In the name of the true god

There were few pedestrians near the heavy prison, and the intersection was deserted.

Connor walked without looking back to a streetlamp, and after confirming that the area was secluded enough, he looked at Jude and asked, "You've been in the capital for three years?"

"Yes." Jude nodded.

"What kind of work are you doing?" Connor's gaze fell on Jude's gleaming leather jacket and patched trousers.

"I work as a stevedore at the dock."

"You've been working as a loader all your life?"

"Always."

"It must have been tough."

"..." Jude wanted to play the victim, but considering that it didn't fit the original owner's reserved personality, he had no choice but to remain silent.

Connor let out a clearly audible breath: "Why did you come looking for me?"

Oops.

Jude had a bad feeling.

Why did my brother, whom I haven't seen for eight years, show no joy at seeing me? Instead, he seemed to see me as a burden.

No, I finally found someone to rely on, so I still have to play the victim...

He sighed softly, "You know the atmosphere at home. Since you left, Father's temper has become even more volatile. If I don't leave, I'll be driven crazy sooner or later. But... I don't know where I can go. Besides Father, you're my only family..."

Connor remained silent for a long time: "...Do you hate me?"

"I……"

Before Jude could answer, Connor interrupted, "I know you'll hate me. My departure back then not only left you living in misery, but also brought shame upon the entire family."

In a feudal environment, Connor's "coming out" was indeed a source of shame for his family.

Jude observed Connor's temperament and demeanor, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Hmm... I can't tell if it's '1' or '0'...

"Don't waste your youth at the docks of the capital." Connor took out his wallet from his pocket and generously pulled out all the money. "Take this money and buy yourself some new clothes and a train ticket back to North Point to learn a trade."

Jude glanced at it; the wad of large denomination banknotes must have weighed at least two hundred gold grams.

Is it too much?

Objectively speaking, this is equivalent to more than half a year's salary.

but……

"Brother," Jude didn't answer, "I want to stay in the capital."

"What's the point of staying in the capital?" Connor's cool expression revealed displeasure.

Since they were all family, Jude wasn't embarrassed at all: "I'll follow you."

Connor turned his head away, but still couldn't bring himself to refuse his brother: "...If you insist on staying in the capital, I can try to arrange for you to study at Florence National University."

Florence National University is one of the top universities in the Kingdom of Florence.

The fact that Connor could get his poor, uneducated brother into the company shows that he has a lot of connections. His eight years in the capital have definitely paid off.

Jude, who had just started university in his previous life, was diagnosed with cancer and forced to suspend his studies, really wanted to experience a complete university life.

With a stable living allowance, top-notch education, and who knows, you might even have a romance with a beautiful young female classmate...

"But I remember your grades were just average." Connor changed the subject. "Learning a trade would be more suitable for you than completing a heavy university course."

Brother, you're really looking down on people...

Jude did not openly refute the statement. After calming down for a while, he seriously considered the current situation.

It wouldn't be difficult for Connor to arrange for me to study at a top university, but is that really what I want? Or rather, can I really get rid of all the mysteries surrounding me and live an ordinary life?

I'm afraid not.

The fat wizard's self-sacrificing inheritance of the 'Law of Contact'...

Simultaneously becoming a 'Contagion Wizard' and a 'Resonance Sorcerer'...

A mysterious ring of unknown origin, belonging to Edmund in the year 419 of the Divine Calendar...

From the very beginning, I found myself in a complex vortex. Like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, thinking that all it takes is prayer to be safe, I was ultimately just fooling myself.

We still need to become stronger and find out the truth.

Only when you have cut off all the dangers that are attached to you can you fully embrace a good life.

"Brother, are there any other options?" Jude asked.

"...The last one." Connor remained silent for an even longer time this time, as if he had made up his mind. "Come work in the prison."

prison?

It sounds like going to university would be better...

"I'm currently the chief warden of the Royal Capital Heavy Prison. If you're willing, I can arrange for you to join us, starting as a prison guard with a monthly salary of one hundred gold grams. How high you climb in the future is up to you. Of course, if you're not interested in this job, I can also give you a sum of money, about seven thousand gold grams, which is enough for you to establish yourself respectably in the Royal Capital and do what you want." Connor stated the terms, leaving the decision to Jude.

With his older brother, a senior guard, protecting him, the prospects for becoming a prison guard are not bad.

A seven-thousand-gold coin, enough to allow one to live a carefree life in the capital for several years, is something no one could refuse.

Both paths offer excellent benefits!

Sure enough, if there's a powerful figure to rely on, then you should definitely cling to them!

"Hmm..." Jude pursed his lips, deliberately inquiring about prison conditions first to appear less greedy, "Is being a prison guard dangerous?"

"The capital's heavy-duty prison is of very high standard, naturally housing only serious offenders. But the key point is..." Connor paused intentionally, "...do you know it involves wizards and resonance sorcerers?"

Why are you suddenly asking this?

Knowing that wizards and resonance sorcerers were both infamous, Jude replied solemnly, "I know, those people are heretics who believe in evil spirits!"

"...Hmm." Connor nodded slightly, then explained, "Of the four holy churches, the Church of Wind has the deepest roots in the Kingdom of Florence. The capital's heavy prison is jointly managed by the Church of Wind and the Kingdom of Florence. One part is used to imprison serious criminals, while the other part is used to imprison arrested wizards and resonance sorcerers."

Oh?

There are even wizards and resonance sorcerers involved in the prison?

Jude thought all the arrested wizards and resonance sorcerers had been burned to death immediately.

If I were to work in a prison, wouldn't I have the opportunity to come into contact with them and learn how the law of similarity is applied?

Connor hadn't finished speaking: "The situation is a bit complicated. In short, the prison system can be broadly divided into two parts: the people of the Kingdom of Florence manage ordinary serious offenders, while the priests of the church manage implicated wizards and resonance sorcerers."

No wonder the priest Rodney had dealings with his brother Connor.

"If I go in..."

"Managing ordinary serious offenders."

"Hmm..." Jude murmured.

It's hard to say whether such an arrangement is good or bad.

He embodies two great laws and is irreconcilably opposed to the church. If he were to take the path of a priest in order to contact a resonance sorcerer, no one could guarantee that he wouldn't be exposed.

However, without becoming a priest, it seems inconvenient to come into contact with the associated wizards and resonance sorcerers, and it would be extremely difficult to ask them questions.

"—But that's something for when you become at least a Level Two Warden. As a regular guard, you'll have to work shifts. I don't think it's dangerous as long as you strictly follow the prison's rules and regulations." Connor's words promptly dispelled Jude's concerns.

"I see..." Jude breathed a sigh of relief.

From this perspective, as an ordinary prison guard, he neither needs to have "close contact" with the church, nor does he need to see the involved wizards and resonance sorcerers in a logical way. It's simply perfect!

"Have you thought it through? Do you want to work in prison, or take seven thousand gold coins and do whatever you want?" Connor pressed.

Going to prison offers a stable income, the protection of an older brother who is a first-class warden, a bright future, and access to entangled wizards and resonance sorcerers, allowing one to master the application of the laws of contact and similarity.

Seven thousand gold coins, equivalent to seven hundred thousand copper coins, would take me nearly twenty years of working at the docks to earn that amount! While it's far from being financially free in the capital, it's still quite considerable, enough to squander for a while.

Eh...

wrong.

Didn't you "hitch a ride" on a nobleman?

If you want to support yourself, tens of thousands of gold coins are a piece of cake, right?

These seven thousand gold coins looked exactly like money he had painstakingly saved up himself.

"Brother..." Jude hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Are you still with that nobleman?"

Connor's expression turned slightly colder, as if he were a little embarrassed: "...He is now the deputy warden of the Royal Capital Heavy Prison."

Hey!

No wonder Connor went to work in a prison and even tried to get himself in!

So it turns out they call the shots in half of this capital's heavy prison!

Jude felt much more at ease: "Um... Brother, may I ask how I should address him when I see him? Should I call him sister-in-law? Or... brother-in-law?"

Connor's lips twitched almost imperceptibly: "...His name is Steele Fernando. If you ever have the chance to see him again, just call him Mr. Fernando, or Deputy Warden."

"Understood……"

"So, what's your decision? A job... or money?" Connor asked eagerly, bringing the conversation back to the point.

The former is very tempting.

The latter is not bad either.

Suffering from severe decision-making difficulties, Jude remembered that they were a loving family, so after careful consideration, he shamelessly declared, "Brother, I'm not going to hesitate anymore, I want them all."