Chapter 121: scene

Y"Forget it, I’ll worry about it later!"After a moment of serious thought, Herbert chose to stop thinking.Evasion is shameful, but it’s truly useful.Awakening memories, Pure Oath, civilizing foreign races... too much has happened, too little can be done. There’s no point in dwelling on it; he can only take things one step at a time."Since things are like this, I should eat first."Herbert had missed lunch due to sorting through his memories. Instead of going to the cafeteria, he turned towards the kitchen.This wasn’t the Duke’s residence, so there were no servants specifically leaving food for him. The kitchen contained smoked jerky and black bread.It was unappetizing, but enough to fill his stomach.Although this behavior wasn’t entirely compliant with the rules, given the Albert Family’s years of generous donations to the Monastery, it was unlikely that any ignorant Cultivator would nitpick over such a small matter."Speaking of which, if I find it agonizing to uphold the oath, others should feel the same. How do they relieve the pressure in their hearts when they can’t hold on?"Herbert nodded in greeting as he passed some Ascetic Cultivators, noting down the details about them.Worn clothes, gaunt figures, silent... but surprisingly, not many wounds on their bodies."It seems only a very few Ascetic Cultivators choose the pain of self-mutilation to suppress desires. So how do the others resolve it?"Herbert pondered this question as he entered the kitchen. Just as he was about to pick a suitable long baguette, his pupils suddenly contracted.Just now, he had inexplicably twitched his nose, precisely smelling a very faint yet strangely familiar scent amidst the complex aromas of the kitchen.Heather scent!??Is this right?This, this isn’t right."Hiss!"Herbert was silent for a long time. After a lot of mental preparation, he finally mustered the courage to slowly look towards the source of the scent.In a bucket in the corner, he saw a dead fish floating belly-up on the water, its mouth wide open.?"Hiss... it’s a Grass Carp!"..Dinner was stewed Grass Carp.Herbert didn’t touch a bite.Let alone touching it, he didn’t even go to the cafeteria.He didn’t want to accidentally eat the ’essence porridge’, but he couldn’t actively warn others, because that would inevitably be noticed by a certain fish-lover.No choice, it’s fine if I suffer a bit; let them enjoy this blessing.Chewing hard, dry bread in his room was already quite good.Chewing contentedly on the hard bread that could be used as a weapon to bludgeon someone to death, and thinking of the tragedy in the kitchen corner, Herbert couldn’t help but hum lightly."Heh, that guy too. It’s one thing to let Brother Fish die with grievances, but why didn’t he even let him close his mouth afterwards? So impolite."This was too blasphemous.However, on the other hand, ’You are not a fish, how do you know the joy of fish?’ Perhaps they were deeply in love...After a period of wild thoughts, Herbert reined in his wandering mind and began to ponder silently.He wasn’t gossiping about that person’s identity, nor did he want to gain the appreciation of the Monastery’s upper echelons by tattling; he wasn’t that bored.Regarding others’ unique fetishes, he always didn’t understand but expressed respect and blessings.After his eyes were opened, he suddenly realized something: he seemed to have unintentionally discovered a bug that could be exploited... ah no, a feature.Forbidden communication between a Cultivator and a fish, is that blasphemous enough?More than enough!Such an absurd act, let alone Cultivators who have taken the Pure Oath, even Cultivators of other oaths should suffer a backlash.Humans cannot, at least they shouldn’t.However, such a blasphemous thing happened so vividly in an unnoticed corner, and no one heard the Grass Carp’s lament.Up until this moment, everything in the Monastery was normal; Herbert hadn’t heard any news of a Cultivator breaking their oath and suffering harm."Is the news being suppressed? Or is it... similar to ’a priest’s intimate interaction with a little boy’ not counting as breaking a vow? Is it fine as long as it’s not between men and women?"Grass Carp ≠ Breaking a vow?Tsk.Damn it, I’m already in another world, and this blasted inequality is still chasing me!...Heh.While feeling utterly speechless, Herbert was also a little excited.It wasn’t that he had any special preference for slender little boys in over-the-knee white socks; he genuinely wasn’t into that. Rather, this discovery gave him a bit of inspiration.His occupational disease of exploiting legal loopholes had flared up.Hey, I have an idea!You see, if animals are not counted within the scope of vow-breaking targets, does that mean... it’s fine as long as the target isn’t human?You know, there are quite a lot of races in this world!Like elves, dryads, centaurs, mermaids, Dragons, succubi... these different races are enough to send any non-human enthusiast into ecstasy.Moreover, his current position as Warden just happens to give him the opportunity to verify his hypothesis.But amidst his excitement, Herbert felt a slight hesitation in his heart.The Holy Knight profession has existed for so many years; he didn’t believe he was the first lucky person to discover this characteristic.The reproductive capacity of humans in this world is extremely exaggerated, second only to some green-skinned goblins, and there is no reproductive isolation with most foreign races.Although these foreign races are wary of humans and even regarded as enemies, being scornfully called ’demonic beasts’, due to subtle reasons like tribal wars and slave trade, the birth of mixed-bloods from human-foreign race unions is not uncommon.Such as half-elves, half-orcs, Dragonborn, half-doppelgangers, half-demons, etc. In some seaside legends, there are even fish-headed, human-bodied mermen... Hmm?Uh, why does it feel like I’ve accidentally stumbled upon some secret?These mixed-blood offspring, ostracized and despised by both parents, though not as numerous as true major races, have formed their own groups, and some powerful ones have even established nations.Inferring from this information, the possibility of interspecies marriage shouldn’t be a sudden realization for him; someone should have discovered this loophole long ago.Sure enough, when Herbert opened the thick, brick-like scripture and checked, he easily found a wide variety of ornate ways to break oaths—or rather, case files.Hiss!There were already brave warriors who sacrificed themselves to feed demons, each playing more elaborately than the last, and each dying more tragically than the last.Perhaps because those who knowingly break the law are doubly guilty, the fates of these brothers were not pretty.These fierce men either died from the backlash of their broken oaths, or those who survived were hunted down by the Church’s Inquisition and executed—none were spared.Truly penal!It has that ’reading the criminal law’ vibe!Well, this path is blocked.At this point, Herbert could only temporarily put away his somewhat dangerous cleverness—humans cannot, because the precepts do not allow it.Furthermore, even if he were to take a step back, those foreign Young Misses in the prison, even when suppressed, could crush him with one hand. Trying to use his looks would risk being played to death.Even being a male escort carries a risk to life; this world is truly unreasonable.Sigh, forget it, forget it!"The big head controls the small head. Finding a way to become stronger is the top priority; don’t dabble in those Demonic Paths."Herbert now only hoped that he could soon gain sufficiently powerful strength through his Holy Knight cultivation, allowing him to resist the punishment of oath-breaking earlier and break free from his cage to enjoy his free life."Freedom!"Herbert stood up, stretched, and walked towards the main door, preparing to step outside and breathe in the sweet air of the free land.But just as Herbert was about to push the door open, the stigmata on the back of his hand erupted in a scorching sting, making him tremble and abruptly stop in front of the door....At this moment, Herbert felt an icy chill run down his spine.On Herbert’s first day at the Monastery, he had been repeatedly warned never to go out after midnight, and he had never had any intention of wandering out at night.But just now, he had almost walked out of his room defenselessly, into the seemingly peaceful night.What exactly...Gulp.Herbert swallowed, then laboriously turned his head to look at the mechanical clock beside him.He saw the gilded hand had just completed a full circle—Midnight had passed.

Who was plotting in the shadows? Did the princess know? Was anyone from the Albert Family involved?

Herbert had no doubt that once he returned to the capital, answers to these questions could certainly be found through clues.

Because the opponent seemed to disdain hiding anything.

But... why go back?

Herbert was in no hurry to return and expose the culprit to clear his name.

Those things that were once incredibly important to the naive youth held no meaning for him now.

He didn’t care.

Having arrived in a transcendent world with magic and gods, should he still be entangled in the melodramatic family ethics dramas of kingdom nobles?

That would be... too pathetic.

The revenge plot most favored by the old generation is not as complex as the honorable duels in Western stories.

Cultivate, grow stronger, then go back and give everyone involved a resounding slap across the face, and all problems will be solved.

It’s that simple.

There’s nothing in this world that one slap can’t solve.

If one isn’t enough, then two.

Still not enough, then keep hitting until it is.

If you act crudely and perfunctorily, I will be even more brutal and arrogant than you.

The Mist Monastery, which has existed for over a thousand years, is the oldest Monastery on the entire Southern Continent, preserving a complete Holy Knight Inheritance.

Normally, not just anyone is qualified to come here, let alone become one of their Disciple.

Since Herbert had come here, it was impossible for him to miss this precious opportunity; he was determined to obtain this Inheritance.

"However, it’s one thing to say it, but to truly obtain the Inheritance... it might not be that easy."

Perhaps to make the noble Disciple retreat in the face of difficulty, or perhaps someone was making trouble, the Monastery’s higher-ups assigned Herbert a very tricky task—reforming prisoners.

The Mist Monastery holds a special status and does not imprison ordinary human heretics; all prisoners qualified to be held here are extremely dangerous foreign powerhouses!

Sea monsters that annihilated several seaports, Dragons that destroyed several towns, fallen elves who slaughtered thousands, demons who incited slave rebellions, devils who plotted royal blood cases... each one was a rare talent.

For these beings, ordinary torture was meaningless; only long periods of time could wear down their will, which is why the Warden position had been vacant for so long before Herbert’s arrival.

Herbert had already made an initial inspection yesterday under the personal guidance of the Archbishop, gaining a preliminary impression of each prisoner.

The prisoners had various temperaments; most chose to ignore his arrival, a few were willing to communicate but their attitude was indifferent, more like they were just casually chatting to pass the time.

And there were a few prisoners who expressed their "enthusiasm" for him, the long-awaited Warden, each pushing the aggressiveness of their language to the extreme.

Recalling the events of yesterday, Herbert couldn’t help but sigh. To gain the Inheritance by reforming this group of fellows would likely take a lot of effort.

"Hey! Kid, you’ve been sighing for half an hour over there, are you done yet?!"

A mocking voice sounded from behind, and the evil being in the cage sneered at Herbert’s weakness.

"It’s only been one day, and you’re already scared? D