◇ Chapter 79 Confinement
Bai Yu was surrounded by guards and sent to the dungeon.
Unlike his wife who was thrown into the dungeon with her hands tied behind her back, shoulders pressed down, and hair disheveled, the guards simply surrounded Bai Yu and no one dared to touch him.
All of them had solemn expressions, as if they were facing a formidable enemy. They just stopped one meter away from Bai Yu. It was more like they were surrounding and protecting an important guest than escorting prisoners.
Bai Yu lifted his skirt and stepped over the stairs, pausing for a moment: "Is this the dungeon of the Duke's Mansion?"
The guard said with a deadpan expression: "This is it. Please check in."
This is a remote two-story building in the Duke's Palace. There are seven or eight carved Roman columns on the facade. Although it is severely weathered, the exquisite carvings of the time can still be vaguely seen.
Bai Yu pushed open one of the rooms. The hall was neatly laid out with three dark green fabric sofas in the middle. There was a red brick fireplace on the wall opposite the door. Behind the pure white gauze was a whole wall of windows and even a balcony. The winter sun was pouring in through the window and falling on the balcony.
Bai Yu confirmed again: "Is this a dungeon?"
The guard said seriously: "Yes, this is the dungeon of the Duke's Palace."
Grand Duke Imur is the only owner of the mansion. Wherever he says there is a dungeon, that is the dungeon, even if this "dungeon" is not underground.
Bai Yu lowered his eyes slightly, with a complicated look on his face.
The guard coughed and said, "You stay here. The interrogator will come later."
He even used honorifics.
Bai Yu nodded, and the guard was visibly relieved. He took a step back and closed the door.
This room seemed to have not been used for a long time. The door hinges were rusty and made a harsh friction sound as he moved. Then, Bai Yu heard the sound of the door being locked.
The door was locked.
66: "My goodness, they surrounded this house like a metal barrel."
The system's screen displayed the positions of the surrounding guards. There were densely packed red dots, completely surrounding the two-story building.
Bai Yu sat down on the sofa. There was actually a bookcase in the living room. There were at least one or two hundred books in it, covering everything from customs and geography to humanities and history. Bai Yu took out a book and started reading.
He read aimlessly. The book introduced a city-state outside Ilriachi, which was rich in spices and beautiful slaves.
He turned two pages and there was a knock on the door. It was a prim old man with silver-gray curly hair and glasses. He looked at Bai Yu with sharp eyes and finally forced a smile. The smile bloomed on his weather-beaten cheeks, like two foxtail grasses waving in the wind growing in the barren hills.
He extended his hand to Bai Yu: "Hello, nice to meet you, I'm your interrogator."
“…”
The scene seemed a little strange. Bai Yu paused for a moment and opened the door: "...Hello, nice to meet you, I'm Bai Yu."
The interrogator and the prisoner shook hands solemnly, then shook it politely.
Bai Yu leaned aside: "Please come in."
The two of them sat on two sofas in the living room, with a marble-top coffee table in the middle.
Bai Yu: "Would you like some tea?"
He had just checked and the house even had tea bags ready.
"No need." The old man spread out his notes: "Mr. Bai, I came here to consult you about something."
Bai Yu: "Glad to help."
The old man was obviously an experienced interrogator, with a pair of gray-brown eyes like an eagle's. He started with the story of how Bai Yu joined the Black Robe Society, interspersed with suggestive remarks and questions. If Bai Yu was really an undercover agent, he would have already told him all the information he knew.
But unfortunately, Bai Yu really didn’t know.
He had not been in this world for long, and his knowledge of the Black Robe Society was limited to a few gatherings. He only knew the Madam and Hammerhead Shark among the members of the Black Robe Society. The Madam had been imprisoned, and Hammerhead Shark was dead. As for the others, Bai Yu had never even seen them, let alone knew their identities and names.
He could not provide any valuable information to the Duke's Palace. Even the best interrogator in the world could not get anything out of him.
As the interrogation was halfway through, the old man's forehead was covered with cold sweat.
His notebook was empty, not a single word had been written down so far. This young man named Bai Yu was a master at anti-interrogation, and his words were flawless without any loopholes.
In the past, the old man would have tortured such a tough guy.
But it doesn't work.
Because Grand Duke Imur is right next to this room.
There is a facility similar to an echo wall in the house, and every word they say here can be clearly transmitted to the next door.
The old man knew clearly that the prisoner in front of him was different from others, whether from this unique cell or the ambiguous attitude of Grand Duke Imur. He had asked the Grand Duke what methods he could use.
At that time, Grand Duke Yimur's eyebrows were as cold as ice. He raised his eyebrows to look at the old man and said calmly: "Don't use anything that can cause harm to the body."
Old man: “…”
It doesn't cause any harm to the body, it's a damn punishment.
That's why he's sitting here, trying to tease out the details with dialogue.
But Bai Yu was obviously not someone who could easily get words out of him. After a few repetitive sentences, the old man had to close his pen and said seriously, "Sir, the Black Robe Society already knows that you have been exposed. You know so many of their secrets. Even if we don't take action, they will come to eradicate us. I hope you think clearly. Cooperating with the Grand Duke's Mansion is your only way out."
“…”
Bai Yu really didn’t know.
The old man frowned slightly when he saw that he was stubborn and unyielding, thinking that if he continued like this, even if he was locked up in this small building for several years, he would not say anything.
Can’t harm the body…
The old man's eyes moved slightly and his gaze fell on Bai Yu's nose.
Those were the new glasses the Duke bought for Bai Yu.
I heard that this servant had serious eyesight problems and couldn't live a normal life without his glasses.
The old man then smiled and said, "Excuse me, sir. Please give me your glasses."
Bai Yu paused, and the old man had already taken his glasses off his nose.
“…”
His vision became blurred, the fireplace and bookcases were distorted into blocks of brick red and brown and black. Bai Yu's body subconsciously tensed up, then quickly relaxed.
The old man: "I hope you will think carefully about what I said. If you change your mind, please contact me."
Bai Yu nodded: "Thank you for your advice."
For a spy and a traitor, the punishment was just taking away his glasses. Bai Yu couldn't ask for more.
Without him being able to sense it, the old man stood up and knocked on the door of the next room.
There was a one-way lens next to him. The Grand Duke was sitting on the couch, looking at me meaningfully.
The old man handed over the glasses with both hands: "Grand Duke, is this feasible?"
“…”
Imur rubbed his brow wearily: "Let it go."
The Duke ignored the slight discomfort in his heart and told himself: "It's just taking away my glasses, which is already a very light punishment."
The old man placed a pair of narrow-framed glasses in front of the Grand Duke, who bowed and then stepped back.
On the other side of the lens, the doctor had been sitting quietly for a long time.
He sat calmly on the sofa, without any movement, like a frozen sculpture. His expression was cold and indifferent, but his fingers curled up uncontrollably and a little cold sweat oozed out of his palms.
Without his glasses, the doctor could not read, and the collection of local stories was placed on his knees, where Imur often slept.
The vision was too blurry, causing him to feel dizzy and nauseous. Bai Yu had to close his eyes, but the feeling of nausea did not ease. In the end, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
“…”
Through the lens, Imur couldn't help but reach out and pinch the frame.
The doctor looks terrible now.
He seemed to have been stripped of his indestructible armor and deprived of his basic rights. He was like a bird trapped in a golden cage, with only emptiness and silence in his eyes.
Yimuer lowered his eyes and thought silently: "...He deserves it, this is what he deserves!"
As he thought so, the hand holding his glasses unconsciously exerted force, and it became tighter and tighter.
Time passed minute by minute, and the Grand Duke suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the small room, his brows furrowed, looking anxious, and his bright face was filled with dark clouds.
——Compared to Bai Yu who was sitting quietly in the next room, he was more like the prisoner who was deprived of his sight.
66 gently poked Bai Yu and whispered, "Host, are you okay?"
Bai Yu said calmly: "...It's okay."
66 pouted: "But your sweat has already dripped down to your chin..."
As a prisoner, Bai Yu's meal was normal. The waiter brought him the meal, but Bai Yu could not even see the knife and fork clearly. The cooked red meat sauce and dark green seaweed mixed together into a disgusting color. He took two bites and put it down.
66: "...Host, let's go to bed early."
Bai Yu nodded. It gets dark early in winter. It’s just past seven o’clock and it’s already completely dark.
66: "The light is around the corner about 10 steps ahead of you."
Bai Yu: "No need to turn on the light, I can't see anything."
He groped for the stair railing, went upstairs, then lay down on the big bed in the bedroom and closed his eyes.
The night was eerily quiet.
There were waiters coming and going in the Duke's Mansion at night, and people were coming and going. Moreover, it was close to the lake, so there was bound to be the chirping of cicadas and birds. However, this small building was too quiet and no sound could be heard.
Bai Yu could only hear his own breathing as he lay flat on the bed like a corpse.
“…”
After an unknown amount of time, Bai Yu whispered, "66?"
"Hey, I'm here."
"Can you show me the way to the bathroom?"
"Of course, host." 66 replied quickly, and scanned the small screen: "Well, there is no second floor. You have to go to the first floor. The stairs are about 8 steps to your right."
Bai Yu nodded, sat up, felt the wall with his fingers, and slowly walked down.
He had a slender figure and a straight back, but his steps were extremely slow. The huge room was empty and his back seemed to blend into the darkness and be swallowed up completely.
66: "Host, be careful——"
There is a small turning platform between the two upward steps, and in the platform there are triangular steps. 66 reminded him in time, and Bai Yu stumbled slightly, but quickly stood up holding the railing without kneeling on the ground.
He smiled: "Thank you."
66: "…There's nothing to thank you for."
In the next room, Grand Duke Imur stood up suddenly.
He held his breath when Bai Yu stood up, and when he was tripped, he finally couldn't control himself. He paced back and forth in the room, talking to himself, constantly admonishing himself: "He deserves it, he wanted to kill me, he deserves it!"
As he said this, he punched the couch.
Imur gritted his teeth, his eyes slightly red with anger, he muttered viciously, as if this was the only way to suppress the hardship and bitterness in his heart.
"He refused to explain himself, refused to beg for mercy, refused to reveal any information about the Black Robe Society... This is what he deserves!"
The Grand Duke angrily punched the soft pillow twice, and it finally collapsed to the ground. Imur took a deep breath and finally calmed down. His fingertips trembled, and he called the guards: "Go! Get the spare glasses!"
When the previous Grand Duke was in office, several ladies and sons in the mansion were nearsighted, so glasses were always available in the mansion.
Imur could not return Bai Yu's glasses to him, as that would prove his soft-heartedness and make the doctor even more unscrupulous and arrogant. He had to make the doctor realize his mistake, apologize, and know that the Grand Duke's wrath could not be easily dissipated, and only then would he return the glasses to the doctor.
But he could place lenses of the same degree in the room, pretending that they were already there, and trick the doctor into finding them.
...The doctor found the lens himself, what does it have to do with the Duke?
The guards were extremely efficient and quickly delivered a box of lenses.
In order to avoid having only one degree being too deliberate, Imur deliberately mixed seven or eight degrees. The small box was filled with lenses, neatly placed in different grids. At first glance, it really looked like something that was casually left behind.
Imur waved his hand and let the guards go down.
When delivering something to the doctor, you cannot go through the front door. The door is old and the sound of opening it is too loud and will definitely be noticed.
Ymur looked out the window.
The room has a balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows.
When people want to go down to the balcony, they need to lower the lock, which will also make a sound.
Imur silently twisted his fingertips, wrinkling his expensive robe.
He pushed open the balcony door and looked down. The guards were all outside the courtyard of the small building. It would take some time for them to leave here. Unless the Duke ordered, no one would come in to disturb them.
“…”
Imur then raised his hand and grasped the buttons of his shirt.
He took off his clothes one by one with an expressionless face, and then his body landed lightly on the ground, turning into a platinum-colored short-legged kitten.
The kitten picked up the glasses case.
He walked to the balcony with cat-like steps, and his paw pads made no sound when they touched the ground.
The two balconies are less than 20 centimeters apart, and there is a gap between the railings, just enough for a kitten to pass through.
Ymur then stepped back, took a running start, and then leapt forward—
Pah.
After all, short-legged cats have really short legs.
Fortunately, he successfully landed on the doctor's balcony, and his belly hit the ground without making much noise. Imur shook his fur, looked around holding the box in his mouth, and sneaked into the living room and put the things on the table.
There were already a lot of miscellaneous items on the table, so the box didn't look out of place.
...But how can I get the doctor to notice this and come over to check it out?
Imur angrily scratched the table with his claws, turned around on the spot, and then sank into his dantian, roaring in the most ferocious, brutal, and unyielding voice: "Meow——!"
—Damn you, doctor, come and see me!
He was filled with anger, and even his cry was full of resentment, which was completely different from the adorable platinum kitten. The doctor would definitely not be able to hear it.
——It makes sense that a wild cat would accidentally run into the balcony of a building in a remote location in the Grand Duke's Palace, right?
The doctor really noticed this. He groped his way to the balcony in the dark and asked in surprise, "Cat? Why is there a cat here?"
Imur gave him a resentful look.
The platinum dumpling shook its big tail, walked back to the balcony again, then stepped back, gathered strength, and pounced -
Pah.
He landed smoothly on the next balcony.
Ymur wagged his tail, walked back to the room, and jumped into the pile of clothes. The Grand Duke's clothes were complicated and cumbersome, with more than a dozen buttons alone. He changed back to human form, and while buttoning his clothes, he thought bitterly, "Damn doctor, I've already given you the glasses. If you can't find them, don't blame me."
On the other side, Bai Yu groped for the table where the glasses were placed.
The kitten meowed once and then stopped making any sound. I didn’t know if it had left. It was too dim at night and 66 couldn’t see clearly.
Duke Imur hates cats, and there is not a single cat in the Duke's mansion. If this kitten falls into the hands of the guards, its fate will probably be a bit ugly.
Although Bai Yu could not protect himself, the food delivered every day was sufficient for him to temporarily feed the kitten.
Thinking of this, Bai Yu walked to the edge of the platform, reached out and began to feel around.
Of course he didn't touch the kitten, but he touched a wooden box.
66 was surprised: "Hey, was there this box when we first arrived? The carvings on the surface look very precious. Host, please open it and take a look."
Bai Yu then unfastened the buckle, and as soon as the box was opened, he heard 66 screaming, "Oh my God, host, this is a box of lenses!"
The system was very excited: "Hurry up and try it, host, and see if there is anything you can use."
Bai Yu paused slightly, groped with his fingers, and tried them one by one.
These lenses were neatly arranged according to their degrees, and his vision gradually became clearer. When he tried one of them, Bai Yu blinked.
He could clearly see the moonlight shining outside the window.
A bright moon hangs high in the sky, surrounded by a few stars. Under the moonlight, the curtains, balcony, fireplace, sofa... everything is clearly visible.
Bai Yu exhaled a breath, and his tense nerves relaxed quietly.
66 smiled widely on the small screen: "Oh my god, host, we are so lucky. There are lenses in this place, and they happen to have your prescription!"
Bai Yu didn't say anything.
He looked at the small box quietly. The box was made of intricate craftsmanship, with a gold-painted surface and inlaid with mother-of-pearl and rubies and sapphires.
This era did not have the technology of later generations, let alone blue light filtering and other effects. The lenses were pure glass, and this box of glass actually sparkled with a crystal-like luster under the moonlight.
"66," Bai Yu said softly, "What do you think the probability is that I found a box of brand new lenses in a deserted building in the Duke's Mansion. And among these lenses, there is exactly one with my degree?"
The author has something to say:
Kitten: "The doctor found the glasses himself. What does it have to do with me?"
Doctor: Thoughtful.
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