My exclusive card pool

Chapter 251 Dungeon Secrets
When the young man raised his hands on his own initiative, the card soldiers blocking his way were all taken aback.

Even the county residents wearing "pious armor" cast surprised glances at them.

Espionage!
He shall be executed!

Is he deaf?

How come you're not scared at all...?

"Cuff him!" The leading soldier, a 7 of Diamonds, snorted and called to his comrade.

Click!

Wang Xi's wrists were immediately handcuffed with cold iron shackles, and even Cha Bo on his shoulder was not spared, his neck was tied with a small iron chain.

The little red dragon struggled and cursed, but to no avail. Cha Bo was about to question him, but Wang Xi stopped him with a look.

"..."

He's not stupid.

With his exceptional magical skills and the giant mechanical puppet by his side, Kai would never surrender so easily.

There must be a deeper meaning behind this.

"Humph……"

Chabo exhaled two wisps of blue smoke from his nostrils, made a grasping motion in the air with his little paws, and thought to himself, "You bunch of ignorant and arrogant poker bastards, we'll see!"
The leading soldier, the 7 of Diamonds, snorted coldly and gave the order:

"take away!"

The group set off, walking through brightly colored streets, their footsteps echoing.

The houses on both sides of the road are quite low, which makes the red castle at the end of the road stand out even more.

Wang Xi didn't look like a captured death row inmate at all, but more like a tourist on a journey, looking up with great interest at a magnificent building that stood in the center of Poker County, as if cast from congealed blood.

Unlike typical castles, it exudes an exaggerated sense of power. The bricks and stones have a ruby-red luster, shimmering in the sunlight, and its ridiculously high spires seem to pierce the sky of the chessboard kingdom.

The castle's main tower is exceptionally robust, topped with a massive crown sculpture. Countless small windows are densely packed on the walls like a honeycomb.

The escort team passed through a huge arched gate, carved with ferocious reliefs, and entered the castle.

Wang Xi smelled a rich fragrance of flowers and fruits.

He discovered that the courtyard and corridors were adorned with many landscape plants he had never seen before. But these plants were not a pleasing sight; rather, they were more like a morbid display.

Fist-sized, strangely colored berries hung from the low shrubs, and the slender vines were almost broken by the weight of the bunches of grape-like fruits, lying prostrate on the ground.

There were even a few small trees whose branches were twisted into deformed arcs by several head-sized, citrus-like glowing fruits, as if they might break at any moment.

'strangeness……'

Looking at the bent plants and fruit trees, Wang Xi thought to himself.

They didn't linger long before the 7 of Diamonds escorted Wang Xi down a narrow, downward spiral staircase. The air quickly became cold and damp, and the light grew increasingly dim.

'Is this an underground prison?'

Wang Xi thought.

He found it inexplicably funny; this must be the third time he'd been locked up in jail...

The first time was in the Earl of Rondale, the second time was in the Green Reed Town militia, and now even in Wonderland I'm going to jail.

The smell was even more unpleasant deeper in the dungeon.

Little Red Dragon Chapo sneezed repeatedly and cursed incessantly, which earned him two punches from the playing card soldier.

Through the thick iron bars, Wang Xi could see many figures imprisoned in the damp and dark cells on both sides.

Most of them were young and beautiful women.

Without exception, they were all forced to wear those restrictive "piety armors," their faces filled with terror, helplessness, and deep exhaustion, huddled in corners or leaning against cold stone walls, waiting for death.

As the sound of shackles and soldiers' footsteps drew near, they instinctively shrank back into the depths of the cell.

Wang Xi frowned slightly upon seeing this.

"Go in!" The 7 of Diamonds roughly shoved Wang Xi into an empty cell.

Clang!

The prison door was slammed shut and locked with an iron padlock.

A soldier with the 6 hearts spoke through the cell door in a tone that was a mixture of mockery and routine:
"Enjoy your last night. Tomorrow at sunrise, Lord Bluebeard will personally oversee the executions in Queen's Square. Your heads will be his finest ornaments."

After saying that, he turned and left with the soldiers, including the Seven of Diamonds, their footsteps fading into the distance.

Only Wang Xi and Zha Bo remained in the cell.

The damp straw mats smelled of decay, and the only faint light came from the flickering glow of torches on the corridor walls, seeping through the gaps in the iron railings.

"Uh, Kai..." Little Red Dragon Chapo's voice was weak and listless. It scratched at the chain around its neck with its little paws, looking quite helpless. "Tell me honestly, was this all planned? Did you deliberately get caught so you could sneak into the Red Castle and rescue Miss Alice?"

Wang Xi sat down against the wall, bent one leg, and said with feigned surprise, "You really are smart, Cha Bo."

"Hmph." Chabo became smug.

In fact, he prefers to be praised for being smart rather than for words like "majestic," "huge," or "powerful."

But soon, Chapo shrugged and sighed, "Gai, your plan is indeed good, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve."

"Why?" Wang Xi asked curiously.

“This Red Castle is very large and complex... Moreover, ever since that wretched sea witch came, the entire castle, especially the deep underground areas, has been transformed and isolated by her magic.”

Chabo's tone became serious.

"Astrology, tracking, clairvoyance, telepathy, and so on—all of these fail here! Many of the powerful figures from the White Queen's side who were captured here have almost all failed to escape."

Wang Xi raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? That impressive?"

He calmly activated his primordial spirit, attempting to probe outwards.

However, a powerful and obscure resistance suddenly appeared.

His senses were like those trapped in a viscous swamp, squeezed and worn down by layers of barriers. His divine sense, which normally covered several miles, could now barely penetrate a distance of less than a hundred meters even with all his might. It was not even enough to detect the entirety of this massive underground prison, let alone uncover the secrets of the castle and its core area above ground.

'He's got something.'

Wang Xi looked surprised.

Even the primordial spirit can be restricted here.

"That sea witch... what's her background?"

Wang Xi turned to Cha Bo and asked.

When the sea witch was mentioned, Chapo's expression clearly showed a mixture of disgust and fear, and even the tip of his tail subconsciously curled up:
"That guy... his name is Ursula. He was one of the most famous archmages in the neighboring kingdom of Atlantis. It is said that he possesses ancient deep-sea secrets."

"But later, for some reason, he offended the royal family of Atlantis and was wanted and pursued. He fled all the way to the Kingdom of Chessboard, where he was taken in by the Red Queen and became her most trusted right-hand man."

Chapo snorted coldly: "Usura's methods are unpredictable, especially her defensive magic and curse techniques."

"How is your strength now? How does it compare to your prime?"

Wang Xi asked the question directly.

Chabo hesitated for a moment, his expression showing a hint of reluctant embarrassment: "Ahem... well, in my prime, I'm naturally not afraid of her, but Ursula's magic counters me, so..." His voice trailed off, finally mumbling almost indistinctly, "She's only a tiny bit stronger than me! Really! Just a tiny bit!"

It emphasized the insignificant difference in an attempt to save face.

Looking at its desperate attempt to defend itself, Wang Xi understood immediately. For such an arrogant and conceited creature as Chabo to be so wary, even reluctantly admitting that the sea witch Ursula was stronger than he thought, her power was probably far more than just "a little bit" stronger.

at this time.

The sound of shackles dragging on the floor, accompanied by a soldier's shouts, came from not far away. Immediately afterwards, the door to the next cell was flung open with a bang, and another figure was roughly pushed in before the lock snapped shut.

By the dim light of the corridor, Wang Xi saw that the new prisoner was a young woman.

She had smooth black hair and a delicate face. What was most striking about her were her eyes, which shimmered with a deep violet light in the dim light, like two precious gems.

Her attire was unlike that of a woman from Poker County. She wore a clean and crisp white lace shirt paired with well-fitting brown leather pants and knee-high boots, with a belt around her waist. She exuded a heroic and dashing air, as if she were a noble lady going out hunting.

The woman was not panicked when she was pushed into the cell. She just frowned slightly, dusted herself off, and then sat down on the cold straw mat without any disgust.

Wang Xi thought about it.

He spoke up through the iron bars, asking, "Miss, how did you end up locked up here?"

The woman with black hair and purple eyes turned her head at the sound, saw Wang Xi in the next cell and the little red dragon that was being strangled and baring its teeth, and gave a helpless smile:
"We encountered Earl Bluebeard's army on the way."

Her voice was clear, with a peculiar calmness in its narration: "This count seemed to think I was dressed decently, so he came up to talk to me. He said he admired my temperament and beauty, invited me to visit his castle, and finally said he wanted to marry me."

The woman curled her lip, making no attempt to hide the disgust on her face: "I refused."

She shrugged.

"Then, he was arrested as a spy with unclear intentions, on charges of 'speaking disrespectfully to the Earl and disrespecting the Red Queen.' He'll probably be going to the guillotine with you all tomorrow."

Wang Xi frowned slightly: "Refusing a romantic advance makes you a spy? That's a very bad reason..."

He shook his head, finding it too absurd.

The woman chuckled softly: "Sir, take a closer look at the people in this dungeon."

She pointed to the young women huddled in the other cells.

"The reasons they came in were pretty much the same. Some were even arrested as spies simply because their breasts... well, they didn't reach the 'humble curve' required by Earl Bluebeard while strolling on the street, or because they laughed during a chat and their voices exceeded the 'ladylike norms'."

She said calmly, "Here, the will of Bluebeard and that sea witch is the iron law. Especially Bluebeard, whose twisted fetish allows him to arbitrarily sentence people to death under the guise of 'Queen's authority.'"

Wang Xi fell silent.

What Wang Xi saw and heard after entering Poker County made him realize that the place was full of decay and madness.

"My name is Kai Farrell," Wang Xi said, then asked, "And you?"

“Zoffy,” the woman with black hair and purple eyes answered softly. “Zoffy Spite.”

Wang Xi nodded, thus formally acquainting them.

He always felt that this woman was not simple, because her demeanor was too calm, as if she didn't care at all about being beheaded.

However, through Caius's investigation, he only saw:

"Zoffy, a resident of Wonderland (Neutral/3 stars)"

Whiteboard Samsung.

"Miss Zoffy, do you know anything more about Bluebeard and the sea witch?"

Wang Xi asked tentatively.

Zoffy nodded: "Yes. Those two are the Red Queen Beth's right-hand men, and they are very powerful."

The two chatted for a while.

Zoffy looked at Wang Xi curiously: "And you, Mr. Kai? Judging from your appearance, you don't seem to be from Poker County. What crime did you commit to be locked up here?"

Wang Xi pointed to himself: "I'm not wearing that kind of 'piety armor'."

Zoffy looked at him with an "I knew it" expression, shook his head, and sighed, "How pathetic."

"The people of Poker County suffer persecution from Bluebeard and the Sea Witch, and the two queens of the Chessboard Kingdom are in civil war. The inhabitants here are truly pitiful."

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the cold stone walls, revealing the figure hidden high in the castle: "And the Red Queen Beth, she was also a pitiful person."

"Huh?" Wang Xi was a little surprised.

Zoffy explained to him and began to tell his story:
"Her Majesty Beth was different from other children from a very young age; she grew exceptionally fast. By the age of twelve or thirteen, she was already taller and stronger than an average adult male, especially—"

She paused briefly and coughed.

“Especially there, it developed remarkably. At that age, this was not a source of pride for the young girl, but rather the root of her nightmares.”

“Children of her own age, and even strangers, mocked her as a ‘giant woman’ and a ‘cow.’ Those discriminatory glances and whispers accompanied her for a long time.”

Listening to Zoffy's story, Wang Xi realized that Wonderland's aesthetics seemed somewhat distorted.

The "beauty" people talk about tends to be more girlish and youthful, rather than mature.

“The shadow of her childhood never faded, and Beth became extremely sensitive and insecure, which eventually turned into deep-seated resentment.”

Zoffy continued.

"Bluebeard and the sea witch seized upon her deepest wounds and amplified them. Whether it was the 'Pious Armor' or those fruit trees that had been deformed by magic, it was all to please the Red Queen."

Through Zoffy's explanation, Wang Xi also learned that the Red Queen and the White Queen were actually biological sisters.

The Red Queen's name was Beth Holmes.

The White Queen was named Melanie Holmes.

The two sisters were once members of the Holmes royal family, but after the king's sudden death, the two gradually became adversaries.

Queen Melania was petite and charming from a young age, with a cascade of shimmering blonde hair. The people adored her, and the creatures of the fairy realm were drawn to her.

She enjoyed the love and affection of her parents and subjects, while her sister Beth could only hide in a corner and endure ridicule and isolation.

Melania was extremely arrogant and ambitious. In order to gain more power and influence, she betrayed her sister Beth, plotted to steal the ancient heritage that belonged to the Red Queen, incited her supporters to divide the kingdom, and seized vast territories and resources.

This is also the fundamental reason why the two sisters became mortal enemies.

"Now, the White Queen has also gained the support of Prince Snow White, the eldest prince of the Kingdom of Barn. Prince Snow White is known as the first knight of the Chessboard Kingdom. He is powerful and has seven giants under his command. With a strong army, the White Queen's power is at its zenith."

"The allied forces are relentlessly squeezing and nibbling away at Poker County, the territory of Red Queen Beth. Red Castle stands isolated, heavily besieged..."

"Perhaps it won't be long before Poker County falls, and the Red Queen Beth, who was tormented by pain, manipulated by ambitious people, and ultimately abandoned by everyone, will probably not escape her fate of death."

Zoffy's voice echoed in the dungeon, telling a tragic story about sisters killing each other, painful alienation, and inevitable destruction.

Wang Xi's gaze was deep.

This is somewhat similar to the fairy tale he remembered, but if what Zoffy said is true, then the Red Queen Beth is indeed quite pitiful.

“Miss Zoffy, you seem to have a lot of sympathy for the Red Queen.”

He spoke.

Zoffy smiled. "A little. I just feel that she might have had a better ending."

After saying that, she lay down fully clothed, turned her back to Wang Xi, and yawned: "Let's stop here for now, go to sleep early, the execution is tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)