Pastor's Tantra

The specific location of Lawyer's Square is at the southeast corner of White Queen District and the intersection with Lloyd District. The two areas are connected by "Prince Lloyd Avenue".

Because a long, long time ago, this was the location of the Avalon Kingdom's Law Office.

Even though the Department of Justice was later abolished and its functions were merged into the Law Courts, and the Minister of Justice became the administrator of the Law Courts... this place is still called Legal Plaza by the residents.

Aiwass did not walk to Lawyer's Place. Instead, he took "Anne Alexander" and his son in a carriage.

"I'll test you, Annie."

Aiwass sat in the carriage, clasping his fingers together and taking Lulu's hand as he stood up.

In order to prevent her from being bored and to relieve her stress, Aiwass asked casually: "Do you know which area the Legal Plaza belongs to?"

"...Lloyd's District."

Lulu was stunned for a moment before she realized that "Annie" was calling her name.

So she replied without hesitation: "It is on the east side of Prince Lloyd's Road after all."

“But in fact, from the perspective of Lloyd District residents, Legal Plaza has never been part of Lloyd District.”

"……Huh?"

Lulu was stunned for a moment: "Why?"

"Because it is completely paved with marble and has a large flat floor, and there are many pure white buildings as official signs, it is not in harmony with the 'Dockyard' style of Lloyd District, but is similar to the streets and architectural style of White Queen District."

The biggest difference between the Red and White Queens is the color of the pavement and buildings. Most of the buildings in the White Queen District are based on white, and the pavements are also white or off-white; the Red Queen District tends to be brown, dark brown, and brown-red.

"That makes sense." Lulu nodded thoughtfully.

"However, from another perspective, the residents of White Queen also disagree that Legal Plaza belongs to White Queen."

Aiwass raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a somewhat evil smile: "Because this place is too dirty - the environment is dirty and smelly, and the security is chaotic.

"Since the previous generation of King Tudor III, people prefer to call it Hanging Square——"

……Why?

Such doubts just appeared in Lulu's mind.

But the next moment, her pupils began to vibrate violently!

Not long after Mr. Fox finished speaking, she saw two full rows of gallows on the marble square.

Two rows of corpses hung quietly above.

No more, no less, exactly forty.

About six or seven of them had obvious signs of decay, and mosquitoes and flies were flying around the bodies. The remaining hanged bodies were still relatively fresh, no more than two days old.

Most of the clothes on the corpses were mutilated, and many people had obvious blood stains and mutilations on their faces and bodies. Some of the bodies had hollowed out bellies and some were missing limbs. I don’t know if it was left before death or from violence after death.

It was obviously a more civilized hanging than beheading, but there was a faint, lingering smell of blood in the square that penetrated through the carriage.

Lulu subconsciously wanted to break away from the hand held by Aiwass and cover it in front of her mouth. Because she was worried that she would vomit and appear rude.

——But Aiwass’s grip was so tight that she couldn’t break away.

Instead, he held Lulu's hand tighter, until she felt a slight pain.

But because of this, Lulu's distraction slightly dispelled the strong discomfort in her heart.

"Are you okay, Annie?"

Aiwass asked with "somewhat puzzled" concern: "Have you never been to Lawyers Square before?"

"...It's the first time I've seen so many corpses."

She murmured in a low voice: "I have seen a lot of dead people. I have long been used to contact with death..."

However, this was the first time she had seen such a "cruel death".

She thought she would spit it out, but she didn't. Now Lulu only felt a silent visual shock.

"Every Sunday is the execution day. We missed the execution day... On Sunday, many people who have time off on vacation will come to watch the execution. That is also the most active day for pickpockets."

As Aiwass said, the carriage passed a body that was hung high.

Lulu looked at his hideous face with one eyeball missing and half of his face covered in blood with a shocked and somewhat frightened gaze.

Leaning close to her ear, Aiwass pointed at the corpse evilly and murmured softly: "Look, this corpse is still very fresh, it has only been dead for two days. Otherwise, there would be maggots in his eye sockets... His eyeballs It must have been stolen and sold on the black market. Some demonologists' rituals will use the man's left eye - look at the tear in his crotch, the things inside must have been stolen as well.

"It seems that the number of people executed this week should be thirty-three. Because there are still seven corpses left last week."

"...Is this more or less?"

"It's normal in this day and age."

Aiwass only half answered.

Fourteen years later, the death penalty rate on Glass Island has dropped significantly.

But that was not because security had improved... but because of the mining collapse incident seven or eight years later, which required more labor.

"Fifty years ago... oh, more than thirty years ago, it was the peak period of the death penalty. Crimes as small as stealing would be sentenced to death, and death was not the end, nor was it the most severe punishment— —There are many cruel tortures during life, and some after death.

"Queen Sofia abolished thirteen cruel forms of death, including beheading, and retained only hanging. She also greatly reduced the penalties for other crimes... Many crimes that were previously sentenced to death are now simply exile, imprisonment, and hard labor. . During the war, there is still a chance to make meritorious deeds..."

Aiwass said, but the carriage suddenly stopped.

"gentlemen."

The gruff coachman said: "How to get to the bar you mentioned?"

"Oh, we're almost there," Aiwass said in a good-tempered voice, "Just leave us here."

"Then you have to be careful about strangulating the party."

The coachman kindly reminded you: "Besides, it only costs five copper coins to get here - which is half a copper coin cheaper for you."

The copper hourglass of Avalon does not have a minimum denomination of "1". Below that were half-copper coins and quarter-copper coins, respectively two-thirds and half the size of a copper coin.

This is a less commonly used auxiliary coin. A quarter of the copper coins stopped being issued twenty years ago. The issuance of one-half copper coins also stopped five years ago, leaving only the stock circulating in the market.

But this was fourteen years ago, and half a copper coin was still a relatively common unit.

Hearing this, Aiwass looked at Lulu.

Lulu was stunned for a while before she realized that the money might be in her hands. She rummaged for a while, then counted out a red coin, stepped forward and handed it to the driver politely with both hands.

This red coin is equal to ten copper coins, which is twice the price.

"No need to look for it, sir."

She said seriously: "Thank you for your hard work."

"You are so beautiful and generous, ma'am."

The coachman praised him, happily accepted the money and left.

After he left, Aiwass came over with a smile.

"You should remember that everything here is false, right?"

he said softly.

"I remember," Lulu nodded, her expression a little complicated, "I just feel...even if they are false, my mood at the moment is real. I don't know what I can do...so I can only give He counted the money."

"This is a bit biased towards the path of devotion, my dear Anne?"

Aiwass said calmly.

"I don't care," she said without hesitation. "Like other children born on Glass Island, I have received an authoritarian education since childhood, but I still embarked on the path of beauty. Because I just want to Do the things I want to do...the things I feel I should be doing.

"I just like the principles of this path and its mysterious skills. It's not for the extraordinary abilities it brings to me, and I don't intend to tie my own personality and life to it."

Lulu, who always seemed to have no opinion or confidence, seemed to touch some sensitive points when talking about this topic, and said a lot of things that Aiwass didn't mention in one breath.

"...That's not easy."

At this moment, a cold, immature voice that was deliberately suppressed suddenly sounded from behind them.

A young newsboy who had been staring at them motionlessly since they got off the bus suddenly came over and spoke softly and sarcastically: "You are walking on an innocent and extremely dangerous road.

"The path to transcendence is destined to abandon humanity...Mrs. Lulu."