Chapter 1519: Chapter 1519

While waiting for the train, Jenkins chatted with Papa Oliver about recent events in Bel Diran. Somehow, Papa Oliver had also heard the top-secret information that the Vampire Buster could counter the Blood Mosquito Curse. He even knew the Church was in negotiations with the Stuart family, though there had been no good news yet.

Papa Oliver had also heard a few things about the tobacco club that had appeared in the city on Monday night. Besides lamenting to Jenkins that the Believers of Lies were everywhere, he also mentioned that the Church had discovered a strange lead.

"Divination is impossible, but after that night, reports have come in from all over the world. Some of the people who smoked that tobacco had remarkably similar dreams. Based on the imagery and the sheer number of descriptions, the Church believes the Perfume Appreciation Committee is trying to bring something troublesome, sealed away in ancient times, back into the physical world."

"The Church found out?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveIＦire.net

Jenkins was secretly delighted. He had been worrying about how to break this news to the Church.

he asked, feigning ignorance.

Papa Oliver seemed to know, but considering the far-reaching implications of a Disaster Beast, he ultimately didn't tell Jenkins the truth. He instructed Jenkins not to spread the word, adding that the Church had already found a solution. Rather than worrying about the thing slumbering in dreams, he said, it would be better to worry about the followers of the God of Lies.

"Haven't you noticed? Since last autumn, their sphere of activity has been gradually expanding. I worry that sooner or later, those charlatans will spread to every corner of the material world."

Papa Oliver said, his voice laced with concern.

"Hmm... so, why does the Church think the God of Lies has so many followers? I've noticed that the believers who have appeared recently all seem to share very similar traits. Maybe it's just one person."

"How could that be possible? How could one person possess so many different abilities? And how could one person show up at every crime scene? They must have a vast organization. I don't know if you've noticed, but the Believers of Lies rarely use charms or rituals. They're exceptionally skilled with a wide range of disjointed, mismatched abilities. That clearly points to different people... As for the similarities, it's obvious. They worship the same deity, so naturally they'll have similar abilities and characteristics. Regarding their numbers, the Church currently believes that aside from the few we know are active in the Nolan area, there are at least twenty more scattered across the globe. And that's just a rough estimate..."

"How did they come up with that estimate?"

"Apparently, it's based on some sort of probability calculation. I don't really understand it myself, but the spread of the Believers of Lies is now an indisputable fact."

Papa Oliver affirmed with a nod.

Jenkins's jaw went slightly slack. He had no idea how such a rumor had started. Right now, the only Enchanter who could even arguably be called a true "Believer of Lies" was Fini. Everyone else was either him or an illusion he had conjured.

Meanwhile, Papa Oliver was still going on about the Believers of Lies. He warned Jenkins not to underestimate them, as they were extremely skilled at disguise and concealment, which was why the Church was certain that the ones who had been exposed were only a fraction of their total number.

"You never know which corner a Believer of Lies will pop out of. It's as if they trail after every disaster, manipulating all sorts of strange events from the shadows."

At this point, Papa Oliver turned to Jenkins with a grave expression and said:

"Sooner or later, you will come face to face with them. You must take every piece of intelligence about their appearances seriously and analyze each member's methods. This is crucial!"

Jenkins decided then and there that he would never discuss this topic with Papa Oliver again.

Besides Jenkins and Papa Oliver, other Enchanters began to appear one by one beside the tracks, waiting to board. At the same time, a number of obviously wealthy merchants and nobles emerged from the waiting hall. Most of them seemed unsure of what was going on, but none of them chose to turn back.

As the crowd of waiting people grew, Jenkins knew the train would be arriving any moment.

He clutched his and Chocolate's tickets tightly, and as he gazed into the distance, he remembered to ask Papa Oliver:

"Were the tickets also bought with precious metals?"

"No, with shillings. The qualification to board is what's important, not the price of the ticket!"

Papa Oliver had barely finished speaking when a steam whistle suddenly blared. This was a train station, so such a sound shouldn't have been surprising, but this whistle sounded as if it had erupted right beside the waiting crowd.

Before anyone could react, a heavy, pitch-black steam locomotive was already pulling into the station. Although Jenkins didn't know much about trains, he could tell that this model was typically used as a freight train for hauling coal.

Despite entering at a speed that looked like it would demolish the entire station, it came to a smooth and steady stop alongside the platform.

All the carriage doors were pushed open in perfect unison by attendants from within. The attendants, dressed in identical uniforms and looking uncannily alike, stepped out with synchronized movements and stood by the doors, ready to check tickets.

Papa Oliver nodded at Jenkins and stepped forward first, holding out his ticket. The smiling attendant glanced down at it, then took a metal punch and clicked a neat hole in the top-right corner of the ticket.

"Welcome to the market. We wish you a pleasant shopping experience."

he said, handing back the ticket and gesturing for Papa Oliver to proceed inside.

Jenkins was next. He followed Papa Oliver's lead and handed over his and Chocolate's tickets, but the attendant merely glanced at them before handing them back.

"Apologies, esteemed guest. Your tickets are for the VIP carriage, which has a dedicated boarding entrance. Please continue forward. The carriage is at the very front."

The attendant explained respectfully.

Papa Oliver, who was waiting for Jenkins inside the carriage, overheard the exchange. He turned his head in confusion, looking from Jenkins to the two tickets in his hand. He had bought all the tickets himself and had checked them over. Aside from the serial numbers, the three tickets should have been completely identical.

"It's alright, Papa Oliver. You go on ahead and do your thing. I'm not sure why this is happening, but I'll go up front and see."

Jenkins said, waving the tickets:

"If I can't get on, I'll head back and wait for you. If I do get on, I'm sure we'll run into each other eventually. Oh, and don't worry about me. There won't be any danger here."