Chapter 427: Chapter 427 Make do with it_1
The Revenge Goddess did not show any particular interest in Aidenâs proposal. "Do you think Iâm going to nod along just because you rephrased the same thing?"
"Itâs not the same. What I mean is, if you donât like me, then we donât cooperate. There are no terms between us, no contract. But our enemies and goals overlap to some extent. Itâs just an exchange of intelligence while ensuring we donât attack each other. That wouldnât cost you anything." Aiden explained carefully, "Donât you want to know where your adversaries are?"
"Where are they?" The Revenge Goddess immediately asked.
"As long as you tell me some things I want to know, I can tell you some of it," Aiden replied.
"What if I refuse?" asked the Revenge Goddess.
"I wonât do anything to you," Aiden answered, "Itâs your freedom. You would just miss the chance to learn the intelligence you want to know."
"Then Iâll consider it," the Revenge Goddess replied without a second thought.
"Often, considering is the same as refusing. I am not quite sure which âconsiderâ you mean," Aiden pressed further.
"If I intended to refuse, I would have refused directly, kid," the Revenge Goddess said, slightly running her hand through her hair, "Iâve just woken up; my head is still a bit in a muddle. I need some time to organize my memories... Now isnât a good time for me to make a decision. Could you show some consideration for the patient?"
"Alright, a patient who just disarmed one of my subordinates and took a hostage... Can I take it that youâre at least willing to call a truce?" said Aiden.
"If you can get me a hot shower, I might just bear the conspiracy stench coming off you," the Revenge Goddess said, "Itâs been a few days since this body was last washed."
"Uh, the bath waterâs lukewarm at best. Make do with it. The prisoners have complained many times, but at least itâs not freezing. The boilers are hard to control; to prevent burns, we have to set a limit on the temperature," Aiden answered.
"Make do? You expect me... to understand?" The Revenge Goddessâs eyes showed displeasure.
She was once a deity worshipped by people, yet this man expected her to make do with the temperature of the bathing water?
"No, youâve misunderstood," Aiden waved his hand, "I donât need your understanding, just explaining. And another thing to explain, you should cherish this chance to bathe because for some time, you wonât get to enjoy it as much since youâll be put in solitary confinement."
"What?" The Revenge Goddessâs face showed disbelief as her eyes widened.
"You stole a gun from one of my subordinates, fired at the prison guards, and took a hostage. This is serious, so serious that even if I considered your surrender just now, I canât feign ignorance... Please donât interrupt me, let me finish," Aiden saw her about to speak and gestured for her to stop, then continued, "This will extend your sentence, but thatâs the adjudicatorâs job. As for me, in my capacity, I need to punish you according to the prison rules. At the very least, ten days in solitary."
"Prison rules?" The Revenge Goddess seemed a bit slow to catch on.
"Maybe you donât remember, but this is a prison, and a prison has its rules, Goddess," Aiden said.
"Right, speaking of that, do you have Haloâs memories? Oh, wrong, even if you do, that lunatic never went through prison training. Then itâs perfect, Iâll make time to catch you up during your solitary. I hope youâll cooperate," Aiden said.
"Prison... I seem to recall a bit now..." The Revenge Goddess tried to remember, "Here I am, caged like an animal, fed periodically, occasionally shackled and taken for a shower. You actually kept me like some pet?"
"No offense, but Halo was the most comfortable prisoner in my jail. She didnât even have to work," Aiden replied, "Fortunately, you can now communicate normally and can have a regular prison lifeâby inmate standards, that is."
"You expect a deity to abide by the rules of a mortal prison?" The Revenge Goddess gave a tight, mirthless smile as if she had heard a poor joke.
"Uh, it might sting a bit to say this, but I hope you realize the fact that youâre no longer the ruler, just a mortal retaining a shred of power," Aiden said calmly, "Secondly, if you were the ruler, then Iâd have to use a different standard to guard youâand believe me, you wouldnât like that. You know this is a mortalâs prison, established to uphold the order of mortal society. If your power supersedes the rules, then the rights within them wouldnât apply to you either."
"It seems you donât understand me very well, kid. Many have offended the Revenge Goddess, but the only ones I havenât retaliated against are that bitch and her lapdog; everyone else has regretted it. I guess you donât want to be one of them?" the Revenge Goddess said coldly, "Being subject to authority, I hold grudges... and I tend to be less than rational when exacting revenge."
"We might have something in common with holding grudges, but if youâre going to remember such small things, isnât that a bit petty, Goddess? Besides, youâve already admitted to disliking me, why should I try to please you? Moreover, I donât need to, because you donât have a choice in this matter. Iâll use the âWordless Codeâ to limit your powers," Aiden took out the Wordless Code and started writing immediately.
By sealing the powers "Betrayal" and "Revenge," the Revenge Goddess would hardly be a fundamental threat to the prison anymore.
"Youâre really not the reverent type, are you?" the Revenge Goddess frowned.
"If I were reverent, after the Conspiracy Goddess granted me so many favors, Iâd be licking her boots or begging her like a madman instead of trying to get rid of her," Aiden said as he closed the code.
"Thatâs probably the only likable thing I can find about you," the Revenge Goddess said with sarcastic laughter.
"So, about what I mentioned earlier, is there anything thatâs not clear to you, Goddess?" Aiden asked with a seemingly respectful tone.
"Hmph, Iâll take a bath first to sort out the memories in my head. We can talk about the rest later," the Revenge Goddess chose to set aside the issue.
"As long as you follow the rules while doing this, good. Right now the solitary cells are relatively quiet, so you can reflect there in peace," Aiden said, "By the way, I have a question, what shall we call you in the future?"
The Revenge Goddess lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before answering, "Just use the original name of this body. Call me as you did before; names donât mean much to us."
"Alright, Prisoner 3020, Halo." Aiden snapped his fingers, "Iâll arrange for someone to take you to the shower right away."
"Get me a new set of clothes," Halo said with a sneer.
"Indeed, youâll be getting a new set of clothes," Aiden assessed Haloâs prison uniform.
From today, the orange uniform would be upgraded to red.