Mrs. Parker gave a slight smile and said, “You still need to collect the prison guard’s equipment, including a pistol, a baton, and a saber. Although you’re a civilian staff member, you’re now part of the prison corps, and you’re likely to encounter threats and combat. These items are essential.”

Charlotte couldn’t help but ask, “Are there violent incidents at Kilmainham Prison?”

Mrs. Parker smiled slightly and said, “The last violent incident in the prison happened before Lady Blackmoon took charge of the century. However, please don’t refuse the weapons.”

Charlotte smiled slightly and replied, “I don’t refuse weapons.”

He had already been transferred from the completely safe government office to a prison under the jurisdiction of the state’s violent apparatus. Carrying weapons was an inevitable choice.

Of course, Charlotte didn’t think he would encounter danger here; there were few places in the entire empire safer than Kilmainham Prison.

He followed Mrs. Parker to the armory.

A middle-aged soldier with a full beard grumbled, “Another newcomer?”

Mrs. Parker replied, “The chief clerk personally transferred by the warden.”

The bearded middle-aged soldier chuckled and said, “Then let’s take care of this little fellow!”

“Follow me.”

Mrs. Parker said, “My work ends here. Good luck. Your office is next to the warden’s, and your name is on the door.”

Charlotte quickly turned around, gave a polite smile, bid farewell to Mrs. Parker, and watched her leave.

The bearded middle-aged soldier waited a moment and said, “Do you want standard-issue weapons, or do you want to pick out something special?”

Charlotte raised his eyebrows and asked, “What’s the difference?”

The bearded middle-aged soldier replied, “There are some confiscated weapons in the armory, and their quality is slightly better than the standard-issue ones.”

Charlotte asked, “Can I pick them out myself?”

The bearded middle-aged soldier laughed, “As you like!”

He led Charlotte into the armory, pointed with his hand, and said, “These are all standard-issue weapons. The small room at the very back contains the confiscated items.”

The bearded man’s hint was very clear: the small room at the back stored extraordinary weapons.

In this world, there are gods, magical creatures, forbidden ancient artifacts, giants, barbarian shamans, bloodlines, magic, battle aura, alchemy, as well as extraordinary individuals and extraordinary items.

Of course, the Kilmainham Prison corps’ armory couldn’t possibly have especially fine extraordinary weapons. The best items would have long been snatched up by those with power and influence, but even the remaining stock was still extremely precious and absolutely impossible to obtain easily outside.

Since crossing over, Charlotte had never seen an extraordinary item. In his memory, every extraordinary item was extremely expensive.

For example, the most common and cheapest magical lamp, which could only be used for illumination, cost twelve écus—far beyond what his salary could afford.

Extraordinary weapons that could be used in combat were often worth more than a hundred écus, which, converted to RMB purchasing power, was over two million yuan—equivalent to an ordinary apartment in a medium-sized city.

Unless he had a huge “side income,” Charlotte would never have the urge to buy such an expensive luxury item in his lifetime.

The weapon racks outside were filled with all kinds of firearms.

The technology for manufacturing firearms in this world had developed very rapidly. The performance of gunpowder weapons was close to the level of World War I on Earth, and the design was even more advanced than Earth’s 2000s.

The empire had no police force as a violent institution; all the work that should be done by police was handled by soldiers. Soldiers serving in the prison were officially called the prison corps.

The pistols issued to the prison corps were officially named the Magnum Revolver, with an eighteen-round capacity and excellent close-combat performance. There was also a short gun similar to a shotgun on Earth, called the Thunder Gun, loaded with explosive shells—a “heavy firepower for street fighting” much loved by the prison corps.

Chapter 8: The Unwritten Rules of Kilmainham Prison

Turning past the gun racks was the display rack for cold weapons, mainly batons, rapiers, and short knives. Among them, batons were the most numerous, as they were the only weapon that also served as a daily-use item and could be carried openly at all times.

There were about five types of standard-issue batons distributed by the imperial army: the metal baton for battlefield use was heavy, packed a powerful punch, and could shatter a human skull. It concealed a bayonet inside for close-quarters combat.

The red pearwood baton for law enforcement was made of hard wood but was inexpensive. Its main feature was its naturally reddish wood, which became even more lustrous the more it was handled. During law enforcement, dozens of red pearwood batons flying through the air made for a striking sight.

There was also a short wooden baton, not suitable for combat itself, but if you gripped the head, you could draw out a dagger. Officially called the convenient military baton, it was commonly known as the short baton sword.

It was very popular among soldiers and widely circulated in the civilian market. It was standard equipment for many regional gangs. In underground gang fights, you’d see almost nothing but these military short baton swords.

The other two types of military batons were relatively crude, mainly issued to engineers and logistics soldiers, and there was no stock of them here at all.

Besides batons, short knives and rapiers were also common weapons.