Chapter 1249: Chapter 1249

Even Miss Stevel seemed melancholic at the mention of Papa Oliver's students.

"I've heard those two names before, in the Mirror Realm..."

Jenkins began slowly, glossing over the details of his experience there. He only recounted the words Papa Oliver's reflection had uttered as it was destroyed: "I'm so sorry, Sheffiel, Capello, Stevel... I'm truly sorry..."

The woman, whose age was a mystery but was certainly much older than Jenkins, looked as if she were about to cry.

"Everything began with the key Papa Oliver took. In the years that followed, he returned to that riverbank countless times, but all traces of the cave had vanished completely. The same thing happened thirty-three years ago. Yes, the place where he and Old Jack went fishing together all those years ago was the Witch's Lake, in the Cursed Forest of the Third Republic of Sangweil."

She raised a hand to wipe her eyes, then gestured for Jenkins to ask his questions.

Jenkins's feelings were a mix of emotions. He had often wondered about Papa Oliver's past, but he'd never imagined it was this complicated.

"Is that key a Cursed Item? What are its properties?"

"No one knows exactly what that key is. The key itself has an ability that ensures its own mystery. The holder cannot speak of what they know, and to understand its power, one must possess it. All these years, only Old Jack has had a vague inkling that the key can open anything that embodies the concept of a 'lock.' It's a true 'Universal Key.'"

"That's right. From what I've observed, the key also operates under rules like 'Cannot be Discarded' and 'Cannot be Traded.' Aside from cursing its holder with long life, it doesn't seem to have any other detrimental effects on them personally."

Miss Stevel replied. Jenkins, meanwhile, sifted through every memory of his time living and working at Pops Antique Shop. He had used his Eye of Reality around Papa Oliver countless times but had never once detected an aura in the shape of a key.

"That can only mean one thing: the key's power far exceeds my own... The next time I enter my divine state, I have to take a look at Papa Oliver!"

"As for why I left Nolan and haven't been back in so many years... that key affects the people around Papa Oliver. Anyone more powerful than him cannot remain by his side for long, or they will suffer a terrible curse. It's because Papa Oliver fears losing control after being influenced by the key that he has suppressed his own level for so long, never daring to advance. I only figured this out myself after I was promoted to level four and received an abrupt transfer order from the Church."

Seeing the bewildered look on Jenkins's face, she added:

"If you look through the Nolan diocese's personnel records, you'll see that no demigod has ever been stationed here for more than eight years. The current one, Miss Bevanna, was only transferred here four years ago. And typically, a newly promoted demigod like her wouldn't be assigned to oversee a major diocese alone."

"Anyone stronger than Papa Oliver is certain to be cursed?"

Jenkins confirmed again. When he had first met Papa Oliver last autumn, the old man was a level 5 Enchanter, and his level hadn't changed since. Although Jenkins had reported himself as level 4, he was, in fact, also level 5. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveIＦire.net

At that thought, he suddenly recalled something. Not long ago, after the incident with the falling angel, Miss Bevanna had mentioned that the Church was considering transferring him to work in Bel Diran. Perhaps that arrangement was because his level was now approaching Papa Oliver's.

"I don't know the key's exact properties, and it seems the Church is helping Papa Oliver keep it a secret, so this is just my own speculation," she admitted. "Perhaps there's a more complex set of conditions, but I'm certain the general principle is correct."

The woman hesitated for a moment before revealing an even deeper secret:

"Papa Oliver wasn't always at his current level. He used to be incredibly powerful... I'm sure of it. That's why, even with a curse , the Church still has him stationed in a major diocese like Nolan, rather than sidelining him or sending him to some remote overseas post."

"That's unbelievable... The Papa Oliver I know is just an ordinary old man who drinks his tea and reads the newspaper every morning like clockwork."

Jenkins remarked, then realized he wasn't particularly surprised. He'd long suspected Papa Oliver's strength couldn't be limited to just level 5. After all, Jenkins himself was level 5 now, yet he still found the assignments Papa Oliver gave him incredibly challenging, sometimes even having to ask Alexia for help.

"I don't know how Papa Oliver went from being a demigod, or close to it, to his current state. But in all the years since I began studying under him, his level hasn't increased at all, which is abnormal in itself. Jenkins, I know a few things about you. I know that since you joined the Scribes last year, you've advanced very quickly. At this rate, it won't be two years before you're also forced to leave his side, just like me, unable to return to this familiar city for a long, long time."

Miss Stevel sighed, a touch of sorrow in her voice as she thought of her own circumstances. But Jenkins still had more questions; the information she had just shared was almost overwhelming.

"If I insisted on staying, what kind of misfortune would I face?"

"Have you ever read the book 'The Wrong Direction: Failed Evolution'?"

"If you're talking about the small pamphlet on the bottom shelf of the black bookcase, in the farthest corner of the second floor of the Secret Trace Library behind the Gate of All Things, third from the right... then yes, I've seen it."

Jenkins nodded. His memory of the book was vivid. He had studied it carefully not long ago while researching the monster sealed within the red moon, the Scarlet Ephemera. The text chronicled the gruesome fates of "lucky" creatures that underwent a sudden leap in their life essence or abruptly gained a massive amount of vitality. Even if the theory of evolution wasn't true in this world, biological progression was definitely not something that happened overnight.

Taking the wrong path was nothing short of a catastrophe. Sprouting two extra arms was considered a lucky outcome; Jenkins didn't even want to recall the other, more disgusting physical mutations described.

"Good that you've seen it. Anyone who is stronger than Papa Oliver, spends a long time around him, and is someone he knows, will have their body spiral out of control, mutating in bizarre and grotesque ways. If you're familiar with 'abstract oil paintings,' you should have a better grasp of what I mean. That's part of the reason Papa Oliver doesn't work at the church, but on Fifth Queen's Avenue, far from the city's core.

Ordinary Scribes aren't affected, but people like us, who are close to him for extended periods, must be transferred away in time."