Chapter 168 The Hellstrom Prison

On the first basement level of Hellstrom Prison, several intern guards were walking slowly down a dimly lit corridor leading to the warden's office.

Beyond the teleportation hall was a suspension bridge overlooking the cells and the guards on duty.

From time to time, other guards in similar uniforms brushed past them in the opposite direction. These guards looked more serious, their pace was faster, and their eyes were focused and weary. When they passed the intern guards, they might nod, but they quickly returned to their own business.

Some of the guards looked troubled, their faces full of worry and stress, as if they were busy solving a difficult problem.

After crossing several suspension bridges, Hyperion led the Great Poet back into an indoor space. On both sides were tall bookshelves made of dark oak, filled with thick law books and historical documents.

The guards in the office handling clerical work seemed quite relaxed, as if they had no burdens. A smile hung on their faces, as if the seriousness and heaviness of the entire prison had nothing to do with them. Some were even humming tunes, holding books in their hands, occasionally turning a few pages, completely immersed in their own worlds, far more comfortable than the guards on the base level.

Even more, some were chatting idly by the wall of the office, their voices absorbed by the walls of the corridor, leaving only a faint echo.

"..."

Without paying too much attention to the guards on the first basement level, Hyperion led the others past quickly.

From the work of the guards along the way, Hyperion noticed the diversity and complexity of the work and conditions of the different guards on the first basement level.

Some of the work was almost mindless, while other work required a spirit of selfless sacrifice.

The assignment and distribution of work was the task of the warden.

As they approached the warden's office, the figures of the guards became increasingly sparse.

It seemed that the other guards on the first basement level had all received their work assignments for the day this morning.

These intern guards had arrived a little later than the regular guards' working hours.

Before them, the double doors of the warden's office were open, with a brass nameplate inlaid on one side, engraved with the name of the room and the working hours of the warden of the first basement level.

Hyperion stopped slightly in front of the warden's office door, confirming that there were no restrictions, and then led the Great Poet through the thick brown wooden door that was not closed.

The interior of the spacious warden's office was as elaborate as the lobby. In the center of the hall was an old terrestrial globe, its continental outlines long blurred.

Next to it were rows of wooden bookshelves, with some folders piled on the table. The covers of these files were new, and the dark gold decorative patterns on the covers flickered with a faint light in the dim light. Between the bookshelves, a long corridor was paved with polished stone slabs, with complex geometric patterns faintly visible.

As Hyperion held the Great Poet's forearm and went deeper into the hall, they could hear the echoes of their footsteps in the silence, mixed with the rustling sound of turning pages and the operation of magical devices.

Bypassing the terrestrial globe, at the innermost part of the hall, office counters were connected into a large long table, with a row of neat folders and pen holders placed on it.

The warden sat behind the desk, a middle-aged man in his fifties with a thin build and a serious face.

He was focused on looking at documents, comparing them with the central control magic device on the first basement level, and stamping them. He was wearing a straight warden's uniform, and his nameplate was printed with his title, Warden Corentin.

When the intern guards entered the office, the warden did not immediately pay attention to them, but slowly raised his eyelids and scrutinized the new young intern guards through his glasses.

Then he continued to return to his work.

"Mr. Corentin, we are students from the Royal Proto Magic Academy. We have come to Hellstrom Prison today to complete our prison guard internship assessment. Please assign us work tasks."

Hyperion stood in the warden's office, bowed slightly to the warden, and said.

But the warden did not respond.

As if he hadn't heard, and completely unaware of their existence, he continued to focus on his work.

Time passed by, and Hyperion stood there with a slight doubt, every second feeling like a long wait.

She wasn't sure if she should speak up again.

Finally, after Warden Corentin had processed a few more documents, he put down the papers in his hand and looked at Hyperion, who was standing not far away like a student waiting to be punished.

"Why didn't you knock when you came in just now?"

Warden Corentin slowly raised his head, his voice low and powerful, his eyes revealing a hint of an attitude that was difficult to guess.

Hyperion was stunned.

Due to the working mode of the first basement level, the warden's office for issuing tasks was more of a public area, and guards often entered and exited, so she thought it was not closed for efficiency reasons, and did not think about knocking.

"Sorry, Warden, we didn't think it through."

Hyperion immediately showed a humble attitude, her voice full of apology.

Warden Corentin leaned back in his chair, picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and casually looked at Hyperion.

"Here, rules are the most important. If you don't even understand the most basic etiquette of knocking on the door, how can you abide by the institutionalized rules?"

His words were like an elder teaching a younger generation, not only pointing out their mistakes, but also with a majesty that made it impossible to refute.

Hyperion did not refute, but nodded.

She had a firm and calm look in her eyes.

In this case, appropriate humility and respect were the wisest choice.

"Mr. Warden Corentin, thank you for your reminder. We will remember this lesson and strictly abide by the rules in the future."

There was no complaint or dissatisfaction in her words, only sincere apology and commitment to work.

"..."

The warden's expression did not change much after hearing this.

He reached out and took a folder from a distance, opened it, and took out several documents that had been stamped with the imperial seal, scanned them one by one with the central magic device in front of him, and then said to himself, "Go and complete them."

As the warden operated, the black bracelets of the intern guards, led by Hyperion, began to emit deep red fluorescence, showing the newly assigned tasks.

They lowered their heads slightly to check the information on their bracelets. Above the bracelets, detailed task descriptions and specific requirements for execution appeared.