Chapter 56 – It’s You Who Should Leave

Nago finally took off his boots, revealing his cute socks embroidered with little golden lions.

He couldn’t refuse this request.

Hundreds of thousands of citizens were watching the livestream, and each of them held a vote in their hands. If Nago wanted to leave prison in the future, and further become a city council member, he couldn’t do anything that would damage his image.

The role of supervisor that Nago had specifically applied for from the prison was to increase his exposure and make citizens become more familiar with him, laying the groundwork for his future campaign for council member.

If he didn’t even fulfill this ‘little wish’, forget about becoming a council member, even the prison would think he lacked the appropriate image and reputation, and wouldn’t let him continue as supervisor.

Without the role of supervisor, the easiest way to pad his resume before Nago advanced to become a two-winged gold rank, he would be stuck as a prison guard in this prison.

Although the cost-benefit analysis was very clear, when Nago held the new boots that he had looked forward to for a whole year but had only worn for less than a month, he still couldn’t help feeling heartbroken over having to part with them.

“Hurry up, I’m in a rush!” Ashe urged.

“Can you handle it?”

“I can handle it!”

“When you put them on, slide your feet in vertically so you don’t wrinkle the exterior texture.”

“Got it, got it.”

“I actually have another decent pair of boots, why don’t I go grab them for you now-”

“Just toss them over!”

One of the camera eyes let out a heh heh laugh, which happened when the audience currently watching the livestream had the same reaction at the same time, feeding back to the camera eye to let the host know what effect their performance had achieved.

Clearly the interaction between Ashe and Nago had made the audience laugh, they had watched the Blood Moon Tribunal hundreds of times, but had never seen such silly death row inmates and supervisors before.

Nago steeled his heart, he didn’t want to become a clown in the citizens’ eyes, so he threw the boots over.

Ashe caught the boots and examined them closely, discovering that they really were high quality, with a luxurious texture and high-end stylish exterior, no wonder Nago’s expression was as mournful as losing his beloved concubine.

“Ah, don’t force it, are yours too big? Don’t rush, go slowly, if you force it you’ll leave imprints on them! Be gentler okay?”

Even just watching, Nago felt pained, after all he was hoping to get the boots back intact later, it’s not like Ashe had long to live anyway.

Ashe ignored him, put on the boots and once again summoned his Doppelganger spirit, creating an identical copy of himself by his side.

Even the shoes changed to the steel-toed boots Ashe was currently wearing.

“Stand on the steel wire for a few seconds.”

The doppelganger stood steadily on the wire, which this time could not cut through his boots.

And since it had not been damaged, the doppelganger naturally did not disappear.

“Great!” Ashe said excitedly, “Come back.”

The doppelganger came back.

“Crouch down!”

The doppelganger crouched down.

Ashe climbed onto the doppelganger’s neck, “Carry me and walk the steel wire to the big platform on the other side!”

However this time the doppelganger did not react, and just peacefully raised its head to look at Ashe.

“Carry me and walk the steel wire to the big platform on the other side!” Thinking it hadn’t heard him, Ashe repeated it again.

After three seconds of silence, the doppelganger seemed to finally understand the meaning of this sentence, or its own fate.

Whine.

Whine.

With each step the doppelganger took, the steel wire let out whines and creaks, making Ashe’s heart race nervously. He saw the other death row inmates cross so effortlessly, but when it was his turn to cross, just lowering his head to look at the sea below made him feel like peeing himself.

But he succeeded – the doppelganger could completely carry him across.

Ashe vaguely realized another wondrous aspect of the sorcerer system.

If ordinary people operated on ‘you can’t do anything I haven’t explicitly allowed’, then sorcerers worked on ‘you can do anything I haven’t explicitly forbidden’.

The former was total emptiness, the latter was total permission.

The doppelganger spirit’s effect was to create an identical copy of himself that would disappear if damaged, and followed his commands completely.

Therefore, as long as he didn’t exceed the restrictions, Ashe could order the doppelganger to carry out unimaginable behaviors, even if they were things he couldn’t do himself.

Like right now, Ashe himself had no ability to walk the tightrope, let alone carry someone else across it.

Yet the doppelganger could do it.

Because it was Ashe’s command,

Because it was a task the doppelganger could theoretically complete,

So it could.

Spirits weren’t miracles, they couldn’t bend the rules of reality.

They just represented the infinite extension of knowledge, the theoretical best outcome, the optimal result allowed by reality.

They were the limit.

If only he could take the Doppelganger spirit back to his original world…then he could have the doppelganger help take care of his parents at home…

Ashe dismissed the thought after a moment, that would be too mundane a use for it, if he had a doppelganger what narrow vision limited his sights?

That’s right, it was capital.

So he should have the doppelganger go to work while he stayed home lying down taking care of his parents, although it was also very likely his parents would end up taking care of him…

While lost in thought, the doppelganger had already crossed most of the way, and by now the other death row inmates had basically all climbed onto the platform on the other side, leaving only Ashe and Valcas still on the wire.

“You two stand there and don’t move! Don’t come over!”

A death row inmate with knife scars on his face aimed a long gun at Ashe, “If you take another step forward, don’t blame me for sending you down to feed the fish!”

The other death row inmates paused briefly, then seemed to realize something and stood silently to the side.

Ashe blinked and asked, “Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Valcas called out from afar with a laugh, “Cowards always take advantage of others’ peril, scum always judge others by their own petty standards, the weak can only survive through deception.”

Although Valcas spoke in riddles as usual, Ashe noticed the death row inmates were not looking at him, but at the executioner behind him, and immediately understood their thoughts – they were afraid he would rush over and use them as human shields against the executioner!

Oh right!

He could do that!

Not bad, the death row inmates’ brains worked faster than his when it came to harming others and sparing themselves!

Without a doubt, the one to be saved tonight would be either Ashe or Valcas out of the two of them. If they both reached the platform, it meant the executioner would also chase over.

One look at the executioner’s hideous and terrifying form told you its method of attack would not be a clean, non-residual mental assault, but more likely a huge AOE physical damage sweeping attack.

In other words, if it executed someone while others watched nearby, the spectators would very likely be caught in it too!

So the death row inmates who had reached the platform first came up with the idea.

Don’t let Ashe and Valcas reach the platform!

Otherwise the outcome would definitely be a party wipe of 8 deaths!

So Scarface threatened Ashe and Valcas not to advance, believing the best outcome would be for the two of them to be executed by the executioner midway on the wire.

“If you don’t want to fall and feed the fish, then stay put!” Scarface roared.

“I refuse!”

Ashe righteously stated, “My favorite thing to do is say no when someone threatens me! Step forward!”

Squeak~

The doppelganger heavily took a step forward, stomping on the wire, swaying and crying out!

Bang!

Scarface fired his gun, the scars on his face distorted by fear and fury into centipedes, “I can shoot, stay where you are…stay there!”

“I – don’t – believe – you’ll – shoot – me!”

With each word Ashe spoke, the doppelganger took another step forward, arrogantly asking for a beating, making onlookers’ fists itch to punch it.

Bang!

“Don’t force me, I really will shoot, I killed 19 people before I was imprisoned, look at my file if you don’t believe me!”

However Ashe had long since seen through his bluffing, unhurriedly saying, “The fact that you threatened me so quickly shows you’re smart. But exactly because you’re smart, I’m certain you won’t shoot.”

“On what basis!”

“Because if I die here, the one executed by the executioner will be you!”

Ashe smiled, “If neither of us dies, you can at least be certain the ones executed will be the two of us. But if we die, then the audience will choose one person to vote for out of you six!”

Scarface’s mouth twitched, “So what, it’s not necessarily me!”

“No, definitely you.” Ashe laughed, “Think about it, right now the audience expects the two of us to be executed, but you’ve ruined their excitement. Guess if they’ll use their votes to vent their anger on you?”

“Also, haven’t you noticed everyone else has distanced themselves from you?”

Scarface paused briefly, and looked left and right to see he really was standing alone in the center, exposed, while the others had retreated to the edges, carefully avoiding appearing in the same frame as him!

“Why are they avoiding you? Because if you can really force us to stay on the wire, they can reap the rewards. And if you shoot us dead, you’ll definitely become the voting target for the audience. Either way, they have nothing to lose.”

Scarface’s mouth twitched, “Then, then what if it’s not me!”

“No, definitely you.” Ashe laughed, “Think about it, right now the audience expects us two to be executed, but you’ve ruined the mood for them. Do you think they won’t vent their anger on you with their votes?”

“Besides, haven’t you noticed everyone else has distanced themselves from you?”

Scarface paused briefly, and looked around to see he really was standing alone in the center, exposed, while the others had retreated to the edges, carefully avoiding appearing together with Scarface!

“Why are they avoiding you? Because if you can really keep us stuck on the wire, they can benefit without lifting a finger. And if you shoot us dead, you’ll definitely become the voting target of the audience. No matter what, they have nothing to lose.”

Ashe gave a bright smile, “Or could it be you’re a reformed model prisoner who has transcended base desires and attained high moral character, willing to sacrifice yourself to protect your fellow inmates?”

Scarface’s hand shook slightly, but the muzzle of the gun gradually lowered.

“So do you know where your path to survival lies?”

Scarface eagerly asked, “Where’s the path to survival?”

“Go back, or hang from the steel wire.” Ashe smiled, “Since I’m standing here, if you don’t want to die, your only option is to stay away from me.”

“This is my spot, it’s you who should leave!”