Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 1100

"Jenkins, have you been waiting here for me?"

Stepping out of the Gate of All Things, Miss Bevanna immediately spotted Jenkins casually discussing angelic legends with a Keeper of Secrets. Jenkins promptly rose and walked over to her.

"I just ran into Papa Oliver. He told me to wait for you here, saying I might be needed in a bit."

"No, I doubt even you could handle that strange curse," she began, "but I've found some information. It's not without a solution."

The way Diwo the Thief used the curse was by harnessing the power of a voodoo doll. Such an object could be a medium for some kind of ritual, or it might just be a smokescreen to hide the true method of casting the spell.

But the curse's extremely persistent nature couldn't be faked. There are less than a handful of curses with similar characteristics.

"Let's be clear on one thing first: the Sage's Gaze did, in fact, eliminate the curse with ease."

Jenkins and Miss Bevanna talked as they walked, their destination being the hospital wing.

"But that curse, designated A-04-2-5203, 'Orphan's Resentment,' can only exist through the doll. Furthermore, each doll can only cast the curse once, though it can affect an unlimited number of targets."

"It's normal that you haven't heard of it," Bevanna explained. "The dolls possessed by 'Orphan's Resentment' only appeared within the territory of the ancient Kingdom of Orphen. But ever since the kingdom sank into the sea in a tsunami at the beginning of this epoch, the cursed dolls have never been seen again. The one Diwo used must have been one of the few that found its way out before the kingdom's fall. In short, the designation A-04-2-5203 was only in use for less than three hundred years before 'Orphan's Resentment' faded into the annals of history due to the disappearance of its place of origin. If not for the unknown number of cursed dolls still out there, we would have already reassigned its designation to another Cursed Item."

That explained the curse's rarity. Diwo the Thief was known for collecting all sorts of bizarre objects, so it was hardly surprising that he would have a doll capable of 'Orphan's Resentment'."

"'Orphan's Resentment' is a rare perpetual curse. Even if cleared by the Sage's power, it will reattach itself to the victim until they die. So, while the Sage's Gaze removed the curse for them, it will simply reappear. Therefore, unless we offer more sacrifices and directly request the Sage to destroy this troublesome curse at its source, our only other option is to find the damaged doll in Diwo's possession, burn it to ash, treat the ashes with a blessing ritual, and have the victims drink it. Only then can the curse be completely resolved."

Naturally, the Church chose to make a sacrifice and ask for the Sage's help. After all, they had no idea where that elusive pirate king was hiding now.

There were seven victims in total, so the offering was set at seven blood diamonds. These were a peculiar type of diamond unique to this world, typically found only in undersea mineral veins more than 3,000 feet deep in the western seas. The diamonds were so red they looked as if they were about to drip blood, and no one who saw them could ignore their captivating allure.

Jenkins and his cat stared at the seven fingernail-sized blood-red diamonds for a long time. The former marveled inwardly at the treasures forged by the power of nature, while the latter secretly gulped, though it knew they weren't for eating.

Although Jenkins couldn't help much with the actual healing, he could at least preside over the ritual of offering sacrifices to the god. The ceremony proceeded smoothly. As seven pillars of golden light descended from the empty space above, the complexions of the seven people enveloped in the beams instantly shifted from a deathly pale to a healthy flush.

This was a sign that the curse was being eliminated, a phenomenon they had also witnessed shortly before, after praying for the Sage's Gaze. The crucial difference now was that after their physical conditions improved, the pillars of golden light did not dissipate. As the light continued to shine, wisps of black energy seeped out from the bodies of the seven Scribes and gradually converged within the pillars, forming the shape of a doll made of black vapor.

It made remarkably lifelike struggling motions and expressions, but it lasted less than two seconds before being utterly annihilated within the pillars of golden light.

Miss Bevanna captured the last wisp of dispersing black vapor in an empty bottle. This would be a vital clue for tracking the pirate king, Diwo.

And so, the problems within the Church were resolved one by one, but the city-wide manhunt had only just begun. The main targets of this operation were the hidden members of the 'Dead Man's Whip' cult, aberrations, and pirate factions in Nolan City. The leads on their activities were all provided by an anonymous good Samaritan in the black market. Jenkins, who preferred to remain unnamed, insisted he had not hired anyone to pass along the message.

He stayed at the church until ten at night, healing most of the injuries suffered by the teams out on patrol. But in the end, Papa Oliver shooed him home to bed, warning him not to go out again that night.

"I'd better not hear that you've made headlines again by morning," the old man warned. The most update n0vels are published on novel(ꜰ)ire.net

"Why did you say 'again'?"

Jenkins asked, then quickly snatched up his cat and left before the old man could answer.

The night passed without any major explosions or incidents. In the morning, however, the ground shook slightly while he was making breakfast. It was very faint, so he figured it was just an earthquake.

As expected, the front page of the newspaper was dedicated to yesterday's city-wide manhunt. While it was impossible to report any results yet, that didn't stop the gentlemen at City Hall from trumpeting the operation's profound significance, declaring that it symbolized a new era for public safety in Nolan.

Curious about what had happened the previous night and whether the Church had managed to capture all the cultists planning to summon an angel, Jenkins finished his breakfast and trotted off to Pops Antique Shop with his lazy cat in tow.

When Jenkins asked about last night's events, Papa Oliver yawned and asked,

"Do I look like I spent the whole night at the church? I don't know the details either, but I'm heading over there in a bit. Want to come along?"

On the surface, at least, the Church of the Sage looked no different than any other day. But once they passed from the temple complex into the work areas, the chaotic bustle of people and clerics scurrying about with documents revealed just how unusual the day was.

Papa Oliver went off to handle his own affairs, so Jenkins went to ask on his own what had happened. Unsurprisingly, the Church had accepted his theory and fully believed that the cultists were attempting to summon an angel.