A sin level of 98…
Even Neil, that pure psychopathic murderer, only had 80. What kind of freak reaches 98?!
Only a war maniac like that mustachioed madman could reach such heights.
Regardless, anyone who can push their sin level above 90 has already transcended the realm of humanity and entered the domain of gods.
Leaving him alive would bring endless disaster.
The reward was equally important.
A silver vein…
Among the metallic currencies of this world, silver held an absolutely unshakable position.
Silver-plated weapons in the war against the Blood Race were no less important than artillery in modern warfare.
Not only was it a hard currency, but it was also a crucial strategic resource.
Even the poorest farming household would have at least one silver item, because the Blood Race didn’t only exist in the north—they were scattered throughout the entire empire.
It was just that the lower the latitude, the harder it was for the Blood Race to survive.
Only the north, the freezing polar region at the empire’s northernmost tip—the Eternal Night Forest—allowed them to enjoy a life free from the torment of sunlight.
If he could secure a silver vein…
A grand vision gradually took shape in Raphael’s mind.
For that, Wiles had to die!
Of course, killing him directly might be somewhat inappropriate.
Raphael lifted his heel slightly, the thick leather sole of his finely crafted shoes grinding against the sticky floor twice. His mind raced through a 30-degree angle traced by his toes…
Wiles had to die, and the prisoners had to be stabilized.
He had overestimated the guards’ combat power and underestimated the madness of the death row inmates.
He had originally planned to take them all out in one fell swoop. ‘I was too naive.’
“Everyone,” Raphael declared after a moment, his voice resolute, “I am Raphael Lancaster, the new warden of this prison.”
As he spoke, Raphael deliberately eased up on his pressure.
“I understand you all are dissatisfied with the prison’s early execution of the prisoner. But this was entirely due to personal misconduct by a guard. I knew nothing about it. This matter has nothing to do with the prison.”
The guards: ?
Raphael barely suppressed his smile, meeting the prisoners’ slightly softened, puzzled gazes, and continued, “Currently, the prison has sent that staff member to the Imperial Ministry of Justice under cover of night. A proper explanation will be given to you all soon.”
Familiar rhetoric—if this were his past life, the comment section would surely be flooded with sarcastic parroting.
Vulnerable group, employee’s personal issue, already resigned…
But to these prisoners, this was still fresh and new.
Of course, to add credibility to his words…
He released his pressure.
“You should all have clearly heard my name. Yes, I am from the House of Lancaster. I am the son of Duke Lancaster, the Imperial Minister of Finance. I swear to you on the honor of my family and my father.”
Raphael paused. Sorry, Father. A noble’s honor is just too useful!
“I will definitely give you all an explanation!”
The young man’s decisive and powerful words echoed through the corridor, forcibly driven into the prisoners’ minds by his pressure.
Of course, they were completely unaware of this and simply marveled: Wow, even a noble’s oath? We have to believe that!
Perhaps only Wiles caught the sinister smile that flashed across Raphael’s face, but he was already at death’s door, running on fumes—how could he have the strength to expose it?
“However,” Raphael’s tone shifted sharply, “that does not excuse your riot.”
“Today, someone must pay the price for this act of yours.”
“Jeg, because he attempted to rape a female guard, has already been executed by me.”
“Now, one more person from among you must step forward as the mastermind of this riot and take responsibility on behalf of all of you.”
“Otherwise…” Raphael’s voice turned harsh, “those people at the Imperial Ministry of Justice might just arrest you all as members of the Black Party for interrogation.”
“The Black Party!?”
Someone among the prisoners cried out in shock.
“No, no, no!”
“Anything but the Black Party, please!”
“Gyaaah!”
In the empire, the Black Party was a sensitive word.
Talking about the Black Party was no different from cursing the founding emperor during the Hongwu era—never mind whether you smiled, the secret police under your bed definitely did.
And the methods of the Imperial Ministry of Justice… Raphael had only heard occasional murmurs from his servants. Though he didn’t know how much of it was true, it was certainly chilling.
Pale at the mere mention, fearing them like wolves and tigers—that was the empire’s fear of the Ministry of Justice.
“So, would you all like me to choose randomly, or will you nominate someone yourselves?”
Raphael smiled, seemingly offering a choice, but in truth, they had no choice at all.
They might not fear death, but they absolutely feared being labeled as the Black Party by the Imperial Ministry of Justice.
No one wanted to be the sacrificial lamb, so random selection was never going to be considered.
As for the second option—nominating someone themselves…
Among a pack of heinous criminals, the one nominated to take the fall would undoubtedly be the weakest and most useless.
And among the hundred or so people present, that target was obvious—Wiles.
“Wiles… yeah, Wiles. That guy can barely stand for two steps before dropping dead!”
“Yeah, send him. It’s not like he’ll survive to be executed anyway!”
“But Wiles… no, it has to be Wiles!”
…
“Estina,” Raphael called out amid the prisoners’ heated arguments, “what’s the situation with that Wiles?”
“Sir,” Estina hurried over and leaned close to his ear, “Wiles is one of the leaders of the Black Party. He was locked up before the prison reforms—life sentence…”
“And what crime did he commit?”
“This…” Estina hesitated, “Sir, I don’t know either. Those case files were burned long ago.”
Raphael listened to Estina’s words, lost in thought.
The Black Party, full name the Hegvia Party, was an extremist organization born alongside the empire’s industrialization. They had repeatedly stoked conflict between the northern and southern nobles, attempting to overthrow the regime.
The empire’s emperor, the over-eighty-year-old Althis II, had spent decades tirelessly rooting out the Black Party, but with little success.
In the end, the hundred-plus prisoners unanimously nominated Wiles—this old man who was nearly at his last breath—to bear the responsibility for the riot.
By now, they had no desire left to riot.
It could even be said that they hadn’t intended to riot in the first place; they just didn’t know why the prison gates had suddenly opened.
“Excellent. Estina, seize the mastermind who incited this riot!”
Raphael had originally planned to try extracting some information from him, but before he could even try, Estina had no sooner cuffed him than the system announcement had already pronounced his death sentence.
[Ding—!]
[Execution successful. Reward not yet distributed. Please upgrade the prison to Level 2!]
“And there’s still the accounts payable to deal with,” Raphael clicked his tongue.
Still, getting the reward was only a matter of time.
“Sir… he’s stopped breathing.”
“It’s fine. He was already at death’s door.”
After locking the prisoners back in their cells, Raphael tallied the casualties.
Seven injured, including Sophia, the chief guard, who was unconscious.
Fortunately, no one had died. Otherwise, the prison would have to pay out a hefty sum in compensation.
[Ding—!]
[Detected a collective rise in guard loyalty!]
Raphael glanced at the panel. The guards had been recorded by the system, and he could check their loyalty at any time.
“Most have risen to 20. The prison riot index has also dropped from 97 to 96…”
What puzzled Raphael was that the other chief guard, Rena, wasn’t here.
But her character frame on the panel was still lit, so she was presumably alive.
This night—from stabilizing the guards and executing Neil, to scheming to recruit Tina and quelling the prison riot—Raphael was truly mentally and physically exhausted.
But the gains were substantial, too.
Who had opened the gates to the death row block and orchestrated this riot?
The missing Rena?
Raphael shook his head. The answer was already clear; he just had to wait for Sophia to wake up.