Sorry about the slow backtag, :(
I wonder what sort of being built Acumen. As I understand it self-aware machines don't typically spring up on their own. Find the builder and we might find some insight into why it maintains the prison as it does, and why this plays out as an experiment of sorts.
[ Gaunt gives her a thoughtful look, after that brief show of stress. ]
Yes, gardening is something that either Servitors or nobles undertake in my time. Soldiers don't have the time for such things.