Chapter 1584: Chapter 1584

“It’s alright, it’s alright now.”

Jenkins whispered, comforting Miss Capet, who was still sobbing quietly. He gently slid the dagger she was still gripping tightly from her hand into his own. The sight of her repeatedly plunging the blade into the vampire had sent a cold shiver down his spine.

Behind them, half of the grotesque vampire’s body had already dissolved into ash. Yet, it still raised its remaining right hand, trying to curse them. But its throat had vanished, and in the end, it could only produce a strange, gurgling sound before it disintegrated completely into a pile of white ash that the wind scattered into the dusk.

“Saint Williamette, are you unharmed?”

Seeing that the Saint Son of the Sage’s Church had effortlessly dealt with the foe, the others returned to their duties. Members of the Sage’s Church approached to check on Jenkins, while a demigod from the Church of All Things and Nature, an acquaintance of Miss Capet, came to greet her.

Jenkins nodded, about to say he was fine, when he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. Chocolate had leaped up. He reached out to stroke the cat’s head, a reward for its good behavior today, but then he remembered the dagger still in his hand.

The dagger was forged from pure arcane silver. Long ago, before it became a registered item in Jenkins’s possession, it was a treasure of immense rarity. Held in his palm now, it radiated a peculiar, icy chill.

Jenkins had grown quite fond of the dagger. It reminded him of the young diviner from the ancient tale of *Vampire’s Fascination*. Lost in thoughts of stories past, he intended to hand the weapon to someone else so he could properly play with his cat. To his surprise, the moment he lifted it, the blade began to glow.

The light was faint, barely perceptible against the twilight of the setting sun. More conspicuous than the soft emerald radiance, however, was the hilt. Between Jenkins’s fingers, the dagger’s engravings seemed to squirm as if they were alive.

Jenkins stared at the Vampire Buster in amazement, wondering what had caused this transformation. He carefully passed it to the elder Keeper of Secrets. Mr. Broshier’s face was a mask of astonishment, yet within it was a clear glint of joy.

“I’d long heard that even registered items could evolve further under the right circumstances, but to think I’d finally witness it after all these years. How fascinating. I must... well, that group of diviners claim it belongs to them, but its official ownership currently lies with the Stuart family, hmm...”

Jenkins paid no mind to the old Keeper’s musings, happily ruffling the fur on Chocolate’s head. The cat, annoyed, lifted a paw to bat his hand away, not forgetting to flick the tip of its tail against the back of Jenkins’s neck.

Miss Capet stood to the side, watching them with a look of contentment. Then she noticed that Mr. Nelfonse, the demigod from her church, was looking at her.

Their eyes met. Though not a word was spoken, they both possessed the ability of Spiritual Communion, and their command of it far surpassed Jenkins’s fledgling skill.

“You already know, don’t you?”

The demigod’s question materialized in Miss Capet’s mind. It wasn’t telepathy or any similar mental ability; the demigods of the Church of All Things and Nature could simply achieve such an effect with ease.

But Miss Capet did not yet possess such power. She hesitated for a few seconds before giving a nearly imperceptible nod. Mr. Nelfonse closed his eyes and sighed, turning his gaze from the small group toward the interior of the divine spell-lock, which was still in effect.

The setting sun cast its glow upon the land, where the power of the divine spell was gradually purifying the ravaged earth. People of different faiths, united by a common cause, swarmed the area like ants, using their various supernatural abilities to inspect the ground beneath their feet.

He thought of his earlier conversation with the Believer of Lies and of the Sage’s Church elder’s proposal to forge a new alliance, mirroring the pacts of old.

As the sky darkened, the purple star beside the twin moons became faintly visible. By now, the impending end of the Eighteenth Epoch was no longer a rumor but a widely accepted fact. This was a time when the entire world was plagued by an increase in anomalous events, when strange monsters, long sealed away in subspace, were returning to the material world, and when even ordinary people were troubled by the wars of great nations and crises of royal succession.

Everything pointed to the dawn of a turbulent age, and the few people standing behind him were very likely the key figures who would determine the course of the material world for the next hundred years.

Although the matter was ultimately resolved by a Believer of Lies who appeared and vanished as if from nowhere, Jenkins and Miss Capet had contributed significantly. Everyone was overjoyed for them.

So far, the only major loss from the afternoon’s operation was the destruction of the B-class Extraordinary item, the Bloodsucking Fangs. The Vampire Countess had embedded the fang into her own mouth, and when she was struck by the Vampire Buster, it disintegrated into dust along with her.

Papa Oliver was thrilled that Jenkins had returned safely. To celebrate the success of the mission, he treated him to a meal at the finest restaurant in the city. Although Papa Oliver’s expression turned a little grim when the bill arrived, they happened to run into Miss Windsor, so in the end, neither he nor Jenkins paid a single shilling.

Jenkins was reluctant to let someone else cover the bill. While his fortune couldn't compare to that of an old noble family like the Windsors, the cost of a single meal was nothing to him. At worst, he and Chocolate would have to tighten their belts for a while. Googlᴇ search novel•fire.net

But Miss Windsor insisted on paying, implying with her words that it was her way of thanking him for the invitation to the banquet on Saturday evening.

Just like before, Jenkins didn't believe their meeting was a coincidence. Papa Oliver obviously saw it as well and wanted no part in it, so he quickly made an excuse to leave, reminding Jenkins to come see him soon to discuss their return to Nolan.

Afterward, Jenkins climbed into Miss Windsor’s carriage. Just as he had two days prior, he was carried into the tranquil Nolan night.

“The moment the banquet ended, you whisked me and those two lovely young ladies away. I didn’t even have a chance to speak with you.”

Miss Windsor initiated the conversation. Knowing Jenkins’s aversion to alcohol, she handed him a glass filled with ruby-red grape juice—though she noted that even this beverage could develop an alcoholic taste if stored for too long.