Contraband

"Why was that female inmate sentenced to five days of solitary confinement for hiding just one bottle of drug?" Veronica asked Aiden as they left the core area, carrying a tray loaded with contraband.

During this surprise inspection, they discovered quite a few things. Most of the people caught only had one or two forbidden items hidden. Only Fei, on the other hand, had claimed nearly a third of the list with her "goods." Yet even so, Aiden only sentenced her to one day of solitary confinement.

But inmate 3340, who had only hidden one bottle of medicine, was being ordered by Aiden to endure five days of confinement, which seemed a tad biased.

"You're asking this question, which shows that you have the intention to proactively understand. Very good," Aiden praised Veronica before turning around.

"I only showed you the list, but I haven't had the chance to explain to you yet. In reality, different contraband items have different levels of danger, and correspondingly, the punishments will vary."

"Danger level… Are drugs considered more dangerous than blades?" Veronica was somewhat surprised.

During this inspection, they found one inmate who had hidden a carving knife, but even in her case, Aiden only sentenced her to two days of solitary confinement.

"The rules in the core area are a bit different from those in the regular sectors. Tools of that degree can't even be used as weapons in the core area. Just think about it, when you were in prison, if someone threatened you with a carving knife, would you be scared?"

Veronica thought for a moment. "I'd probably break their nose first…"

With the overwhelming physical strength of a pure-blooded werewolf, it's futile for an ordinary person to wield even a legitimate knife, let alone a mere pen knife.

"That's right, the core area is mostly populated by dangerous individuals. A single bladed tool won't cause much of a stir, but even so, contraband items still need to be strictly regulated. However, when it comes to drugs, regardless of the sector, they are considered highly dangerous. The issue with them is much more complex than other forbidden items."

"How should I put this?"

"Firstly, drugs can be used for poisoning, or even ingested to fake an illness—this is harder to detect than using tools.

Secondly, there are some magic potions that provide magical power. When sealed magic users in the core area consume them, they can temporarily regain some of their strength.

Lastly, there are many inmates in this prison who are addicted to drugs. Some medicines, for them, not only serve as currency, but can also become a means of control. The drugs that 3340 had with her happen to be addictive, it's hard to call that a coincidence," Aiden explained slowly. "Do you know why inmate 3340 was arrested?"

"Why?"

"illegal trafficking, she was selling drugs she had produced herself."

"Selling counterfeit drugs?"

Aiden shook his head. "No, they were genuine drugs. The ones she made were all real, and some even had special effects, with purities sometimes surpassing those produced by pharmaceutical companies.

But a portion of the drugs she sold was controlled, and she couldn't produce any permits. So, she was caught, sentenced to six months—three for illegal trafficking, and another three for possessing untraceable black magic."

"She's… a witch?"

"She confessed to being a wandering alchemist, but it's highly likely she's a witch, and a skilled one at that, specializing in magic potions."

In this world, while magic wasn't exactly rare, it wasn't something everyone could learn, especially the black magic regulated by treaties. Generally, only armed institutions like the military and organizations like the Inquisition Bureau had the authority to teach and use them.

The astrology and blessings that witches studied were not prohibited, but it was the black magic and magic potions they dabbled in that drew the attention of the Inquisition Bureau.

A typical figure in this prison was the witch Dailey, skilled in summoning demons, and the necromancer Arsena, who delved into necromancy and spirit communication.

This was also the reason why inmate 3340 ended up in the core area.

"So, she's very dangerous?" Veronica still seemed somewhat puzzled.

"Have you noticed that when I was questioning inmate 3340, many other inmates were looking over?" Aiden suddenly interjected.

"Indeed…" Veronica recalled, then had a sudden realization. "They're paying attention to the person who managed to bring drugs into the prison!"

"That's right. The supervision level for drugs is very high, but that woman still managed to bring them in. This indicates she has some sort of channel or method. Mixing drug powder into food or items, and then re-preparing it using professional techniques.

This makes it very hard to detect, and we can't completely restrict the flow of items inside and outside the prison. This shows she has the potential to become a 'drug lord' here. It's a very formidable resource in the prison,"

Aiden explained, making a counting gesture with his hand. "A resource that is more effective than money. With this, she can cultivate her own influence within the prison."

"But her sentence is only six months…" Veronica murmured softly.

She couldn't quite fathom why someone who only needed to stay in prison for half a year would go to such great lengths, as Aiden described.

"Even if it's just one month, we can't let our guard down," Aiden said seriously, especially towards the inmates in the core area.

After interacting with so many inmates, Aiden had accumulated a considerable degree of professional intuition. Though it was just a gut feeling, he sensed that the seemingly polite woman was not a simple character.

Her compliance and politeness carried a touch of elusive smoothness. In truth, Aiden didn't care much about how the inmates treated him. He had encountered too many inmates who would curse his ancestors to the eighteenth generation.

Whether they were polite or foul-mouthed, what he cared about was whether the inmates followed his rules.

And inmate 3340, who started testing the boundaries right after arriving, instinctively made him a bit wary. This surprise inspection was originally targeted at the habitual offender Fei, so discovering inmate 3340 was an unexpected bonus.

So, he gave her a warning first, followed by five days of solitary confinement. It was a show of authority and a test.

"Understood," Veronica nodded, looking enlightened. Then, she suddenly raised another question. "By the way, Chief, why is this considered contraband?"

Aiden turned his head, then froze—Veronica was holding the vibration crystal she had confiscated from Fei.

"I found that it can vibrate on its own." Veronica placed it beside the tray and tapped it. The crystal immediately began to vibrate rhythmically. She then grabbed the crystal and squeezed it hard, and the vibration stopped.

"Um, you…" Aiden put on an awkward but polite smile. "Do you Really not know?"

"I don't know, it's my first time seeing this kind of toy. Is there any danger to it?" Veronica asked innocently.

"If you have the time, go ask Franda. She's more familiar with it," Aiden scratched his forehead and casually passed the question on to his subordinate.