Chapter 1440: Chapter 1440

"What a shame. I've never seen such a beautiful gem."

Saying this, Dolores carefully handed the Heart of the Ocean back to Jenkins. He reached out to take it, weighing it in his hand as he thought about what he should get from Magic Miss in return.

The ladies from Ruen were also deeply concerned about what had happened in Nolan the day before. Although no one could say for certain what exactly had transpired on the beach that Wednesday morning, Jenkins was confident he knew more than most, which allowed him to contribute more to the conversation at the breakfast table.

Alexia's focus was on the reappearance of members from the Perfume Appreciation Committee, and the fact that even the deeply hidden Gear Artisans' Association had shown itself again. Dolores, on the other hand, was more worried about the impact on the Fidektri Kingdom. While there were no major casualties in the end and the naval commanders were safe, an incident of this magnitude, occurring just as they returned victorious, was bound to cause both domestic and international turmoil, creating unnecessary ripples in the ongoing war.

For now, the chain of events stemming from this incident had not yet reached Jenkins. His main task for the day was to return to Nolan and meet with Magic Miss.

After arriving in Nolan, he looked out his window at home and saw that the towering glacier was gone. So, before heading off to see Magic Miss, Jenkins took a detour to the docks to check on the situation.

At a street corner, he happened to pass a horse-drawn cart loaded with corpses. Before he even reached the dock area, he saw uniformed police officers cordoning off the intersection. But looking from a distance, he could see that the docks, which had been a vast expanse of water just yesterday, had returned to a state of calm. Aside from the wreckage strewn about, the ground was covered in mud, scallops, and all sorts of fish.

This was good news, in a way. The receding water meant the area could soon return to normal. That would take time, just as it would take time to soothe the people's pain. A better way, however, was to find another target to divert their attention.

That target was undoubtedly the Cheslan Kingdom. As Jenkins walked through the misty streets of Nolan, he held a copy of that morning's daily paper. The headline reported on the previous morning's incident. Although it didn't mention a specific number of casualties, it was certainly not a small figure.

According to the commentators, the pirates had conspired with spies from Cheslan, which was why so many civilians were killed or injured. Every line of the article was filled with fury and condemnation for the neighboring kingdom, and Jenkins believed that newspapers in other parts of the kingdom would carry similar stories.

He had no desire to comment on it. The cause of yesterday's incident was complex, and if someone really had to be held responsible, the kingdom's military shared a large part of the blame. It was bound to be a messy affair. The truth of history was never what was written in newspapers and textbooks—a fact Jenkins understood better than most people in this world.

When he met Magic Miss at the bar that served as the entrance to the black market, she looked much more haggard than she had the day before. Jenkins placed Chocolate on the table, pulled out the chair opposite her, and sat down, noticing she was nursing a beer.

"As a friend, I have to advise you against drinking in the morning. It's terrible for your stomach... I just realized, this is the first time I've ever seen you touch alcohol. I would have thought someone so dedicated to exploring the world of mysteries would be disciplined enough to avoid it entirely."

"Avoid it entirely? Mr. Candle, I don't think anyone can manage that."

He said this while trying his best to keep the smug look off his face. He considered it one of the few virtues he could actually boast about.

"Are you allergic to alcohol... Never mind, that's not what we should be talking about. I'm sorry about yesterday. I had no idea it would turn out like that. After we split up, Skylark... well, Miss Skylark, since you've already seen her face... and I took that officer and the prisoner to the nearest Ocean Sanctum. We wanted to come back for you, but by then, a large church contingent had sealed off the docks. We were both worried you'd be captured by the Church."

"Why would the Church want to capture me? I haven't done anything wrong. Please don't look at me like that; you're making me doubt myself."

At Jenkins's words, Magic Miss finally managed a faint smile. She beckoned the bartender over to take Jenkins's order. It was still early morning, the quietest time of day for the bar.

"I've already had breakfast. Alright then, just a glass of juice. Anything is fine. Add some ice if you have any."

Even though his Spiritual Communion ability didn't work on Chocolate, Jenkins knew what the cat meant.

"Make that two glasses of juice. I'll be buying one of the glasses; my cat will be using it shortly."

He said this, and after the bartender had walked away, he turned his attention back to Magic Miss.

"You've heard that Femishue is dead, I assume?"

"There was no curfew last night, and the Church didn't make any major moves, so I figured he was dead... I know what you're getting at. Even though I didn't get the Heart of the Ocean, I'll still give you the clue about the Bestowal. It's..."

"No, that's not what I meant."

Jenkins shook his head, tapped his fingers on the tabletop, then laid his entire right arm on the table, palm up. A deep blue light swirled in his palm, and a massive, heart-shaped, sea-blue gem materialized in his hand.

"What I mean is, even though Femishue is dead, I got this."

"Put it away! This is a bar!"

Magic Miss froze for a moment, then warned him in a rapid whisper.

"Yes, you're right. We should be careful."

Saying this, he took a handkerchief from his pocket, wrapped the gem in it, and slid it across the table to her.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Just twenty-four hours ago, in this very bar, you were telling me your plans for after you obtained it. Things might have gotten a little complicated, but I'd say the plan was a success in the end."

"How did you get this from the Church... Are you really planning to give it to me?"

"I'm not giving it to you. I'm trading it to you, as we agreed. You aren't planning on taking it for free, are you?"

It was clear that Magic Miss was deeply moved. Whether she was moved by Jenkins's actions, by the fact that she had finally obtained the Heart of the Ocean, or both, was something Jenkins couldn't possibly guess.