A deep blue teleportation portal lit up out of thin air like a swirling vortex, appearing right in front of the prison gates.
The prison looked like a lonely castle. Towering steel walls stood upright on the land.
A massive mesh-like iron gate hung on the wall, and a dim green glow seeped out from inside the castle.
Steel towers rose high into the clouds. The silent sky cast a dull shadow over the barren and vast land.
Inside the towers, faint green light flickered, constantly sweeping across the empty ground, monitoring every outsider.
This was Guanta Prison, the largest prison in Barlow County.
The criminals locked away here were all beings feared to the extreme in the outside world.
For example, those madmen who killed without reason, arsonists who deliberately burned down banks.
There were even lunatics who devoured their own kind like demons.
And even these criminals were not held in the deepest part of the prison.
A man in a black windbreaker stepped out of the portal, and two girls followed closely behind him.
Even though it was daytime, not a single bit of light could penetrate the sky above this prison.
It was Aurelian's first time stepping into a place like this. The brief darkness made her vision blur.
After adjusting slightly, she looked around.
'What kind of place is this?'
After all, Aurelian came from the Empire. It was normal that she had never seen a prison in the Kingdom.
Fortunately, beside her, there was someone who was born and raised in the Kingdom.
Priscilla looked around. Her crimson eyes appeared especially bright in the dim darkness, "This is Guanta Prison in Barlow County, a place of exile used to detain the most dangerous criminals in the Kingdom."
Aurelian found it strange hearing that. Could this really be considered a prison?
She couldn't tell at all.
Then, the next moment, something even stranger appeared.
From the faint green glow atop the tall tower, a floating skull slowly drifted down.
Its upper and lower jaws clacked together, making the sound of bones striking.
Behind the skull, a cluster of ghostly green flames supported it, like a spectral serpent, drifting down from the sky.
A flying skull, paired with such a gloomy prison, was indeed unsettling to look at.
Priscilla had once been an undead herself, so she didn't feel much seeing the floating skull descend.
Aurelian wasn't so lucky. Looking at the skull, her body trembled slightly.
But… she could barely handle it.
After the last battle in Scherben, her tolerance had improved quite a bit compared to before.
The skull circled in the air a few times, then landed in front of Viktor,
"You must be Mr. Viktor."
"We've received your reservation. Today, I, Karin, will personally guide you through the tour."
Viktor looked at it and nodded calmly.
The skull swayed in the air, drifting toward Aurelian. After examining her carefully, it suddenly sounded surprised,
"Oh my heavens, this must be Princess Aurelian, right?"
"I heard you are the granddaughter of Duke Barlow. Please be sure to say a few good words for me in front of him."
Perhaps because it was too excited, its jaws clattered rapidly with loud "clack clack" sounds.
Aurelian found it hard to deal with it. She just forced a stiff smile and nodded.
The green ghost flame circled around her, then floated over to Priscilla, "Oh! Praise the God of Death. Look at this poor child, Priscilla. I know your father, a highly respected count."
"I didn't expect you to come as well. It seems your father successfully pulled you back from the brink of death."
At the mention of her father, Priscilla's mood immediately dimmed.
She lowered her head, as if weighed down by sorrow, unable to lift it.
Then, a cold voice sounded in front of her, "Are you done with the nonsense?"
Karin instantly shut up. Even the sound of bones clattering disappeared.
Like sunlight vanishing at noon, its attitude became humble in an instant, "My sincerest apologies, Mr. Viktor. I get excited whenever I see living people."
"As you can see, I will control myself. Now then, for the upcoming tour, please follow me."
The three of them followed Karin into the castle, passing through a land burning with ghostly green flames.
Skeletons of all shapes wandered across the ground. There were even dog-like skeletons crouching low, sniffing everywhere.
It was as if they were patrolling.
Soon, a towering stone building appeared before them.
A massive iron gate slowly rose, and a green aura spread out from within.
Like water spilling out of a cage, it rolled past their ankles.
At that moment, a chill shot straight up Aurelian's spine.
Just now, it felt as if a cold hand had mercilessly brushed past her ankle.
She instinctively stomped her foot, only to realize it was just the mist on the ground.
Aurelian let out a relieved breath.
Seems like she had been too nervous.
Priscilla only felt a bit dampness, pulling a helpless smile.
But as soon as they stepped inside, a moldy smell filled their noses like writhing worms gone mad.
Rot and dampness intertwined together, and the already oppressive atmosphere seemed layered with deathly silence.
Viktor frowned slightly and stirred a faint breeze around him, dispersing the incoming smell and mist.
"This prison needs cleaning."
"Oh! Yes, yes, yes!"
Aurelian and Priscilla both relaxed a little as the mist was blown away.
This damp and cold feeling was not something an ordinary person could endure.
The interior of the building was vast to the point of dizziness, yet the corridor ahead was narrow and eerie.
Drip! Drip!
The sound of water echoed through the dark tunnel, bouncing off every wall like a never-ending cry of despair.
On both sides of the tunnel were heavy mesh iron doors, each spaced five meters apart, standing silently.
The lighting was dim. The weak candle flames flickered, barely pushing back a sliver of the darkness.
They couldn't even illuminate the cells on either side.
Broken chains hung down from the ceiling, as if they had long been abandoned.
A thick mist seemed to rise continuously from beneath the stone floor, seeping through holes into the cells on both sides.
Prisoners were locked one by one inside the cells.
Their faces carried despair and numbness. They wore identical uniforms covered with various rune formations.
If they dared to riot, those runes would explode like bombs and destroy them completely.
Even so, outside every cell stood armored skeleton soldiers, burning with ghostly green flames.
They held heavy weapons, watching over each prisoner.
'Trying to escape?'
'Want to try all kinds of ways to die?'
Aurelian and Priscilla looked around like children seeing the world for the first time, their eyes full of amazement.
After all, this was the first time in their lives they had seen the inside of a prison.
But in Aurelian's heart, a question arose.
'Why did Teacher bring me to a place like this?'
Karin floated ahead, its bones clattering like a machine gun as it introduced everything, "This is the first level, mainly holding prisoners with relatively minor crimes."
Those held here were basically petty thieves sentenced to less than three years.
But the eerie atmosphere of this prison was enough to ensure they would never dare to commit crimes again.
As Karin floated forward, it continued, "In this fortress prison, there are more levels, of course, all underground."
"The deeper you go into the castle, the denser the guards become."
Listening to this, Viktor frowned and directly asked, "Take us to where the death row prisoners are."
Karin froze for a moment. The ghostly green flame supporting it flickered restlessly.
Turning back, it spoke with difficulty, "Th-this… Mr. Viktor, you must understand, even though I am the warden, I cannot decide that."
Those imprisoned there were all beings Duke Barlow would personally deal with.
It wasn't that Karin doubted Viktor's strength.
But Viktor was still an outsider, and it felt uneasy.
If Viktor released even a few of them, it wouldn't have enough heads to lose.
It almost forgot, its head had already fallen off.
The next moment, Viktor took out a piece of paper from his pocket.
On it was clearly stamped Duke Barlow's exclusive seal... a flaming undead skull.
Below the symbol was a name.
[Festian Barlow]
Karin glanced at it and was so shocked its jaw dropped to the ground.
It hurriedly searched in the thick mist, and in the end, Priscilla picked it up for it and placed it back under its skull.
"Oh my! Miss Priscilla, you are truly too kind!"
"Thank you! You found my most precious jaw!"
It cleared its nonexistent throat and spoke solemnly, "I understand. Since there is Duke Barlow's authorization, I can take you to the final level."
With that, it floated ahead while Viktor and the two girls followed.
Aurelian and Priscilla both grew curious.
'So mysterious? It even required Duke Barlow's seal to pass.'
Soon, they reached the end of the first floor and stood together on a large empty elevator platform.
The skull bit onto a handle and pulled it down.
Rumble!
The elevator slowly moved, producing heavy echoes and the creaking sound of rusted steel.
As it descended, Karin spoke to Priscilla and Aurelian, "Ladies, please relax. If necessary, you may close your eyes and cover your ears."
"Because what comes next may make you uncomfortable."
The two looked at each other, confused.
The elevator soon reached the second level.
Here, the ghostly green flames burned even more fiercely, like venomous snakes licking the cold stone walls.
Miserable screams echoed through the deep corridor, drilling into their ears, making every pore on their bodies tighten.
By the third level, it became even more terrifying.
Burning torture devices were scattered along the corridor, and the flames grew stronger.
The torture tools in the skeleton soldiers' hands and the prisoners' screams formed a tragic symphony.
The scene made Aurelian feel as if her eyes were being stabbed.
Priscilla took a deep breath, trying to steady her trembling heart.
Before long, the elevator reached the fourth level.
Here, red flames flooded the corridor like a tide, as if every inch of land was burning.
Iron maiden carts roared as they pushed prisoners into cells surrounded by flames.
The unfortunate souls imprisoned here had to endure endless suffering.
They had been sentenced to life imprisonment, and their dignity as humans had been stripped away as well.
Both of their faces turned pale, unable to adapt.
At this moment, they deeply regretted not covering their eyes and ears earlier.
Just one glance was already unbearably cruel.
No pain of tearing out one's heart and guts could compare to this endless misery.
Karin turned its head, a hint of apology in its tone, "I'm sorry, ladies. The scenes ahead will be better."
As it spoke, the massive elevator slowly came to a stop.
Suddenly, a field of starlight spread out before them.
Aurelian and Priscilla raised their heads, their eyes reflecting a sky full of stars.
They shimmered endlessly, like beacons in a dream.
At this moment, Karin's voice grew more solemn and deep, "We're almost there."
"This is the fifth level where death row prisoners are held... the Land of Starbound Souls."
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