Axel

Chapter 21: The True Kilmainham Prison

Added 2025-01-09 20:25:22 +0000 UTC

Outside the courtyard wall of his new home was the Lukavaro River, and the scenery was very picturesque.
The Marne District, where Kilmainham Prison was located, and the Lukavaro District both belonged to the Outer Fifteen Districts, outside the old city walls of Strasbourg.

Looking down from the terrace, the first thing that caught his eye was the courtyard of Charlot Mecklenburg’s new home. The yard was quite large, about six to seven hundred square meters, with a stable and a well, which was a pleasant surprise.

The maids worked diligently. As the day grew late, they lit oil lamps, carrying buckets of water and wiping cloths as they moved back and forth in the rooms, busy with their tasks.

Charlot took a short nap on the sofa in one of the rooms. When he woke up, the room was sparkling clean. The maids had worked through the night, tidying up the entire building.

Feeling a bit guilty, Charlot paid double the wages and sent the maids away. He hailed a public carriage and headed straight for the Marne District.

He had only taken a day off, and today, he still had to go to work at Kilmainham Prison.

His direct superior, Miss Menielman, hadn’t asked about his absence the previous day. She had just assigned him triple the workload.

Charlot was so busy that his head spun. By the end of the day, he hadn’t finished his tasks on time—he hadn’t finished them at all and ended up sleeping in his office.

When he woke up in the office again, what greeted him was the sight of a military-clad beauty sitting cross-legged at his desk.

Charlot’s first reaction was, "Miss Menielman seems to always wear military uniforms. I’ve never seen her wear anything else."

He quickly stood up, adjusted his coat, and said, "Warden, is there any work left for today?"

Menielman seemed to be in a peculiar mood. She spoke in a somewhat low voice, "Today, you won’t be handling paperwork. Come with me."

Charlot said nothing and followed his superior.

Miss Menielman led him deep into the prison, all the way down.

Charlot had been working at this prison for some time, but he had never ventured beyond the office area. This was the first time he entered the prison's depths.

What surprised him was that, for the largest prison in the Empire, the number of prisoners was very low. Many of the cells were practically empty.

He wasn’t particularly interested in the prisoners and didn’t think much of what this might mean.

Kilmainham Prison was a fortress-like structure, and inside the tall, thick walls were only five buildings—two office buildings, a prison army barracks, a stable, and the main prison building.

Charlot had just learned that the underground sections of the prison were much deeper than the ones above ground. Following Miss Menielman, he descended about seventeen or eighteen floors before they finally reached the prison’s lowest level.

The bottom level of the prison was not dark at all.

A large, sacred-looking door stood in the center of the basement.

Dozens of prison soldiers, armed and alert, stood in formation.

Upon Menielman’s arrival, the guards quickly saluted. The Warden waved her hand and stepped into the large door that had been built into the earth.

Charlot hesitated for a moment before following her in. No one stopped him.

Passing through the door, Charlot felt his Blood Glory suddenly boil within him, and a faint red glow began to appear on his body.

He quickly forced open the bloodthirsty vortex in his mind, gathered his Blood Glory, and calmed the turmoil within him, though he was still somewhat surprised.

Blood Glory didn’t just boil up for no reason.

On the other side of the door was another heavily guarded underground chamber.

It looked more like a mine.

The prison soldiers guarding the chamber all had an extraordinary aura, and the dense killing intent made Charlot feel very uncomfortable. He even reached for the Vampiric axe hidden under his clothing.

Miss Menielman led him through several heavily guarded gates and out of a black tower.

Once back on solid ground, Charlot was taken aback and couldn’t help but exclaim. At this moment, he was certain of one thing.

This was no longer the Fars Empire.

Menielman spoke in a low voice, asking, "Do you know what a dimensional plane is?"

Charlot nodded, acknowledging that he had studied related knowledge at university.

Menielman continued, "This is the true Kilmainham Prison, a half-dimensional plane abandoned by the gods that once held a brilliant civilization."

"Every year, the Empire sends large numbers of prisoners here, erasing their memories and forging new identities, turning them into residents of this place to help the Empire explore ruins and mine wealth."

Charlot’s voice grew tight as he thought of many ominous possibilities. Nervously, he asked, "Miss, did you bring me here for something specific?"

Menielman replied, "Come with me."

A few minutes later, Charlot was faced with a very unexpected person.

Zimourman Axel Robin!

Charlot had reviewed many files on Zimourman Axel Robin, but he had never met this legendary figure of the Empire.

Zimourman was currently restrained on a stone bed, surrounded by countless people in black robes with hoods, working busily.

Menielman’s tone grew heavy as she whispered, "In a moment, there will be no more Zimourman Axel Robin in this world. There will only be a memory-wiped man, loyal to the Empire, called Captain Huntington."

Charlot had no words to respond. Menielman had come here to see her former fiancé for the last time, and he clearly felt out of place in this situation, but he couldn’t avoid it.

Zimourman had either been injected with a drug that suppressed his extraordinary abilities or was under a special binding spell. He appeared very calm until the alchemical array glowed with strange light, at which point he slightly twitched—though it looked more like a convulsion.

A thick, ancient book began to materialize in the air, and countless strands of gray mist floated from Zimourman, rising and merging into the strange book.

Under the influence of a mysterious force, a brilliant aura of battle energy bloomed around Menielman.

Charlot’s Blood Glory surged again, subtly resonating with the heavy, ancient book’s spectral image.

Unable to resist, Charlot muttered under his breath, "The Jade Book!"

He hadn’t seen it before, but he had heard of it.

It was an artifact granted to humanity by the Snake of Fate, one of the Nine Great Deities.

There was a course at the university that discussed the origins and functions of the Jade Book, as well as the alchemical magic derived from its knowledge.

The Jade Book, the Sun Gold Book granted by the Lord of Light, and the Dead Sea Scroll left by the Lampbearer were considered the three cornerstones of human civilization.

Of course, as a transmigrator, Charlot didn’t quite believe in this narrative. He had studied the human civilization of this era, and these three artifacts didn’t seem to have much relevance. But that didn’t diminish the shock in his heart.