Chapter 794: Judgment (Thank You, Mr. Aurora, for Your Repeated Silver Alliance Donation)

Inside the steadily moving carriage, Lu Mi, wearing handcuffs and leg irons, gazed at the window welded with iron bars and covered in thick cloth, growing more certain of his judgment.

When accused by the Church of Knowledge's clergy as a wanted criminal, his first reaction wasn't tensing up, but a surge of strong confusion.

He felt those clergy performing routine exit checks had come specifically for him, yet aside from Ludwig and the matter of "0—01," he had no connection to the Church of Knowledge and had harmed none of their interests.

Why are you in Lunbao so eager to pursue an Intis wanted criminal? Have you verified the specific circumstances and the target's current strength?

In a flash of thought, under Salent's startled, fearful, yet relieved gaze, Lu Mi considered a possibility:

"Is this the hint the Church of Knowledge gave me?"

"No, this can't even be called a hint—it's direct escort to the destination!"

"The 'City of Exile,' as the name implies, is where criminals are banished; when I'm arrested as a wanted criminal and sentenced to exile, I'll naturally be sent to Morola…"

"Isn't this method too crude and simple?"

"How did they know I came here? I didn't disguise myself, but I kept a low profile the whole way…"

"Do high-rank 'Readers' excel at prophecy or divination?"

Lu Mi looked down at his waist, at the "Traveler's Satchel" still on him, and muttered silently:

"They didn't even confiscate a wanted criminal's belongings, nor did they take any measures against potentially dangerous offenders to suppress their extraordinary abilities…"

"Are they even trying to act? Are they afraid I'll notice and resist, causing damage?"

Lu Mi quietly removed the "Traveler's Satchel" from his belt and shoved it into the inner pocket of his thick jacket.

He didn't want to make the Church of Knowledge's clergy uncomfortable:

Their acting is bad, fine—but I can't be equally careless. What if other violent convicts, nearby Isaara citizens, or assisting police saw the "Traveler's Satchel"?

They'd think the Church of Knowledge's clergy are unprofessional!

The carriage drove for a long while before finally stopping.

Under the strict escort of several Church of Knowledge clergy in white robes edged with copper thread, Lu Mi walked to the front of a white, towering spire.

He hadn't yet had time to take in the tower's full form, let alone see its peak to confirm just how grand and vast the structure was, when he was "ushered" through a side door, descended a stone staircase, passed through a deep corridor lit by multiple gas wall lamps, and arrived before a cell forged from black iron.

Lu Mi glanced around casually and saw seven or eight people already imprisoned inside, all wearing handcuffs and leg irons, some even with iron chains piercing their collarbones and fixed in place.

Such restraints should work even on extraordinary individuals, but they couldn't suppress mystical supernatural abilities… If it were me, locked up like this, my "Hunter" combat skills would be useless, yet I could still set fires, provoke, scout weaknesses, exchange fate, or "teleport" to escape—hey, can you guys be more professional? This acting is too fake… Lu Mi thought as he watched the elderly man who had captured him open the steel cell door.

The slightly aged clergyman stepped aside and said to Lu Mi:

"Stay here for now, await your verdict."

Verdict? You haven't even held a trial yet—aren't you even pretending? Lu Mi obediently took small steps forward and entered the cell.

Clang—the steel prison door slammed shut and locked.

Lu Mi looked around, found a metal chair cast into the floor, sat down, and fixed his gaze on the violent convicts studying him.

A young man with glasses, looking refined, sat on the opposite metal chair and lifted his chin:

"Didn't expect another younger one to show up."

"Brother, what crime did you commit?"

Lu Mi didn't answer but asked instead:

"What about you?"

The refined young man smiled:

"Murder. Most here are probably murderers."

"How many did you kill?" asked a middle-aged man with collarbone chains, looking rather simple-minded.

"Seven or eight, maybe one—I'm not sure if he finally died." The young man wore a nostalgic expression. "Ending a human life, feeling their pain, struggle, and despair, their warm blood splashing on my face—it's intoxicating. In that moment, I became their god, their master."

"Serial killer?" Lu Mi watched silently, not interrupting the violent convicts' conversation.

The young man finally sighed:

"Too bad Isaara has too many detectives—I was eventually found."

"What about you? How many did you kill? Why did you kill?"

He was asking the simple-minded middle-aged man with collarbone chains.

The man's expression didn't change, as if discussing his breakfast:

"I don't know. Too many. Do you remember exactly how many slices of bread you ate last month?"

"That's something Emperor Rosel of Intis said—I read it in a biography," the refined young man replied with a smile. "I ate 123 slices last month. I remember every one."

The simple-minded middle-aged man fell silent for several seconds, then said:

"I kill because they deserve it—and the more deserving they are, the tastier their flesh."

"You ate the people you killed?" The young man's expression shifted slightly.

"Different levels of deservingness require different cooking methods," the simple-minded middle-aged man answered seriously.

"You two are perverts," muttered a gloomy thirty-something man with a cold snort.

The refined young man wasn't offended; he asked curiously:

"Why did you kill?"

"I didn't kill for killing's sake—I just wanted to rape. What else was I supposed to do when they resisted so fiercely?" the gloomy man replied with a look that said, I'm not like you freaks.

The young man laughed and pointed his chin at the woman with shoulder-length brown hair, also chained by her collarbones:

"She's also guilty of rape and murder, but that's just incidental—her main goal is collecting reproductive organs."

Lu Mi, quietly seated on the metal chair, leaning slightly forward, couldn't help shaking his head:

Are there really that many murderers in Lunbao? Average a few lives each…

The refined young man turned back to him:

"What about you? What serious crime did you commit?"

Lu Mi thought carefully and replied:

"Murder, blasphemy, arson, kidnapping, extortion, intimidation, fraud, manufacturing explosions, causing abortions, sacrificing to dark gods, attacking government officials, extorting orthodox churches…"

The young man stared, stunned, then burst into laughter after a few seconds:

"Brother, you've committed way too many crimes!"

"Why else would I be here?" Lu Mi replied, relaxed.

"Fair point." The young man and the other violent convicts now looked at Lu Mi with added respect.

"Exactly how many people did you kill?" The refined young man was even more curious about this detail, as if he could imagine himself in Lu Mi's place.

Lu Mi shook his head, his voice low:

"I never counted. And I won't answer. It's not something to boast about—like a farmer harvesting wheat. I just did my job. Are you happy because you did your daily work?"

The young man fell silent for a moment, then said:

"What should I call you? I'm Gey. Maybe in the God of Death's realm, we'll meet again."

Lu Mi uttered a single word simply:

"Louis."

He didn't want to use his real name among these people, in the "City of Exile," because in mysticism, knowing someone's true name could invite a curse—something the "Fate" path's contract abilities included.

"And you?" Gey asked the others.

"Les." The simple-minded middle-aged man replied.

The gloomy man hesitated, then answered:

"Vijepan."

"Julie." The woman with brown hair swept a greedy gaze over Gey and the others' crotches.

After the violent convicts finished introducing themselves, Lu Mi chuckled:

"I didn't expect Lunbao's law enforcement to be this bad—so many serial killers."

"Yes, I'm from Intis. I haven't been in Lunbao long."

The most talkative, Gey, lifted his cuffed hands to adjust his glasses and smiled:

"Actually, it's not bad—it's even good, because Lunbao has the world's largest and most professional detective force."

"But people like us are still numerous. Twisted personalities combined with vast knowledge easily produce formidable criminals."

"Plus, criminals from other countries come here to challenge Lunbao's detectives."

"Detective" is Sequence 7 of the "Reader" path, which belongs to the Church of Knowledge—there are indeed many in Lunbao… Could some of these criminals be hiding true "criminals," true "serial killers"? Are they using the "detectives" as tools for performance? But conversely, if "detectives" can capture criminals of the "Demon" path, they can also better and faster digest their own elixirs… Lu Mi nodded thoughtfully and smiled in reply:

"Am I one of them?"

"You have a very clear self-awareness of your personality—and people like you become more dangerous the more knowledge they gain."

Gey coughed and said:

"Yes, I now regret not having enough knowledge."

As the violent convicts fell silent or chatted casually, time passed without notice.

Finally, the same clergy members arrived with a woman before the cell.

The woman wore a white shirt with lace flowers at the collar, over which she draped a beige coat edged with copper thread; below, a dark knee-length skirt and brown leather boots. Her face was oval, her eyes pale blue like spring water, her nose high and straight, her brown hair simply draped and tied in a bun—a strikingly beautiful woman.

The moment he saw her, Vijepan's eyes lit up.

"Your verdicts have been decided. I will read them aloud." The beautiful woman turned and walked toward the end of the deep corridor; the other clergy opened the cells and escorted Lu Mi, Gey, and the others to follow.

They descended stone staircases layer by layer into the earth, finally arriving before a pair of massive copper doors.

The oval-faced beauty stopped, turned to Lu Mi and the others, and said solemnly:

"Your verdicts are:

"Exile—never to return!"

"Exiled where?" Gey asked, both surprised and confused.

Not even the death penalty?

The lady pointed to the brass-colored double doors behind her:

"Exiled beyond this door."

No sooner had she spoken than a chilling, indescribable sound emerged from behind the door.

PS: Thank you, Mr. Aurora Society, for once again sponsoring the Silver Alliance~

(End of Chapter)