Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 846 - 162: Metamorphs (Part 2)

She immediately understood Ethan's tactics. The Prison Warden was undoubtedly the most troublesome enemy within this prison, and everyone who later attempted to rescue the lord ended up dying in the depths of the prison.

Taking out one overseer would undoubtedly intimidate the Prison Warden, and the Sheepskin Book was the core of the diversion tactic, making the Prison Warden mistakenly think that the invaders were targeting her. In the meantime, they could take advantage of the gaps in the Warden's defenses to carry out a pincer attack and rescue Young Master Balmon and the hero.

"Senzi, you should have heard, this is the Empire's most heavily guarded place, right? Any intruder would never come back, right?"

The old woman kindly reminded Ethan.

Bravery, strength, and strategy coexisted.

If the lord had found someone as ambitious as Ethan back then, perhaps the fate of the commune would have been different.

She asked, "What is our next plan?"

"Find the Prison Warden."

"...What?"

In an instant, the old woman's expression froze on her face.

"Grandma, you just heard it too, that prison guard said the Prison Warden is a hundred times stronger than that brute we encountered earlier."

Building on this, Ethan handed over the manuscript Little Dark had been compiling about the use of the flour element. It detailed Ethan's impromptu application of the flour element and all kinds of precautions. Simply put, it was akin to a player's guide before challenging a dungeon boss.

The previous battle with the flayer left Ethan greatly disappointed. He hoped that with the guide's support, the Prison Warden—who was said to be a hundred times stronger than the King of Gluttony—could give him a more evenly matched fight.

"Let's see what the flour element can achieve."

These words left the old woman stunned.

She decided to retract her previous evaluation of Ethan, recalling his actions along the way.

Tearing the glutton apart at the waist and roasting the prison guards on the second floor like a pizza, and earlier, he even threatened to have planted a bomb in the surviving guard's body that would explode in a quarter of an hour...

This is someone who can turn pizza-making tricks into homicidal techniques!

At this moment, even she felt a chill down her spine.

Perhaps the young lord misunderstood...

There were no righteous warriors sharing the same ambition. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

They had simply encountered a psychopathic killer who took pleasure in massacring bureaucrats and nobles of the Silver Radiance Empire!

...............

Meanwhile, deep within the prison.

"Lord Cedric, I've long heard of your name and have always looked forward to meeting you."

A dimly lit room, resembling the Witch's laboratory.

On the shelves were human bones and unrecognizable spellcasting materials, with transparent containers soaking fingers and other human remnants. The wall had decorations made of unknown hides, which Cedric didn't want to question the origins of.

What he truly wanted was to stay in the Bloodthorn Clan's manor, waiting for the Other Shore to emerge and confront him.

However, he was ordered to personally escort the hero to this prison, a direct order from the Eldest Prince, who had also withdrawn all Imperial Army forces, concentrating all troops in the prison.

Unexpectedly, the Eldest Prince seemed confident that Mire-bloodthorn could handle the small disturbances happening within their family.

The woman before him with amber snake eyes was the Warden of this prison. Compared to the "deformed" overseers they had encountered along the way, her appearance was the most normal.

Cedric noticed the overseers' attitude towards the Prison Warden. Their gazes betrayed their deep-seated fear of her, which Cedric was familiar with, coming from a social structure resembling a wolf pack—that was the look they gave to the alpha wolf.

Throughout the journey, he'd heard many little stories about the overseers.

They were the products of failed "fire seed" transformations. Their deformed bodies were all results of the "fire seed" enhancements. However, they themselves were neither prisoners nor experimental subjects from noble families. Before their "transformation," they had all been leading nobles of the Silver Radiance Empire. They received gifts from the King, but it came at a price.

This meant that most of these overseers had lived for several centuries, with the eldest tracing back to the time of Henry II.

The passage of time had stabilized their mental states, yet their bodies, twisted by the "fire seed," could never return to normalcy.

He had no interest in the Prison Warden's invitation or the prison's background until the Warden presented an irresistible reason—you heard that voice too, right?

Cedric didn't know the source of that voice, but when he tentatively followed the advice given by the "fire seed," the power that had stagnated for many years surged again.

However, on the other hand, the "fire seed" kept hindering his actions.

It repeatedly emphasized that in his current state, he was no match for the Other Shore because the Other Shore had completed a "transformation" unbeknownst to him, and it was nearly perfect.

More frustratingly, the voice never explained how to complete the transformation in detail, nor did it always appear to resolve his inner conflicts.

"Lord Cedric, your situation is quite special."

The Warden sat across from him, pouring a yellow-green liquid filled with ominous hues into his glass, then slid it over to Cedric.