41 Don't... stop! (Seeking follow-up reads!)

The Fog Monastery's Third Code of Law, also known as the Prison of Alien Races, is a special detention facility holding dangerous extraterrestrial sealed artifacts.

The entire Code of Law is divided into nine major zones, each governed by corresponding special sealing laws.

Among them, the second zone is the Deepwater Prison, the third zone is the Prison of No Light, the fourth zone is the Magma Hell, and so on...

As for the first zone holding Valentina, it appears completely unremarkable, resembling an ordinary cell, but that is merely an illusion.

Its true name is actually the [Endless Labyrinth].

The area of this semi-plane is the largest among all the zones, surpassing the combined size of all the subsequent zones.

It constantly alters the paths of the cells, eliminating any possibility of prisoners escaping from here.

Suffice to say, once inside the Endless Labyrinth, a prisoner's chance of leaving is practically zero.

The only reason Herbert could remain unaffected and travel unimpeded all the way was entirely due to his status as the Warden.

He simply walked straight ahead; encountering a dead end did not matter, as the path would automatically extend before him, shaping a straight highway leading directly to his target.

Therefore, to leave this place, there is one trick and one trick only.

Do not stop!

Of course, this trick does not apply to everyone.

To any trespasser who accidentally stumbles into this place, the constantly changing and highly repetitive terrain holds no discernable pattern whatsoever.

Either they possess the power to destroy all obstacles and forcefully break through,

or they honestly navigate the maze, perhaps relying on pure luck to stumble upon the right path.

Or else... they come truly prepared.

The fallen one, whose face was hidden beneath a black hood, walked up to a wall and pressed his wet, slimy palm against his face.

Squish.

Accompanied by a teeth-gritting, eerie sound, his body instantly softened, collapsing straight to the ground, and within a few breaths, transformed into a pool of pitch-black liquid reeking of fish.

That slime-like liquid bore no trace of its original flesh, yet faintly exuded a special, vibrant life force.

It wriggled, pressed flat against the wall, slowly seeped through the cracks, oozed out on the other side, and reconverged into one.

The wall itself suffered no damage; the only mark left behind was a blood-like streak along the ground where the two surfaces met.

Though this entire sequence of actions seemed slow, the actual speed was astonishingly fast, penetrating a wall in less than ten seconds.

Then, confirming that the initial attempt had succeeded, the liquid's wriggling accelerated even further, almost as if it were running, and lunged at the next wall.

Squish.

Squish.

It bounced, passing through layer after layer of walls, advancing swiftly forward.

Charging in a straight line toward the barrier leading to the next regional tier.

[“Oh, so that’s how it was~”]

After clarifying the cause of Herbert’s shock, Nenasah sighed with a hint of emotion: [“To think even fish wouldn't be spared, you humans really aren't picky eaters at all!”]

“Stop right there, don't generalize!”

Dissatisfied with her blanket attack, Herbert protested: “He’s the picky one, not everyone is like him!”

It’s not like everyone eats XX.JPG

It’s not like every XX person knows how to do XX.JPG

Rejecting the urge to paint everyone with the same brush.

[“Heh.”]

Nenasah scoffed, ignoring his defense, and counterattacked: [“Aren’t you quite unpicky yourself? Clearly, you’ve been doing all sorts of things with them... well, hehe~”]

“Can you compare the two? Am I into them because of their race? Am I pursuing some taboo, decadent thrill?”

“No, I am not!”

Herbert gave a cold snort, feeling zero double standards in his statement, and declared unashamedly: “I just like their appearance!”

No more pretending, cards on the table.

I just like good-looking ones!

So what?

I am a barbarian!

“I don’t just like any monster or alien race, you know. If an ugly one showed up, I definitely wouldn’t be tempted, I wouldn't even spare them a second glance!”

[“Really?”]

“Cross my heart and hope to die!”

[“Then let me ask you, if there were a monster with a soft, fluffy tail, would you like it?”]

“...That’s a bonus point, ahem, that counts separately.”

[“Heh, truly worthy of being the ally I chose. Your shamelessness genuinely delights me.”]

Being taunted ambiguously by Nenasah didn't phase Herbert in the least.

That’s just how it is; specific situations demand specific analyses.

Where is there any universal formula that applies to every scenario?

“But having said that, if he wasn't bewitched by you, did he truly fall on his own accord?”

Because he had experienced Nenasah's influence firsthand, he had subconsciously assumed that every act of desecration occurring within the Fog Monastery was her doing.

Naturally, he had regarded that desecrator as a poor wretch corrupted by an evil god to the point of preying upon grass carp.

Having spared him so many times prior, part of it was actually out of a sense of shared misery, unwilling to make things difficult for a fellow traveler.

But looking back at it now... Hey!

This buddy isn't on my team at all!

Could it be... that he genuinely likes fish?

“Well, respect, lack of understanding, but best wishes.”

In short, I wish you and your next fish-wife a happy and healthy life.

Just stop showing up in front of me.

Herbert felt increasingly convinced that his brilliant idea of sneaking into the alien prison in the middle of the night was an absolute stroke of genius!

Feeling the surrounding darkness, he had a sense of returning home and let out a long sigh of relief.

Protected by these cells, no one could possibly harm him!

Nor could he possibly harm anyone else.

Forget harming them; he couldn't even catch a glimpse of them.

“...Forget it. Since you still refuse to see me, I suppose I'll just wait for another time.” Herbert shook his head, once again declaring his dark exploration a failure.

Herbert walked for a long time, circling endlessly around the vampire, completely unable to find the path leading to the next level.

Yes, although Svanie had not altered the ground, she had successfully hidden herself outside the paths.

No matter how good he was at not getting lost, there still had to be a path beneath his feet.

“Nenasah, can you find her location?”

[“Can’t do it~ I’m still too weak right now!”]

“Sigh, fine, whatever.”

Never mind, I'll go check if Miss Vampire has behaved herself a bit, and then head back to chat with Miss Hungry Dragon.

Just as Herbert was about to turn back, the evil god, who had been acting cute and playing dumb just moments before, let out a soft exclamation.

[“Oh?”]

Herbert hummed petulantly: “What is it now?”

[“I’m saying... that fallen one you mentioned, is he covered in mucus and reeking of fish?”]

“Probably, that was the vibe... huh?”

Herbert’s eyes widened abruptly, and he turned back to look at the seemingly unremarkable darkness behind him.

Could it be!?

[“Yep~ He’s charging right at you, you know~”]

“What the fu——?!”

You're actually coming after me?!

You even chased me all the way here?!

Don't come any closer—