Since it was already nearing 8 p.m. when Ash arrived at the restaurant, he naturally couldn't order the special Lala Fat delicacies. He randomly picked some meat dishes and sat down to eat.
"Does victory make the food taste better?"
Ash looked up and saw Valcas sitting across from him with a cup of water.
"To be honest, these leftovers are already a bit cold, and the Lala Fat has all been taken by you guys..."
"You can order something, after all, you won 37 contribution points from me. Spending a few points to treat yourself isn't excessive, is it?"
"Huh? Order food? Spend contribution points?"
"You didn't know? Makes sense, you've only been here a couple of days," Valcas pointed to a menu sign next to the restaurant, "You can order anytime, unrestricted by the restaurant's daily offerings. If it's outside of free activity time, the restaurant will even deliver to your room—as long as you spend contribution points."
It was only then that Ash realized the menu sign was an ordering menu. He had previously thought it was just for show—leadership showing they offered lots of dishes, truly not skimping on prisoners' meals!
The menu suddenly seemed cheap, any combination of three gourmet dishes cost only 1 contribution point. For example, 'Seafood Lala Fat' + 'Cream Chicken Noodles' + 'Mist Spinach and Egg Tart' were only 1 contribution point, enough for a hearty meal.
However, each death row inmate only had an initial 50 contribution points, with 10 points automatically deducted each month. Additionally, it was mandatory to apply for deathmatch. The lower the contribution points, the earlier the sequence for judgement, making it more likely to be selected for the live show 'Blood Moon Judgement.'
Thus, contribution points in prison not only represented currency but also the prisoner's life quota. Spending contribution points was akin to slow suicide... or perhaps there was a difference: with slow suicide, at least you didn't know when you'd die, while with spending contribution points, you could watch your life quota decrease.
"Although the prison doesn't have much to play with, if you want to spend contribution points, you can surely find ways to do so," Valcas remarked, "Haircare, customizing prison uniforms, buying specific toiletries... You can even spend contribution points to get a better room, a three-bedroom with two living rooms and windows, at 1 contribution point per day."
"1 point per day? That's insane, who would stay there?"
"There is, 'Diamond' Taiger has been living in that VIP suite for years, his contribution points are so abundant that he can't spend them all. There's always some fool newcomer giving him points. If you calculate 1 contribution point as equivalent to 1 gold coin, Taiger might be richer in prison than outside."
Ash raised his eyebrows, "So... in the prison's evaluation system, we prisoners are only worth 50 gold coins?"
"Does that seem little to you?"
"Most ordinary people who haven't received higher education won't earn 50 gold coins in a lifetime, even Mages who fare poorly can't. With an annual salary of 1 gold coin, you can live a decent life in Kaimon City."
It was then that Ash finally understood the true value of the gold coin in his possession and realized how corrupt the prison was—three meat dishes could cost a year's salary! Was the Lala Fat here a Ph.D. graduate?
"Suddenly, the leftovers feel quite tasty."
Valcas snorted, just quietly watching Ash.
Ash ate for a while before he couldn't hold back, "Mr. Elf, I'm the type who can't pee when someone's watching."
"I was just speaking metaphorically, you don't have to whistle to agree!"
"I thought young people nowadays enjoyed eating and peeing at the same time," Valcas chuckled, then returned to his indifferent expression, "I'm going to speak to myself now, most of it just nonsense ramblings. If you overhear it, it's best to pretend you didn't hear it."
Ash was slightly stunned.
"Selin Dore, besides being the president of the Kaimon City Racial Rights Association, a Kaimon council member, and a university professor, has a hidden identity—one of the supporters behind the Woodpecker gang. On the surface, he opposes Blood Saint Clan members and Moon Shadow Clan members to protect other races' interests, but he has secretly conducted numerous under-the-table transactions with Blood Moon members. The Woodpecker gang is his black glove, and Kaimon City's mayor, Fernand, owes part of his ascension to him."
"The cult of The Gods of Four Pillars hasn't surfaced for many years, nearly disappearing without a trace, except for a baseless rumor—in the Eastern Ruins archaeological excavation eight years ago, it was rumored that important ritual texts related to the cult of The Gods of Four Pillars were unearthed. The same year, the Eastern Ruins were struck by a Void Realm storm, destroying most of the archaeological achievements."
"Professor Selin Dore was the main advisory consultant in the excavation team for the Eastern Ruins that year."
"Selin is a very patient elf; at least I've never seen a being more tolerant. If he wants someone dead, it means that person possesses critical information that could cause him immense damage if revealed."
Valcas took a sip of water to moisten his throat, glancing at Ash.
"Theoretically, most of the death row inmates in prison have had their memories searched, so if there was any intelligence, it would have certainly been found by the Crime Hunting Hall... unless someone's memory hasn't been searched."
So that's how it was.
Although Ash still didn't understand his relationship with Professor Selin, he fully grasped why Selin would go to great lengths to murder him—he thought Ash possessed undisclosed secrets!
Due to the cult of The Gods of Four Pillars, the Crime Hunting Hall didn't dare to search his memories, thus making Ash Heath the only inmate in prison still holding secrets!
This was Selin's luck because Heath hadn't divulged his information;
It was also Selin's misfortune because Heath could report him at any moment!
To be honest, if Ash truly knew such secrets, he would definitely report them to the Crime Hunting Hall immediately.
Not because he's a detrimental bad guy, but out of curiosity about Selin, wanting to become close cellmates with him, and if given a chance, engaging in thrilling clashes in the deathmatch ring.
But the problem was—Ash truly didn't know Selin's secrets!
Heath's original memory, he hadn't absorbed a drop!
Annoying, Ash also wanted to use Heath's memory to help the Crime Hunting Hall bring villains to justice.
After all, so many have committed crimes, so why was only he caught!?
Unfortunately, he knew nothing about it.
Even more irritating, others feared his leaking secrets, so they would go to great lengths to eliminate him!
It felt like being wrongfully accused by a teacher of stealing a classmate's stationery when he hadn't stolen anything as a child.
"Hey, you're still here? You didn't hear my self-talk, did you?" Valcas stood up and said, "Let's call it a day, I'll find you for a brainstorm when I have time."
"Haha, kidding, I don't have the time, and you don't have the brains."
"Wait, Valcas," Ash called after him, "Why are you helping me?"
Although Ash thought Valcas might give him some information as compensation for losing, the way it was presented was completely different from what Ash imagined—he expected Valcas to confront him with some strong words, something like, 'I'm the weakest of the Dark Four Fellows, defeating me isn't helpful, our people will soon give you trouble.'
Ash didn't anticipate Valcas's defection to be so straightforward, feeling as if while punching someone he also carried moral correction with him?
"I'm not helping you."
Valcas shook his head.
"I just wanted to give that bastard Selin some trouble."
Causing trouble without benefiting oneself was a very reasonable reason. Ash, taking advantage of the opportunity, asked, "Do you know if there's any channel to trade Technique Spirits in prison? If I can get a few swordsmanship spirits, I could give Selin significant trouble—"
Ash was at a loss for words, deciding to take a concern approach: "By the way, Valcas, since you failed to kill me and lost, will you be in any trouble—"
"Then at least tell me how Selin plans to deal with me, right?"
Valcas glanced at him, leaving a parting remark before directly leaving.
"The next time we meet, you'll know Selin's methods."
Ash felt that Valcas's downfall to imprisonment wasn't unrelated to his foul mouth and enigmatic character.
But at least now, he could be certain of one thing: the mastermind behind all of this had to be Heath's former university professor, the elf scholar Selin Dore!
After finishing his meal, Ash didn't linger in the prison but hurried back to his room and immediately spoke out.
"Sword Maiden? Are you there?"
"Here, but not entirely."
The Sword Maiden sat on the bed with her legs crossed, the deep black stockings outlining a graceful curve, resting her chin on her palm, casting a sideways glance at Ash.
"Were you the one who reminded me in the deathmatch earlier?"
Ash extended his hand, and the 'Substitute' Technique Spirit appeared, lying on its back snoring soundly.
"The chip still restricts my output of Magic Power, but why was I able to activate the Substitute Technique Spirit?"
"Isn't it obvious? You understood the Substitute Technique Spirit's knowledge, and combined with suitable conditions, you directly triggered a resonance with the spirit, which then automatically exerted influence on reality. Other death row inmates wishing to activate spirits in prison use this method too."
Though Ash had heard this many times, he still couldn't help but be amazed at the phenomenon: that mature Technique Spirits would actually cast spells themselves.
"But how did I come to understand the 'Substitute' Technique Spirit?" Ash was still puzzled, "I've never learned any knowledge about Substitute Technique Spirits."
"You did learn, and you understood."
Ash was startled, suddenly recalling the Sword Maiden's words of warning.
"Was it due to this phrase? 'If it hurts, consider yourself as someone else, and it won't hurt anymore'?"
"Exactly," the Sword Maiden nodded, "When you understood those words, you naturally grasped this spirit. At its core, a Technique Spirit is just a collection of knowledge; once you have the spirit, even if you don't actively study it, the knowledge of the spirit will actively pursue you."
"Not simple," the Sword Maiden shook her head, "Understanding knowledge and comprehending knowledge are two different matters... If you weren't in extreme danger earlier, with your body covered in wounds and your consciousness nearly fading, you wouldn't have resonated with the Substitute Spirit. Simply learning isn't enough; empathizing is crucial to understanding the spirit."
Ash gazed at the Substitute Technique Spirit in his palm, attempting to delve his consciousness into its core.
This time went slightly better than the previous; Ash could comprehend the information flow the spirit fed back, but he still couldn't understand its structure. If the Technique Spirit was a dish, last time Ash couldn't even taste it, entirely unable to discern its flavor; this time Ash could taste it but didn't know how to prepare it.
"Understanding the spirit is already your limit; if a Technique Spirit wasn't summoned by you personally, you would find the Gate of Truth it conceals."
The Sword Maiden immediately saw his intentions: "Only a spirit born from the knowledge you possess will allow you to find its Gate of Truth. A spirit acquired through other means, no matter how deeply you understand it, is ultimately not yours."
"Truth must be pure perfection, leaving no room for any flaw."
Truth is indeed very stringent.
Ash retracted the spirit, looking toward the Sword Maiden.
"How come you disappeared for most of the day?"