Chapter 1534: Chapter 1534

Jenkins didn't know what method Alfons Carmel used to achieve a revival that came at almost no cost, but his eyes saw it clearly. With each rebirth, Carmel's own Enchanter aura weakened, while the black aura representing the Cursed Item grew stronger within his body.

"I'm much better now. Let me get up," he said to Miss Capet, thinking to himself. But the determined woman pressed down on his shoulders, refusing to let him rise.

"Don't be stubborn, Jenkins. You've already done more than enough. Just focus on your recovery now."

The ability to mobilize so many Scribes in such a short time was partly due to Miss Capet's swift actions, and partly because a large number of combat units had already been assembled near Bel Diran to deal with the emergence of the Blood Mosquito Curse. Get full chapters from N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

Once it was confirmed that Carmel had truly fled, the maze gradually dissipated. Under the escort of a crowd of Scribes, Jenkins returned to the Church. Although he had mostly recovered, he was still ordered to remain in bed until a full examination could be conducted.

For reasons unknown to Jenkins, Miss Capet had stayed by his side to care for him. He suspected that because he had told her to escape first when they encountered Carmel, the golden-haired woman felt a pang of guilt and wanted to stay and look after him.

As for his private conversation with Carmel, Jenkins reported it all truthfully to the Church. Naturally, this included the matter of the "King Soul." He was half-skeptical of the claim himself, but in any case, he was certain he didn't possess such a thing.

The one who debriefed him was the elder of the Keepers of Secrets, Mr. Wood Broshier. When asked if the "King Soul" truly existed, the old Keeper hesitated for a moment, then winked at Jenkins.

"That's not something you should be asking me, Saint Williamette. You should ask the diviners. I recall you're studying under a very powerful one. She'll give you the answer."

Only after the Keeper of Secrets had left did he move to Jenkins's bedside, taking his hand and asking how he felt now.

"I feel fine, just a little... tightness in my chest."

That much was true. The moment Jenkins lay down, Chocolate had leaped onto his chest and settled there. Even though the cat was very light, it still made his breathing a bit labored.

"I was so afraid you hadn't managed to get on that train. Oh, Jenkins, if something had really happened to you, I would have been consumed by guilt for the rest of my life."

He pressed Jenkins's hand to his own forehead. Jenkins looked at Papa Oliver, a wave of guilt washing over him. He felt that faking his injury was truly wrong.

Miss Capet, who had re-entered the room after the Keeper left, stood at the doorway and witnessed the scene. A look of relief mixed with a hint of envy appeared in her eyes. She had never had anyone care for her so deeply; Jenkins's life was something she had never experienced.

Time moved to Thursday, the day after the Carmel incident. Sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains into the infirmary room. Jenkins sat up in bed, holding a bowl of meat porridge, while Miss Capet stood beside him.

Also standing and speaking was Elder Wood Broshier, the Keeper of Secrets, but beside him stood another elderly person leaning on a cane. This old woman was short, her head covered in silver hair, her face a web of wrinkles. She looked to be at least seventy years old.

She was one of the demigods dispatched by the Church of All Things and Nature to the Bel Diran region to assist with the Blood Mosquito Curse. Although Jenkins had never met her, he could tell from Miss Capet's respectful demeanor that the old woman held a position of considerable importance within the Church.

The two demigods had come to disturb Jenkins so early in the morning primarily to discuss the mechanical arm that he and Miss Capet had acquired at the antiques market the day before.

After the market closed, the arm was sent to the Sage Church. Following the note Jenkins had left on it, the Church reached out to the Church of All Things and Nature to jointly analyze the arm's technology, which naturally also required help from the Church of Creation and Machinery. With elites from all twelve churches currently gathered in the Bel Diran region, they were able to conduct a thorough study and analysis. Though the arm was tainted by the power of a Cursed Item, its technology was not particularly complex.

"This isn't an original technology," Elder Broshier explained. "Ancient records from the Church of Creation and Machinery describe something similar. It's a form of modification that ancient humans experimented with. The only difference from the arm you acquired is the power source; the principles of the other parts are almost identical. We suspect the Gearsmiths' Guild has gotten its hands on some forbidden human modification technology. Combined with the Nolan diocese's investigation and tracking of those cultists, we now believe there may be an ancient automaton—a highly intelligent one—located underground in the Nolan area. Only such a being could have preserved this kind of forbidden technology."

"Automaton" was the term people of this era used for thinking machines. Automatons with gear-based mechanical structures had appeared many times throughout history, so the Church was not without experience in dealing with them. Of course, the kind that Jenkins and Alexia had discovered in the snow-capped mountains of Ruen was still exceptionally rare.

"Why would such technology be forbidden? I've heard from Papa Oliver that the Church of Creation and Machinery is still researching ways to mechanize the human body," Jenkins asked.

"The technology from the Church of Creation and Machinery isn't exactly accepted by everyone..."

At this, the old Keeper glanced at the old woman from the Church of All Things and Nature. She nodded at him and took over the explanation.

"Son of the Sage, there are some things you may not understand. Even within the Church of Creation and Machinery, not everyone supports this kind of human modification. Their technology stems from breakthroughs made after the development of steam power; their modifications to the human body are purely mechanical. Ancient technologies, however, were mostly a fusion of flesh and machine. That is the greatest difference. Of course, in my view, all of it violates the laws of nature."

It was clear she thoroughly detested these technologies, which was the prevailing opinion in the Church of All Things and Nature. The Sage Church, on the other hand, maintained a position of incomplete neutrality regarding the technological developments of the Church of Creation and Machinery. A minority advocated for a wait-and-see approach, but the majority believed it was a return to a dangerous path, repeating the mistakes of ancient, forbidden technologies.