Afternoon, interview room. Aiden and Sophie Carter sat opposite each other across an iron table, with Veronica standing behind.
"This prison seems to have inmates trying to 'talk privately' with me every so often. Most want to bribe me, especially the one next door to you; she mentions it every time she sees me... So, under normal circumstances, I don't agree to inmates' requests for private meetings," Aiden tapped the iron table, speaking slowly. "I hope you have a suitable reason for seeking me out."
"Could Miss Guard step outside for a moment?" Sophie asked.
"Does it bother you?" Aiden glanced at Veronica. "I heard from her that when you saw her today, you were as wary as if she might eat you. She only 'interrogated' you once. Why do you seem traumatized?"
Aiden sensed Sophie's wariness towards Veronica was unnaturally deep.
"Because it genuinely leaves psychological scars," Sophie sighed. "Please forgive me. I received intelligence training long ago, one aspect of which was secrecy. Periodically, we'd be told a piece of confidential information, then someone would come probing. We were required to fence with the prober... just normal conversation for a while. If the prober managed to extract the information from us, guessing the secret, the one responsible for secrecy would face severe punishment... The fundamental purpose of the training was to instill a fear of leaking secrets in us."
"So Veronica forcibly extracting information from you triggered this fear implanted by your past training?" Aiden began to understand.
"After all, your interrogation method was too foul; impossible to resist," Sophie shook her head. "It's like dangling someone with acrophobia over a cliff."
"Alright," Aiden signaled Veronica with his eyes to leave the room temporarily. After Veronica exited, he looked back at Sophie. "You can speak now. What exactly did you want to discuss?"
"I wanted to ask, Warden, how much intelligence are you interested in knowing?" Sophie asked seriously.
"Quite a lot, but primarily intelligence concerning Mr. Blood Robe," Aiden stated calmly. "You should already know this."
"Are you interested in making a deal with me?" Sophie asked.
"Sorry, I couldn't afford your previous asking price."
"I can change it to a price you might be able to afford..."
"Then let me be honest. I don't plan on trading intelligence with you for the time being," Aiden interrupted her.
"Why?" Sophie didn't show much surprise.
"Two reasons. Firstly, I inquired about your organization with some acquaintances. Your reputation... seems not very good, actually," Aiden said while observing Sophie's expression.
Sophie remained expressionless but didn't offer a rebuttal.
"Looks like those 'rumors' are mostly true," Aiden chuckled. "Then the second reason, you should also be very clear about it. If I really need to know something now, I just need to ignore your resistance and pry it directly from your mouth. Anyway, I don't intend to have too deep a 'cooperative relationship' with the Smiling Scales anymore."
After hearing the Witch Coven's evaluation of the "Smiling Scales," Aiden decided to minimize further contact with the organization as much as possible.
This organization charged exorbitant prices for intelligence and also attempted to pry into his secrets. For Aiden, guarding Mephilia, this meant not only being unable to afford the cost of intelligence but also bearing the risk of his own secrets leaking.
This pool of water indeed allowed anyone to take a sip, but dangerous water snakes lurked beneath.
Although he currently hoped to find support to break free from his predicament, he couldn't act recklessly out of desperation. Compared to this profit-driven "neutral" intelligence organization, the Witch Coven, with whom he currently had closer ties, was more trustworthy.
(TN: 病急乱投医 (Bìngjí luàn tóuyī) - Lit. 'when critically ill, seek any doctor randomly'. Idiom meaning to try anything in desperation without careful consideration.)
"Just as I thought," Sophie whispered.
"You already predicted I would give such an answer. Why still talk to me?" Aiden asked.
Sophie remained silent for a good while, thinking.
Finally, she took a deep breath, as if having made a firm decision, and answered: "Then, what if I am willing to teach you the divine word I possess?"
Aiden frowned upon hearing this. "Are you serious?"
"Serious," Sophie didn't avoid Aiden's gaze. "You can rewrite 'Lying is forbidden' on your Codex anytime. My answer will still be the same."
"Can I interpret this as a personal offer from you..." Aiden paused. "...or are you planning to betray your organization?"
Sophie had previously told him the "Smiling Scales" had a rule against sharing divine word externally.
During this meeting, Aiden could clearly sense Sophie's aura was different from their last conversation in the office.
"You can interpret it as my personal request," Sophie said seriously. "If you're uneasy, you can use the Codex..."
"You can state your purpose first. If I deem it necessary, I will naturally seek confirmation again," Aiden also became serious. "What exactly do you want? You mentioned earlier... offering a price I might be able to afford?"
"I hope you can find a way to save Susan's life," Sophie stated, enunciating each word carefully.
"Save your double?" Aiden narrowed his eyes. "I remember you said before, your organization already offered her a price she willingly accepted to die in your place..."
"But I never said I wished for that," Sophie let out a long breath. "If possible, I would actually prefer she survives."
Aiden carefully observed Sophie's face. He hadn't written the "Lying is forbidden" rule on the Codex Anomos this time, but he felt what she said was likely the truth. Under circumstances where he could use the Codex for verification at any time, lying held little meaning.
"Are you two close?" Aiden asked.
"Not so cold that I'd actually watch her die without helping," Sophie answered.
"But when you first came in, you didn't mention this at all," Aiden questioned.
"Actually, before coming in, I was constantly hesitating whether I should completely follow the organization's arrangements..." Sophie lowered her eyes. "Now, I just regret it."
"Your mindset changed after just a few days in prison?" Aiden teased. "Seems my prison's reformative effects are quite good."
"It's just seeing you and that Miss Guard reminded me of some past matters. Being this kind of information broker, there are basically no people one can truly trust mutually. But Susan is one of the few I can trust," Sophie looked at Aiden. "Just one sentence: are you interested in making a deal with me personally, not the Smiling Scales?"
"A divine word incantation is a considerably generous condition," Aiden nodded. "Explain in detail."
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