Chapter 9: Church of Light (3)
I must say, Count Monroe, Trissa’s father, does have some tricks up his sleeve in the court.
Within half a day, Lin Nan received word that the prison had opened the floodgates—she could visit Count Morris and the others at any time.
“My lord, please let me accompany you! Just in case we run into any unforeseen circumstances,” Trissa said, her eyes glinting with determination.
“Alright then.”
Lin Nan wasn’t keen on hiding this from Trissa anyway, so taking her along could be considered putting her skills to good use.
The heavy snow outside showed no signs of stopping. The filthy, hidden corners of the Imperial Capital, now blanketed in a thick layer of white, appeared almost celestial—much like the grandiose lies of politicians.
The carriage’s wheels crunched through the snow with a “crack-crack” sound.
By now, it was nearing dusk. The dimming sky meant few people were on the streets; most were holed up indoors, cozying up to the fire. Generally, no one would venture out into the snowy night unless absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, the prison wasn’t located within the royal city, which made Monroe’s unorthodox method of breaking open the prison gates a bit easier.
Before the sky turned completely dark, the carriage finally pulled up in front of an old, shabby building.
At first glance, the prison looked quite pathetic from the outside, but in the context of the thick layer of snow, it had an air of unwelcome authority seeping into one’s bones.
“Creeeak,” a few guards appeared at the front of the carriage.
Perhaps they had already agreed on a secret signal beforehand; Trissa exchanged a few words with them, and the carriage was allowed in. The prison gates closed again with a thud, as if nothing had happened amidst the swirling snow.
In stark contrast to the blizzard outside,
the underground prison was anything but chilly.
The torches on the walls flickered as if moments away from extinguishing. Walking amidst them, the shadows appeared to have a life of their own, dancing with the cold wind.
The prisoners huddled in their cells, their numb gazes following the two women passing by.
One blonde, the other brunette.
Both wore long cloaks to shield themselves from the snow, the hems trailing on the ground, rustling softly.
“My lord, according to the prison guard, the next level down should hold the members of the embassy,” Trissa reported.
“Mhm, good.”
But just then, an unexpected situation arose.
“Frost North Snow! Quick, get me out! Get me out!”
A voice suddenly rang out from a nearby cell. A shadowy figure clung tightly to the iron bars, craning its neck, desperately trying to catch Lin Nan’s attention.
Lin Nan furrowed her brow slightly.
Clearly, this person recognized her. Was he from the Monster Race?
No, wait. If he was a Monster, wouldn’t her identity as the Monster Queen deter him from calling her full name so casually?
Trissa, unaware of Lin Nan’s other name, assumed someone had lost their mind in prison. Such things were common, so she didn’t pay it much mind.
“My lord, the guards will handle this, no need to worry.”
Trissa thought the prisoner had mistaken her for someone else and brushed it off.
Lin Nan didn’t respond, instead moving closer to the yelling shadow.
It dawned on Trissa that perhaps this dual agent of Lord Lin, the Goddess of Destiny, and Muse wasn’t as simple as she thought.
The figure looked about five feet tall, with an oversized head resembling a cartoon character, just shrunk down a bit.
Thus, the narrow iron bars barely allowed him to poke even half his head out.
Yet this unfamiliar “big kid” had the audacity to shout “Frost North Snow”—that surprised her quite a bit.
“Who are you?” Lin Nan inquired.
“Lu Nan Yu!” the big kid responded, icy cold.
“Lu Nan Yu?”
Lin Nan shook her head; that name was a complete opposite of Frost North Snow. What could their relationship be? And judging by his expression, he didn’t seem the least bit pleased by her arrival—in fact, he appeared rather impatient.
Ha! If he wanted her to bail him out, he should’ve been on his best behavior.
This won’t do, young man.
You think the Asking Dao Continent is your family business?
With that thought, Lin Nan waved to Trissa. “I don’t know this person; let’s go.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Seeing Lin Nan actually turn and leave, Lu Nan Yu cried out, “Sister! It’s me, it’s me!”
Lin Nan halted.
Though the boy looked unfamiliar, getting closer stirred an inexplicable sense of kinship within her.
Trissa pulled a torch off the wall and ventured closer to his cage.
The light suddenly illuminated the boy’s face, making Lin Nan’s recollection stir.
She remembered a boy she had found deep in the East Sea Underground Palace, bound by iron chains during the Great Spirit bl**d Sacrifice incident.
He was the second consciousness formed in the East Sea Underground Palace but had been locked underwater by Frost North Snow for being exceptionally troublesome.
Back then, the situation was urgent, and she had to leave without a second glance at him.
Who would’ve thought months later, she’d stumble upon him in a demon empire’s underground cell?
This piqued Lin Nan’s interest—perhaps there would be some amusing stories behind this.
“I want to take him with me. Is that possible?” Lin Nan pointed at Lu Nan Yu, who immediately adopted a haughty and disdainful look upon hearing her.
He seemed to think Lin Nan was merely a subordinate, at best executing a mission he had assigned.
Trissa whispered, “I can give it a try, as long as he hasn’t committed any serious crimes.”
“Well then, let’s not rush. We’ll sort it out after we finish our main business.”
Lin Nan and Trissa turned and headed down to the next level without looking back.
Lu Nan Yu wanted to put on a show, but to his dismay, the two women didn’t spare him a glance, vanishing without a trace. This left him fuming.
“Hey! Hey! Where are you going? Get me out of here!”
“Hey, hey!”
Lu Nan Yu’s cries quickly attracted the guards, who came stomping over.
“Shut your mouth!”
“Keep yelling like that, and we’ll cut out your tongue!”
Before long, the boy was silenced, left staring longingly down the staircase, hoping they would remember him before leaving.
As for Lu Nan Yu’s turmoil of emotions, Lin Nan and Trissa finally met the imprisoned Count Morris after days of waiting.
Morris, unaware that Lin Nan and Trissa would sneak into the prison, was overwhelmed upon seeing Lin Nan and immediately became emotional.
“Greetings, Lord Lin!” Morris exclaimed, half-kneeling in excitement.
The other members of the embassy, locked up with him, followed Morris’s lead and all knelt, addressing Lin Nan as “Lord Lin.”
Since their return to the Imperial Capital, they had been stuck in here, unaware of the miraculous events that had unfolded.
But no matter what, seeing an old companion visit them in their cell was indeed something to be joyful about.
