My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 177 Cage
The air in the dark cell was damp and stifling.

At this moment, Jules was sitting in the corner with a distressed expression.

Two days have passed since we entered this fragment.

For the past two days, he has been just like any other ordinary prisoner, obediently following the prison's rules.

This wasn't something he wanted to do, but because—

His power vanished.

His extraordinary power was no longer at his disposal, and even the Heart of the Tide, which had almost become one with him, fell into silence.

If it weren't for the fact that blood was still flowing, Jules would have almost thought his heart had stopped working.

The only saving grace was that he could still summon the items that had been turned into cards, but they had all lost their power.

There was only one exception—Blue Silver Ink.

He held the small bottle containing the blue silver ink in his hand and examined it carefully.

If not told otherwise, Jules would never have imagined that this ordinary blue-silver ink actually contained such powerful energy.

However, he is currently unable to make use of it.

According to the Prince of Wales, the ink would only be effective if written on specific parchment at midnight, using a lantern fueled by the elixir of dawn.

"Let's wait and see..."

Jules had a bit of a headache.

He hated this helpless waiting the most.

But perhaps this is precisely the significance of the mission's objective—to end the "waiting."

When the wait is over, things may take a turn for the better.

As evening fell, the jailer, as usual, brought food.

The cell door was pushed open, and the jailer bent down and placed a plate of hard black bread and a bowl of thin vegetable soup on the ground with a blank expression.

As is customary, these plates and bowls will be taken away the next morning.

Jules looked up and tried to strike up a conversation, just like he had done the previous two days:
"This soup looks alright today, did you add any salt?"

As always, the jailer didn't respond at all, not even glancing at him, and turned to leave.

The cell door clicked shut, and Jules stared at the iron door, his brow furrowed.

In the past two days, he had seen many prison guards, those who delivered food, those who patrolled, and those who changed shifts, but without exception, they never spoke, and their movements were uniform, like pre-programmed machines.

This eerie silence made him feel vaguely uneasy.

He looked down at the food on the plate, picked up a piece of bread and took a bite. The dry, hard texture made him frown.

After finishing his meal, he pushed the plate aside and pulled out a crude lever made from a piece of the bed frame and a chisel modified from an iron candlestick from under the bed—tools he had painstakingly made in imitation of Father Faria.

Jules walked to the corner, squatted down, and tapped the wall with a chisel.

Stone chips fell softly, the sound echoing in the narrow cell.

He attempted to dig a passage to the neighboring Dantès cell, following the method used by Father Faria in the original work.

But after a few taps, his hand would become sore and numb, and only a shallow mark would be left on the wall.

At this rate, it would probably take years, let alone a few months, to dig up Dantès's cell.

“Too slow…” Jules stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and muttered, “In the original story, they dug for so long without success. I don’t have time to waste years here.”

Although the time flow of the Sixth History Fragment is not synchronized with the outside world, he does not want to gamble.

He sat down against the wall, his gaze falling on the small blue-silver ink bottle in his hand.

The bottle gleamed with a faint blue-silver luster in the dim light, as if reminding him that there were other possibilities.

Midnight, Dawn Elixir, parchment... He couldn't gather any of these conditions except for midnight.

There wasn't even a piece of paper in the cell, let alone any kind of elixir.

Jules frowned, his mind racing with calculations.

In the original work, Father Faria and Dantès failed to escape through the tunnel, and it was ultimately the priest's death that gave Dantès the opportunity to disguise his corpse and escape from prison.

But now he is Father Faria, and his mission requires him to escape alive with Dantès, so it's obviously impossible for him to follow the original story's plot.

Moreover, he didn't have that much time to waste.

“There must be another way…” Jules frowned.

……

The carriage moved smoothly, without any jolting, taking into account the status of the passengers, so as not to cause the nobles in the carriage to lose face.

Inside the carriage, Elena was sitting with the butler.

Her expression was very calm, but her restless hands betrayed her inner tension.

"Miss, the Loren Royal Manor is just ahead. You'd better prepare in advance."

“Hmm,” Elena responded almost imperceptibly, “What if the Prince of Wales doesn’t want us to go in?”

“He won’t,” the butler said with a smile. “The Cassano family is a force to be reckoned with, and a family like ours is something that both sides would try to win over.”

Upon hearing this, Elena breathed a sigh of relief, but a lingering worry remained in her eyes.

The carriage slowly came to a stop at the entrance of the Royal Manor of Loren, the manor gates gleaming in the sunlight.

Elena straightened her skirt, took a deep breath, pushed open the carriage door and stepped down, with the butler following closely behind.

"Miss, are you ready?"

Elena nodded, her tone firm:

"Let's go."

She took a step and walked towards the manor gate. Although her steps were steady, she felt a little uneasy.

Although the guards did not recognize Elena, seeing her extraordinary bearing and magnificent attire, they immediately stepped forward and respectfully inquired:
"May I ask you are?"

"The Cassano family, Elena Cassano."

She stood tall with her back straight, her voice clear and bright:

“I am visiting on behalf of my family to request an audience with a distinguished guest from Blancco, who has been invited by His Highness the Prince.”

The guard was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, clearly not expecting it to be someone from the Cassano family.

He dared not delay and whispered:

"Please wait a moment, I'll go and inform them right away."

Elena stood still, her gaze sweeping across the entrance to the manor, silently speculating in her heart.

The housekeeper stood beside her, giving her a much-needed boost of confidence:

“Miss, don’t worry. The Cassano family’s name still carries weight here. The Prince of Wales will not refuse your request.”

Before long, the guard returned quickly, his face showing a hint of respect.

"Miss Elena, His Highness the Prince requests that you come directly to the main hall for an audience."

Elena was taken aback; she hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.

She glanced at the butler, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

The butler smiled and said in a low voice:
"It seems the prince has already guessed the purpose of your trip."

Soon, the two followed the guards through the stone paths of the manor to their agreed meeting place.

The manor is shaded by green trees, with the sound of a fountain gurgling and a faint fragrance of flowers in the air.

However, Elena had no interest in appreciating it; her mind was filled with Jules's image.

The thought of Jules made her bite her red lips lightly, her face showing a hint of resentment.

"I just want peace of mind..."

Inside the main hall, the Prince of Wales sat at the end of a long table, dressed in a black suit, holding a cup of black tea, his gaze calm yet sharp.

Seeing Elena enter, he put down his teacup and smiled slightly:
“Welcome, jewel of the Cassano family. I heard you are looking for a guest from Blancco?”

Elena bowed, stood up straight, and spoke bluntly:
“Yes, Your Highness. His name is Jules. Have you... met him?”

The Prince of Wales gazed at her for a moment, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

He put down his teacup and said calmly:
"You must have heard from your family that I have a distinguished guest from Blancco? Then I can tell you that Jules is the person you are looking for."

The Prince of Wales paused, then continued:
"Moreover, his current official status is that of a knighted earl of Blankocag."

"The Earl?" Elena's eyes widened, and her voice involuntarily rose a few decibels, somewhat losing her composure.

She never expected that the seemingly ordinary Jules would actually be a count.
It's important to understand that this is no longer considered a minor title—in modern England, it's a rank that would bring blessings to future generations.

Moreover, Jules is young and promising, and it is not impossible for him to be granted a higher title in the future.

"Your Highness, where is he now?" Elena asked earnestly.

The Prince of Wales tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze calm:

"Jules is currently staying in the guest room area on the east side of the estate; I can give you the specific address."

Elena quickly thanked her:
"Thank you for your advice, Your Highness."

The Prince of Wales waved his hand, indicating that she could leave.

“Go, Miss Elena Cassano. I hope you can find… the answer you seek.”

He gave Elena a deep look, which made her somewhat uneasy.

Elena bowed again and hurriedly left the main hall with her butler.

Once outside, she eagerly looked at the housekeeper, her face full of confusion:
"Jules is actually a count?!"

The butler frowned and pondered:

“Miss, hereditary succession is easy, but being granted a title is not so simple—being granted the title of Earl shows that Jules’s identity is far more complicated than we thought.”

Perhaps his relationship with the bride, or his mysterious abilities, have aspects that are unknown to others.

Elena bit her lip, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her eyes:

"No matter who he is, I want to find out for myself!"

Following the address given by the Prince of Wales, Elena and the butler quickly arrived at the guest room area on the east side of the manor.

This is a quiet courtyard, with a small stone building nestled among the trees, appearing understated and elegant.

Elena found Jules's place and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

She frowned and knocked a few more times, but there was still no response.

“Miss, it seems Mr. Jules isn’t here,” the butler said in a low voice, glancing around the room. “Should we ask someone nearby?”

Elena nodded, a hint of anxiety in her eyes.

She stopped a passing manor servant and asked:
"Excuse me, have you met Mr. Jules, who lives here?"

The servant paused for a moment, then shook his head and said:
“Mr. Jules? I haven’t seen him today. He rarely goes out; he’s quite mysterious.”

Elena's heart sank; she had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

She thanked the servant, then turned to the steward, as if asking a question, or perhaps muttering to herself:
"Could he have gone out?"

The butler shook his head:
"No, the Prince of Wales said he lives here and told us to come here to find him, which means he should be here."

Soon, guided by a servant, Elena and the butler arrived at a nearby small building, where some of Jules' acquaintances were said to live.

He knocked and went in. There were two people sitting in the living room—one was Holmes, who was wearing a gray coat and had a refined demeanor, and the other was Rutos, whose eyes were sharp but looked a little tired.

Elena got straight to the point:
"Hello, I'm Elena from the Cassano family. I'm looking for Mr. Jules. Do you know where he is?"

Holmes put down his book, looked up at her, and said calmly:
“Miss Cassano? Jules doesn’t seem to have mentioned you to me. What brings you to him?”

Elena blushed, pursed her lips, and spoke firmly:
“I have something to ask him. He lives nearby, but when I knocked on his door just now, no one answered.”

Rutos frowned and interjected:
"Jules? He hasn't shown up much these past few days. I thought he was busy with something in his room."

Holmes nodded:

"I haven't seen him for several days either."

Elena bit her lip, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Could it be that Jules is deliberately avoiding him?

The housekeeper noticed Elena's low spirits and whispered words of comfort:

“Miss, don’t worry. Perhaps Mr. Jules is just leaving temporarily. Let’s wait and see.”

Holmes narrowed his eyes, as if he had sensed something, but said nothing more, only stating:

“We don’t know where he went either, but if you really want to see him, you can wait here for a while.”

Elena paused for a moment, then nodded:

"Thank you both, I will seriously consider it."

……

"Jules...is missing?"

After hearing the servant's report, the Prince of Wales' brows gradually furrowed.

With the plan to rescue the centipede about to be completed, Jules has disappeared?
"Tell me in detail what happened."

The servant, head bowed, repeated what he had heard:

"According to Mr. Holmes and Mr. Rutos, they haven't seen Mr. Jules since two days ago, which is also the time when Mr. Jules returned here."

Following their investigation of the scene, they generally concluded that Jules seemed to have vanished suddenly, without any trace of external interference.

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Wales pondered for a moment, then sighed:
"Pass down the order to search for any possible traces of Jules, while trying to avoid attracting attention from outsiders, at least to ensure that even if he is dead, he will not fall into Dole's hands."

"Yes."

"Furthermore, send this order to the Anti-Suppression Bureau, instructing them to upgrade the defenses of the Tower of London within five days."

……

How long have I lived here?

The centipede didn't know either, since the flow of time here was different from that outside.

He couldn't even be sure if this place still belonged to the waking world—maybe not.

"I never imagined that I, Edmond Dantès, would have to escape from prison again after escaping once before..."

He lay beside the dilapidated iron bed and couldn't help but sigh.

Everything here is so similar to the prison in my memory.

Similar layout, similar texture, similar loneliness.

The only difference was that these jailers didn't even seem to be alive.

Although occasionally agents from the Anti-Corruption Bureau would patrol, Centipede scoffed at the idea.

If their power hadn't been sealed, they could have been killed in the blink of an eye.

However, he still hoped these people would wander around more, because the prison guards would never say a word, and only these detectives would occasionally exchange a few words when they passed by, making him feel like he was still a living person.

Just then, two detectives from the Anti-Smuggling Bureau walked out from not far away, discussing in hushed tones as they went.

"A couple of days ago, something seemed to have happened in the cell next to Lord Centipede's; the incredibly sturdy wall started to peel off on its own."

"The Prince of Wales also issued orders requiring us to increase our defensive strength... How strange."

(End of this chapter)