Chapter 1282: Chapter 1282

The first elderly gentleman posed the question of how to completely eradicate the "Fabry Fraud." The current God of Lies had no perfect solution and could only offer suitable countermeasures.

The second questioner, a tall, slender middle-aged man with red hair, asked about the difference between how the "Fabry Fraud" accumulated wealth and how a bank accepts deposits. It was an excellent question. Unfortunately, Jenkins couldn't offer a particularly profound answer. He could only respond from the perspective of the national or religious credibility that backs a bank. But since the audience wasn't particularly knowledgeable on the topic, his explanation sounded perfectly acceptable.

For the final question, Jenkins decided to choose someone from the back of the lecture hall. The thought that he could finally rest after this last answer made him breathe an inward sigh of relief.

His gaze swept across the room and landed on Dolores and Alexia, who were both smiling at him. A surge of warmth and pleasure filled him, and he casually pointed to a young man in the back. The young gentleman he'd indicated was clearly surprised, glancing around to confirm he was indeed the one chosen. But just then, another young man, a good three rows away, abruptly stood up. Ignoring everyone else, he began to speak at a rapid pace:

"I'm delighted you would allow me to pose a question to you."

"Hmm? But I was pointing to..."

Jenkins was perplexed. An ordinary person might have been too embarrassed to correct the man, but Jenkins was no ordinary person. He was just about to point out that he hadn't chosen him, but the man, who was now clutching his hat, gave him no opportunity to speak.

"Baron Williamette, my question is as follows. As we all know, while the Fabry Fraud ultimately didn't cause catastrophic losses, that was only because you exposed the scheme ahead of time. In other words, had the Fabry Fraud actually succeeded, we can all imagine how terrifying the consequences would have been. Therefore, the Kingdom and Parliament must remain ever vigilant against individuals with similar inclinations, or those with a sophisticated understanding of financial games—such as... yourself. So, my question is, should we establish a system of surveillance for..."

Jenkins couldn't make out the rest of his words, as the man's voice was quickly swallowed by the rising clamor from the front rows. The young man was only halfway through his question when most of the audience, casting aside all etiquette, began to murmur and speak amongst themselves. The prevailing sentiment, of course, was to condemn the questioner for his rudeness. Jenkins was, after all, a foreigner. To ask such a question in this setting was not only insulting to Jenkins himself, but if word of it reached the Fidektri Kingdom, it would surely make the Hamparvo Kingdom—and especially everyone present—a complete laughingstock.

Jenkins asked with a bluntness that, combined with his youthful features, gave the impression of an impetuous young man who lacked worldly sense.

The cat, which had been dozing by Jenkins's hand, let out an excited meow. It loved this kind of drama.

"No, no, not at all, Baron Williamette," the man stammered, "I was merely speaking in hypotheticals—a figure of speech, you might say, common in our country. The true intent of my question was to ask for your guidance on how one might establish a suitable system of oversight for individuals with... similar tendencies and capabilities."

The questioner pressed on through the uproar, but by now, everyone understood. This had clearly been arranged in advance by someone with malicious intent. And considering Jenkins was Dolores Stuart's invited guest, it wasn't difficult to deduce the true reason behind it all.

Jenkins curled his lip in disdain. He had little respect for this method of causing trouble. His opponent had chosen an opportune moment, but the question itself was laughably poor.

"If we must monitor everyone with the potential to commit a crime, then no one in this world would be free from surveillance. Anyone can wield a knife. I'm sure many of you in this very room are carrying firearms. Does that mean we need to monitor each and every one of you?"

As he spoke, he reached for his waist, then pulled out his pistol and slammed it down on the lectern before him.

"You see? Because of the recent riots, I carry a gun when I go out now as well. Her Highness was kind enough to grant me a permit, of course, though I'm not very skilled with it... But is the police department going to monitor my every move simply because I possess the ability to fire a gun? Frankly, the question is absurd."

A ripple of good-natured laughter went through the audience. Although Jenkins personally saw nothing amusing in the situation, he continued speaking:

"Rather than worrying about the rise of intelligent people, we should be finding rational ways to integrate them into the system. Individuals and nations alike are meant to develop and progress. To suppress development and shackle new technology is to indirectly sentence oneself to falling behind other nations... Of course, some new technologies are exceptionally dangerous. That distinction must be made with great care."

He added that last sentence because he was thinking of the demigod whose body had become more than two-thirds gears. He had no idea how much of his meaning the audience grasped, but at the very least, their enthusiastic applause could not be faked.

Jenkins was quite satisfied with his response. After the lecture concluded, he even asked Alexia what she thought of his final remarks. As for the man who had asked the final question, Dolores would naturally handle the investigation and any necessary resolution. Jenkins didn't need to trouble himself with such matters.

The lecture's impact was far-reaching. The very next morning—a Sunday—a photograph of Jenkins gesturing during his speech appeared on the front page of every major local newspaper.

Jenkins sat at the dining table, legs crossed, flipping through the newspaper reviews while his cat quietly lapped up milk on the tabletop.

"Good morning, Jenkins."

Without a feline alarm clock to rouse them, neither Alexia nor Dolores tended to wake as early as Jenkins. Upon seeing the lady of the house appear, Julia, who was standing beside Jenkins with a tea tray, signaled to the kitchen that breakfast could now be served.

"Good morning, Alexia, Dolores."

Dolores's younger sister was not yet awake, but everyone understood that a child needed a little extra sleep.

"This article is actually suggesting the Kingdom hire me as a consultant for the treasury department."

Jenkins handed the newspaper to Alexia with a smile, then reached over to wash his hands in a basin of water a maid had brought. They were stained with ink, a smell he actually found quite pleasant.

"I think that's an excellent idea." Thɪs chapter is updated by novel·fiɾe·net

"That would have to wait until I decide to move everyone to Ruen."

Jenkins replied, his thoughts drifting to the young women back in Nolan.

Before he was to return to Nolan later that day, Jenkins received a letter after breakfast and paid another visit to the church in Ruen. Father Fernando informed him that the local investigation into the strange tobacco had progressed. The Church had traced a supply lead to the black market and discovered that there were even local followers of the demigod known as 'Spiraling Mist'.

Historically, this was the first time followers of this particular pseudo-god had ever been discovered in Ruen, which was highly unusual.

"Word has come from the Holy See. After targeted searches across the continent, traces of the tobacco have been found everywhere. The Church of All Things and Nature has already begun its analysis. Their preliminary conclusion is that it isn't naturally cultivated, but rather a product created by specially processing ordinary tobacco. Its composition is extremely complex. So far, they've only managed to isolate human hair and the powdered bones of an 'addiction-crow.' While the long-term effects of its use are still under investigation, we can be certain it's nothing good. The Holy See has consulted the Sages, but has yet to receive an oracle confirming whether the pseudo-god 'Spiraling Mist' has aligned with the evil god factions. They have, however, authorized the forcible arrest and interrogation of any members of the Perfume Appreciation Committee."

"How many people have used that tobacco?"

"It's difficult to say."

Father Fernando explained, looking troubled.

"Though expensive, the tobacco has remarkably potent calming and psychoactive effects. Essentially, anyone who tries it once is likely to use it many more times, even though its chemical addictiveness is extremely low. Based on current data, its use is quite widespread among the nobility, government officials, merchants, and artists. There are even records of it being used by members of the Church's own clergy.

"Until now, no one knew there was anything wrong with it. Most users simply regarded it as an expensive, artisan tobacco... I'm afraid the problem may be quite severe."

The problem was indeed severe. The main question was whether the tobacco's side effects only affected long-term users, or if they applied to anyone who had smoked it even once.

The "Panacea" from Nolan had been proven to completely purge the mental, and even spiritual, effects of the tobacco. The only issue was that the raw fluid from the pool beneath the great tree had to be diluted tenfold to be effective.

But the supply of the potion was already limited. Even if the five churches in Nolan were willing to use their entire stock, it wouldn't be nearly enough to treat the vast number of afflicted tobacco users scattered across the continent.

"This is a major crisis that affects the entire material world. And most critically, we have no idea what the creators of this tobacco are ultimately trying to achieve."

Father Fernando said with a troubled expression, adding that the Twelve Churches had already reached an agreement with the various nations. Within a few days, they would announce a worldwide ban on the sale of the tobacco.

"We'll exaggerate the side effects in the newspapers, publish some photographs showing that the expensive tobacco is produced in extremely unsanitary conditions, and claim that long-term use impacts male virility and fertility. People always believe those sorts of reasons... But as for getting all users to register with the Church and municipal authorities... I doubt we'll have much success. I can't imagine anyone will willingly admit to having smoked that stuff."

The situation had already spiraled out of control. When the Church first received Jenkins's intelligence, they had assumed it was merely a case of a Benefactor peddling illicit substances to common people for profit. But once they understood that the bizarre tobacco had been sold to nearly every corner of the globe, they realized this was another world-scale disaster in the making.

The power of a single individual was meaningless in the face of this. Even if Jenkins could locate the tobacco peddlers' den and eliminate everyone inside, it wouldn't change the fact that hundreds of thousands of people had already used the substance.