Dudian glanced at him but said nothing, and then slowly got into the prison cart.
The entire prison cart was made of iron and steel and was extremely sturdy. Even with his current strength, it would be difficult for him to break it open.
Seeing that Dudian didn't resist, the middle-aged man curled his lips, feeling a bit bored. He locked the prison cart, jumped to the front and sat down. Then he said to the young man in standard armor who was the coachman, "Let's go. Once we send this kid there, he'll have a hard time."
"He's quite scheming at such a young age. He dared to flirt with a noble lady without considering his own worth."
"He wants to rise to the top in one step. How ridiculous."
"Well, it's our gain. We haven't had any new 'goods' for a long time, and the brothers are eager for some action."
"Someone with such tender skin like him is very popular inside."
"He's still a virgin, haha..."
The two of them chatted and laughed as they drove away. On both sides of the prison cart, there were four Tribunal Knights escorting them along the way.
Dudian sat cross-legged in the prison cart and looked at the scenery along the road. After leaving the town, they entered the desolate radiation area. Along the way, they occasionally encountered attacks from wild beasts, but all of them were easily killed by the Tribunal Knights escorting them.
After passing the inspection at the border defense checkpoint, they entered the checkpoint and came to a remote wilderness area. In the distance, there stood a prison.
The carriage stopped in front of the prison. The middle-aged man opened the prison cage and said, "Get out."
Dudian jumped out of the prison cart and said to him, "I want to appeal."
"All you can do now is groan." The middle-aged man sneered. "Do you think you still have a chance for a court trial? From the moment you arrived here, you're like a mute. No one will listen to you. When the ruling notice from above comes down, you'll have no chance to turn things around. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for overestimating your abilities. It would have been good for you to just be a hunter and earn wealth for the consortium. But you had to flirt with a noble lady. You're asking for it!"
Dudian's expression remained unchanged. He stared coldly at the man and said, "You're not the warden, are you?"
The middle-aged man sneered and said, "Do you think you still have a chance to see the warden and appeal with me here? It's easy to cover up a little kid like you who has no status or background. Do you really think that the status of an apprentice cleric can really protect you?"
Dudian took a deep breath, clenched his fingers, and said, "Thank you for your teachings." After that, he suddenly struck out with a punch and hit the man in the face.
With a bang, the middle-aged man fell backward, his nose broken and blood gushing out.
This sudden attack stunned everyone. No one had expected that Dudian would dare to sneak attack a prison official in front of the prison gate.
The middle-aged man sat down on the ground, covering his face with one hand and desperately trying to stop the bleeding. He looked at Dudian with anger and madness, his body trembling with rage, and shrieked, "Kill him!!"
The surrounding Tribunal Knights immediately drew their weapons, the standard Tribunal Spears and Tribunal Swords, and charged at Dudian.
However, Dudian didn't fight them as they had expected. Instead... he turned around and ran! While running, he also shouted at the top of his lungs, "Murder! Murder!!"
The sound reached the prison. In an instant, many people rushed over from the prison castle.
"Stop!"
The prison door was pulled open, and seven or eight people ran out. At the front was a woman wearing glasses. She had a curvy and attractive figure. Seeing Dudian running around and the eight Tribunal Knights, she angrily scolded.
The eight Tribunal Knights quickly stopped and looked at each other in surprise.
Dudian immediately ran up to the woman and said, "They took bribes and want to kill me. I want to appeal. Are you the warden?"
The woman glanced at him, frowned slightly, and said, "I'm the warden's secretary. If you want to appeal, I can help you apply. But I don't know if it will be approved by the higher-ups."
Dudian was overjoyed and said repeatedly, "Thank you, thank you."
The middle-aged man, holding his nose, walked over. His face looked ugly, and his eyes were filled with viciousness and anger as he looked at Dudian. He said to the woman, "Secretary Leia, this little brat is accusing others first when he's the one in the wrong. He clearly tried to sneak attack me and run away just now. Attacking a prison official is an additional crime, and he should be executed immediately!"
The woman's face darkened, and she said, "Look at your sorry state. You were beaten like this by a child. It's embarrassing. Also, you'd better watch what you say. We're only responsible for detaining prisoners and have no right to execute them. Don't talk nonsense and implicate the entire detention center."
The middle-aged man realized he had spoken out of turn. His face changed, and he lowered his head and said, "Yes."
The woman turned to Dudian and said coldly, "And you, you'd better behave yourself once you're in the detention center. If you cause such a commotion again, no matter the reason, I won't let you off easily."
Dudian immediately nodded, his attitude very sincere.
Seeing his expression, the woman's face softened a bit. She said to the middle-aged man, "Send him in. However, you don't need to be responsible for supervising him anymore. I'll arrange for someone else to take over." With that, she turned and left.
After she left, the middle-aged man turned around and glared at Dudian viciously. He lowered his voice and said, "Little brat, don't think you can have an easy life. As long as I'm around, I'll definitely make your life a living hell!"
Dudian said coldly, "Aren't you going to lead the way?"
The middle-aged man was so angry that he clenched his fists, but he still gritted his teeth and endured it and led the way in front.
...
On the top floor of the detention center, in a luxurious office.
"Oh? This little brat is actually a hunter." In front of the desk, a bald man with a fleshy face sat in a chair. He took the documents from Secretary Leia in front of him and glanced through them. His thick eyebrows twitched slightly, and he said, "A hunter from the Mellon Consortium actually committed the crime of theft? Interesting, interesting. And it was personally sent here by that lackey of the Mellon Consortium. It's the first time I've seen a consortium trying to get rid of its own cash cow. You immediately inform the Mellon Consortium about this and see how they react."
Secretary Leia asked in confusion, "What about the appeal?"
"If the Mellon Consortium really wants to kill him, we'll do them a favor and cover it up for them. Of course, we can't charge less. This is free extra income. How can we not make a profit?" A gleam appeared in the eyes of the middle-aged bald man, and he said, "Moreover, this matter is beneficial to our consortium as well."
"I understand." Secretary Leia nodded.
...
...
Dudian sat in the independent detention cell, quietly waiting.
"I wonder if the Mellon Consortium will bribe the warden after getting the news." He was a bit worried. "I must think of other ways to get out. As long as I can get a chance to appeal, I'll have a chance to prove that I was framed."
"Unfortunately, there's no one outside to bail me out. Even a little bit of background would be helpful."
"However, with just a little bit of background, it's probably going to crumble under the pressure of the Mellon Consortium."
"I wonder if Aunt Jura and the others will be implicated because of me."
"Damn it!"
He felt aggrieved, angry, and a bit terrified in his heart.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
No one had brought him food or water in these three days. He understood that although a different person was now in charge of supervising him, most likely that person had been bribed by the middle-aged man. And he was just a prisoner. Perhaps with just one silver coin, someone could be made to hurt another stranger without mercy.
However, what he was most worried about was that there had been no news from the outside world in these three days.
"There's probably no hope for the appeal..." Dudian looked at the faint light outside the window. There was a bit of sadness in his heart, but more despair, anger, and a strong killing intent. "I can only escape from prison. Otherwise, I'll just be trapped and die here, and I'll be humiliated to the fullest."
"If I escape from prison, I'll have to live in the dark for the rest of my life."
"In that case, I'll never see Aunt Jura and the others again, nor Maken and the others, and also... never see her!"
Dudian felt sad, but his instinctive desire to survive still ignited his determination to live, and he began to seriously think about ways to escape from prison.
In the blink of an eye, another two days passed.
On this day, the prison cage suddenly opened.
Dudian, who was sleeping leaning against the wall, slightly opened one eye. He thought to himself, "Here's the opportunity." Just as the killing intent rose in his heart, suddenly, a familiar smell wafted into his nostrils, making him pause slightly.
"Dean!" At this moment, an incredulous voice came, panicking, "You, how did you end up like this?"
Hearing this voice, Dudian's whole body shook violently. He couldn't help but open his eyes wide and look over. He saw Jenny in a white dress standing in front of the dim prison cage. Her slender white fingers were gripping the cage, forming a sharp contrast with the thick black steel bars.
Dudian stared wide-eyed, almost suspecting that he was hallucinating because of his hunger, both in his nose and eyes. He couldn't help but say, "Jen, Jenny? Why, why are you here?"
"My father sent me here. Have they mistreated you?" Jenny's eyes were red.
Dudian quickly got up and grabbed her hand, excitedly saying, "Are you okay? Didn't your father hurt you?"
Jenny was taken aback for a moment, then immediately pulled her hand away, took a few steps back, wiped the tears from her eyes, and bit her lower lip tightly, saying, "Don't you dare speak of my father like that. He would never hurt me! I came here just to ask you, why, why did you steal?"
Dudian's heart shook. It was as if the blood that had just boiled within him suddenly turned cold again, and the coldness reached the depths of his heart, causing a piercing pain. He thought bitterly in his heart, yes, you are your father's precious daughter, of course he won't hurt you. Why should I even worry?
He looked at this pure white girl and said in a hoarse voice, "Do you also think I would steal?"
Jenny gritted her teeth and said, "The evidence is conclusive. In your safe, a Longshan Ruby from the Milan family was found. This is one of the three treasures of the Milan family, and there's no second one like it in the world. Why did you do it?"
Dudian gripped the iron bars of the prison cage tightly, his body trembling, and said, "If I said that I don't know the Milan family at all and have never seen the ruby you mentioned, would you believe me?"
"Why are you still lying to me!" Tears welled up in Jenny's eyes. "I've asked around everywhere and know all the truth of this matter. Why are you still trying to deceive me?!"
Dudian was filled with bitterness. "I've never lied to you. All of this is a deliberate frame-up by your father to separate us. Why won't you believe me? After a year of being together, don't you know my character yet?"
Jenny crouched down in pain. "At first, I thought the same way. But I asked the people of the Milan family. You were invited by the Milan family's young lady to visit their home two months ago. Later, their Longshan Ruby went missing! At that time, I still believed that you couldn't have done such a thing. Even when the Longshan Ruby was found in your safe, I still believed that someone else framed you!"
"But, but Deacon Horlett of the Tribunal personally took charge of this case. After several weeks of investigation, it was verified that you were indeed the one who stole it!"
Dudian was stunned. He suddenly understood. No wonder an arrest warrant could be issued from above without interrogating him. It turned out that a deacon-level cleric had handled the case and already investigated it thoroughly!
However, he knew very well that he had never met that so-called young lady of the Milan family. All of this was fabricated and a frame-up!
"This deacon cleric must have been bribed by your father as well," Dudian said gloomily.
Jenny raised her head angrily. "Don't you dare speak of my father again!"
Dudian felt a tightness in his chest, and tears almost welled up. "Do you really trust your father that much?"
Jenny gritted her teeth slightly. "It's not that I trust him so much, but you really did it. You may not understand. Although our Brone family is large, it's absolutely impossible to bribe a deacon of the Tribunal! Clerics are noble and pure, and they can't be tempted by money! Moreover, this deacon has never had any dealings with our family, so he has no reason to slander you!"
Dudian said bitterly, "There's no one who can't be tempted by money, not even the clerics of the Tribunal, or even the Light Knights of the Holy Light Church."
Jenny looked up at him. Suddenly, she wiped away her tears, and her expression gradually calmed down. "Because you're a thief and you love money yourself, you think everyone is like that. The book says that in the eyes of the despicable, everyone is despicable, and in the eyes of the noble, everyone is noble."
Dudian gripped the iron bars tightly and said hoarsely, "If you don't trust me anymore, why did you come here?"
Jenny's body trembled, and her eyes turned red. "I just wanted to hear you admit it with your own mouth. As long as you admit it, I can overlook all this and still be with you. I can forgive you for your crime. But you're still stubborn and trying to frame my father, even slandering the cleric to cover up your own crime. I'm really disappointed in you..."
"Disappointed?" Dudian laughed, but tears rolled down his cheeks. "You'd rather believe an outsider, a deacon of the Tribunal, than believe me. You're right. I'm guilty. My crime is that I was too stupid and naive, thinking that we could break the shackles of love between a noble and a commoner! My crime is that I overestimated my abilities, thinking that you could follow me to the ends of the earth!"
"However, a bird and a fish, even if they love each other, can't be together in the end!"
With a creak, suddenly, the prison door was pushed open. A tall and imposing middle-aged man stepped in. He had an extraordinary temperament and exuded a sense of dignity. He said to Jenny, "Child, it's time to go back."
Dudian raised his head and looked at the man who had masterminded all this. His eyes were filled with hatred. "If you wanted to separate us, why didn't you do it openly? You could have set requirements and goals for me. If I couldn't meet them, I would have left voluntarily. Why, why did you use such despicable means?!!"
"Enough!" Jenny interrupted Dudian's words. She looked at him with a sense of loss. "Why won't you admit your mistake? You're still slandering my father even now! If a person is innocent, who can frame him? Do you think everyone in the entire consortium is framing you? I've asked. Your Demonic Mark ability is the sense of smell, right?"
Dudian stared blankly at her.
"You knew my identity when we first met, didn't you? You used your sense of smell to deliberately arrange chance encounters again and again, just like in the stories of the bards, creating scenes of accidental meetings, all to get close to me. You sent me home on that rainy night, accompanied me to the cleric assessment later, and then came again and again, specifically to be with me and get close to me..."
As Jenny spoke, tears streamed down her face. "Even knowing all this, I still liked you so much. I liked the way you talked and your maturity. I know these things can't be faked. But why, why won't you admit your mistake? Why did you have to be a thief?!"
Hearing her words, Dudian felt as if his heart was being stabbed by a dagger again and again, and the pain was almost suffocating.
He suddenly understood that when someone doesn't trust you, all your explanations are lies! All your sincerity is false!
Even if you try your best, you can't get even one unconditional trust, just once!
Is this what love is?
He looked at her and suddenly wanted to laugh.
For you, I was willing to give up everything, even my own ideals!
For you, I even gave up myself and was willing to live the life you liked.
Because of your father's schemes, I almost lost my life during this hunting mission!
However, all of this didn't lead to a good outcome. Instead, I became a despicable person, a dirty thief!
He felt ridiculous.
How foolish he was. He should have understood earlier that there would be no good result.
It was ridiculous that he had held onto hope, a humble and pitiful hope, thinking that as long as he treated her sincerely, he could overcome all difficulties.
Naivety was rewarded with calculation.
Kindness was rewarded with framing.
He laughed with his head tilted back, and he couldn't help coughing because he laughed too hard.
The imposing middle-aged man looked at Dudian indifferently and said gently to Jenny, "Let's go."
Jenny looked at Dudian, who seemed almost crazy, and hesitated. "Father, will he be okay?"
The middle-aged man smiled slightly. "It's just the crime of theft. Although the value of the stolen item is enough to sentence him to two hundred years in prison, I've talked to the Milan family. They will reduce his sentence. Using our family's connections, we can help reduce his punishment. He'll be released in at most three to five years. Although this method is a bit illegal, well... I hope he can take care of himself!"
Jenny heaved a sigh of relief. She took a deep look at Dudian, and her eyes turned red again. She held back her tears and turned to leave.
Dudian looked at the receding figure. Instinctively, he wanted to reach out and hold her back, but he raised his hand and then put it down. He suddenly understood that once some things were lost, they were hard to retrieve.
He stood in the prison cell in silence.
Like a cold and hard stone, he stood there quietly.
Two days later, someone came from outside again. It was the middle-aged man who had been injured by Dudian before. His nose was wrapped in gauze. When he pushed the door open, he saw Dudian standing as straight as a corpse, not moving at all. He was startled. Then he realized that Dudian wasn't hanging himself and breathed a sigh of relief. He snorted coldly, "Playing tricks, you little rascal. Wake up."
Dudian didn't respond, as if he didn't hear him.
The middle-aged man sneered, took out a piece of parchment from his bosom, and said, "This is a notice from the Tribunal. Your judgment result has come out. It's a'suspended death sentence'! You'll be sent to Thistle Flower Prison, and the judgment will be executed in five years!"
Dudian, who had been standing still for two days, moved slightly. He slowly raised his head, his gaze slowly swept across the parchment in the man's hand, and then moved to the middle-aged man's face. A faint smile appeared at the corners of his lips.
Seeing this smile, the middle-aged man's smile suddenly disappeared, and he felt a slight chill run down his spine.
In the 305th year of the Sylvia Great Wall Calendar, in the Black Snow Season, the 13-year-old 'Dudian' was escorted to the top criminal prison outside the wall, Thistle Flower Prison, becoming the youngest criminal in Thistle Flower Prison in the past fifty years!