Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 1779: Prison Visit

The Atlan Interstellar Prison was located in an empty star domain within the Magus Civilization, quite far from Magus World.

Thanks to the well-established spatial teleportation channels, it did not take Sein long to arrive.

As the most notorious interstellar prison in the Magus Civilization, it was understandably built within a subspace.

After all, a conventional interstellar prison would never be able to prevent powerful Rank Four, Rank Five, or even Rank Six beings from breaking out.

Only by placing it within a subspace could the Magus Civilization enforce truly restrictive measures.

Sein could not help but wonder whether Atlan Interstellar Prison held prisoners beyond Rank Six.

The arrival of a Rank Five mage caused little disturbance within the prison.

When the knight stationed at the prison asked whom he wished to see and what his relationship was to the detainee, Sein paused briefly before replying, “I’m here to see a Rank Four black mage named Leena. She’s my wife.”

His answer caused the Rank Four knight, clad in special armor, to stare at him in clear surprise.

Having connections with black mages was not unusual. During his long years of rotating duty at the Atlan Interstellar Prison, the knight had seen many such cases.

But openly declaring a Rank Four black mage as one’s wife? That was a first in nearly ten thousand years of service!

The pale-haired Rank Four knight scratched his head. “Hmm... For your case, I’ll need to report this to the deputy warden first.”

He continued, “I’ve verified that your wife, Leena, is indeed here. The records state that she was involved in a serious conflict with a Rank Four mage named Jerry and was arrested on the frontlines after severely injuring him.

“Master Jerry’s divine tower legion also suffered heavy losses. Because of the severity of the incident, your visitation time cannot exceed one hundred sandglasses, and you are not allowed to secure her release from this facility.”

Sein frowned when he heard the report, but he had no intention of causing trouble for the knight in front of him.

After listening to the explanation, he bowed respectfully. “Thank you, I wish to see my wife as soon as possible. I believe there may have been some misunderstanding between her and that mage named Jerry.”

Being shown such respect by a Rank Five mage left the red-haired Rank Four knight feeling more than a little flattered.

Magus World still upheld the tradition that mages stood half a rank above knights. Even so, this red-haired Rank Four knight was someone many Rank Five prisoners in the Atlan Interstellar Prison tried hard to curry favor with.

It did not take long before he returned and informed Sein that the deputy warden had approved his visitation request.

Under the knight’s guidance, Sein was led into the main section of the Atlan Interstellar Prison, located within the subspace.

“This subspace...” Not long after entering, Sein slowed slightly, murmuring under his breath as if deep in thought.

This place felt strikingly similar to the Knight Continent and the ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization he had once explored. It was completely different from the subspaces typically created by Rank Four or Rank Five beings.

Besides, Rank Four or Rank Five powerhouses could not possibly construct something on this scale.

To contain an entire interstellar prison like this, one would have to be at least an overlord to be able to carve out such a vast subspace within the Astral Realm.

The Rank Four knight chuckled lightly.

“Yes, this place does feel similar to the Knight Continent, Master Sein. I take it you’ve visited there as well. I’ve heard from senior wardens that Atlan Interstellar Prison was originally a secret realm left behind by a prehistoric top-tier civilization, later discovered and remodeled by our Magus Civilization.”

“Of course, I’ve no idea if that’s true. But the elemental density here still doesn’t compare to the richness of the Knight Continent,” he added.

During their conversation, the knight introduced himself as Byron Hadley.

Sein, in turn, reintroduced himself as the Tower Master of Ashes.

“Ah, so I was right—you are a divine tower master. After I advanced, I also considered founding a knightly order. But I didn’t have the capital, and I had no interest in taking on massive loans. Fortunately, I caught Warden Norton’s attention and was recruited to guard this prison,” Byron said candidly.

While the Clash of Civilizations raged on at the frontlines, Byron Hadley held a stable and secure position guarding the interstellar prison. From a certain perspective, it was indeed a cushy job.

Of course, judging from his reluctance to take on heavy loans, Byron was the type of Rank Four knight who preferred stability over fierce competition.

Not every knight in Magus World was obsessed with battle and bloodshed. Many were pragmatic, just like Byron.

The Atlan Interstellar Prison was immense.

Since entering the subspace, Sein and Byron had been flying for quite some time, yet there was still no sign of reaching the end.

Unlike the open and boundless ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization, this subspace was sealed on all sides by specially forged metallic structures.

The path they followed was an endless metallic corridor.

On both sides stretched rows of metal cells and densely layered magic arrays.

Most of the cells seemed empty.

Sein could detect faint traces of life here and there, but the fluctuations were so weak they were almost imperceptible.

Noticing Sein’s gaze lingering on the vacant cells, Byron explained casually, “This level was not always so empty. After the Clash of Civilizations began, many prisoners were gathered and sent to the frontlines as cannon fodder.”

“It gets more crowded over the next dozen levels or so. The ones held here previously were mostly creatures below Rank Four—primarily demigod-level beings,” he added.

“How many levels are there here?” Sein asked. Sky City should have records on it, but he had never paid much attention to the prison before.

“The Atlan Interstellar Prison officially has twenty-one levels, though I have only been to the first eighteen,” Byron replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Sein glanced at him but said nothing else.

The atmosphere inside the Atlan Interstellar Prison felt heavy and oppressive. It was almost perpetually gloomy inside.

Although magic crystal lamps provided some light, their glow felt insignificant against the vastness of the prison.

Since entering this subspace, even someone of Sein’s strength found it difficult to draw upon much elemental energy. It felt as though an unseen force was suppressing him.

What surprised him most was that, despite its infamous reputation, the prison contained no internal teleportation arrays!

Whether visitor or guard, everyone had to rely on flight to move between levels.

When Sein asked why, Byron was more than happy to explain.

“It’s said to be related to a notorious escape in the prison’s history. After that individual led a group of inmates in a successful breakout, Warden Norton ordered all teleportation arrays within the facility removed.”

“Honestly, though, training in this environment has its advantages. After every rotation here, I can feel my battle qi growing stronger,” he said with a small chuckle.