Chapter 39 Hanging Square

The specific location of Lawyer's Square is at the southeast corner of White Queen District and the intersection with Lloyd District. The two areas are connected by "Prince Lloyd Avenue".

Because a long, long time ago, this was the location of the Avalon Kingdom's Law Office.

Even though the Department of Justice was later abolished and its functions were merged into the Law Courts, and the Minister of Justice became the administrator of the Law Courts... this place is still called Legal Plaza by the residents.

Aiwass did not walk to Lawyer's Place. Instead, he took "Anne Alexander" and his son in a carriage.

"I'll test you, Annie."

Aiwass sat in the carriage, clasping his fingers together and taking Lulu's hand as he stood up.

In order to prevent her from being bored and to relieve her stress, Aiwass asked casually: "Do you know which area the Legal Plaza belongs to?"

"...Lloyd's District."

Lulu was stunned for a moment before she realized that "Annie" was calling her name.

So she replied without hesitation: "It is on the east side of Prince Lloyd's Road after all."

“But in fact, from the perspective of Lloyd District residents, Legal Plaza has never been part of Lloyd District.”

"……Huh?"

Lulu was stunned for a moment: "Why?"

"Because it has a large flat floor completely paved with marble, and there are many pure white buildings as official signs, it is not in harmony with the 'Dockyard' style of Lloyd District, but is similar to the streets and architectural style of White Queen District."

The biggest difference between the Red and White Queens is the color of the pavement and buildings. Most of the buildings in the White Queen District are based on white, and the pavements are also white or off-white; the Red Queen District tends to be brown, dark brown, and brown-red.

"That makes sense." Lulu nodded thoughtfully.

"However, from another perspective, the residents of White Queen also disagree that Legal Plaza belongs to White Queen."

Aiwass raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a somewhat evil smile: "Because this place is too dirty - the environment is dirty and smelly, and the security is chaotic.

"Since the last generation of King Tudor III, people prefer to call it Hanging Square——"

……Why?

Such doubts just appeared in Lulu's mind.

But the next moment, her pupils began to vibrate violently!

Not long after Mr. Fox finished speaking, she saw two full rows of gallows on the marble square.

Two rows of corpses hung quietly above.

No more, no less, exactly forty.

About six or seven of them had obvious signs of decay, and mosquitoes and flies were flying around the bodies. The remaining hanged bodies were still relatively fresh, no more than two days old.

Most of the clothes on the corpses were mutilated, and many people had obvious blood stains and mutilations on their faces and bodies. Some bodies had hollowed out bellies, and some were missing limbs. I don’t know if it was left before death or from violence after death.

It was obviously a more civilized hanging than beheading, but there was a faint, lingering smell of blood in the square that penetrated through the carriage.

Lulu subconsciously wanted to break away from the hand held by Aiwass and cover it in front of her mouth. Because she was worried that she would vomit and appear rude.

——But Aiwass’s grip was so tight that she couldn’t break away.

Instead, he held Lulu's hand tighter, until she felt a slight pain.

But because of this, Lulu's distraction slightly dispelled the strong discomfort in her heart.

"Are you okay, Annie?"

Aiwass asked with "somewhat puzzled" concern: "Have you never been to Lawyers Square before?"

"...It's the first time I've seen so many corpses."

She murmured in a low voice: "I have seen a lot of dead people. I have long been used to contact with death..."

However, this was the first time she had seen such a "cruel death".

She thought she would spit it out, but she didn't. Now Lulu only felt a silent visual shock.

"Every Sunday is the execution day. We missed the execution day... On Sunday, many people who have time off on vacation will come to watch the execution. That is also the most active day for pickpockets."

As Aiwass said, the carriage passed a body that was hung high.

Lulu looked at his hideous face with one eyeball missing and half of his face covered in blood with a shocked and somewhat frightened gaze.

Leaning close to her ear, Aiwass pointed at the corpse evilly and murmured softly: "Look, this corpse is still very fresh, it has only been dead for two days. Otherwise, there would be maggots in his eye sockets... His eyeballs It must have been stolen and sold on the black market. Some of the demonologists' rituals use the man's left eye - look at the tear in his crotch, and the contents inside must have been stolen as well.

"It seems that the number of people executed this week should be thirty-three. Because there are still seven corpses left last week."

"...Is this more or less?"

"It's normal in this day and age."

Aiwass only half answered.

Fourteen years later, the death penalty rate on Glass Island has dropped significantly.

But that was not because security had improved... but because of the mining collapse incident seven or eight years later, which required more labor.

"Fifty years ago... oh, more than thirty years ago, it was the peak period of the death penalty. Crimes as small as stealing would be sentenced to death, and death was not the end, nor was it the most severe punishment - —There are many cruel tortures during life, and some after death.

"Queen Sophia abolished thirteen cruel death penalty methods, including beheading, and only retained hanging. And she greatly reduced the punishment for other crimes... Many crimes that were previously sentenced to death are now only exiled, imprisoned, and forced labor. In wartime, there is also a chance to make meritorious contributions while serving one's sentence..."

As Aiwass was speaking, the carriage suddenly stopped.

"Sir."

The gruff coachman said, "How do I get to the bar you mentioned?"

"Oh, we're almost there," Aiwass said in a good-tempered and gentle voice, "Just drop us off here."

"Then you better be careful of the strangling party."

The coachman kindly reminded, "In addition, it's only five copper coins here - it's half a copper coin for you."

The smallest denomination of the copper hourglass in Avalon is not "1". There are also half copper coins and quarter copper coins below that, which are two-thirds and half the size of a copper coin respectively.

This is considered a less commonly used subsidiary coin. Among them, the quarter copper coin was discontinued twenty years ago. Half copper coins were also discontinued five years ago, and only the stock was left in circulation in the market.

But now it was fourteen years ago, and half copper coins were still a common unit.

Hearing this, Aiwas looked at Lulu.

Lulu was stunned for a while before realizing that the money might be in her hands. She searched for a while, then pointed out a red coin, walked up and handed it to the coachman politely with both hands.

This red coin is equal to ten copper coins, which is twice the price.

"No need to change, sir."

She said seriously: "You have worked hard."

"You are so beautiful and generous, ma'am."

The coachman praised, then happily took the money and left.

After he left, Aiwas came over with a smile.

"You should remember that everything here is fake, right?"

He said softly.

"I remember," Lulu nodded, with a complicated expression, "I just feel that... even if they are fake, my feelings at the moment are real. I don't know what I can do... so I can only give him some money."

"This is a bit biased towards the path of dedication, my dear Annie?"

Evans said calmly.

"I don't care," she said without hesitation, "Like other children born on Glass Island, I have been educated in the authoritarian path since childhood, but I still embarked on the path of beauty. Because I just want to do what I want to do... what I think I should do.

"I just like the principles of this path and its mysterious skills. Not for the extraordinary abilities it brings me, nor do I intend to tie my own personality and life to it."

Lulu, who always looks like she has no opinion and no confidence, seems to have touched on something sensitive when talking about this topic, and said a lot of things that Aiwas didn't mention in one breath.

"...That's not easy. "

Just then, a cold, immature, and deliberately suppressed voice suddenly sounded from behind them.

A young newspaper boy who had been staring at them since they got off the bus suddenly came over and said sarcastically: "You are walking on a naive and extremely dangerous road.

"The extraordinary road is destined to abandon humanity...Mrs. Lulu."