Free Web NovelChapter 152: Chapter 152 I Can’t Come_1
After sending away the visiting Rebecca, Aiden followed the reporting prison guard to the second block for an investigation.
"This is the place. The first report of strange noises came from the inmate in Cell Four, who told us there were weird sounds coming from the toilet," the leading prison guard said as he opened the cell in front of Aiden.
Aiden turned his head and cast his gaze toward the inmates standing outside of the room.
"It was in the middle of last night, I don’t know what time, but I was woken up by the noise from the toilet. That noise... I don’t know how to describe it, it was like something was scurrying through the pipes. I called to the others, and they all heard it too," the first inmate said, still visibly shaken.
The others nodded in agreement.
At this time of day, most inmates from the second block would have left for work, and to facilitate inspections, the prison guards had only kept a few as witnesses to accompany Aiden and answer his questions.
"Could it be rats or snakes or something that ran down the drain?" Aiden speculated.
In this world, large cities already had fairly decent sewage systems. Rose Iron Prison was also equipped with sewage pipes, but there were iron grids as thick as thumbs installed at several points in these pipes, making it virtually impossible for inmates without special abilities to escape through the sewers—and likewise for outsiders to sneak in that way.
Even mice would have a hard time getting through those iron grates, but that doesn’t mean Rose Iron Prison was mouse-free; they mostly came in with the large shipments of materials brought into the prison. While the more heavily guarded core area was better off, the common blocks often saw situations where an entire roomful of female inmates were frightened into collective distress calls by mice.
"But the inmates from Cells Six and Eight reported hearing noises coming from the walls between the cells," the prison guard added.
Aiden turned his head to look at a few inmates standing together on the other side.
"It’s true, I heard it first because I sleep next to the wall and it woke me up immediately," one inmate testified cautiously. freewebnovёl.ƈom
"Me too, and that sound... it was so strange, it seemed like... there were monsters inside, eating something. It was terrifying!" another inmate from Cell Eight added.
Aiden’s brows furrowed slightly. Although the prison walls were not entirely solid, they had no pipes laid within them, so it would be virtually impossible for animals to get through the sewerage and into them.
"Warden, what do you think, could it really be?" the prison guard asked Aiden with some trepidation.
Aiden glanced at him. The management regulations for common blocks differed from the core areas, and there was rarely any overlap in the prison guards assigned to them. Common block guards were only temporarily assigned to help in the core area when staffing was extremely tight, so most had little experience with black magic or supernatural incidents.
"Don’t worry, even if it’s ghosts, they can be dealt with properly with the right methods," Aiden reassured him.
Ghosts and undead truly exist in this world, but they do not appear naturally.
According to the black magic knowledge Aiden possessed, strictly speaking, both ghosts and undead are actually man-made. Normally, a person’s spirit and body are one; when the body dies, the consciousness dissipates with it. Only when external forces intervene can the consciousness be separated from the body. Ghosts are created using necromancy to sever the lingering spirit from the dead body, and then supplying it with magic power to prevent it from fading away.
In other words, without someone performing necromancy, there’s no chance of any ghosts appearing. "Hauntings" might seem like frightening supernatural events to ordinary people, but to those knowledgeable in black magic, they are simply man-made phenomena.
Occasionally, Aiden felt that The Covenant’s regulation of black magic, while necessary, might be overly strict. If the public learnt even a little bit of the basic theoretical knowledge, it would alleviate their fear of the supernatural, and would be quite beneficial for promoting social progress.
From the report provided by the prison guard, it did seem like there could be some form of ghost or non-physical entity loitering in the common block.
Yet, inmates in the common block did not possess any black magic, much less specialized necromancy skills.
It would also be difficult for outside forces to commandeer a spirit to invade this prison. Although the magic-suppressing barrier only covered the core area, the prison perimeter and entry points were also outfitted with checkpoints that had smaller barriers set up solely to detect abnormal magic activity—mainly to prevent escapes from the core area inmates.
No matter what, it was still wise to check.
"Asenna, take a look," Aiden said to the necromancer following behind him.
"Understood." Asenna pushed her glasses up with an indifferent look, tapped her magic wand on the ground, and began to mutter an incantation. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Aiden, with his hands behind his back, watched on the side. After hearing about the "haunting," he had brought Asenna from the library along with him.
Although he could resolve a simple spirit expulsion by relying on the inherited knowledge and skills of a judge, he still preferred to entrust matters to the most professional personnel.
Moreover, it was an especially critical period for him lately, so it was prudent to have a bodyguard by his side.
About ten seconds later, Asenna stopped casting and said to Aiden, "There’s nothing."
"Nothing?"
"There’s no presence of the undead here, it’s definitely not haunted," Asenna answered with conviction.
"Then..."
Before Aiden could ask more, Asenna added, "I’m not quite sure about other causes, I only study necromancy."
The professional certainly was a professional, but after all, they have their specializations. At least it was certain it wasn’t a haunting.
Who should he find to take another look? Aiden fell into thought.
Just then, a strange creaking noise suddenly came from cell number six.
"It’s here! This is it!!" The prisoner standing at the door retreated several steps in fright.
Aiden made a hand gesture, signaling the prison guards to take the prisoners aside, and then he walked to the front of the cell to inspect, bidding Asenna to follow.
Despite sensing danger, the problems and risks that arose in the prison had to be addressed—it was his duty.
The noise became increasingly clear, emanating from the wall between cell six and cell eight. Aiden could vaguely discern that the sound was a bit like a wild animal chewing on bones or something hard, and it was unsettling to listen to.
However, as soon as Aiden appeared at the doorway, the noise stopped abruptly.
Then, the wall suddenly cracked, and a silver liquid began to flow out rapidly from the fissures, writhing and pooling on the cell floor.
Mercury?
Aiden became alert, stepped back, and turned to shout at the prison guards present, "Sound the alarm! Get the prisoners out! Call the riot team from the core area!!"
Then he looked at Asenna, "Get to work, you’re up first!"
But Asenna calmly refused him, "I’m not capable of handling this, please go ahead Warden. Allow me to take shelter first."
