Mage Manual

Chapter 57: Chapter 55: I Haven’t Been Deprived of Political Rights for Life Yet

Upon hearing Nagu’s words, the other death row inmates also came to their senses.

Right, why move forward? They could just as well jump back to the viewing platform and still survive. It was only a ten-step distance, which was trivial for these death row inmates, even without the power of a mage, they could cross it. @@novelbin@@

However, when they turned back and saw Ash’s Executioner growing visibly larger again, they quickly snapped out of it, cursed Nagu for his shamelessness, and while taking delight in Ash’s plight, they continued to climb the steel cable with their heads down.

Going back was a trap.

Nagu’s words were the trigger for the trap.

The moment Ash turned around, he knew he had messed up, because as soon as Nagu spoke those words, he saw his votes increase exponentially.

The audience was frantic, they were frantic!

Because Nagu was right, if Ash jumped back, he could disrupt the meticulous setup of the Blood Moon Judgement, and all the steel cables and Purification Flame would have nothing to do with Ash.

However, his favorable experience was seen as a provocation by the audience—an act of defiance by a death row inmate not repenting in the Blood Moon Judgement but instead exacerbating attempts to break the rules?!

This was like an unrepentant student, who not only failed to admit their mistake when scolded by the teacher with “why do you even come to school,” but instead had an epiphany and ran out of school to play.

Such immature offenders, as societal monitors, the audience would naturally give him a chance to reform—”Remember not to do this again in your next life, okay.”

In the voting rules of the Blood Moon Judgement, aside from the highest vote-receiver being sentenced to death, if a person gets 50% of the votes, the voting phase will end and fast forward directly to the execution.

The death row inmates had all their restrictions removed, the price being that their lives were no longer under their control. On the other end of the Light Screen, hundreds of thousands of citizens of Kaimon City each held a weight over their lives.

Once anyone dared to go against this tide, the audience’s weights would fall, turning into a heavy divine punishment, crushing their spine of resistance.

So if Ash jumped back, awaiting him were heartfelt thanks from the other death row inmates, as well as the terrifying Executioner formed by 50% of the votes.

But speaking of which.

If Ash’s votes continued to skyrocket, leading the others, and the audience stubbornly believed that the chance for redemption belonged to none other than Ash, he would definitely jump back.

If he was going to die anyway, he wouldn’t play into their hands.

The reason Ash was still willing to abide by the game rules was because the current voting scenario gave him a glimmer of hope.

“Ash Heath, 42354 votes.”

“Valcas Uer, 31002 votes.”

Ash glanced at Valcas’s Executioner behind him, equally robust and fierce, only slightly smaller than his own.

Noticing Ash’s gaze, Valcas gave him a look and snorted coldly, before actually jumping on the platform and lightly landing on the steel cable, walking towards the distant platform with elegant strides.

This cool and show-off scene instantly increased Valcas’s votes by over two thousand.

Unexpected, Valcas you bushy-browed, big-eyed guy, turned out you are also so hateful, almost catching up with me, indeed not a good elf… Ash muttered under his breath, looking at Valcas inside the Light Screen when suddenly the screen popped up a message:

“Would you like to view the criminal history of Valcas Uer?”

Ash chose to view it, and the screen popped up a small window that played out the entire process from Valcas’s first-person perspective, stealing technical documents at the university and then killing a fellow scholar.

Seeing the fellow scholar collapsed in the corridor, his face filled with fear, tears and snot running, retreating while pleading:

“Please, let me go, Valcas, don’t… ah!”

With a scream, the colleague was stabbed in the chest by Valcas!

It seemed that only the perpetrator’s perspective wasn’t thrilling enough, the latter half of the video shockingly switched to the first-person perspective of the victim scholar!

Facing Valcas’s approach, the video vividly showed the fellow scholar’s despair, fear, and the agony of life slipping away!

This was a memory fragment of Valcas and the person he murdered!

The first time watching a memory fragment, Ash was deeply shocked by the technology, stunned by the powerful and elusive nature of the mage system, and appalled that the other death row inmates dared to commit crimes—wasn’t this as outrageous as relieving oneself in the streets? All crimes were clear as day!

Any crime involving interaction with others meant exposure under the eyes of the Crime Hunting Hall, no matter if you tried to destroy the evidence, the Crime Hunting Hall would extract the dead person’s memories!

No wonder all death row inmates were highly skilled, after all, without real ability, how could they commit capital crimes before being caught by the Crime Hunting Hall?

The slightly weaker criminals might get caught during their budding phase of theft and trickery and be sent by the Crime Hunting Hall for reeducation.

After watching, the screen unexpectedly popped up a query:

“Would you cast a Redemption Ticket for Valcas Uer? Every Redemption Ticket you cast is a support for justice.”

Ash was startled, a myriad of herbs sprouting in his heart.

These death row inmates actually had the right to vote!?

Hadn’t their political rights been revoked for life?

This was simply an insult to them, did the prison think that these death row inmates would vote for other candidates just to increase their slight chance of survival?

Ash, while indignant at the prison’s disregard for him, cast a vote for Valcas.

However, although Valcas’s murder memory was quite cruel, it couldn’t have won him so many votes, right? What did Heath lack compared to him?

Ash looked at his own avatar; although a small video also popped up, it wasn’t his memory, but the enforcement memory of the Blood Frenzy Hunters.

A bizarre underground hall, runes filled with blood, remnants on the altar, twisted piles of bodies… Ash only glanced at it twice before fast forwarding, he couldn’t stand watching it himself, even feeling a bit of pain in his conscience.

Damn, it really hurt, his spirit reacting with the Purification Flame.

Ash silently repeated “I am Ash, not Heath,” three times before the painful sting of conscience slowly faded.

This incident also made Ash feel the power of the Purification Flame: he had merely entered into Heath’s body and momentarily identified with Heath, and was already almost scorched senseless by the flame.

Those death row inmates who truly committed crimes must suffer a thousand, perhaps even ten thousand times more pain.

Thinking about it that way was rather satisfying for Ash, whose simple view of good and evil made him applaud such punishment.

If he weren’t in a live broadcast but instead watching this show in the cozy comfort of a small home, it would be even better.

Ash then glanced through others’ crimes, but due to time constraints, he only read the written descriptions.

Sure enough, Harvey had the crime of desecrating a corpse… Although Ash was curious whether the “corpse” was warm or cold, male or female, this kind of visual shock was still premature for him, and he dared not open the video.

Hmm, this one was a serial killer, that one was a cannibal, this was a hitman, that was the leader of a violent gang…

Quickly scanning through, Ash found that Heath’s crimes were indeed the most brutal of all. Even without the recent news reports featuring him daily, Ash guessed the audience would’ve recognized him as a hero.

Surprisingly, Valcas’s crime was the lightest among the eight, yet he received the second highest number of votes after Ash.

Although puzzled, Ash no longer had time to think about it.

The others were almost reaching the large platform, and Ash had to act too.

It couldn’t possibly be that he alone would stay here and die.

But how could he get across?

He couldn’t fall into the sea; it was filled with Finger Sharks, and falling in would mean not even his fingernails might survive.

He couldn’t take to the skies, for it was some kind of Technique Spirit storm party, and all flying objects would be struck by lightning.

But, Ash originally didn’t have swimming or flying Technique Spirits, so these limitations didn’t mean much to him.

Ash looked down at the steel wire.

He squatted down and touched it—extremely thin and tough. Just touching it slightly cut a bloody gash in his palm.

If he tried to grab onto the wire, there was no doubt he’d lose his fingers, appetizers for the Finger Sharks.

Ordinary people couldn’t walk across; they had to use a Technique Spirit.

But Ash only had one Technique Spirit!

However, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Substitute Technique Spirit!

A substitute identical to Ash appeared beside him, making the already crowded small platform even more cramped, and Ash was nearly pushed off by the substitute.

Although he summoned his substitute, Ash didn’t know what to do next. He looked at the substitute, looked at the steel wire, pursed his lips and gestured for the substitute to go ahead.

The substitute, naturally having no objections, stepped directly onto the steel wire. The wire effortlessly sliced through his cloth shoes, and with a snap, the substitute dissipated into a wisp of smoke.

Even the slightest injury would instantly cause the substitute to burst and vanish.

But Ash’s eyes lit up.

Although the substitute was cut by the wire, it indeed managed to walk across, and without fear, steady-handed like a faultless robot!

Ash looked at his own shoes; they were the prison-issued cloth shoes, warm in winter and cool in summer, comfortable yet not cut out for walking on a steel wire.

Ash looked around and then turned to face the supervisor, Nague.

Nague raised his eyebrows, “Planning to come over?”

Ignorant of the Executor growing rapidly larger, Ash instead noticed Nague’s steel-soled boots clinking as he walked.

“Supervisor, those boots are so cool. What brand are they?”

At that, Nague brightened up: “You have good taste. These are from the Dark Night King series limited edition by Infernal Lantern, which I had to pre-order three months in advance.”

Ash’s eyes filled with admiration: “Indeed they are the Infernal Lantern’s Dark Night King series limited edition! These are the only boots I’ve ever wanted in my life!”

“It’s Dark Night King. Dark Night Monarch is another series.”

“That’s not important!” Ash waved his hand dismissively, “What’s important is that I hope to wear these boots before redemption, in this life, this is my only request, Supervisor sir, could… could you let me wear these boots?”

Nague’s face stiffened.

“That’s not really good, I’ve already worn them…”

“Rest assured, Supervisor, I don’t mind!” Ash slapped his chest, “Since you’re giving these boots to me, how could I fuss over these minor details?”

Nague’s face twisted with anger because of his words.

But I mind!

And I never said I’d give them to you!

Giving you boots? I’d rather give you a kick and send you down, damn scum!

Daring to take advantage at my expense, Ash Heath, you’re challenging the dignity of the supervisor, challenging the limits of Shattered Lake Prison!

Nague snorted coldly and said loudly:

“Fine!”