Chapter 1379: Chapter 1379

Jenkins had no intention of calling out the god before him on his lie. Gods had their plans, mortals had their lives. Divine intervention in the material world was often subtle and silent, and typically, even in the end, no one would ever notice a sign.

Though curious, he didn't need to worry about whether the deity's plan would affect him. His only concern was what fate ultimately awaited the Franca family.

After a polite farewell, Jenkins left with his cat. The man in the study did exactly as he had said, flipping through a hefty tome under the glow of the gaslight. He didn't put the book down until the old butler knocked to announce that dinner was ready. Only then did he close it and walk over to the window.

A transparent white mist filled the room, and within it, the young man Jenkins had brought appeared on the floor. He lay on a brand-new carpet, looking utterly bewildered. After all, his last memory was of being attacked by the man checking the steam meter.

"I will ask this only once. I suggest you seize this opportunity. Where is the gemstone now?"

He was halfway through the word when he realized how strange the scene was. The aura of the man standing with his back to him was bizarre. As he stood before the window, even the river of stars in the night sky twisted into an indescribable abstract oil painting. The stars dimmed at his presence, and the silent night became utterly lifeless.

Merely standing there with his back turned created an atmosphere so oppressive he could barely breathe. The air felt terrifyingly thick, as if it had solidified. He couldn't tell if he was unable to breathe due to extreme nervousness, or if the air in the room had genuinely undergone some dreadful transformation.

"The Bestowal... it's on me right now."

An instinctual feeling kept him from lying. He just wanted it all to be over. Even dying on the spot would be better than this.

"That simplifies matters considerably."

The "Franca" standing with his back to him finished speaking, and with an invisible pull, the gemstone embedded in the man's spirit emerged, floating out from his forehead.

It was a massive red gemstone, so flawless it could have been set on a crown with almost no polishing.

"This gemstone is mine now. As compensation, you will receive a gift."

The man, trembling on the carpet, didn't dare say another word. Once permitted, he scrambled out of the manor as fast as he could. For the rest of his life, which he spent carefree in prison, he never dared to recall the events of that night. But for a man like him, living to the ripe age of ninety before dying of natural causes in prison was a remarkable gift indeed.

"Even as a god, I still quite enjoy the feeling of unwrapping a gift."

The god standing by the window gazed at the floating gemstone. With a gentle pinch of his fingers, the Bestowal shattered into powder. As the useless residue fell to the floor, tiny specks of golden light began to dance around the room. The light was faint, yet possessed an unusually strong presence.

"Just a bit of residue from a fragment of divine authority. I knew I wouldn't be so lucky..."

(Chocolate, running...)

It was past dinnertime by the time he returned to Ruen, but thankfully, the kitchen had saved some food for him. So, at the dinner table, Jenkins recounted the day's exciting events to Alexia.

Dolores and Julia were not at the manor. With the outbreak of war between the two southern kingdoms, the atmosphere in the northern kingdom, though uninvolved, had grown increasingly tense. Ruen itself was already in turmoil, but matters were complicated further when, earlier that day, official letters from both the Cheslan Kingdom and the Fidektri Kingdom had arrived almost simultaneously.

"So, my takeaways from Nolan today are twofold. On one hand, I've learned that Kavendish, the Mad Poet, is dead, which means the trail for that machine has gone cold. On the other hand, I'm certain that there are other abilities corresponding to the Disaster Poem besides Child of Disaster. The ability I have now, the one that's not fully formed yet, is very likely the next Savior's Emblem."

Jenkins said this while swallowing a mouthful of bread, his voice muffled as a result. Alexia knew he was starving, so she paid no mind to his table manners. In fact, even Chocolate ate with more decorum than Jenkins did at that moment. Chocolate was a very well-mannered cat.

"That alone is valuable enough. Not to mention, you've encountered another god in the material world. The symbolic significance of that is something anyone could boast about for a lifetime."

"Don't tease me, Alexia. Speaking of which, what's the situation in Ruen? Has His Majesty the King, the one who's shut himself away in the palace, made a decision yet?"

The arrival of envoys from both kingdoms in Ruen at such a sensitive time was, of course, related to the ongoing war. With both sides currently at a stalemate, securing an ally—or at least ensuring their opponent couldn't—had become paramount. This morning, by some coincidence, the envoys from both nations had disembarked from their trains at Ruen Station at nearly the same time and run into each other at the exit.

"You can't imagine the scene. I didn't see it myself, but just from Dolores's description, I can already picture the tone the newspapers will take when they report on it tomorrow."

Alexia said with a smile. Jenkins picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, then scooped up his misbehaving cat and wiped its mouth as well, ignoring its indignant protests. He then asked curiously:

"So, did the envoys from both kingdoms get to see Dolores's father today?"

"They both did. I know you're curious about the order in which the king met with the envoys, but they were actually summoned at the same time. As for who spoke with Salsi II first, I imagine only the participants know the details. And you know what? They weren't housed in their respective embassies. Instead, they were arranged to stay at the Goldfinch Inn, the closest hotel to the royal palace. The royal family paid to book an entire floor, making the two groups neighbors."

The amusement was plain on Alexia's face, and Jenkins laughed as well. Googlᴇ search ɴovelfire.net

"But I still don't understand. What choice will Salsi II ultimately make? Will he stand aside and do nothing? Help the Fidektri Kingdom? Or help Cheslan? Oh, I suppose there isn't a fourth option, unless he's gone mad and decides to declare war on both at once."

"From the looks of it, Salsi II himself probably hasn't made a decision yet. And that's not even considering the nobles who have flocked to Ruen from all over because of the succession crisis; they all have their own agendas. This isn't something that can be decided in a single day. The arrival of these two envoys will certainly make Ruen even more 'lively'."