Chapter 292: Suitable for Hanging from a Lamppost Although he said that, the real reason Aiden didn't act was that now wasn't the right time. Melissa had given him a crucial piece of intelligence: an ordinary person using the Codex Anomos could only establish a total of three rules per day. Follow current novᴇls on NoveIＦire.net For Navia Drake to successfully execute the jailbreak, he would generally need to inscribe two rules onto the Codex Anomos: "Attacking and harming are forbidden" and "Restriction of personal liberty is forbidden." With these two rules in place, they could easily leave the prison. However, escaping the Autonomous Prefecture and returning to the sea afterward might involve continuous pursuit. If their escape route was discovered early, the Autonomous Prefecture and the Empire could still hinder the pirates' departure from land by destroying roads, bridges, and ships—as long as it was done outside the Codex's area of influence, it wouldn't fall under the "restriction of personal liberty" category. Therefore, he would likely need to add rules like "Tracking is forbidden" or even "Approaching with hostile intent is forbidden" as insurance. This would essentially guarantee a foolproof jailbreak and escape process. But if he didn't plan to break anyone out today, he could inscribe even more rules. If he used the Codex Anomos's power to implement corresponding security measures for the Codex itself, hidden on his person, stealing it from him would be virtually impossible. Acting at this time would not only fail but might also expose the plan Aiden had devised. Hearing Aiden's words, the expression on Navia's face stiffened for an instant but quickly returned to composure. "Young man, confidence is good, but you should still be somewhat cautious. Haven't you heard of my past deeds?" Aiden resisted the urge to reveal everything he knew about the other party's methods right here. He understood clearly that acting tough at this moment offered no benefit. Letting the opponent believe they were ignorant of his techniques would make them lower their guard, increasing the prison's chances of winning. "Hahaha... A newborn calf isn't afraid of the tiger," Navia laughed heartily. "Young man, we don't need to be so confrontational. Actually, I came this time prepared to give you another chance."(TN: 初生牛犊不怕虎 (Chūshēng niúdú bùpà hǔ) - Lit. 'a newborn calf isn't afraid of the tiger'. Idiom for youthful fearlessness or recklessness.) "Release my daughter immediately and send her to the landing. I can overlook yesterday's incident," Navia said seriously. "When your prison is looted clean, you won't be able to bear that responsibility." "Releasing your daughter is a responsibility I similarly cannot bear," Aiden shook his head. "And you expect me, a law officer, to bow down to a mere bandit?" "A mere bandit? Young fellow, I am the master of the Coral Sea!" Navia's eyes turned somewhat stern. "What's the difference? Pirates, in the end, are just bandits of the sea." "Young man, you don't understand the rules. The northern seas are almost entirely occupied by the Empire. How much tax fishing boats and merchant ships pay is decided solely by them," Navia said in a condescending, lecturing tone. "If it weren't for us pirates competing for territory with them, the Empire would completely dominate these waters. The existence of pirates is a commonly acknowledged underlying rule. Without us, these seas, these maritime trade routes, would be utterly monopolized by the Empire, and then—" "Alright, stop right there. I've met plenty of people like you in prison," Aiden directly cut off Navia's self-aggrandizement. "Trying to whitewash your filthy deeds with a bunch of twisted logic, quite something. Do you burn, kill, and plunder at sea to fight the Empire? Isn't it just to satisfy your own selfish desires? If you're so noble, why not attack the Imperial Navy directly and start a revolution, instead of just bullying merchant ships and fishing boats?" This world would never lack people who used bizarre logic to justify criminal behavior. Aiden had no interest in listening to their lengthy diatribes. Navia remained silent for a long time, his face subtly darkening. "Having some guts is good, but being so ignorant of your own limitations, you'll eventually crash and burn." "Enough pointless talk. You're so confident. Why not set a time? When are you planning the jailbreak? So I can properly entertain you," Aiden proactively threw down the gauntlet. "Though, actually, now isn't impossible either." Since this pirate dared to show up and provoke him today, perhaps he really would accept the challenge. If he could confirm the time of their arrival, it would naturally be more advantageous for Aiden. Navia stared at him for a long while. "Is this... reverse psychology?" "Of course not, just a little joke," Aiden smiled. "I imagine even the Red Shark Pirates, who once dealt with the Capital Prison, wouldn't dare attempt such a reckless, suicidal move..." "Tomorrow then," Navia suddenly interrupted before Aiden could finish. "I have more pressing matters to attend to right now. I don't have time to waste too much energy on a place ." Navia had previously captured and interrogated other pirates who escaped from the Roc Eagle, learning that his daughter Anne's ship was destroyed by three Vampires. He still hadn't figured out where he had offended a major power connected to Vampires, but he hadn't imagined it could be linked to this prison in the Autonomous Prefecture. For him, investigating the mysterious force targeting him was the priority; spending too much time on such a small prison was unnecessary. "As expected of the so-called Pirate King. You do have courage," Aiden chuckled. "Then I shall await you here." "Farewell," Navia tipped his hat slightly and rose from his chair. Just then, Aiden suddenly added, "May I ask, your mustache... is it grown, or glued on?" "It's fake. Thank you for the disguise inspiration," Navia smiled. "Walking on the street, no one recognized me as a wanted man." "After all, your wanted poster isn't common in the Autonomous Prefecture. This disguise is indeed excellent. Like a phantom thief, or a capitalist—the kind perfectly suited for hanging from a lamppost," Aiden finished his assessment and waved his hand. "Next time you come, I hope you'll be叼ing (diaoing - holding in mouth) that fish. Until we meet again."(TN: 叼 (diāo) - This verb specifically means to hold something loosely in the mouth, like a cigarette or, in this case, the doodled fish. Kept the pinyin with explanation as there isn't a perfect single English verb.) Navia didn't reply, leaving the meeting room with a dark face. "Sir..." Veronica spoke softly from behind. "No need to follow him, it would likely be useless anyway," Aiden waved his hand dismissively. "Now, all we need to do is wait for tomorrow."