Chapter 644: Ice Prison
He Gai Tou descended the ice ladder, gradually plunging deeper underground.
The surrounding walls were constructed from massive ice bricks. Along the way, alchemy torches burned with white ice flames, emitting wispy cold air.
This was Ice Prison.
The path He Gai Tou walked led only to the warden's chamber.
He knew this environment intimately. Yet this familiarity brought him no warmth.
Even with the Ice Heart Headband, a chill stirred within him.
He Gai Tou knew that though he had left the Ice Prison years ago, it had left a profound psychological trauma upon him. That trauma had never truly faded.
He had once been a prisoner within these very walls.
“Ah ha ha! Old friend, it's been a while!” The warden stood at the doorway; arms raised in an enthusiastic welcome.
Unusually, the warden of the Ice Prison was not a snow elf, but a human.
He was a gold level magician.
The Ice Prison was the top-level penitentiary in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. Having a human serve as its warden was exceptionally rare within the kingdom's political landscape.
"Lord Prison Warden." He Gai Tou bowed slightly towards the warden.
The warden feigned displeasure: “Still so formal. Just call me by name.”
With that, he ushered He Gai Tou inside, his face alight with a warm smile.
He Gai Tou understood well. The warden's warmth and smile did not reflect his true disposition.
Perhaps this was the difference between humans and elves.
For He Gai Tou, he actually preferred dealing with the snow elves. Their businesslike manner and cool demeanor felt more genuine than the smiles of humans.
For humans, smiles were often masks concealing worldly desires.
Just like this time.
The Ice Prison Warden greeted He Gai Tou with precisely such desires.
The warden's chamber was not spacious.
He Gai Tou knew it hadn't always been this way.
After taking office, the current Ice Prison Warden had vigorously cut expenses, leading by example. The warden's chamber had consequently been reduced in size, its former space-expanding magic formation dismantled.
He Gai Tou understood, however, that this was merely a political performance by the Ice Prison Warden. In truth, he secretly pocketed more than any of his predecessors.
The largest sum the Ice Prison Warden truly embezzled came from He Gai Tou himself.
Though the warden's office was small, the desk was enormous, almost bed-sized, dominating the largest space within.
Separated by this massive desk, the two men took their seats.
The seating arrangement here was meticulously planned.
The Ice Prison Warden's seat was noticeably higher. While humans were generally shorter than elves, once He Gai Tou sat down, the difference in seat height made him appear a full head shorter than the warden across from him.
This naturally gave the Ice Prison Warden a condescending angle of gaze.
The warden gazed at He Gai Tou with a smile, his tone tinged with nostalgia. “It's been over twenty years since you left this place.”
“Do you recall that time? I was merely a deputy warden back then.”
“It was thanks to you that we secured the championship in that National Ceremony Grand Duel.” That achievement paved the way for my victory in the subsequent election, ultimately elevating me to warden of this prison."
The Ice Sculpture Kingdom had a policy: during the National Ceremony Grand Duel, prisons across the kingdom would nominate prisoners to compete.
Prisoners could receive sentence reductions based on their performance.
He Gai Tou was a beneficiary of this policy. After winning the championship, the kingdom granted him a full pardon.
Of course, this was also because his original crime wasn't that severe.
Despite the warden's polite tone and grateful demeanor, He Gai Tou knew this was a deliberate hint.
The warden's words carried at least two layers of meaning.
It wasn't merely an expression of kindness but also held hidden expectations.
So, He Gai Tou responded.
“Back then, it was all thanks to you, Warden, that I was pardoned and regained my freedom.”
"I have never forgotten this kindness. All these years, I have been seeking ways to repay it. Regrettably, your stature far surpasses mine, so I can only offer modest tokens of gratitude."
Each year, He Gai Tou delivered at least 3,000 gold coins to the Ice Prison Warden.
“This visit to discuss business with you, Lord, concerns a particularly lucrative venture.”
The warden's expression immediately sharpened with interest.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing as he studied He Gai Tou. “Oh? Tell me more.”
He Gai Tou: “I know there's currently a prisoner in the Ice Prison named Bing Yang.”
"This man was once a gold level, but he fell victim to the potion [Beautiful Future]. He's now dropped to the silver level."
“I want him to participate in this year's National Ceremony Grand Duel. Have him challenge someone.”
The warden immediately frowned.
“Hold on.”
“You know that despite being the nation's top prison, the Ice Prison only gets one recommendation slot.”
“Bing Yang is a sickly weakling. He can't fight.” “Even if he could, he's only at the silver level now.”
“I know he was once gold level. He might stand out among silver level fighters.”
“But it doesn't matter!”
“In every National Ceremony Grand Duel, the gold level fighters always dominate the finals.”
"Silver level fighters are relegated to the sidelines. No matter how spectacular their fights, they never make it to the later rounds."
“I'll be honest with you; I'm counting on this year's National Ceremony Grand Duel for my achievements.”
"Our current candidate is Shi Liu. He's a magnetic earth elemental who has consistently dominated our internal sparring sessions. I hold great promise for him."
“While his strength may not surpass Long Fu, he absolutely possesses the capability to secure a top five finish.”
He Gai Tou smiled. “Warden, please hear me out.”
“You still don't know who I want Bing Yang to challenge.”
The Ice Prison Warden: “Who?”
“Long Fu,” He Gai Tou replied.
“Him?” The Ice Prison Warden's eyebrows were raised.
Of course he'd heard of Long Fu.
More than once.
The dragonman youngster's fame spread far and wide. His feat of defeating and slaying a gold level opponent while only silver level was a rarity unseen in a century.
And since arriving in the capital, Long Fu impersonated by Zong Ge had accepted numerous duel challenges, winning every single one without a single loss.
While these victories weren't as spectacular as Teng Dong Lang's legendary battle, they solidified his reputation, earning him considerable attention, support, and admiration.
The Ice Prison Warden knew even more than that.
He also learned that the mount potions sold by the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps were incredibly popular. Everyone who used them raved about them!
He had even used them on his own mounts and was deeply impressed by the dragon rider potion.
Of course, that gold level dragon rider potion had been a gift from someone else.
When He Gai Tou mentioned Long Fu, a flash of understanding lit up the Ice Prison Warden's eyes.
He remarked, “Long Fu possesses formidable combat prowess, standing alone at the pinnacle of silver level fighters. The outside world widely considers him the ceiling of silver level strength. At least in this National Ceremony Grand Duel, no strong contender to challenge Long Fu has emerged yet.”
"If I recall correctly, his current winning streak has reached 17 matches, hasn't it?
At this rate, his streak will only continue to grow. Reaching a hundred victories wouldn't surprise anyone."
"This is mainly because no gold level duelist has challenged him yet. In fact, such a challenge might never occur. Unless Long Fu himself takes the initiative to challenge a gold level duelist."
“The Ice Sculpture Kingdom has a deeply ingrained dueling culture, where courage and fairness are highly revered by its citizens.”
"Therefore, it's virtually unheard of for a gold level fighter to challenge someone below their level. It would be utterly disgraceful. Within the silver level, Long Fu faces almost no threat. From this perspective, his silver level status is a massive advantage."
“Unless he initiates the challenge, a gold level must accept before a fight can occur between them.”
Of course, other factors, like immense profit, personal vendettas, or national grievances, might prompt a gold level to challenge Long Fu. This was not a normal situation.
Such a gold level would naturally be looked down upon by others and not welcomed.
"If other gold level fighters genuinely issue him a duel challenge, Long Fu can outright refuse. He wouldn't be implicated, and the public wouldn't be overly disappointed. After all, a silver level rejecting a gold level's challenge is perfectly normal."
"In this scenario, Bing Yang becomes exceptionally valuable. Should Bing Yang challenge Long Fu, the situation would be entirely different."
“Bing Yang was once gold level, but has now fallen to silver level, this is an indisputable fact.”
“Precisely because he was once gold level, Bing Yang's combat prowess among silver level fighters should be in a league of its own.”
“He could absolutely pose a threat to Long Fu!”
"If Bing Yang issues a duel invitation, Long Fu will almost certainly accept. Simply because Bing Yang is now silver level. Once such a duel is arranged, it will immediately draw intense attention. Given Long Fu's reputation, spectators following this duel will span the entire nation!"
Having analyzed this far, the Ice Prison Warden looked at He Gai Tou: “Over the years, your gambling house's business has grown increasingly larger.”
"So, you intend to use this to make a major move. You plan to orchestrate and manipulate a nationwide gambling scheme?"
Though phrased as a question, the warden's tone and demeanor radiated certainty.
He believed he had seen through He Gai Tou's scheme.
“Correct.” He Gai Tou made no attempt to conceal it, nodding immediately in direct acknowledgment.
This was indeed one of He Gai Tou's objectives.
Much like the duelist Mi Fang, who targeted Zong Ge to undermine the Jing Xiang Clan's potion business and eliminate a commercial rival. He Gai Tou's motives were equally complex.
On one hand, as the Ice Prison Warden had discerned, he sought to orchestrate a gambling scheme for personal gain. On the other hand, as a duelist, eliminating a major enemy was inherently advantageous to him.
The duelists sought to reclaim the bodies of the Axe Gang leader, Jia Bing, and Lin.
According to their speculation, these gold level corpses wouldn't be easily abandoned by the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps; they should still be in their possession.