Chapter 1305: Chapter 1305

"Your father gave you something that represents the family. Does that mean he tacitly approves of you inheriting everything from the Williams family?"

Hathaway asked tentatively as she examined Jenkins's pendant.

"Why would you think that? I think Father just gave them to me for safekeeping because I found the second piece... Besides, the Williams family are commoners. We don't have any ancestral property or historical honors to inherit. Even if he were that biased, all he'd be giving me are his savings and the house on Maidenhaven Road. And as you know, I'm quite wealthy myself. I don't care about those things."

As Jenkins spoke, he stroked his cat, which meowed cooperatively to show its satisfaction. It was a feedback mechanism; Chocolate knew full well that if it didn't respond to Jenkins's actions, he wouldn't know he was doing it right.

Hathaway avoided his gaze, replying with her head lowered. Then she handed the pendant back to him and instructed solemnly:

"Keep this safe. It might be some kind of token."

"You mean my ancestor once saved a mysterious person, who then gave him this and promised to repay the favor a few hundred years later? Ah, that's a classic trope from a knight's tale. Maybe I'll even get to meet a few princesses because of it."

Hathaway pointed this out with a straight face, and Jenkins didn't dare to joke any further.

Worried about her father, Hathaway had secretly looked through the documents in his study. Combining that with the information she got from Briny about Marquis Mikhail, she deduced that the Nolan Navy would launch a final, decisive battle in the Shattered Isles within half a month. This would completely end the overseas conflict, allowing them to turn their attention to the campaign against Cheslan.

They were a crucial force; the Nolan Navy was the most powerful naval contingent in the Fidektri Kingdom.

Hathaway had even considered going to the outer seas herself to ensure her father's safety, but the situation there was complicated, and she was prone to seasickness, so it remained just a thought.

"But it won't be delayed for long. Even one of the pirate kings died in Nolan. The pirates of the outer seas are no match for a regular army."

Jenkins reassured her, hoping everything would be alright.

Hathaway was going to visit Briny, who was grounded at home, that afternoon to discuss the war with her. So after lunch with Jenkins, she reminded him not to forget to write, and the two parted ways. Jenkins wandered around the clock tower as usual and didn't manage to enter the world of the Doomsday Illusion until evening, by which point his feet were sore from all the walking.

The old man of the clock tower expressed his surprise at Jenkins's reappearance, and he was quite blunt about it:

"Only someone with an extreme affinity for the power of space could enter this place on the slimmest of chances before it fully overlaps with the real world. How are you managing to come and go every day?"

Jenkins couldn't answer the question, just as he couldn't explain all his other inexplicable talents. He had no idea what having an "affinity for space" meant, or whether it was related to his accidental transformation into Jenkins.

One must do things one step at a time. No matter how anxious he felt, some things simply couldn't be rushed.

After dinner that day, just as Jenkins found a moment to rest, Dolores dragged him into the city again to give a disaster relief speech with her at the finance department. By now, nearly all the high nobles and officials knew that King Salsi II was planning to abdicate. Consequently, their attitude toward the princes and princesses who were meddling in state affairs had subtly shifted.

"I feel like my life has been even busier in Ruen than it was in Nolan. At least in Nolan, I could often spend a lazy afternoon lounging behind the counter at Pops Antique Shop."

Jenkins remarked to Alexia, but the short lady simply said that was life.

Time seemed to race forward, and Friday arrived just like that. Jenkins remembered it was the day for Hathaway's "Story within a Story" game, so he headed for Nolan after breakfast.

After making preparations in his basement at home, he took his cat and headed for the slums in the southern part of the city.

The mornings in the slums were much livelier than elsewhere, not just because of the high population density, but also because the people here had to work much harder just to survive.

The impending war had given the residents a new topic of conversation. As Jenkins searched for the address, he overheard people walking past and others squatting by their doorways eating breakfast, all loudly voicing their opinions about the war.

The war had little to do with the poor of Nolan; even an emergency mobilization would only call on them at the most critical moment. So, treating the life and death of countless strangers as mere gossip was one of the few forms of entertainment they had to start another day of toil. It was hard to say which was more cruel: this life, or the war itself.

The address Hathaway provided was a small three-story building in the middle of the slums. At least twenty families lived in this building. All the non-structural decorative walls had been torn down, and the landlord had divided the space into tiny cubicles to rent out. Though the living conditions were poor, at least it was cheap enough.

The only part that remained unchanged was the attic, which wasn't for rent but was used by the landlord to store discarded furniture. Jenkins had no idea under what circumstances Hathaway had discovered the anomaly here; the location was incredibly well-hidden.

For safety, she had already used some means to ensure the residents downstairs wouldn't return for the day, so Jenkins didn't encounter any strangers staring at him as he climbed the stairs.

When he reached the attic, Hathaway was standing at the door, wearing a mask. She glanced at the white cat, Chocolate, perched on Jenkins's shoulder before letting him in. Mr. Hood and Mr. White Cat had already arrived.

One of the activation conditions for B-11-1-0299, "Story within a Story," was to have between three and ten Benefactors in the room, which was why Hathaway hadn't entered yet. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel⦿fire.net

"Is anyone else coming?"

Jenkins pretended not to know the results posted on the sewer blackboard and remained standing at the door without going in.

"Mister Magic is still coming, but Mister Silver Flute isn't. I heard he ran into some trouble and won't be in the city for a while."

Mr. Hood explained on Hathaway's behalf. He stepped out and gestured for Jenkins to come in and have a seat.

Mr. Hood and Mr. White Cat had been sitting on a sofa on one side of the attic. It was a crudely made fabric sofa. The fabric now only remained on the left side, and its right leg was broken, causing it to tilt, but it was still barely sittable.

The space felt exceptionally cramped because it was piled high with similar discarded furniture. Hathaway had clearly cleaned up beforehand; otherwise, the floor would have been covered in a thick layer of dust.