Chapter 72: Chapter 67: Do Not Respond! Do Not Respond!_2
For instance, on the day when the revelation suggested “don’t wear underwear,” a prison guard sought out Igula for advice on how to pursue girls. After all, Igula was handsome and dashing, with a bit of Meiwa blood, clearly a womanizing king of the scoundrels.
The prison guard had delicate looks and long hair, emitting an enigmatic allure that could corrode hearts and captivate souls. Although Igula’s sexual orientation was fairly standard, his Meiwa lineage made him not only omnivorous but also easily aroused, leading to an inadvertent reaction that scared the guard away and cost him the chance to build a friendly relationship.
Now the revelation was warning him “don’t respond,” but could it be leading him to miss another opportunity to develop a profound relationship with the prison guard?
But Igula soon made his decision—he disregarded the revelation. Disadvantages were staring him in the face!
Life was pretty comfortable at the moment. Aside from not having the freedom to curse, he really wasn’t doing too poorly. He ate well, slept well, had a regular routine, and access to a full range of entertainment facilities.
Moreover, he had been in Shattered Lake Prison for over a year.
Prison is a peculiar place. At first, you loathe it; later, you get used to it; and finally, you can’t live without it.
Igula had gotten used to this kind of life and had no motivation to change reality.
Ironically, during last night’s Blood Moon Judgement live broadcast, when Igula saw a death row inmate spouting obscenities, he felt a sense of disgust rising within. It wasn’t disdain for the vulgar language; it was a subconscious belief that “cursing is wrong.”
The “Swindler” Igula, who specialized in exploiting legal loopholes, had gradually turned into an upholder of the law. When you grow accustomed to the shackles, you start to accept and even romanticize their purpose. That’s the meaning of Shattered Lake Prison; that’s the power of chip-induced behavior modification.
Leaving his dormitory, Igula walked briskly to the dining hall, resolved to remain silent outside. He would ignore anyone who approached him, eat breakfast quickly, and return to his dorm.
He also considered whether to use his contribution to order food and hide in his dorm all day. But because he lost to Ash previously, his contribution was tight, and he wanted to conserve on unnecessary expenses like eating out.
It was just about not talking during meals—there was no way Igula couldn’t do it!
Igula took his meal tray and found a corner to sit in, but the next second someone sat across from him.
“Good morning, my friend Igula! Hey, your lobster balls look great. Mind if I have one?”
Igula’s mouth moved slightly as he silently watched Ash struggle with the rather rare sight of chopsticks attempting to pick up a lobster ball.
However, Ash wasn’t skilled at it and missed, causing the lobster ball to leap out of the plate and onto the table.
Ash blinked, tried again, and missed once more—the ball flew off again.
On the third attempt, he finally managed to grasp one accurately and placed it back on Igula’s plate before picking up another clean lobster ball to eat.
“You don’t mind, do you?”
Igula’s mouth twitched slightly, but he remained silent, merely speeding up his eating.
While eating, Ash made a flamboyant gesture that knocked over Igula’s cup, spilling milk all over the table and onto his clothes.
“Oh sorry, sorry, let me help you wipe that, okay?”
Ash reached out with a napkin to clean Igula’s clothes, but Igula wordlessly pushed his hand away and headed straight into the restroom of the dining hall.
After washing the trace of milk from his clothes, Igula figured he was there anyway and went to the urinal to pee.
However, Ash appeared beside him again: “Oh, what a coincidence, Igula, you’re here to pee too.”
Igula was silent, simply speeding up the flow.
“Oops, I didn’t wipe my mouth. Igula, could you hold it for me while I grab a tissue?”
Igula was almost at his breaking point, but remembering the warning in the mirror, he clenched his teeth, took a deep breath, and forcefully swallowed the words that were rising in his throat.
“After washing your hands without a towel, would it be possible to wipe them on your clothes?”
“Are you done with breakfast already? Let’s go to the Death Battle Society together, could you introduce me to the strong ones there?”
“Did you watch the Blood Moon Judgement last night? I have a few questions I’d like to ask you about it, and of course, you can ask me some in return.”
“Wait, don’t rush off like that. Can’t you wait for me?”
Igula just treated Ash like he was talking nonsense, never responding to his requests and quickly heading to his own bedroom.
Watching Igula’s hurried departure, Ash was naturally very puzzled.
He had exposed so many openings, so why hadn’t Igula taken the bait?
Igula Bokin was known to be a wicked man with the notorious titles ‘Swindler’, ‘Beautiful Beast’, preying on the weak and advancing aggressively when given the chance. Why then was he acting so tame today, like a kitten that hadn’t yet been weaned?
No other choice, it was time for the last resort!
At the sound of gold coins hitting the floor, Igula, out of professional reflex, almost subconsciously looked over, and a voice that sounded like heaven’s melody floated over, “Could you help me pick up the gold coin?”
“No problem.” Igula instantly flicked a copper coin from his sleeve, painted to look like a gold coin, and only after he had switched the coins did he suddenly realize he had spoken.
But Igula didn’t panic. Looking at Ash, he said, “Although I’m not sure why you insist on making requests of me, now you’ve gotten your wish – the Contract Technique Spirit has taken effect. I’ve fulfilled your request, so now you must fulfill any demand I make.”
Inside Shattered Lake Prison, no one dared to accept Igula’s requests, nor did anyone dare make requests of Igula – this was because under the influence of the Contract Technique Spirit, anyone who established a ‘transaction’ with Igula could be forced to keep their promises through the contract, while he was not obligated to uphold his end.
And the most wonderful contract was when someone made a request of Igula without specifying what they’d give in return. It was like giving Igula a blank check to fill in any demand he wanted!
Therefore, Igula had earlier suppressed his desire to respond to Ash with great willpower because as soon as he agreed to Ash’s request, he would get a chance to demand anything from Ash, with no restrictions. It would be no problem even to have Ash lose to him in the next Death Battle.
Igula had realized that Ash was doing it on purpose, but he was not intimidated.
Even if Ash really had a scheme, now he had a chance to make a wish of Ash. What was there to fear?
To intimidate Ash, Igula deliberately summoned his Contract Technique Spirit.
The Contract Technique Spirit was a two-winged fiend carrying a chain. Its ephemeral chains stretched all the way to Ash’s neck, as if ready to throttle him at any moment.
“I’d advise you to behave yourself, Ash Heath.” Igula squinted his eyes: “I can now make an unrestricted wish, which you will have to fulfill.”
“Of course, even if I ask you to stand on your head and shit.” Igula arrogantly declared, “Ash, you’ve become my ‘good friend’ to command.”
“That’s just wonderful.”
Ash reached out his hand, and a one-winged Technique Spirit emerged in his palm.
The Technique Spirit appeared as a one-winged balance scale. When it appeared, a section of the chains from the Contract Technique Spirit suddenly dropped onto the left side of the scales. To maintain balance, an identical chain appeared on the right side, stretching all the way to Igula’s neck!
The chains of the Contract Technique Spirit had bound Ash; now the chains of the Technique Spirit of balance had bound Igula!
“Balance exists in everything.”
Looking at Igula’s face that was gradually becoming uglier and contorted with trouble, Ash said with a smile, “Igula, helping each other is what ‘good friends’ do, don’t you agree?”