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Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Underground Ruins × Officer Sangli

Hundred Ring Island, located in the very center of Nisi Great Lake within the nature reserve outside Loi City.

Besides the central island, Hundred Ring Island was surrounded by thirty-seven layers of circular reefs, which is where its name came from.

Beneath the central island of Hundred Ring Island, Dia and Cheadle walked one after the other through an underground passage.

This underground passage had only simple lighting, and the surrounding walls were built from bluestone that looked quite ancient.

On the airship, Cheadle had explained to Dia why she chose him to come here. The reason was—

"No reason. The originally scheduled clerk had an issue, so a replacement was needed at the last minute. You happened to call right at that moment, so I vouched for you as the clerk to the judge."

This was a lie. In reality, the role of the clerk in a trial was more important than Dia imagined.

Because neither the judge nor the legal scholar was allowed to write anything down during a Secret Court session, when it came to archiving the case afterward, the entire content of the trial depended on the clerk's written records.

Any error in the records would have a significant impact.

As it happened, the originally scheduled clerk had a last-minute problem, and the judge felt he couldn't choose a trustworthy replacement, so he asked Cheadle for a recommendation.

She had thought of many people who were capable and trustworthy, but almost none of them could drop their work and come here on such short notice.

It just so happened that at that moment, Dia's call came through.

In a very short amount of time, she considered the rationality of having Dia serve as the clerk, and the conclusion she reached was—it was worth a try.

She had been watching this student, Dia, since he enrolled. After taking him on as her student, she knew him inside and out. This led Cheadle to trust Dia and let him be the clerk for this session.

This way, the Secret Court session could proceed, and she could also give this gifted but pitifully-orphaned student some help.

Killing two birds with one stone.

Of course, Dia knew nothing of the backstory. He was still marveling at the hidden world beneath Hundred Ring Island; the location choice for the Secret Court was truly extraordinary.

The two passed through a long corridor. When they reached the end, the space suddenly opened up, and a room the size of a basketball court came into view.

On each of the four walls of the room, there was a passage sealed by an iron gate. In the center of the room was a small, clearly makeshift courtroom.

This courtroom had no jury box or public gallery.

Facing the entrance was a long table, which should be the judge's bench. To the left were two tables, one for the clerk and one for the legal scholar.

To the right of the room was the bailiff's area, large enough for about three people to stand at once. Opposite the judge's bench, near the entrance, an area for the defendant to stand was enclosed by an iron cage.

The courtroom was currently empty. Cheadle directed Dia to sit in the clerk's seat. Then, as if noticing Dia's curiosity about the space, she explained:

"These are the ruins left behind by an ancient kingdom. They haven't been made public by the officials yet. The dangerous species and valuable ancient artifacts should have been cleared out by now. Its existence will probably be announced after this trial concludes."

Dia looked at the iron gates on the other three walls and asked curiously:

"What's behind those doors?"

"I don't know either. They might be other entrances. I've only heard about this place from a colleague who studies ruins."

Cheadle shook her head, and as if recalling something unpleasant, she continued:

"Recording a Secret Court trial is different from lab notes. You must strictly adhere to the facts when you record. The format is just as I told you on the airship. This shouldn't be difficult for you."

As soon as she finished speaking, a series of footsteps could be heard from the room's entrance.

Several people then entered in single file. The one in the lead was an elderly man. Behind him was a sturdy man in strange shackles, flanked on either side by two armed bailiffs.

The elderly man went straight to Cheadle upon entering, extending his hand with a smile:

"Miss Cheadle, I trust you've been well. We'll be relying on you for legal supervision this time."

Cheadle shook his hand politely and exchanged a few pleasantries before changing the subject to introduce Dia, who was beside her:

"This is the clerk I recommended over the phone, and also my student, Dia Diego."

Cheadle then turned to Dia and said:

"Dia, this is Judge Bell Conner."

Dia smiled and stepped forward to shake his hand, expressing his pleasure at meeting him.

Afterward, Judge Bell handed Cheadle a bound booklet and turned to instruct the bailiffs to prepare for the trial.

Dia saw the characters "B-11" written on the cover of the booklet, and nothing else.

Rustle!

Cheadle opened the booklet and began to flip through it at an astonishing speed.

Just as Dia was doubting whether she could read clearly at that speed, Cheadle had already finished the booklet and handed it to Dia.

Seeing Cheadle hand over the booklet, Judge Bell froze for a moment:

'Miss Cheadle certainly trusts this student.'

He thought this mainly because the clerk was only responsible for recording and generally did not read the trial case file, as such an action could lead a less-than-rational clerk to make subjective records.

Cheadle's action showed that she trusted Dia to be rational in his recording.

Dia remained completely unaware of Cheadle's trust. He had no idea how much weight he, her only student, actually carried in her eyes.

After all, in Diego's memory, he had just buried his head in experiments every day for four years, and by the time he graduated, he simply didn't want to do it anymore.

As for his teacher, Cheadle, all he knew was that she was academically brilliant and took good care of him, and that was it.

To put it bluntly, there was a discrepancy in how a Hunter and an ordinary person understood the word "mentor and student."

Dia flipped through the booklet page by page, his brow furrowed.

A large amount of the classified information in the file was covered by black bars, so there was very little information to be had.

First was the defendant. His name was Sangli, a senior officer in the Mingbo Republic's National Defense Force, arrested for stealing important state secrets and disseminating them to foreign powers.

As for the state secrets mentioned in the text...

The file only stated that it was the location of an ancient ruin.

Second, before his arrest, the defendant had been nationally commended as a [War Hero], which was precisely why he was not being given a public trial.

Finally, the motive. It was suspected that long-term inability to get a promotion had bred resentment, and this, combined with heavy financial losses from [Gambling], had led him to take a desperate risk.

The reason for his lack of promotion was also clearly stated—a prior record of embezzling public funds, which caused him to fail the political vetting.

Bang, bang, bang!

As Judge Bell struck the gavel, the pre-trial preparations were complete.

Cheadle sat up straight, her hands placed on the book. Dia picked up his pen and began to record the current time on the paper.

Then, Judge Bell cleared his throat twice and began to read the charge:

"Next, we will begin the secret public trial against the defendant, former senior officer of the Mingbo Republic's National Defense Force, Sangli Wyndham. The charge is—tax evasion!"

Huh? Is that right?

Dia looked up at the judge in confusion.

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