Chapter 1508: Chapter 1508

The silence in the study hung heavy, stretching the awkward atmosphere for several seconds. Jenkins mentally turned the man's words over and over, desperately trying to grasp their true meaning.

"What exactly are you trying to say? Forgive me, but I don't quite understand. As I see it, the affairs of my employer, Mr. Williams, are of no concern to you."

Jenkins felt compelled to point out.

"Of course they are my concern. Williams intends to marry my daughter, and both she and Williams are qualified to rule. That is what's important. I'm unwilling to let my family become a mere dowry, and yet I also want..."

Jenkins was stunned by the king's line of thinking, and even more astonished by his candor.

"Considering I'll soon be passing my position to the younger generation, I must weigh every possibility. Instead of simply using Dolores as a piece in a political marriage, wedding her to this Williams might be an excellent option indeed. Relay a message to Williams for me. Tell him to find the time to see me. I need to speak with him."

Jenkins hesitated, seeing no reason to reveal his identity just yet. It was completely unnecessary. He simply nodded.

Salsi II replied airily, turning his gaze to the magnificent view of the royal gardens outside the window.

"You need not remind me of that. A solution will be found."

Jenkins couldn't begin to fathom the king's intentions. After the meeting, he sought Alexia's counsel. She, however, had a different perspective. She believed she had always underestimated Dolores's father; his schemes were far more ambitious than anyone could imagine.

"But this is a good thing," she said. "Jenkins, Dolores and I will handle matters here in Ruen. For now, just focus on Bel Diran."

She rose on her tiptoes to kiss him, and beside them, Dolores instinctively clutched the fabric of her skirt.

"You know something, don't you?"

"No, I don't. And this time, I'm telling the truth."

She winked at Jenkins.

"As for the arcane lock you mentioned, I'll help you research it, but I believe this is something the Orthodox Churches will ultimately have to resolve together. Stay safe in Bel Diran, and don't forget to think of us~"

The tender smile on her face was enough to make Jenkins melt. After a quick sniffle, he finally said his goodbyes.

About half an hour later, back in Bel Diran, Jenkins heard some major news from Josen Gilbert. The Twelve Churches' joint conference had concluded while Jenkins was in Ruen, and they had reached several significant conclusions and formulated a plan of action.

"We've found a way to fight the vampires inside the arcane lock! With this, a single strike at close range will be a guaranteed kill!"

Mr. Gilbert was ecstatic. He had only just learned of the top-secret intelligence himself, information currently restricted to the demigods of the various churches.

Jenkins assumed they planned to summon a deity, but the gods rarely answered calls for such "minor" affairs, especially since this matter wasn't directly related to their divine power.

"B-05-4-3911, the Vampire Buster! It's the only weapon capable of utterly eradicating the vampire race, and the only dagger that can completely nullify the effects of the Blood Mosquito Curse on an individual! The dagger was lost many years ago, but by some incredible coincidence, just as the Blood Mosquito Curse and the arcane lock appeared in Bel Diran, a demigod diviner from the Church of Destiny and Equilibrium—who consider the dagger a sacred relic—actually located it. It must be the work of fate!"

Jenkins's jaw dropped. He never would have connected the two events.

"So the Vampire Buster is currently..."

"In the royal treasury of the Stuart family. The Church has already contacted the northern kingdom's royalty, and we expect a result soon. Oh, and please be mindful, this information must not be spread. We all know there's a mysterious organization backing these vampires, and we can't let them learn of our plan."

"I won't say a word."

Jenkins nodded, his mind flashing back to King Salsi II's peculiar attitude that morning. Suddenly, he felt even more confused and bewildered.

It was Monday, and Jenkins figured Hathaway and Briny would be arriving in Bel Diran today. But since he had no idea which train they were on, surprising them was out of the question.

He'd spent lunchtime with Mr. Gilbert learning about the Church's plan for the Blood Mosquito Curse, and the afternoon was spent back at his house, diligently preparing his speech for Tuesday.

As the sun began to set, the cat, stirring from its nap beside him, let out a great yawn to signal its desire for food. Only then did Jenkins set aside his draft of the speech.

"With you around, I'll certainly never starve."

He'd meant it as a sarcastic jab, but Chocolate took it as a compliment, believing Jenkins was acknowledging how indispensable it was.

The ladies from Ruen had an important diplomatic banquet to attend that evening, so Jenkins was left to fend for himself for dinner. He walked through the bustling city during the evening rush, planning to have supper with Papa Oliver and Robert's family, only to find none of them at home.

He figured it was too late to catch a carriage to the church and scrounge a meal, and his cat was already growing grumpy about missing its customary dinnertime. So, he found a respectable-looking restaurant across from the bookstore on Owl Cross Street and took a seat. The moment the waiter handed him a menu, the cat perched on his shoulder narrowed its eyes and craned its neck, peering at it with great interest.

"You can't even read. What are you looking at?"

Jenkins asked with a laugh, stroking Chocolate's head. The cat let out a contented purr before swatting him with its paw. In this era, restaurants didn't print pictures of their dishes on the menu.

For one, color photography didn't exist, and for another, menus were updated far too frequently. So, while the cat craning its neck to see the menu was adorable, it was ultimately a pointless gesture.

"He recalled his conversation with Papa Oliver early that morning. 'He mentioned B-10-04-3977, the Mirror of Good and Evil,' Jenkins mused to himself. 'The three suspicious individuals were connected to a countess, a mysterious organization, and a junk shop... The mirror came from the junk shop and is now being retrieved...'" The source of this content ɪs N0veI.Fiɾe.net

He suddenly realized what he'd been overlooking. The knife in his hand paused, hovering over the piece of meat on his plate.

"It couldn't be Carmyle's Old Goods Shop, could it? The very same one in Nolan that was deliberately spreading Gizmos..."