In the afternoon, Sophie returned to her cell and sat on the edge of the bed to rest.
After recreation time ended, the inmates working in the factories were taken directly to the workshops, while she was brought back to her cell to await work assignment from the guards.
Just casually lifting her hand made the shackles on her wrists clang.
These shackles were indeed very inconvenient, requiring her to change clothes under guard supervision. The key to the shackles was kept by that highly vigilant female guard, and any occasion requiring their removal had to be done under her watch.
Presumably, the Warden had specifically instructed that person not to hand over the shackle key to anyone (including the Warden himself) without the correct password or other authentication method.
Being guarded like this was unavoidable. Although she did have some interest in Aiden Galord, entering prison for refuge while simultaneously contacting Aiden and attempting to dig into his background were all organizational directives; she had little choice in the matter.
Although on the surface she was an incredibly glamorous star, this fame was ultimately cultivated by the organization's capital investment, boosted by Authority power and financial resources, all to provide her with a channel to gather intelligence from high society.
The "Smiling Scales" was a spider's nest woven from money. This vast web sustained all its members while simultaneously trapping them. Not revealing information easily was an ironclad rule. Even information brokers contacting clients only shared a small portion of intelligence. Likely, even the high-level decision-makers were entangled by threads of profit, unable to break free, let alone her and Susan, the double.
The organization was already using its network to put a bounty on the person trying to kill her; Sophie didn't doubt this. But the organization's real focus was likely just eliminating the threat, not protecting Susan.
Dealing with that person wouldn't be easy. The organization probably preferred using Susan, playing "Sophie Carter," as bait to lure the attacker out. This way, even if they failed to eliminate the person, they might escape the madman's entanglement by sacrificing a double and a little bit of Divinity—a relatively "cheap" price.
That madman insisted on hunting "Sophie Carter"... less for silencing her, and more out of anger for having his secret discovered. He himself should know very well that his secret had likely already been shared by the information brokers with upstream intelligence organizations. But as long as "Sophie Carter" died, perhaps he would stop there.
Intelligence gathering always carried similar risks. Sometimes the organization didn't mind paying a small price; perhaps Susan's life was just an expenditure "cost" to the organization.
Measuring everything by profit was the organization's consistent style. Anything could be placed on the two ends of the scale, including dignity, including human lives. Compared to Susan, her value, possessing the talent to play a star, was higher. Losing the identity of "Sophie Carter"—as long as she changed her face and location, the organization could make her a new popular star anytime.
Having Susan play her and entering prison herself were insurance measures to minimize potential losses.
But if things continued this way, poor Susan... would likely truly become her scapegoat.
Thinking of this, Sophie felt her heart sink continuously.
Although they weren't particularly close, after spending so long together, it was impossible not to have developed some feelings.
Aiden Galord also had intelligence he wanted to inquire about, and seemed unwilling to use money. If she used the intelligence he wanted as a bargaining chip, perhaps he would be willing to take the initiative to try and save Susan's life...
However, just as Aiden didn't fully trust Sophie, Sophie herself didn't fully trust Aiden either. To date, they hadn't fully uncovered the background of this "major figure" who, after stepping into the world of Authorities, quickly seized a Unique Authority.
But now... there didn't seem to be much time left for hesitation.
Just then, she heard footsteps approaching along the corridor, finally stopping in front of her door.
She looked towards the sound. Standing at the door was the female guard who held the key to her shackles and had been responsible for monitoring her these past two days. Her name seemed to be... Veronica.
Sophie obediently rose from the bed and walked to the door, preparing to go work under the other's supervision.
However, Veronica just stared at her, not immediately opening the cell door.
"What is it?" she asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Inmate 1562, I am going to ask you some questions next. I hope you will answer truthfully," Veronica said, taking a piece of paper from her uniform pocket.
Sophie eyed the other's strange actions suspiciously, a bad premonition welling up inside her.
Then Veronica looked at the question on the paper and began asking: "Question: Is it true that Mr. Blood Robe once purchased intelligence from you?"
Sophie froze for a second. Then she heard a command echo in her mind: "When questioned within the domain, you must answer truthfully immediately."
The moment she reacted, Sophie felt an irresistible force take control of her mouth and tongue, forcing them to make a sound: "It's true."
The rules of the Codex Anomos— Sophie sucked in a cold breath inwardly.
A quarter-hour earlier, Warden's Office.
Aiden handed the Codex Anomos to Veronica. "Take this. This is the artifact confiscated from that pirate earlier. I'm lending it to you."
"This... Why give it to me?" Veronica was somewhat confused.
"I hope you can use it to help me interrogate Inmate 1562. I want to know some intelligence she's guarding closely. This artifact can force her to speak. But she also has secrets she wants to extract from me, so I cannot interrogate her personally. I can only ask you," Aiden stated calmly. "For the next few minutes, I will teach you how to use this item and the precautions."
"Then you don't need to give it to me, Sir! You just need to hold the artifact and hide somewhere far away, then I can go interrogate her," Veronica waved her hands repeatedly. "Something so important... I-I don't feel comfortable holding it myself."
"It's fine. I also want to try something. A person can only write three rules on this book per day. If so, two people could write six rules," Aiden replied unhurriedly. "Although it can only hold three rules simultaneously, with two people using it, there's more room for manipulation. After you use it, I can immediately change the rules back."
"I see..." Veronica somewhat understood, then muttered, "But you're putting way too much trust in me."
"Distrusting absolutely everyone isn't caution anymore; it's paranoia," Aiden shrugged. "I just feel you are someone worth entrusting... Hm? Why are you suddenly smirking?"
"N-No reason!" Veronica, whose lips couldn't help but curl up upon hearing Aiden's latter sentence, quickly shook her head.
I really want... him to say that again...
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