Chapter 163: Chapter 163

"Alright, I'm not in a hurry."

Jenkins replied, a note of indifference in his voice.

And why should he be? He was currently sitting on eight thousand pounds in cash.

He had sewn the money into the lining of his underclothes, the fine, tight stitches a testament to how seriously he was taking its security. He hadn't had a chance to investigate this world's banking system and didn't dare trust it. Leaving the money at home was also too risky, so carrying it on his person seemed the only sensible option.

This windfall had somewhat softened the blow of another disappointment. During the reading salon he had been invited to by Miss Mikhail, he had won a gem earring with a brilliant aura from that devil, young Wellington, by telling a unique ghost story.

But after young Wellington's death, Jenkins was stunned to discover the earring had transformed into a completely ordinary object.

That's right—an ordinary object, devoid of any supernatural aura. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovєlFіre.net

He could only surmise that the earring itself had been enchanted with some incredibly potent ritual magic, which was what lent it the glow of a special item. Now, like produce left too long on a market stall, its magic had expired.

While the gemstone was real and still valuable, Jenkins couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been swindled.

Getting a cat, he mused, was definitely the right choice.

Papa Oliver and the professor had just returned from outside the city. Besides turning in the Arrogant Shield, Papa Oliver also had matters to discuss with Mr. Smith, which was how they had coincidentally run into Jenkins as he was exiting the Gate of All Things.

The carriage first dropped Professor Burns off at the intersection near the university before taking Jenkins and Papa Oliver back to the antique shop.

Jenkins, naturally, paid the fare. After getting out of the carriage, he followed Papa Oliver into the shop and explained his purpose for coming.

"Papa Oliver, I've acquired the Celestial Fragments. We're both free tonight, so why don't I begin my study here?"

As he spoke, he pulled the prismatic, transparent stone from his pocket. It looked like a work of art, a miniature galaxy slowly swirling at its core.

Learning a ritual wasn't as simple as finding a flat piece of ground. For basic abilities, like the white-tier Flexible Legs, any location would suffice. But for anything more complex, the ritual site had to be prepared in advance.

Places like a church, one of the Church's convalescent homes, or Papa Oliver's warehouse were suitable. This wasn't because these locations possessed some kind of "ley lines," but for reasons far more intricate.

Papa Oliver reached out and took the crystal, holding it up to the last rays of the setting sun for a moment before handing it back to Jenkins.

"That was quick. It seems you've finally made some friends, or perhaps you've found your own sources. You really don't let an old man rest. I've been busy all night and haven't slept a wink..."

"Then you should get some sleep. A few more days won't make a difference!"

The thought hadn't occurred to Jenkins. He patted his own head apologetically and reached for the overcoat he had just hung up.

"I'm just teasing you. It's only one ritual, it won't take long."

Papa Oliver waved a hand dismissively, his back to Jenkins, and placed the set of keys strung on black wire onto the wooden counter.

"I'm going upstairs to change. Take the keys and head to the warehouse in the back to prepare. You can already see the stars."

Astral Perception, as the name implied, had an inextricable link to the righteous god, the Myriad Phenomena of the Starry Sky. As such, when inscribing the ritual's foundational array on the ground, one had to first draw the holy symbols of both the Myriad Phenomena of the Starry Sky and the Legacy Sage to declare one's allegiance.

This was the most expensive ritual Jenkins had ever undertaken. Unlike other rituals that required all sorts of strange and obscure items, the most difficult material to obtain for this one was the Celestial Fragments. Most of the other components—gemstones—could be purchased in any city.

After three attempts, he finally managed to draw a perfect circle on the ground freehand with blue ritual chalk. He placed the holy symbols to the left and right, then began arranging the gemstones he had purchased within the circle, mirroring the night sky above.

It didn't require profound astronomical knowledge; the caster simply had to arrange the gems according to their own interpretation of the heavens.

If it weren't for his recent substantial income, and if he hadn't procured the materials through Church channels, this single ritual would have been enough to bankrupt him.

By the time Papa Oliver entered the warehouse, wearing his old-fashioned red wool vest, Jenkins was looking up at the sky through the skylight in the roof.

Papa Oliver stood about ten meters from the perfect circle, squinting at it for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.

"After studying with me for just over two months, you can already perform a ritual on your own. Jenkins, you are without a doubt the most gifted Enchanter apprentice I have ever seen."

"You've seen other apprentices, Papa Oliver?"

He asked while pouring silver powder into a white solution made from a Stargazer Bloom.

"Did you think you were my first apprentice?"

Papa Oliver's expression was peculiar.

Jenkins faltered, then immediately remembered he couldn't stop stirring and quickened the motion of his hands.

"You've had apprentices before?"

"Of course. You're my fourth."

Normally, the conversation would have continued with him introducing the first three. But after saying his piece, the old man fell silent, looking up at the stars just as Jenkins had done moments before.

Jenkins knew Papa Oliver wasn't the type to be deliberately coy, so he must have his reasons for not wanting to continue the topic. He wisely kept his mouth shut and continued stirring clockwise for twelve rotations, making a mental note to ask Captain Bincy about it sometime.

He pricked his finger with a silver dagger, letting a drop of blood fall into the vessel in his hand. He healed the wound with his ability, then took out a blue feather.

Indeed, it was the same one he had acquired at the gathering. In the past few days, while gathering materials, Jenkins had learned that it came from a bird called a Glimmerwing Finch, so named because its wings glittered with starlike points of light when it flew.

He dipped the tip of the feather into the shimmering liquid, then summoned the Book of Memories, causing the ritual's requirements to materialize on its pages. He carefully inscribed a long string of unfamiliar characters around the circle's edge. Once the final letter—one resembling an alpha—was complete, the script perfectly encircled the diagram. The mixed paint, which shouldn't have been luminous, began to emit a faint blue glow.

The final step was to place four ordinary candles at the cardinal points—due east, west, south, and north—outside the circle and light them. The preparations were complete.