Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 408 The Dark Prison
The Alchemy Tower.

The prince murmured the name.

Gazing at the ancient and mysterious buildings before him, at the dilapidated yet still faintly discernible "eye" emblem on the stone pillar, and feeling the pervasive chill, Thales felt a moment of disorientation.

He felt as if he had returned to six years ago, to that snowy night, to the moment when that neurotic, big-nosed doctor drew those three unfamiliar patterns by the campfire in the murderous military camp of the Black Sand Duke.

Three magic towers.

Thales stared blankly at the emblem representing the Alchemy Tower, sighed softly, and old memories slowly welled up in his mind.

Since the Night of Dragon's Blood six years ago, when Ramon, the former Brotherhood Black Healer, was brutally murdered at the hands of the Blood Mage (thinking of this, Thales couldn't help but recall the carefree expression on the face of the seamstress Kuz Ramon when she mentioned her long-lost father), Thales had lost an important channel for exploring the legendary magic and mages. Ashida might be another source of information, but neither his long-term elusive whereabouts nor his reservations during his teachings could satisfy the knowledge-hungry prince.

For six years, Thales had to spend as much time as possible in Nekaru's library, searching for long-lost taboos in books with the help of Selma, while also trying his best to avoid being spyed on and monitored by Nikolai, Risban, and others, lest he bring disaster upon himself. As Ramon had said before his death, since magic and disaster were taboos that the world had tried to forget for hundreds of years, it was best to keep news such as "The Star Prince is obsessed with mystical knowledge" and "Prince Thales is obsessed with the legend of disaster" off the table of the major intelligence agencies.

"The Alchemy Tower?"

Just as Thales was lost in his memories, Russell couldn't help but speak up: "Alchemy? What's that? What does it have to do with alchemy orbs?"

No one paid him any attention; perhaps it was because no one knew the answer.

Samir kicked at a pile of rubble at his feet and frowned. "You mean, this is the legendary Alchemy Tower?"

"Where did those alchemical orbs, anti-magic weapons, and all sorts of gadgets from the Secret Science come from?"

Ricky shook his head.

“Of course not the headquarters,” Ricky said, holding up his torch and looking around at the desolation of this floor. “Legend has it that the headquarters of the Alchemy Tower has more than a hundred magic towers, covering a vast area and is incredibly magnificent. How can this simple underground building compare to it?”

More than a hundred tall towers...

Thales looked around thoughtfully.

“Simple,” Samir scoffed, illuminating the stone steps behind them with his torch and gazing down into the seemingly bottomless abyss. “You call this ‘simple’?”

Ricky gave a strange smile but didn't reply.

He turned around and walked towards the spiral staircase leading down: "Let's go, let's go to the next floor."

The mercenaries, still reeling from the shock, finally came to their senses.

"it is true."

As Thales passed by the chisel, he noticed that the assassin with the Shadow Shield was looking around with undisguised surprise. He gently stroked the long-forgotten stone pillar and muttered to himself.

“Mage, magic, those legends and stories,” Chisel lowered his head and looked at Ricky:
"So it was all true after all."

Chisel's eyes lit up: "Perhaps we can find something more valuable... an alchemical orb, anti-magic weapons, or even..."

"Don't even think about it," Samir interrupted him as he walked past.

“I don’t know how long ago, the Star Kingdom turned this place into the ‘Black Prison’ of the Bone Prison, specifically for imprisoning their most dangerous criminals,” the former standard-bearer of the royal guard said coldly. “Whether it’s reconstruction or demolition, do you think the Kingdom’s secret service would leave anything of value for someone like you?”

The chisel fell silent.

The group continued their descent.

Faced with the unfamiliar unknown, whispers quietly rose in the darkness.

“I remember now, mage,” Russell’s voice came from behind the narrow passage, “it was mentioned briefly in some miscellaneous books, but I always thought…”

"You thought that was just nonsense?" Qianzi chuckled as he replied.

Russell stopped talking.

Thales listened to their conversation, but his mind was elsewhere.

Even as a hostage, the prince did not come away empty-handed after six years of searching; however, the questions left by "magic" and "magician" on Thales only grew more and more unanswered.

Clearly, all books that existed before the final war mention magic and mages to some extent, for example:

The Chronicle of Kings, in the biography of Joseph Needham, mentions that the wise wizard Riven stopped the six knights from their unwise attempt to storm the execution ground and devised a plan for them in a barn.
The book "The Martyrs of the North" records that "Faced with the grim situation, the [Mage] advisors suggested a retreat, but King Anset refused. He was determined to lead his troops to remain at the Sixth Watchtower and use the terrain to block the main force of the Ember Bone Clan."
"The Union of Kings" describes how the Temple Guards, the priests of the gods, and the representatives of the "magicians" worked hard to persuade the two kings, the hot-tempered King Naki and the arrogant King Philon, who had a long history of enmity, to sit in the farthest seats, thus facilitating the convening of the meeting.

The long bard poem "Taleiga" mentions that "the court [mages] were helpless in the face of the princess's illness."

In fact, in the heroic biographies and bard epics of the Chronicles of Kings, whether fighting against orcs or elves, mages often appear as wise men in these battles against other races, and many of them are even important strategists for kings and nobles.

However, during the Imperial Age, records about mages and magic began to decrease, and their images became increasingly mysterious, evil, and terrifying. Instead, many religious books mentioned "unbelievers," usually in a negative light.

The Travels of Saint Lothona from the ancient empire period recounts that Saint Lothona suffered terrible treatment in the land of the Wizards. He lost his sight and his hands and feet trembled, making it difficult for him to walk. Although these unbelievers rejected the teachings of the God of Light and mocked his faith, the steadfast Lothona remained unchanged and pious.

The Record of Suppressing Bandits in the Northern Province mentions an illegal expedition. Duke Arend wrote to the person behind this [mage] expedition team, sternly condemning their act of trespassing into forbidden territory as "violating the Convention" and bringing disaster to mankind.

The Complete Book of Knights, one of the ancient books of the Knights Temple, describes a great battle between knights and cultists. One knight once lamented that their enemies were "even stranger and more evil than the mages." The general history in the book mentions that "the Northern Temple branch had to lower itself to ask the Empire for help in order to curb the mages' insatiable greed."
The Plague Chronicles of Swordlake even states: "The terrible witches warned the lord that his disregard for magic would cost him dearly, but the powerful lord dismissed it with a laugh, and that very night, his daughter developed a high fever."

More recently, after the fall of the ancient empire, mages only appeared in a very few records in the books of the final imperial era.

Thales' efforts came to an end: all that remained were these few fragments of information about the mage's magic.

Logically, these fragments should have indicated the existence of the mage class. However, even after the final war, when King Nekaru, the king of Exter, searched through numerous ancient texts with the full force of the nation to please the Sky Queen, Thales could not find any positive records about magic or mages.

From the changes in the descriptions and portrayals of monks, to their gradual decrease in number, and then to their complete disappearance, until they vanished without a trace...

This feeling is like...

Thales sighed.

He stroked the dusty wall and followed the person in front of him down the stone steps.

It's like there's someone whose traces you can see everywhere in your life: the things they've used, the records they've written, the information they've saved, the photos they've taken. But when you actually go back to find this person, everyone around you tells you in unison: No, this person never existed.

Even in group photos, there is only a blank space with a human figure.

This is a monk.

This couldn't help but give Thales a strange sense of dread, and even when he was sitting alone in the library, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

And today...

Thales couldn't help but raise his head, looking over the shoulders of the people in front of him, at Ricky's figure.

Today, he truly stepped into the legendary Magic Tower—albeit only a branch—which, according to him, may also be the birthplace of the anti-magic forces.

At this moment, the drill bit spoke again, interrupting Thales's thoughts:

"How did you find that key, Krassou?"

"I don't think the Star People would keep a lock that can be opened with two keys and use it as a prison for serious offenders."

This question piqued Thales's interest.

Ricky, who was walking ahead, paused.

“The Starfolk think they control this place, just as they think they’ve covered up history and buried magic and sorcerers,” Ricky’s laughter slowly rose. “A grave known only to the gravedigger.”

"The problem is, they are not the only gravediggers."

"The records in the Tower of the End are no less numerous than theirs."

“So,” the chisel’s voice suddenly rose in the darkness, “you were once a member of the Tower of the End?”

Ricky didn't say anything, as if he had suddenly realized his slip of the tongue.

Thales' expression hardened.

“Hmm, that explains it,” came the sound of the chisel, and Thales could imagine the way he smirked in the darkness: “Why you were able to storm the Tower of the End so easily not long ago.”

Time passed second by second, and the surrounding cold grew increasingly unbearable. In the torchlight's illumination, all that could be seen were layers upon layers of stairs.

Thales stepped onto flat ground once again.

They went to the next floor.

Ricky kicked aside a piece of debris blocking his way and raised his torch.

What appeared before them was still the central stone pillar bearing the emblem of the Alchemy Tower, the familiar architectural layout, and nine cells containing only pitiful skeletons.

Wait, nine?
But Thales discovered that this room was larger than the one on the floor above.

Still no one.

Ricky put away the torch and shook his head in disappointment:
"Continue downwards."

Thales suppressed his curious gaze and his desire to thoroughly examine the place, as Marina pushed him forward again from behind.

The third floor was still empty, with only skeletons remaining.

Fourth floor, fifth floor, sixth floor...

With each level below, the number of cells increases, and the rooms become larger.

"The dark cell," Thales said to himself, "is like a cone buried in the ground."

With each failed attempt, each disappointment, and the monotonous, gloomy scenery, just as Thales was trekking through the desert, he discovered that the people in his group were gradually being affected.

In the boundless darkness, the voices of the crowd gradually faded, leaving only the sound of footsteps, and the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.

They arrived at another cell.

“This is the tenth floor.” Clay exhaled, his face showing impatience. “Rickie, if we can’t find it now, maybe we should consider our next option.”

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Swords of Calamity all darkened.

“Hmm,” Russell glanced at the chisel beside him, “that makes sense.”

Chisel didn't answer, but just glanced at Ricky.

Ricky frowned slightly. He first looked around and, disappointed to find it was still just a pile of bones, turned to Samir and said:

"Perhaps he's still down there, perhaps—are you sure he's still alive?"

Samir walked to each cell, held up a torch, bent down, and carefully examined the skeletons before him.

“I’m sure,” his voice was slightly stiff. “I’m sure.”

"He must be alive."

he?
Thales saw that Klay shrugged and gave Josh a dismissive look.

Josh understood what he meant.

"You might believe he's still alive..."

"But do you know how much damage imprisonment can do to a person?"

Josh crossed his arms, his voice reaching everyone's ears: "Especially in the dark cell, you can only live in solitude, in a daze, and die miserably. From the moment you are locked up until your death, you will be cut off from all contact with the outside world, and no one will hear your cries and wails." "Believe me, I've been in many cells—very few people can last that long."

Samir paused slightly, then stood up.

But after a few seconds, the former royal guard simply shook his head firmly.

"If it were him, he would definitely be able to pull through, no matter what kind of injury it was."

Thales' heart skipped a beat.

he?
Josh laughed.

"Do you know what the most terrible punishment is for a person?"

“Not death, not harm, not torture,” Josh sighed softly, seemingly lost in thought.

"Instead, it's isolation."

Samir stood still on the ground.

Thales could only see his back trembling slightly.

Josh strolled slowly.

"When you lose all channels of communication with the outside world, in eternal darkness, completely shut off and isolated, no one listens to you or talks to you, no one reacts to you or waits for your reaction, no one interacts with you or leads you in interaction... You can't see anything new, hear any new sounds, or feel anything new. Everything around you, including yourself, just goes on and on, day after day, endlessly repeating the same pattern, until forever..."

Josh's voice amplified in the darkness, carrying a hint of resentment and a low tone that was quite unsettling.

Thales saw that Samir's fist was slowly clenching.

"The first day went alright, you managed to get by."

"On the third day, you will feel uncomfortable all over, extremely irritable, jumping up and down, pounding the walls and punching the ground."

"On the fifth day, you start to constantly recall past memories, good, bad, painful, and pleasurable—these images are there, flashing back and forth, whether you like it or not."

"A week later, you will start talking to yourself, looking dazed, and acting like a madman, but those memories, those past events... will start to fade, the feeling will diminish, as if they are no longer yours."

As Josh spoke, he seemed to gradually drift off into thought.

"In two weeks, you will face the final despair and madness, doing things you would never have thought of since you were born, because you can no longer distinguish between the present and the past, between yourself and the you in your memory."

Josh smiled slightly, his eyes darting around, as if he had remembered something.

"After a month, the vast majority of people became slurred in speech and confused."

"They are often emotionally deprived, intellectually degenerate, and their whole being collapses into a beast."

"Even if you release them now, it will be of no use."

Josh's voice was low, as if he were telling a story with a bad ending:
"They are forever lost in the lonely void, never to return."

"That's the effect imprisonment can have on a person, especially—sole confinement, no matter who you are or how powerful you are."

"Once a certain amount of time has passed, you won't be able to come back."

Josh's voice slowly faded away.

The atmosphere among everyone was extremely tense.

Samir remained silent for a long time.

Ricky didn't urge him, but just watched silently.

A few seconds later, Samir took a deep breath.

"Do not."

"He must still be alive."

Samir whirled around: "He was the fiercest warrior, the noblest knight, the most exemplary figure. He taught me how to fight, how to persevere, how to..."

"He can definitely do it."

Samir's fists cracked, and flames blazed in his eyes.

"Furthermore, only he knows what it is."

"Only him."

Ricky nodded slowly, without saying a word.

Josh shrugged at Clay, giving him a helpless look.

The prince frowned: Who is the person they are looking for? What does that person know?
He wasn't the only one to ask this question.

Who exactly are you looking for?

Russell overheard their conversation and asked, displeased, "You know, we're in a hurry."

“Is that so?” Samir pointed to the steps and sneered.
"If you want to leave first, no one will stop you."

Russell was speechless for a moment.

Ricky glanced at everyone and sighed, "Let's continue."

So they started the cycle of moving downwards again.

dark.

Deep and secluded.

underground.

past.

mystery.

Several words flashed through Thales' mind in succession.

Step by step, layer by layer.

Finally, after passing through countless empty cells, they arrived at a room with more than a dozen cells on the first floor—no, this room was so large that it could be called a "hall".

Ricky stood still in the hall.

"what happened?"

Clay walked up with disgust, raised his torch and shone it around, revealing many cells and a mass of skeletons.

"It's still the same, nothing but dead bodies."

But Thales noticed something different.

Among the dozen or so cells separated by metal bars, one cell was particularly strange.

It is completely black.

There was no fence, no skeletons, and nothing behind them.

There was only darkness.

It's like... like a dark curtain has been drawn over the outside.

Soon, others also noticed this.

Ricky squinted.

“The other cells are just bars,” he said, slowly stepping forward through the rubble, holding a torch as he approached the room covered by the 'curtain': “But this one…”

"Be careful."

Samir approached from the other side, frowning, and said, "You have no idea how much of the Alchemy Tower the Star People have inherited."

Ricky nodded. He stood in front of the strange cell, held out his torch, and carefully tapped the thick "curtain."

Bang, bang.

A dull, heavy sound echoed in the cramped, dark cell.

Everyone instinctively gripped their weapons, wary of any potential mishaps.

But a few seconds passed, and nothing happened.

The cell remained silent.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s made of iron, rising or falling from a crack in the ground outside the fence,” Ricky crouched down, carefully observing the point where the iron curtain met the ground. “It’s at least some kind of metal, I think. This thing separates this cell from the hall outside.”

He looked up and asked Samir on the other side:
"Is it this one?"

Samir was standing by the Iron Curtain, looking at a black sign on the wall made of some unknown metal.

“No,” Samir said calmly, studying the words on the document.

"This sign says that the person imprisoned here is a lone bandit who roamed the southern part of the kingdom more than twenty years ago."

Russell narrowed his eyes: "A master thief?"

However, the iron curtain suddenly trembled!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Everyone was startled and took a step back in unison!
In the oppressive darkness, a frightening, muffled sound suddenly rang out: "Thump! Thump! Thump!"

"Calm down—" Ricky instantly drew his sword, watching warily as the iron curtain trembled with each muffled thud.

Clay's face turned pale: "This is..."

The anxious crowd exchanged bewildered glances.

Just now.

"Waaaaah—"

A faint, mournful scream seemed to come from dozens of meters away.

It echoed in the darkness.

My editor told me, "You can't keep not trying to get monthly votes like this; you can't interact with your readers..." But getting monthly votes means adding more chapters, and I can't even manage daily updates, adding more chapters is exhausting...

However, since the editor has said so, I should still show my appreciation and prove that I've listened to him... How about this: I currently have 760 monthly votes. From now until the end of the month, for every additional 500 monthly votes, I'll add two more chapters. How about that? (Plan works, smug smile)

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(End of this chapter)