Chapter 123: Chapter 123

"So, what's happening in Nolan City now...?"

"I'm afraid something terrible has happened. I heard another healer was lost there, wasn't he? Seems it was because of that incident offshore... Oliver was worried you'd get dragged into it by treating the wounded. Demons, devils... they're just two names for the same kind of creature. It's best to steer clear of them if you can."

The old man rapped his knuckles on the table and picked up a small wooden box. With a pair of tweezers, he pinched out a few strands of tobacco, about to place them on a piece of rolling paper nearby. But then his eyes fell on the kitten, and he set everything back down.

Jenkins sat there, stunned. He never could have imagined this was the real reason.

"I'm going back right now!"

He shot to his feet, ready to leave. With the divinity secured, now was the perfect time to return.

"And where do you think you're going!"

Old Jack's hand shot out and clamped onto Jenkins's wrist, his grip like a vise. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel⸺fire.net

"Go back and get yourself killed? What level are you now? One? Two? What good could you possibly do back there? Now sit down. Your train just arrived and you came straight here, right? I'll get you something to eat."

"He's not part of a combat unit, so what are you worried about? Besides, as if Oliver would be afraid of... *cough, cough*."

He broke into a fit of loud coughing, trying to cover up his last words, but Jenkins was no stranger to theatrics himself and could easily see through the act.

He didn't call him on it. Even though Old Dad hadn't shown any combat prowess so far, Jenkins always felt the old man was hiding some big secrets.

Old Jack's line of work was similar to Old Dad's; they both posed as ordinary citizens, gathering intelligence for the Church and keeping an eye on the city. The difference was that the antiques Old Dad sold were all real—for the most part—whereas this old man sold nothing but fake medicine to ordinary folk.

According to him, he had left the continent in his younger years to explore the high seas, learning a thing or two about herbs on the islands he visited. But the truly effective potions all required accompanying rituals to be brewed. Anything an ordinary person could buy was, without a doubt, a fake.

"So you can brew real potions?"

Jenkins asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Of course. Why don't you become my apprentice? I have a very powerful and unique ability that's perfect for brewing potions, but it requires the learner's Soul Essence Ability to be green," the old man proposed, and he didn't look like he was joking.

"I'm very grateful for your offer, but..."

He trailed off with an embarrassed laugh.

"Oliver's luck is always this good. How many does that make for him now?"

Old Jack muttered dismissively, then turned his gaze on Jenkins. "Williams, isn't it? I have my sources in the Church, and I hear they're planning to appoint a new Saint soon. That wouldn't be you, would it?"

"It is. Last month..."

"Don't tell me. That's classified. Knowing things like that will only get me killed faster."

He waved his hands frantically and tugged at his beard. "It's not often Oliver's apprentice comes to visit. This calls for a celebration. I have some potions here. Whatever you need, just ask. Don't be shy."

"Oh, I couldn't possibly."

Jenkins immediately felt like a hypocrite, but this was all part of the social dance, wasn't it?

With Chocolate right beside him, Jenkins asked if he had any [Animal Intelligence Awakening Potion]. There were some situations he couldn't get into, even in disguise, and having an animal companion would be a great help.

He didn't expect Chocolate to be as capable as Mr. Nicholas's hound from the Nolan diocese; just being able to understand him would be enough.

Wait a minute. It seemed Chocolate had always been able to understand him.

He looked at the cat quizzically. The cat stretched languidly, still observing its strange new surroundings with great curiosity.

"You want to use it on this pet cat?"

Old Jack asked, his brow furrowing.

"Yes," he replied. "Is there some restriction?"

"No, nothing like that."

The old man slowly shook his head. "But this kind of potion is best used on animals that are either naturally intelligent or show some special traits. Only very rich young noble ladies would use it on a pet cat."

"Chocolate is definitely smart!"

Jenkins declared loudly, but his right thumb subconsciously rubbed the side of his index finger as a sliver of caution entered his mind.

"Smart? Can he do arithmetic? Can he find his way home from a thousand miles away? Can he willingly cooperate with his master in performing a ritual?"

The old man challenged.

"Is... is that something an animal can even do?"

"Of course they can. This world is full of all sorts of strange things—Mysterious Objects, Mysterious Realms, Bestowals, the bloodlines of mythical creatures, or steam-powered mechanical mod—*cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!* Sorry, this throat of mine... Anyway, there are plenty of smart animals out there."

Jenkins murmured, stroking his young cat's soft fur, feeling a pang of guilt for ever doubting Chocolate.

The potion had different effects on different animals; some might even gain miraculous, or perhaps bizarre, abilities. Jenkins held the cat in one arm and a long spoon in the other, feeding it the amber-colored liquid spoonful by spoonful.

Chocolate was very cooperative, even eagerly sticking out its tongue to lick the spoon.

"It doesn't seem to be having any effect?"

Jenkins said, activating his Eye of Reality, but he still couldn't see the color of any spirit.

"He just drank it. You have to wait for it to be fully absorbed, don't you? The change is gradual, and since your cat is still young, the process will be even slower," the old man said, half-annoyed and half-amused.

Old Jack told Jenkins to wait a moment while he went to get some breakfast. Jenkins craned his neck to look at Chocolate, who stared back at him with its amber, slit-pupil eyes, the whiskers on its little face twitching.

"Chocolate, bark like a dog!"

The kitten replied instantly.

Jenkins burst out laughing.

When he had first entered the shop, he had observed its owner, never expecting that Old Jack was actually a level 7 Enchanter.

This meant the old man was just one step away from becoming a demigod, the so-called peak of mortals. Why would Old Dad know someone ?

Speaking of abilities, Jenkins was currently level one, and with the bubble he'd obtained in the first Mysterious Realm, he could have a total of nine abilities. But after Mr. Barnard's final "gift" and the black divine ability, seven of his points of light were already occupied.

Excluding the [Astral Perception] he planned to learn, he could only learn one more ability for now. It seemed he would have to wait until he was level two to learn the chain ability from Miss Hersha—or rather, Skylark Miss.

Since he had summoned the points of light for his abilities, he subconsciously focused on the purple one. A faint purple line stretched out into the distance.

"Huh? Did I just pick up on some key information?"