Fan Zhuo didn’t ask any further questions; he simply bowed deeply once more, then turned and walked quickly away from this white temple that unsettled him.
The heavy alloy door slowly closed behind him, cutting off that mountain-like pressure…
As well as Hecate’s complicated gaze…
Fan Zhuo let out a long breath, feeling as if he’d just surfaced from deep underwater—the air suddenly seemed fresher.
He leaned against the cold wall, raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, his mind in utter chaos.
Everything that happened today—there was simply too much information.
Just now in the main hall, he couldn’t let his thoughts wander to analyze things carefully. Now, finally, he could begin to sort them out.
First, that mysterious Warden of Area A not only didn’t pursue his “crimes” of falsifying records or causing a big scene in Area B, but instead, as if having discovered an interesting toy, granted him enormous freedom to “research.”
Second, and this was the part that confused him most.
Why? Why could he see the other party so clearly?
See those two enormous… well…
According to his own experience with the [Ring of Sanctity] rules, the Holy Light’s shield only works on “human women,” and is ineffective on non-human beings.
But He… Wait, he couldn’t let himself think her name… But she had admitted with her own mouth that she was a true human.
So why… was the Holy Light ineffective on her too?
Moreover, the holy power she had injected into his body—though domineering—could be absorbed and partially transformed by his own “Furnace,” just like the energy of monster girls.
This completely went against the pattern he’d observed these past days.
Was the Warden also… “physically special” like himself? Or did she lie to him, and she actually wasn’t human at all?
No, the Warden had no reason to deceive him—his identity as a transmigrator hadn’t been exposed, only his partial immunity to “Holy Light” was on display.
How could she have predicted that and lied about being a pure human?
Fan Zhuo shook his head, forcing himself to suppress these dangerous thoughts for now.
But this doubt, like a seed, was quietly planted in the depths of his heart.
For now, he had more pressing matters to deal with.
The visit from the Royal Academy of Magic was a potentially huge variable.
Hecate’s words, “Don’t let them interfere with your research,” were very likely a hint that he could go all out.
She might even… grant him some privileges?
“Hey kid, what are you standing around for? You came out pretty quick.”
Old John’s voice called out from not far away, interrupting Fan Zhuo’s train of thought.
He was leaning at the other end of the corridor, pipe dangling from his mouth, puffing away with an expression of “you’ve really gotten yourself into something.”
Lucien was nowhere to be seen—no doubt he’d already left.
“It’s nothing, just felt that He… the Warden of Area A, is… more approachable than I imagined,” Fan Zhuo replied offhandedly.
“Approachable? Pah!”
Old John coughed twice as smoke caught in his throat. “Kid, did you get dazzled by her Holy Light? That woman’s a monster, a monster through and through.”
He lowered his voice, leaned in, and there was a trace of fear in his cloudy eyes.
“Don’t be fooled just because she seemed ‘kind’ to you today. That’s only because she’s interested in that strange holy power of yours. Once she figures it out, she might just take you apart for research. I’m telling you, you better be careful.”
“Thank you for the warning.” Fan Zhuo nodded.
Old John’s warning, though blunt, lined up perfectly with his own judgment. That Warden treated him exactly like a researcher would treat a white lab rat.
“Did she mention anything about the Royal Academy of Magic?”
Fan Zhuo nodded.
Hearing this, Old John continued grumbling, “They’re all a bunch of arrogant theorists. Every year they come around, claim they’re doing ‘Ecological Research,’ but really they’re just here to feel superior.”
“In any case, those people… keep your guard up, they’re nothing but trouble.” Old John blew a smoke ring, his face full of distaste.
As they talked, they walked together down the immaculate white corridor the way they had come.
With the Warden’s pressure gone, Fan Zhuo finally had the mind to observe this passage.
The walls were spotless, glowing softly, but Fan Zhuo keenly noticed that at certain points, there were extremely fine, almost imperceptible black engravings.
These engravings seemed to form some vast rune array that covered the entirety of Area A.
“Old John, what exactly is locked up in Area A?” Fan Zhuo couldn’t help but ask.
“The defenses here seem way beyond anything in Area C.”
“No kidding.”
Old John rolled his eyes. “Area A houses monsters that can wipe out a small country by themselves. Every single one is a hundred times more dangerous than that fox Night Sakura.”
He paused, as if recalling something, and his expression grew a bit grave.
“But Area A’s gotten a lot quieter lately. The most troublesome one was just transferred to our place a while ago.”
“Transferred to Area C?” Fan Zhuo was startled.
“That’s right.” Old John nodded, his eyes growing strange. “The one in Cell C-01, the new arrival.”
C-01?
Fan Zhuo’s mind immediately flashed to the registry in the “Non-Human Entity Management Guide.”
[C-01: Frost Dragon Princess]
Because [C-01: Frost Dragon Princess]’s photo was on the first page of the guide, and Fan Zhuo had just looked at it—having been startled by those breathtaking proportions—the memory was still vivid.
“I remember, in the guide… wasn’t that an S-Class monster? Why is it in Area C?” Fan Zhuo asked, puzzled.”
“Area C… S-class monster—the danger level and containment measures were just too far apart.”
“Hmph, it’s because she caused too much trouble in Area A.” Old John spat out a smoke ring.
“That little dragon whelp’s got a hell of a temper. For some reason, she almost caused a disaster in Area A. The big boss got angry and tossed her into Area C’s sturdiest ‘can’ to make her reflect.”
“Can?”
“Cell C-01 is our most special cell,” Old John explained.
“That place was built amid ancient ruins—rumor has it, it can hold even angels. Never mind a little dragon; even if you threw an adult giant dragon in there, it wouldn’t get out.”
As they spoke, the two had already returned to the bounds of Area C.
The domineering, pure holy power in the air had faded away, replaced by the familiar, chaotic mixture of various monster scents, which made Fan Zhuo feel oddly at home.
Passing by Cell C-01, Fan Zhuo instinctively stopped in his tracks.
The first time he’d come to Asphodel, all his attention had been on the guide and the white rabbit’s stockings, so he hadn’t really examined this sturdiest “can.”
Unlike the other cells, which had alloy doors set into the wall, this one was a standalone black archway.
Deep inside the archway was a shadowy corridor, and at its end, a massive black cube-shaped room could be glimpsed.
The archway and corridor walls were covered with countless silver runes, flowing ceaselessly, radiating a chilling, heart-shaking sealing power.
Fan Zhuo only got a few steps closer before he felt a piercing cold and a ferocious draconic aura leaking from the depths of the corridor.
As if sensing his presence, that previously calm draconic aura suddenly erupted, turning into an invisible shockwave that slammed fiercely into the seal, setting off ripples of silver light.
Such terrifying power…
Was this the dragon princess in the guide, Frost Dragon Princess Ignis?
“Stop staring.” Old John patted him on the shoulder.
“Stay away from that thing. She’s in a foul mood right now—whoever goes near will be in for trouble.”
Fan Zhuo nodded, withdrawing his gaze, but a trace of curiosity about this dragon princess he’d never met yet lingered in his heart.
To be someone who even made Hecate’s head ache, and had to be sealed away in God’s Cage—just what kind of…
“Dragon girl” would she be?
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