Chapter 291: Pigs Must Be Fattened Before Slaughter Early the next morning, Aiden handed a document to a guard. "Deliver this document to the Inquisition. Tell them it's urgent and must be handed immediately to Director Harold for review," Aiden instructed, then sent the guard off quickly. Then he sat back down in his office chair. He had already dealt with most of the work yesterday. Today, he retrieved the mail delivered to his inbox earlier and began flipping through it. Given the Red Shark Pirates' flamboyant style, after his confrontational reply, they should have reacted somehow. But after looking through all the letters, he didn't find one from the Red Shark Pirates. Really keeping their cool, Aiden thought. Or perhaps, Navia Drake was provoked, and preparing to act directly? The preparations weren't fully complete, but the most crucial step was done. Even if they attacked now, he could probably manage. "Come in," Aiden replied. The door opened, and Veronica walked in, her expression grave. "Sir." "You're not off duty yet?" Aiden glanced at the clock on the wall. Veronica had worked the night shift yesterday; she could have changed and gone home by now. "I swapped half a shift with Isabella. I plan to go back at noon," Veronica paused, then said seriously, "Sir, just now at reception, a strange man came, asking to visit Inmate 3677. He claimed... to be her father." "Navia Drake?" Aiden was somewhat surprised. "That's what he claimed. I compared him to the image on the wanted poster. Although he's disguised, you can still see a strong resemblance. And his disguise..." "It looks a lot like the doodle you drew yesterday," Veronica stated earnestly. "Then it should be the real deal," Aiden nodded upon hearing this. "Did he bring anyone else?" "No," Veronica shook her head. Aiden couldn't help but frown deeply. The Pirate King had finally come knocking personally, but judging by the situation... it seemed he was genuinely here for a visit, not a jailbreak. No, wait. Putting aside his history of jailbreaks, as a wanted fugitive, how could the prison possibly allow him a visit? He, a long-time fugitive, couldn't possibly be unaware of this. Aiden quickly understood the man's true purpose—the person he wanted to see was actually the highest authority in this prison. "Then where is he now..." "Waiting at reception," Veronica replied. "Because you gave instructions, I just had someone else cover my post and watch him first." "Well done," Aiden nodded approvingly. Navia Drake coming alone likely carried an element of intimidation, a show of force, in addition to a declaration of war. If the prison immediately tried to apprehend him, a large number of staff would probably be instantly incapacitated by the power of the Codex Anomos. "Arrange an interview room for him," Aiden instructed. "Are you really planning to let them meet?" Veronica was somewhat astonished. "Of course not. The person meeting him is me," Aiden picked up his hat, put it on, grabbed his cane, and headed out of the office. Veronica was about to follow when she suddenly noticed a pair of black, lace-patterned long gloves—clearly meant for a woman—lying on the guest sofa in the office. "Eh?" Veronica froze for a second. This wasn't something colleagues on duty would wear in prison, nor was it likely an accessory belonging to an inmate. Did another female guest stay here last night? Or did the Warden prepare them as a gift? Or perhaps... he actually wears them himself in private? Plausible and implausible speculations popped up one after another in Veronica's mind. "What's wrong?" Aiden, having reached the door, noticed his subordinate standing frozen and turned back to ask. After a moment's hesitation, Veronica looked at Aiden and asked cautiously, "Sir, um, those gloves on the sofa are..." Aiden quickly glanced in that direction. For some reason, Veronica felt like he shot a look at the empty air. Then, Aiden turned his gaze back, looking puzzled. "Gloves? What gloves?" "Huh?" Veronica looked back at the sofa, stunned. It was empty. The rightful source is novᴇlfire.net But I definitely saw a pair of long gloves lying there just now... Veronica blinked, completely unable to process what had happened. "Isn't working continuously after a night shift too tiring?" Aiden asked with concern. "I-I'm fine!" Veronica waved her hands repeatedly. "Sorry, I think I just saw wrong for a moment." "Let's go then," Aiden gestured for her to follow. "Okay..." Veronica followed him out of the office, frowning slightly in confusion. Soon, the two arrived at the prepared meeting room. Half a minute later, Aiden saw the man claiming to be Navia Drake enter the room from the door on the other side of the glass partition. He was an unremarkable middle-aged man, dressed in ordinary formal wear, sporting a monocle, a top hat, and a handlebar mustache. He looked nothing like the notorious Pirate King who dominated the Empire's Serene Sea, though he did closely resemble the doodled image on the wanted poster Aiden had created. "Hm? I'm here to visit my daughter. And you are?" the man asked, feigning confusion as he sat down. "A pleasure, Mr. Drake. I am the Warden here," Aiden smiled at the man, leaning on his cane, but didn't remove his hat in greeting. "So you're the Aiden Galord who wrote me that reply?" Navia Drake also smiled. "I didn't expect to actually meet you..." "Alright, let's skip the pointless pleasantries. You came specifically to see me, didn't you?" Aiden dropped his smile abruptly. "A wanted fugitive like you, what right do you have to visit an inmate?" Navia nodded at these words, his smile vanishing as well. He stared at Aiden for a moment, then said with interest, "Then facing a wanted fugitive like me, aren't you going to arrange for some people to arrest me? I recall you saying you were quite interested in my bounty?" "I won't do that now, because doing so... would be too disadvantageous," Aiden shrugged. "Too disadvantageous?" Navia looked puzzled. "What do you mean?" "You're wanted by the Empire, not here. In the Autonomous Prefecture, the only outrageous thing you've done is threaten a judicial institution, and you haven't acted on it yet. I'm thinking, I'll wait until you do act, then arrest you. That way, you'll become a serious felon in the Autonomous Prefecture too. Then, not only can I claim the Empire's bounty, but I can also collect another reward from here," Aiden replied unhurriedly. "When raising pigs, one must always fatten them up before the slaughter."