After exploring about two or three rooms, Angel decides to give up this search. The rooms here are all quite spacious, possibly used for various experiments. Anyway, it’s not an appropriate site.
However, this unsuitable floor doesn’t imply other floors won’t suit.
According to Speedy’s scouting, there are three stairways leading downward here. It only briefly explored one; the other two are too deep, with sparse winds inside, making enforced probing likely to attract Ghosteye Witches’ attention.
On the level Speedy briefly explored, the rooms are not large, featuring quite a few partitions. Perhaps a favorable spot can be found there.
Thinking of this, Angel doubles back to the circular hall, guided by Speedy, crossing numerous corridors to locate the first stairway.
This stairway is the one Speedy lightly probed.
The stairway maintains a normal height, and soon Angel observes the layout below.
A room that’s not too big, along with three corridors leading in different directions, with rooms spaced out along each corridor.
It’s worth mentioning that while many of these rooms are damaged beyond recognition, Angel gathered some clues from the traces left behind about what these rooms were used for.
"Imprisonment," Angel murmured softly to himself.
These rooms were likely places for imprisoning people.
Angel had previously speculated that with such tight security on the fifth and sixth floors, it might be a temporary prison for those criminals.
It seems now that this speculation might be correct.
However... the lower floors are for prison, and the upper floors are for laboratories. This design gave Angel some disturbing thoughts.
Did large-scale live experiments happen here once?
Angel squinted, refraining from thinking further. Or rather, he dared not to think too much.
Although the specific reason for the decline of Naraku City is unknown to Angel, it’s likely that Naraku City isn’t entirely an innocent party.
This place has many secrets; it’s very deep and complex. Angel doesn’t plan to investigate further... If he needs to investigate, he’d prefer to do so in the Nightmare Abyss City projections.
After all, there are still ancient monsters alive here. Like the Wise Sovereign that Daymouth mentioned.
This is just the Hanging Jail Stairway, an official institution of Naraku City, and it already has ancient monsters that have lived for millennia, not to mention other places.
Perhaps, there are even more ancient monsters here.
They coldly watch the decline of this place, watch it be plundered, yet remain indifferent, haven’t even left... just thinking about it sends cold sweat down the back; it’s not right, incredibly not right.
Angel exhaled deeply, suppressing the sudden unease within him.
Then, deciding not to think about other matters, he quickly walked through the prison.
He no longer wants to know what happened here, what secrets it held in the past. All he needs to do now is find a suitable place for Earl Mi to sense the shadow fusion status...
Soon, Angel finished examining this level of the prison. Inside was an enclosure with six Ghosteye Witches, hanging upside down from the ceiling, engaged in "cultivation."
This was the most suitable location Angel found.
However, there are two points to consider: first, there are Ghosteye Witches roaming in the two adjacent enclosures and in the corridors outside. Once a battle ensues, it might alarm the Ghosteye Witches outside. Since Ghosteye Witches can communicate information through shadows, they might immediately alert all the Ghosteye Witches on this level.
Second, Earl Mi’s first attempt at shadow fusion involves six Ghosteye Witches. Could this be a bit too much? Might it endure excessive cluttered information, leaving potential hazards?
The best choice would be two or three Ghosteye Witches.
Due to these considerations, Angel temporarily abandoned this enclosure. However, this is only a temporary decision.
He suspected that the other two staircases, which Speedy hadn’t explored, might lead to similar prisons. He planned to check other prisons, and if there wasn’t a better option, he’d return here.
As for further investigating the staircase at the corner or returning to the previous dark alley, Angel didn’t plan to do so.
He’d been away for almost five minutes now. Although this isn’t too long, he didn’t want to be delayed by a small matter.
There are still two staircases he hasn’t visited yet, which Speedy hasn’t thoroughly explored, but that’s unimportant as long as the positions are known.
Since he didn’t know the situations on either side, it didn’t matter which staircase he chose to start with. To save time, Angel picked the closest stairway.
Once down this staircase, Angel subtly sensed a different atmosphere.
This staircase... seems unusually long?
Moreover, there’s barely any trace of Ghosteye Witches here.
The walls on either side of the staircase lack significant claw marks or signs of damage, which seems to suggest fewer Ghosteye Witches are present?
This is good news.
With fewer Ghosteye Witches, whether fighting or departing ultimately, it would be relatively easy.
Moreover, if the area below is still a prison, it will certainly be a relatively closed space. Placing a sealing array plate at the staircase entrance or cloaking it within an illusion should prevent disturbance to Ghosteye Witches outside even if they become unruly.
With these thoughts, Angel descended rapidly.
Ten seconds later, Angel landed, encountering a familiar "prison manager’s" room. Though still dilapidated, compared to other places, its furniture was intact, indicating genuinely few Ghosteye Witches here.
Additionally, unlike before, there’s only one corridor here.
And this corridor is a dead-end, terminating in a wall, meaning exit requires retracing steps.
If this remains a prison, then those imprisoned here likely were far more significant than those in the other prison.
This is apparent from the layout and size of the cells.
The cells here are distinctly larger, and the materials used for the prison doors seem relatively superior. From a distance, Angel noted several doors that weren’t entirely destroyed.
With an eager heart, Angel entered the corridor.
The first cell gave Angel a surprise; inside were five Ghosteye Witches, curled in circular formations.
Even though the number is still significant, the position is ideal, close to the staircase, allowing swift escape upon achieving the goal.
Angel quickly forgot the cell with six Ghosteye Witches, prioritizing this location.
However, Angel didn’t immediately prompt Earl Mi to act; since entering this prison, he decided to continue exploring. The corridor isn’t long and extends visibly to the end, there might be a room with even better options ahead.
Angel’s intuition proved sometimes not too far-fetched.
Avoiding the Ghosteye Witches patrolling the corridor, Angel advanced inward, quickly finding a room with only two Ghosteye Witches cultivating.
From a numerical standpoint, this surpasses the room with five Ghosteye Witches!
However, somewhat regretfully, in the cell directly opposite, two Ghosteye Witches remain outside the cultivation state.
If these two were also cultivating, it would be perfect. He could pick either room to begin.
Yet at this moment, Angel still preferred the first room.
Shaking his head, Angel proceeded a bit further; he could already see the wall at the corridor’s end. Clearly, he was now in the latter half of the prison.
Alas, no better choice emerged than the first room.
As Angel sighed softly, suddenly, a faint fragrance drifted in from nearby...