Chapter 1625: Chapter 1625

Fini had become an Enchanter before Jenkins left Nolan. Though more than three months had passed, she was still a Level 0 Enchanter—which was, in fact, perfectly normal. It was Jenkins who was the exception.

According to the report Fini submitted to the Church, the Soul Trait Ability she gained upon becoming an Enchanter was the Yellow Spell, [Evocation], while her World's Gift Ability was the White Basic, [Robust Physique].

The first claim was a lie; the second was the truth. The ability [Evocation] did exist. In ancient times, when elemental beings still answered the calls of the material world, it was a common summoning spell for sorcerers. In the present day, however, it had become a minor and rather unremarkable branch of necromantic summoning, though it remained highly practical.

Fini's true soul essence ability was completely different in effect from [Evocation]. It was a Yellow Spell known as [Dual Presence]. This ability was quite famous—a rare power only obtainable by a pure-hearted child born with a guardian angel, granted at the moment they awakened their Enchanter talents. It was considered a divine gift.

The ability's effect was to summon her companion angel at will or to directly borrow a portion of its power. Using [Evocation] as a cover worked because [Dual Presence] could be explained away as simply borrowing strength from some unseen spiritual entity in the void.

Jenkins had initially worried that Fini's lie would be easily exposed by a truth-discerning ability during her registration. But perhaps because the angel with her served a God of Lies, her deception had not been penetrated by simple means.

For now, Fini hadn't learned any new abilities to fill her single empty bubble. The Church believed she was still young and should be given time to build a solid foundation rather than rushing to advance. Fini agreed. Her literacy was no longer an issue, and she had moved on to the stage of reading and accumulating knowledge.

Fini was also diligently studying the occult materials Jenkins had asked Audrey to deliver to her. She wanted to learn her first new ability from the resources he provided, rather than picking one from the list offered by the Legacy Sage Church. Jenkins didn't mind. Whichever ability Fini chose, he was confident he could invent a plausible origin story for the Church. It wouldn't be a major issue.

It had been a while, but Fini hadn't changed a bit; she hadn't even grown an inch. When they met, the little girl didn't mention the few times she had summoned her angel while he was away. Instead, she eagerly shared all sorts of amusing stories with him.

Whenever Fini was at the church, Louise would remain silent, hidden behind her soul. The little angel feared being detected by the power of the Sage, and besides, she enjoyed quietly observing the small moments of Fini's life.

But Jenkins could see her. The angel hid herself well, but when he looked closely with his Eye of Reality, he could always spot the pair of small wings behind Fini. As he chatted with the girl, he shot a wink at the angel behind her. A little flustered, Louise wrapped her arms around Fini's neck and turned her head away, refusing to meet his gaze.

With his business at the church concluded, Jenkins finally had time to head back to Pops Antique Shop. He pushed open the door to find a surprising sight: Audrey was inside, casually chatting with Papa Oliver. The moment they saw Jenkins, however, their conversation came to an abrupt halt. Audrey took a paper-wrapped package from her purse, set it on the counter, and slid it toward Papa Oliver. She then turned to Jenkins, reminded him not to forget to finish his book reports by the weekend, and with that, she left.

"What was Audrey doing here?" Newest update provıded by novelꞁire.net

Jenkins asked, his curiosity piqued. He could see a spiritual aura emanating from the package; it was shaped like a bottle, but the glow came not from the glass but from the liquid within. It had to be a potion.

"You're far too curious, Jenkins," Papa Oliver warned, putting the package away. "Instead of wondering about that, you should be thinking about the ball tonight."

Jenkins had been to far too many balls lately, but tonight's was the most important one. Queen Isabella was hosting it, ostensibly to celebrate the fact that Bel Diran had been spared a more severe epidemic. Most of the young elites currently gathered in and around Nolan were expected to attend. It promised to be a lively affair, which made it exactly the kind of social gathering Jenkins detested—the esteemed author, as it happened, was a terrible dancer.

Since Papa Oliver clearly wasn't going to explain the package, Jenkins didn't press him. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the two rings he'd received when he'd "split the loot" with the dragon.

"Papa, I bought these on the black market," he said, offering them. "Could you take a look and tell me what they are?"

Papa Oliver shot a sideways glance at the sapphire and ruby rings nestled in Jenkins's palm. After a moment's thought, he gestured for Jenkins to place them on the counter. The old man then bent down, retrieved his appraisal kit from beneath the counter, and carefully fitted a monocle to his eye. With gloved hands, he picked up the rings and held them under the glow of the gas lamp he had just lit.

"Bought them on the black market, you say?"

The sapphire and ruby seemed to pulse with light.

"Well, you must have some incredible luck, managing to buy two numbered items at once..."

Papa Oliver clearly didn't believe the "black market" story, but he didn't press the matter. Instead, he turned off the blindingly bright gas lamp and removed his monocle.

"They're a very famous pair," he began. "Said to be the product of ancient alchemy, man-made Series B Extraordinary items—though I have my doubts about that part of the story. The red one is B-01-4-4299, the [Red of Martial Arts]. It enhances the wearer's physical constitution and the power of their martial-type abilities. The blue one is B-03-4-1394, the [Blue of Incantation]. It strengthens mental power and soul fortitude, boosting spell-type abilities. I recall they last surfaced in the year 1293 of the Universal Calendar, at an auction. A mysterious buyer took them, and they haven't been seen since."

"Why the level four danger rating?"

Jenkins asked with a hint of concern, taking the rings back from the old man.

"If two different people of opposite genders are wearing these rings at the same time, and they come within one thousand feet of each other, they will try to kill one another, completely disregarding the consequences. They'll act like absolute lunatics, using any and every means at their disposal to eliminate the other and claim their ring. When one of these rings shows up, the other is usually not far behind. Some argue they should be classified as a single item with two parts, but I believe they are fundamentally different. Their connection is more like a curse.

Oh, and one more thing," Papa Oliver added. "These rings have a limited effect on high-level Enchanters. I doubt you'd see much of a boost even if you wore one."