Work Prophet
Chapter 565 - 183: Do You Live Here?

Chapter 565: Chapter 183: Do You Live Here?

Sir Duren had been locked in the dungeon for a full three days now.

He knew he had truly offended the New Emperor this time and wondered how he would be dealt with; it wasn’t impossible that he could be killed.

But Duren did not regret his choice, he was just somewhat worried about his wife and daughter.

Knowing that meeting with Gars might be more dangerous than not, the former Imperial Forest Guard Captain had already sent them out of the city the night before the coronation ceremony to seek refuge with his cousin, who had a piece of land in Elk Valley.

As Duren was wondering when Shelly and Yimer would reach Elk Valley, he saw an object flying overhead and land on the pile of straw in front of him.

Duren was startled.

He did not recognize the small, black box and hesitated about whether to hand it over to the dungeon guards when suddenly a voice rang in his ear.

"Sir Duren."

"Who?!"

Duren’s body bristled with caution as he surveyed his surroundings, but he saw no one suspicious.

"No need to look, I’m not in the dungeon."

Duren felt the voice sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t immediately recall who it was. The accent suggested it wasn’t native to the Bratis Continent.

"Who exactly are you and where are you hiding?" Duren asked gravely.

However, the voice did not answer his question, and instead continued, "Do as I say, and we will be able to communicate.

"Now, pick up the small black box on the ground, find the black button on the side—ah, it will be slightly raised compared to its surroundings and have a small pattern like a sword."

"Press and hold that spot when speaking, and release it when you’re finished; I’ll be able to hear you."

Li Yu waited for about two minutes after finishing but heard nothing in response.

So Li Yu repeated the same instructions, still to no reply, and just as he began to suspect whether the person Jude found had thrown the communicator to the right place, Duren’s voice came through from the other side, hesitant, "Are you... living inside this black box?"

Li Yu was the only person on the Bratis Continent who communicated with the locals in Chinese, so usually, his voice was quite distinctive.

But his ability to automatically translate only worked face-to-face. If he used a walkie-talkie or a radio, unless the other party was a servant of Saturday or Clara, Li Yu would have to switch to Universal Language.

Fortunately, after such a long time, his Universal Language had become quite fluent, and there were no major issues in communicating with others or reading routine letters and books.

Although Duren had just met and conversed with Li Yu a few days earlier, when he suddenly heard Li Yu speak Universal Language, it felt unfamiliar and he couldn’t immediately guess the identity of the person on the other end.

But Li Yu didn’t keep it secret, continuing, "I don’t live inside that box, so please make sure not to open it. That’s just a Holy Artifact used for communication by the Double Rest Sect."

Duren indeed thought about smashing the walkie-talkie to see if there was a little person speaking inside, and feeling somewhat embarrassed, he stopped what he was doing upon hearing this. It was after hearing the words ’Double Rest Sect’ that he finally remembered why the voice sounded so familiar.

"Prophet Merlin, is it you speaking to me?"

"Yes, it’s me."

Duren sighed, "I remember you warned me that night, saying I was going in the wrong direction with my investigation, that the Priest of Cornelia might have misled me about Earl Clyde’s matter, but I didn’t listen."

"With the relationship between Cornelia and Edward II, it’s no surprise you would believe her over me," Li Yu said.

"Anyway, I lost the bet," Duren said, "so now I’m here."

"Do you want to leave this dungeon?" Li Yu asked directly.

"No, I did wrong, I was used by others, defaming the New Emperor of the Empire, affecting his reputation, I need to bear the corresponding consequences, even if it costs me my life," Duren said calmly.

He was mentally prepared for such an outcome.

"Though you will not be executed immediately, I’ve heard His Majesty intends to exile you to Red Rock Island."

"Red Rock Island?" The former Imperial Forest Guard Captain’s eyes flickered slightly, "Good, I can wait there for the Wing Tribe to come."

"You will die, there are hardly any soldiers guarding Red Rock Island."

"I am not afraid of death, especially if it’s in the defense of the Empire."

"But once you are dead, no one will continue to seek out the real killer of Edward II," Li Yu reminded him.

"You should know the nobles in this city better than I do, you know what choice they will make between their interests and the truth."

Duren was left speechless.

"Moreover, forgive me for being blunt, but your death on Red Rock Island would be meaningless, the Wing Tribe wouldn’t give you the chance of a fair one-on-one duel, and afterwards, they won’t even remember who they killed," Li Yu added.

"If you are truly loyal to your country, then you should use your martial arts and military talents to make the invaders pay a steeper price."

Duren pondered Li Yu’s words and seemed somewhat persuaded. After a moment, he said, "Prophet Merlin, do you have a way to convince His Majesty to let me redeem myself for my crimes?"

"No," Li Yu’s response was just as straightforward.

After a pause, he added, "I’ve tried to have someone speak on your behalf, even sought out Prime Minister Elwin, and Essos pleaded for you as well, but Gars is adamant, he’s determined to send you to Red Rock Island."

"I didn’t know you had done so much to try and get me out of here," Duren said, somewhat surprised.

"The other nobles in the city, they should all be avoiding me, aren’t you and Sir Irelia afraid that the Emperor will vent his anger on you for helping me?"

"It doesn’t matter, we are leaving Lion Heart Castle to return to the western lands tomorrow anyway," Li Yu said, "Would you like to leave with us?"

"How can I leave with you? Didn’t you just say that His Majesty has made up his mind to send me to Red Rock Island?" Duren was puzzled.

"I can get someone to take you away with us, but doing so might badly affect your reputation."

Duren didn’t understand at first, but he quickly realized, "You mean to have someone kidnap me?"

"Exactly, before sending you to Red Rock Island, Gars still wants to have you flogged. He initially chose Irelia for the task, but she declined, so he had to find someone else."

"Who?"

"Jonier of the Haber family."

"Black Heart Jonny?" Duren said, "I know him; he was heavy-handed during a spar, blinding his opponent in one eye and earning that nickname. It seems the Emperor wants to teach me a harsh lesson."

"The execution is scheduled for tomorrow morning. You will be taken out of the dungeon, and that’s when my men can take the opportunity to rescue you."

With the situation changing, Li Yu adjusted his plan accordingly.