The two of them walked through the entrance and headed towards the interior of the prison. In a corner where no prison guards were patrolling, Isabella unfolded a map in her hands under the glow of the white crystals embedded in the wall.
She used her slender finger to bend the map and pointed at the intersecting routes on it, speaking more to herself than explaining, "In the ordinary rooms of the dungeon, dangerous criminals are imprisoned. But there is also a special cell specifically designed for girls like you who still seem salvageable. It holds some special prisoners."
Her finger rested on a marked cell on the map, and Wang Xiaole immediately focused his gaze on it. "So the place I'm being taken to is this special cell? The one circled with a big red cross on the map?"
"Correct understanding, it's truly a pity! A smart girl like you could have become someone important if you had taken the right path." The tone of the empress indicated that she had no intention of changing her mind, and Wang Xiaole's mood temporarily worsened.
"We don't have much time, let's start moving immediately and get you settled into your new home as soon as possible." Only the girl in front of him could describe being imprisoned as moving into a new house.
Considering the hidden nature of that cell and Isabella's lack of thorough knowledge of the prison's interior, she didn't know the specific route. The architect who drew the map was an expert, but blindly following the marked path would only lead to getting lost. After all, the overall structure of the palace was designed to meet the requirements of the royal family, and the underground levels were all part of the prison. The size of the palace directly corresponded to the exaggerated area occupied by the "First Prison".
However, all the prison staff and their pets were on paid leave, so there was no one left to guide the empress. Isabella had no choice but to use unconventional means. She raised her finger, which emitted a faint light, and swiftly traced in the air in front of her. As she lightly brushed her arm, a certain pattern took shape, its lines closely following the air as if gears were turning in the void.
After a short while, the pattern, which traced an arc, came to life and emitted a soft glow as it floated in the air. The light converged in front of Wang Xiaole, making his face resemble something that crawled out of a coffin, with a deathly pale complexion.
At this moment, emerald green leaves grew out of the cracks in the space, floating in the swaying mid-air. Together, they upheld a palm-sized flower bud. The flower bud opened instantly, revealing its extraordinarily peculiar appearance. Instead of a flower blossom, a large pair of lips had grown in the center, surrounded by a circle of tender yellow petals, creating a comical effect with its vibrant colors.
The flower swayed in the passing breeze, occasionally emitting a sound from its large red lips, reminiscent of a late-night horror show.
"What a novel appearance..." Wang Xiaole said, unable to help but think of the "Chomper" from Plants vs. Zombies. However, instead of eating zombies, this one might end up eating people.
"Being the long-term guardian of the prison, it knows best which route leads to where, so it can definitely help guide us!" Isabella explained, but Wang Xiaole still mentally associated this flower with the "Chomper" from Plants vs. Zombies.
The warden or the emperor were the only ones who could control the "Jieyi Flower," and it was a simple matter to make it recognize the identity of the visitors without any intelligence. Isabella pressed her thumb against the stem of the flower, and a "drip" sound resonated in the air.
During this time, Wang Xiaole instinctively reached into his pocket and took out the cellphone he brought with him through the time-travel. However, he realized that the sound didn't come from his phone. It was produced by the "Jieyi Flower," which ignored public aesthetic sensibilities.
"Clear fingerprint, identity confirmed - Isabella Lestier, you've worked hard!" This darn thing even had a fingerprint recognition function and could produce a synthesized human voice!"I'll take this girl to the special cell, please lead the way."
Upon hearing the command, the plant immediately extended two vine-like tendrils, gently brushing against the right wall.
A strange scene unfolded.
The moss growing in the cracks of the wall seemed to be infused with endless vitality after being touched by the vines, rapidly growing out of control.
In no time, the moss on both sides of the wall grew over a foot long, swaying its emerald shadows in the light.
Isabella took a step forward, standing in front with her golden hair flowing without wind, and she raised her hand towards the "Mind-unraveling Flower".
At that moment, the plant lightly turned its head and swung its thorny vines. Each strike landed forcefully on the side wall, whipping it over and over again.
Not far away, Wang Xiaole could see clearly. He noticed that when the thorns struck the target for the first time, tiny white spots appeared on the surface of the wall.
Then, he noticed that those white spots gradually expanded and became clearer. It was clearly a small white bud that grew with each lash until it blossomed.
While Wang Xiaole focused on observing the growing bud, Isabella's attention was on the slowly opening wall.
From her observation, she noticed that with each lash of the thorns, the white bud would further blossom.
Simultaneously, like a triggered mechanism, the wall would gradually open up, forming a crack that widened into an entrance.
The previously obstructed view gradually revealed itself as the scene beyond the crack became dimly visible, showing the opposite corridor.
"Please go ahead."
The "Mind-unraveling Flower" retracted like a retreating tentacle, dispersing into individual vines that shrunk and disappeared into the gaps in the wall.
"The Royal Prison is truly eye-opening. The scenes I've witnessed here today, I don't think I will ever forget them in my lifetime..."
Now was a good opportunity for Wang Xiaole. Taking advantage of Isabella's momentary distraction, he prepared to manipulate the metal handcuffs on his wrist.
Click!
Just as he was speaking loudly to mask the sound of the handcuffs unlocking, his target didn't turn around, but quickly placed her palm on top of his hand, as if she could see behind her without turning her head.
"Don't further worsen your crimes!"
To be honest, Isabella wasn't very strong. With her level of strength only between "City-Toppling" and "War-shattering", it would be easy for Wang Xiaole to break free from her restraints.
The reason he didn't take action was simply because:
If he were to conflict with her here, there would be no place for him and Lucia in this country anymore.
The subsequent imprisonment was secondary. It was his impulsiveness that had made it impossible for Xia to establish herself in the human country, and that was what made Wang Xiaole feel guilty.
He had promised the yandere Demon Lord that he would integrate into the life of Dibiles with her.
Since he made that promise, he couldn't go back on his word. Even if it meant staying in a cell for a few days, he couldn't disappoint Xia.
The handcuffs were unlocked, yet Wang Xiaole was still led to his "new home".
The prison cell in front of him wasn't like those often seen in TV dramas, damp, dirty, and infested with insects. Apart from being a little cramped and filled with cold colors, it was tolerable in other aspects.
To be honest, if not for the lack of a computer, the cell was even more comfortable than the studio apartment he used to rent!
"Look forward to the day when you can start a new life and reintegrate into society."
Isabella "escorted" the "prisoner" into the dark prison cell, said a few encouraging words, and prepared to leave.
"Just make sure to close the cell door before leaving. The key was... where's the key?"
She searched through all her pockets but couldn't find any trace of the key.
To be fair, it wasn't Isabella's fault. She indeed had the habit of stringing all the keys together and carrying them around.
The reason they couldn't find it now had to be attributed to Liu Caihua; she found it too troublesome to carry those metal items with her every day. So last night, she decided to place all the keys on her desk and only take them with her when necessary.Fortunately, the prison cell had not been used for a long time, so there had been no prisoners detained inside. The prison warden, who had nothing better to do, would occasionally enter and spend a few hours there, considering it as a life experience.
The prison gate, which was left slightly ajar, was the result of the warden casually using the cell and then not properly closing it afterwards. It was this unintentional act that allowed Isabella and Wang Xiaole to enter without the need for a key.
The fact that the queen was able to walk out of this place next was also thanks to this unexpected situation. But if that next event had not occurred...
A breeze blew through. Normally, there would be no draft in this area, but Isabella leading the way through the corridor had inadvertently opened up the hidden passage leading to the special cell. The slight cool breeze came through the entrance they had passed by.
Autumn had arrived. It was normal for there to be a gentle breeze at night. Girls could invite their crushes and enjoy the coolness of the night together.
But if you weren't here now, accompanied by a prisoner, standing inside the prison cell...
Clang! The prison gate suddenly closed under the force of the wind. If Isabella had been given just one more second, she would have been able to leave.
Unluckily, she was locked inside the cell without a key, with no prison guard to offer assistance, and the plant had no function to help open the door.
"Well, this is interesting," Wang Xiaole thought. Already burdened with guilt, she saw no reason to worry excessively and mentally prepared herself to watch the show as a bystander.
From Isabella's perspective, if she wanted to obtain her freedom, she could only resort to using some forceful methods.
