, and the warden waved her hand dismissively before stepping through the door built into the underground.

Charlotte hesitated for a moment before following her inside, and no one stopped him.

After passing through the door, Bloody Glory inside Charlotte suddenly boiled over, emitting a faint red glow from his body.

He quickly forced open the Bloody Vortex at his brow, reining in Bloody Glory and calming the turmoil within, though he felt somewhat surprised at the bottom of his heart.

Bloody Glory wouldn't boil for no reason.

On the other side of the door was still a heavily guarded underground chamber.

Of course, it resembled more a mine.

The guards patrolling this secret chamber all had a transcendent aura, with a dense killing intent that made Charles extremely uncomfortable; he even touched the Vampiric Hand Axe hidden in his clothes.

Menierman Sumei led him through several heavily guarded gates, and they emerged from a dark tower.

Once again stepping onto the ground, Charles exclaimed in surprise, now certain of one thing.

This was no longer within the Fars Empire.

Menierman asked in a deep voice, "Do you know what a dimensional plane is?"

Charles nodded, indicating his knowledge, as he had studied about it at the university.

Menierman said, "This is the real Kilmainham Prison, a demi-plane abandoned by the gods, which once had a splendid civilization."

"Every year, the Empire transports a large number of prisoners here, erases their memories, fabricates their identities, and makes them residents of this place to explore ruins and extract wealth for the Empire."

Charles's voice was somewhat hoarse; he thought of several distressing matters and asked with trepidation, "Senior, did you bring me here to entrust me with a task?"

Menierman said, "Follow me."

About a few minutes later, Charles encountered someone he remarkably didn't expect.

Zimmerman Axel Robin!

Charles had seen numerous files on Zimmerman Axel Robin, but he was not the least acquainted with this legendary man of the Empire.

Zimmerman was restrained on a stone bed, surrounded by countless figures in black coats and hoods, bustling about.

Menierman's tone was grave, and she spoke softly, "In a little while, Zimmerman Axel Robin will no longer exist in this world. There will only be a Captain Huntington dedicated to the Empire, having lost all his memories."

Charles was at a loss for words. Menierman Sumei had come to bid her former fiancé a final farewell; his presence here was clearly superfluous, yet he couldn't entirely avoid being part of it.

Zimmerman was either injected with an anesthetic capable of suppressing transcendent abilities or subjected to a special restraining spell, as he lay very still, only struggling slightly when the alchemy circle emitted a strange light.

Of course, it appeared more like a convulsion.

The phantom of an ancient and hefty tome slowly emerged, with countless wisps of insubstantial grey mist rising from Zimmerman's body and flowing into this peculiar book.

Under the pull of a mysterious force, a radiant fighting spirit glow blossomed from Menierman Sumei.

Bloody Glory within Charles also began to boil again, and faint strands of secret connection formed between him and the phantom of the ancient and hefty tome.

Charles couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "The Jade Book!"

He had not seen it, but had heard of the book.

It was a Divine Artifact bestowed by the Serpent of Destiny, one of the Nine Great True Gods.

There was a dedicated course at the university discussing the origins and functions of the Jade Book and the discipline of Magic Alchemy derived from knowledge in the Jade Book.

The Jade Book bestowed by the Serpent of Destiny to humanity, the Golden Book of the Sun granted by The Lord of Radiance to his followers, and the Dead Sea Scrolls left by the Lampbearer, were acclaimed as the three cornerstones of human civilization.

Of course, as a transmigrator, Charles didn't quite believe this assertion. He had studied the civilization of this era, which didn't seem much related to these three Divine Artifacts; but that didn't diminish the awe in his heart.