Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 1086

Though he claimed he was organizing his materials, Jenkins actually took a short nap, resting his head on the desk. When he woke, he picked up his pen and began to transcribe the knowledge concerning the plague that he had gleaned from the White Bone Holy Sword.

He was, in fact, detailing a method to treat living plague victims, but that didn't mean the epidemic was no longer a threat.

Firstly, complete prevention of the Corpse Plague was impossible, as Jenkins had no idea what modifications Pomphey had made to the disease. Secondly, while a systematic treatment existed, the process was exceedingly complex. A single, complete course involved a bizarre series of procedures, including low-temperature roasting, toxin-extracting acupuncture, and even temporary live burial in shaded ground.

Curing the infected would require at least five full courses of treatment, a process that would likely take about three months.

The complexity of the methods and the length of the process meant it could never be widely implemented for the general public. Still, compared to the even more intricate supernatural healing techniques and the costly diluted Universal Elixir currently in use, this method—with its minimal expense and modest material requirements—would certainly be a tremendous help.

Jenkins submitted the finished report before lunch and later ran into Papa Oliver in the courtyard behind the church complex.

The old man wore a troubled expression and was walking with such haste that he appeared to be heading for the clinic wing.

"I have something urgent to attend to. If you need to talk, come by the shop tonight. Otherwise, don't forget to hand in your reading notes to me tomorrow."

Jenkins's curiosity was piqued by Papa Oliver's unusual haste, so he decided to seek out Captain Bincy and see if he could learn anything.

Unfortunately, Captain Bincy and his squad were nowhere to be found at the church—a strange occurrence, since they were assigned to guard duty for the entire month.

"Out on a field assignment?"

Jenkins wondered, standing in the courtyard. His gaze drifted to the garden, landing on the flowerbed where he had planted the Fantasy Flower seeds. Chocolate had completely lost interest in that patch of earth; even when Jenkins brought him to the church, the cat no longer bothered to lie there, intently studying the soil.

With his afternoon now free, Jenkins decided to write to Hathaway and Briny, inviting them to the opera that evening.

While waiting for their replies, he realized he could check on the young girl, Louise. That way, he would have an update for Fini.

Since the alley where Louise lived was near Maidenhaven Road, Jenkins decided to make a detour to the Williams family home first.

It was Thursday, so Robert was at work and John was at school. However, to his surprise, not only was his mother, Mary Williams, home, but so was his older brother, Newman.

Jenkins had thought Newman was away on a study trip with his professor and wasn't expected back in Nolan until the middle of next month.

"Oh, look who's here! Jenkins, dear, you've been coming home so rarely. You've hardly visited at all since Robert took us on that trip. Are you upset that we didn't bring you along?"

Mary's tone was half-joking, half-reproachful, and Jenkins felt a flush of embarrassment. He had no idea how to explain what he had been up to lately.

The three of them—mother and two sons—settled in for a long talk on that leisurely, rainy afternoon. With Jenkins present, it was only natural that Mary would bring up the subject of marriage.

The topic arose when Newman announced to Jenkins that he had set his wedding date for January of the coming year. Both he and his fiancée, a former classmate, would be free then, and the remaining half of the current year provided ample time to prepare for the wedding and sort out their living arrangements.

It was clear that after the wedding, Newman couldn't continue living at the house on Maidenhaven Road, nor in the cramped apartment provided by the university.

"Originally, the girl's family—the Lobrus family—wasn't planning on such a swift marriage; they were thinking two years from now," Newman explained. "But ever since they heard you were about to become a viscount, their attitude warmed up considerably. They actually wanted the wedding to be in the latter half of this year, but as you know, Jenkins, the autumn semester is always incredibly busy for me."

Newman grumbled, making no effort to avoid the rather sensitive topic just because Jenkins was present.

Jenkins glanced instinctively at his mother, but Mary said nothing, instead turning her serious gaze upon him:

"Jenkins, Newman's marriage is settled. And thanks to you, things between your brother John and Miss Hoover are progressing smoothly as well. Now, it's your turn. Tell us about that Miss Minnewick you brought home. Newman was away and didn't have the pleasure of meeting the lovely young lady."

It wasn't a request; it was a command.

Jenkins couldn't possibly go into detail about Julia, so he could only stammer that he already had someone he cared for, and that it wasn't the young woman he'd brought home before.

"It's... someone else. No, two others. Wait, three. For now, can we please not talk about this? It's all very... complicated, and I'm quite troubled by it myself..."

Jenkins would have given anything not to say something so mortifying. After promising Mary he would bring photographs of the young ladies next time, he all but fled from the house on Maidenhaven Road.

Mary didn't scold Jenkins for his apparent fickleness, merely urging him to marry soon. His older brother, Newman, however, being a rather traditional man, let a hint of reproach for Jenkins's "disloyalty" slip into his tone.

Of course, that reproach vanished quickly under their mother's stern gaze. In Mary's mind, it seemed, as long as Jenkins could settle down and marry a proper young lady from a good family, everything else was negotiable.

Jenkins was on edge, and Chocolate looked equally displeased. The conversation with his mother and brother had interrupted the cat's afternoon nap.

He had been sleeping on Jenkins's lap, but his little ears had been perked the entire time, eavesdropping on their conversation. Now, learning that the encroachment of human females upon his territory was about to intensify, the cat sank into a state of profound vexation.

Still, he had already decided not to interfere with Jenkins's relationships with those "ants." After all, Jenkins was lonely at times, and a magnanimous cat could permit him some occasional amusement.

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But the cat, of course, was the true owner of the house.

Before Jenkins left, Mary reminded him to come home again soon, as Robert wanted to discuss moving the grave of the "Lonely Williamette" from Shire City. Now that a new burial plot had been secured for the brothers' maternal grandparents, Robert intended to relocate their relative from Shire City as well, so they could lay a bouquet on his grave during the end-of-year festival..