Episode 365: The Ghost Castle in the Deep Sea (3)
The word of mouth is over.
The bodies of the dead prisoners were thrown like garbage down the cliffs in the crater.
No one cared about the plight of the prisoners, who were not officially ‘executed’ and would still be reported as ‘alive and imprisoned’ on the registers above.
They will remain locked up on paper in this prison for eternity, even after death.
On the other hand, prisoners who survived the entrance ceremony were assigned floors and rooms.
Bikir, who not only came here after being sentenced to more than 3,000 life sentences, but also showed a nonchalant attitude in the inspection of belongings, medical checkup, and disinfection, was naturally sentenced to the 9th floor of ‘Level Nine’.
…Chunk!
Bikir was confined to a cramped room. Level 9 was basically a solitary confinement system.
The atmosphere in the room was surprisingly normal.
A stone chamber built with large black bricks. Iron bars made of BDSM, a substance that absorbs mana and physical power, were attached to the entire stone chamber.
“This way, I can’t even dig a brick with a spoon.”
The BDSM bars were not only closely spaced, but also covered the ceiling, walls, and floors, making it impossible to escape from the prison.
In the first place, it is meaningless to dig a hole because it is the seabed 10,000 meters below the deep sea, even if you have to go outside through the wall or floor.
Again – drip –
cold drops of water fell between the bricks.
It was a prison guard with extremely concentrated salt.
Indeed, a tremendous amount of moisture clings to the entire body.
A dark, cold and damp energy filled not only the solitary room but also the entire hallway.
There was nothing inside the stone chamber.
Just an empty cube space with nothing like common bedding or dishes.
However, Bikir’s evaluation was quite generous.
“It’s a decent place to live.”
Compared to the days when I rolled countless times on the battlefield with demons, I can say that this situation is comfortable.
The moment Bikir muttered quietly to himself.
…thud!
The heavy iron door over there rang loudly once.
A
door that is so heavy that it requires the effort of over a hundred guards to open it.
It was opened and the prisoners originally imprisoned here were seen entering.
Perhaps it is the way to return from forced labor outside.
“Heo-euk! Keu-heo-eok! Kreureuk-”
“Ueuuhh…”
“Kuh-kkeuh-”
The condition of the prisoners who returned from forced labor in the workshop was all miserable.
Vikir recalled the information he already knew.
All prisoners in New Wave, from level 1 to level 9, have to go out to the workhouse every morning to do labor.
The labor was to dig down the inside of the extinct volcano where the New Wave is located.
It can be said that it is an extension construction to increase the interior space of Nouvelle Vague.
Although it is an extinct volcano, the tremendous level of geothermal heat stored inside the volcano does not fade no matter how long time passes.
That is why the prisoners are boiled, burned, and dried every day, digging again and again.
“The new convicts are also put into work starting tomorrow.”
A voice came from beside the cage where Bikir was standing.
The guard I saw earlier, Second Lieutenant Gareum, was standing next to me before I knew it.
he said as he walked beside a row of prisoners suffering from burns and exhaustion.
“You will wake up at 4:00 AM and work non-stop until 1:00 PM. Lunch will be 10 minutes. After that time, you will work again until midnight. After that, I will go to bed at 1 am.”
In other words, it is said that you have to eat a bad meal, such as black bread or a piece of beef jerky, within 10 minutes of going to bed once a day for 3 hours.
Not to mention the rigorous, high-intensity labor work that continues every day.
Gareum’s voice resonated even upwards due to the nature of the New Wave, which has a vertical panopticon structure.
Bikir was able to sense the overall structure of New Wave by hearing the waves created by Gareum’s voice.
‘……A large cylindrical structure. It looks like the prisoner’s rooms are arranged in a circle on the wall, and there is a workshop in the center of the 9th floor at the bottom.’
The strong prisoners close to level 9 seem to be doing the work of breaking rocks and digging down the ground in the central deep part of the 9th floor underground, while the weak prisoners close to level 1 seem to be doing the work of carrying piles of dirt and rock fragments from far away and throwing them out. .
Prisoners placed in the middle are divided into work areas according to the level of the floor where they are imprisoned, and they do the labor of moving piles of rocks and piles of earth.
In other words, the closer you get to level 9, the more you work in the deepest, hottest, and most dangerous place in the workplace, and the closer you get to level 1, the more you work in a relatively shallow, less hot, and safe place.
It may sound complicated just by looking at the description, but it was a very easy and simple structure when you look at the picture.
Lieutenant Garum said.
“You are currently doing the glorious labor of expanding the Great New Wave. Please work hard with pride.”
Expansion of the New Wave.
To put it in more detail, they were in the process of creating an area even deeper than the ninth floor underground, which is currently called ‘Level Nine’.
A large-scale construction to create the 10th basement floor of the so-called ‘Level Ten’.
Since the 10th floor is being dug down, it is only natural that the workshop is on the 9th floor.
“We plan to transfer vicious criminals who cannot be imprisoned even in Level 9 to the newly created area, Level 10. If the complainants are concerned about their own safety, it would be wise for them to actively cooperate.”
There was some truth in Gareum’s words.
Occasionally, even in Nouvelle Vague, unruly criminals would go on a rampage, but whenever they did, it was always the prisoners who died first and most.
So, from the prisoner’s point of view, it was advantageous in the long run to send the more dangerous prisoners downstairs as soon as possible by participating in the construction the weaker they were.
Bikir also nodded.
‘but. There are many non-standard monsters in New Wave.’
There are quite a few criminals that Vikir knows, who is currently locked up in Level 9.
‘Cistus Ent Megidio’, ‘Sir Griffin’, ‘Sleeping Forest Aurora’, ‘Snow White of Slayer’, ‘Cinderella of Glass Heel’, ‘Marquis de Sade’
… Monsters that were so powerful.
When they were on the ground, they were sentenced to more than 5,000 life sentences and imprisoned here.
“By the way, if you refuse to work or don’t obey the guard’s control, you will be sent to solitary confinement. Don’t think that there is no more terrible floor than Level 9.”
Gareum opened her mouth as if aiming at Bikir.
Hearing that, Bikir nodded slowly.
The solitary confinement that the jailer is referring to now must be a completely different concept from the solitary confinement Bikir is in.
‘It’s solitary. It’s a terrible place. I heard that it’s hard to come out alive once you’re locked up… Did you know that there’s only one prisoner in New Wave that can survive there?’
When Bikir was recalling this or that information he had heard before returning.
“……omg!?”
“Oh come! They come!”
“Everyone get out of the way! If you don’t, you’ll be eaten!”
The prisoners on the low-level floor, who had returned from their labor, stepped back left and right in fright.
The guards were also staring at the other side of the door with their weapons in their hands with a tense look on their faces.
Eventually, black shadows stretch over the horizon where the flames overflow.
Big or small or terrifyingly large shadows.
“…”
“…”
“…”
They were the inmates of Level 9 who had just returned from work in the heart of the labor yard.
When all eyes are on the returning prisoners of Level 9.
Bikir turned his head away as if he wasn’t interested and opened his mouth in a nonchalant tone.
“Hey jailer. Do you have any newspapers?”
Then Lieutenant Gareum, who was sweating and nervous, turned his head.
And then he replied in awe.
“Newspaper? Why are you looking for something so valuable in a prisoner subject?”
“Were newspapers valuable? I didn’t know that.”
“Whatever cultural artifacts in the outside world are precious, especially those that deal with information like newspapers. Newspapers are not easily accessible even to guards, and only the warden’s level or a few privileged classes can read them.”
The connection with the outside world is just as precious and dangerous.
At least that’s how it worked in the New Wave.
Vikir clicked his tongue in regret.
“It’s like a prisoner or a jailer to be imprisoned here.”
Gareum put his hands on his waist as if he was absurd.
However, Gareum did not pull out the three-piece stick worn around her waist.
‘……Tomorrow, that leisure will be gone.’
No matter how much a demon was trapped in Level 9, once he tasted the labors of New Wave, he would have no choice but to faint.
This prison was named after the volcano ‘New Wave’, which was once hotter than any other volcano.
It has become an extinct volcano now, but the geothermal heat, which is still trapped inside and unable to escape, is as hot as hell.
Gareum expressed his condolences in his heart to Bikir, who had to dig down the deepest and hottest part of the place from tomorrow.
This is because even the demons of Level 9 often die there.