Chapter 1659: Chapter 1659

Though the Saints chosen by the gods were transcendent beings, they appeared no different from mortals, at least during their time in the material world. Their bodies didn't glow, flowers didn't bloom in their footsteps, and they certainly couldn't be casually resurrected after death.

This was somewhat disappointing for Jenkins. Having been a Saint for less than a year himself, he hadn't yet learned to fully utilize this power. He had expected the more renowned Saints to exhibit some interesting traits, but they, too, seemed quite ordinary.

Jenkins voiced this disappointment to Sigrid. The beautiful girl, wearing a crown of olive branches, covered her mouth and giggled.

“Actually, in my view, every Saint is quite unique. If you try to feel with your heart, you'll notice that there are always unusual fluctuations of spirit wherever a Saint is present. For instance, that one over there...”

She extended a slender finger, discreetly pointing to a man in a black robe standing with his back to them at another table. Even at night, the Evergreen Forest was rather warm this season; wearing a robe was definitely not a wise choice.

“We can both feel it. He's like a tombstone.”

This was the Saint of the God of Death. Jenkins could sense what Sigrid meant, so he asked with interest:

“Then what do you feel I'm like?”

Sigrid blushed slightly, then suddenly stood on her tiptoes and delicately sniffed the air in front of Jenkins's face.

“Just a great tree? I'm the Saint of the Sage. I thought you might say I was like a book,” he joked.

“No, you're not like a book at all.”

Sigrid shook her head, then tilted it thoughtfully.

“More than a book, you're more like... an indescribable mass of light.”

Jenkins didn't understand.

“Yes, a mass of light that contains everything. Strange, distorted, and unlike any other light in the world,” she said with great seriousness, not looking like she was joking in the slightest.

The Saints who had traveled from afar were visiting this forest for the first time. Perhaps recognizing the extraordinary nature of the giant tree behind them, they remarked during their conversation that if they didn't know the heir of the World Tree was standing right before them, they would have assumed the Believer of Lies who caused this forest to appear was the true favorite of the World Tree.

The Saints were already aware of the World Tree Seedling. The matter hadn't been kept secret; after all, Jenkins was now the shared hope of the Orthodox Churches. Sigrid believed this was also why the other Saints were exceptionally respectful toward Jenkins, not having considered any other reasons.

This banquet was not only a welcoming ceremony for the Saints of other gods but also the first time Jenkins and Sigrid had met since the matter of the Dragon Soul. Halfway through the event, Jenkins once again invited her to be a guest at his home. Mary Williams had already sent several letters urging him to do so. Sigrid had agreed in the past but had never found the time.

“Perhaps next week. I need to prepare...”

She was still a bit nervous—nervous about meeting her only relatives in this world. Although the Williams family was very welcoming, Sigrid remained somewhat resistant to the idea.

But being asked again by Jenkins, she finally made up her mind. Thɪs chapter is updated by n0velfire.net

“Do I need to bring a gift? I've never visited relatives before,” she asked, a little embarrassed, mentally calculating her meager assets. Jenkins's answer, of course, was red wine.

Since they were on the topic of gifts, Sigrid then asked Jenkins what he wanted for his birthday. Jenkins was genuinely surprised, not expecting his distant cousin to know his birthday.

“I asked the Legacy Sage Church,” the blonde girl said, winking at Jenkins.

“This will be the first time I'm celebrating a relative's birthday. You absolutely must accept my gift.”

The most representative gifts the Church of All Things and Nature could offer were, of course, various peculiar plants, and Sigrid intended to give him something similar.

And speaking of plants, this distant relative of the Williams family shared an amusing story with Jenkins. That very afternoon, at the Golden Sparrowhawk Auction House in the city, a wealthy merchant from out of town had tried to sell two pots of tulips he owned for one hundred pounds.

Such a high price naturally resulted in no bids. Even if the tulips' colors and petal patterns were unique, people weren't foolish enough to buy two ornamental flowers for such a sum.

“I think he must have been truly desperate for money to ask for such a price,” Sigrid said jokingly, then added with great fascination, “But a friend of mine told me that the two flowers were truly beautiful. I'd love to see what kind of plants they were. While a hundred pounds is a bit exaggerated, I think they could have sold for ten, don't you?”

Jenkins smiled, verbally mocking the merchant's greed.

This was the first step. The exorbitant price was, of course, meant to fail, but it was necessary to introduce the idea that "tulips can be very expensive and can appear at public auctions." It seemed Dolores and Miss Windsor were moving quickly. His plan would likely be wrapped up in a month or two.

With so many clergy and Enchanters from the churches now gathered in the city, the Church needed to find something for them to do. It couldn't just let these valuable talents spend their days exercising in the forest.

Coincidentally, Nolan was in dire need of manpower to maintain public order, as the frequent supernatural incidents had left the local church's combat squads exhausted. The ordinary clergy also had their uses. The numerous incidents in Nolan over the past six months had left the local residents agitated. Priests with rich missionary experience, dispersed throughout the city, would contribute to Nolan's peace and stability.

The Legacy Sage Church planned to take advantage of the ample manpower during this period to expand its night school program. The Church of All Things and Nature had originally intended to set up a permanent base in the Evergreen Forest but was pushed out by the five local churches. So, their focus shifted to the city, and tomorrow, Sigrid would be going to sell flowers with her church friends.

“Why would I joke about that? Isn't it a perfectly normal thing to do? When I was little, the nuns at the church would take us to the streets to sell flowers, and the money we earned was our pocket money.”

Speaking of her childhood, Sigrid's lips curved into a slight smile. Jenkins mentally calculated whether this would affect his plan, but on second thought, it might actually be a good thing.

“Flower seller girl, oh, flower seller girl~” he hummed to himself, then saw his cat emerging from the edge of the forest clearing.

“Your cat is back,” Sigrid pointed out. A moment ago, Chocolate had been annoyed by a rabbit that kept trying to run under Jenkins's feet and had chased it into the forest. Seeing it return so leisurely, it had clearly emerged victorious from its battle with the rabbit.

Jenkins was in a good mood and decided to play a little joke on his cat. While Chocolate was still sauntering over, he turned and placed three fruit bowls upside down on the table, then picked up a single grape.

When the cat came closer, Jenkins scooped up the soft feline, held it so it could see the three overturned bowls on the table, and then, right in front of it, placed a tempting grape under one of them.

As Sigrid covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, Jenkins quickly shuffled the three bowls, then said to the cat:

“Guess which bowl has the fruit under it? If you guess right, it's yours.”

The cat felt insulted by Jenkins, but the grape was still tasty. It extended its paw to give an answer. Jenkins immediately lifted the bowl, and sure enough, there was a grape. After all, his hands hadn't moved very fast.

He happily rubbed Chocolate's little head, then, even more happily, lifted the bowl on the far left. Underneath it was a whole bunch of grapes, which he had placed there before Chocolate even walked over.

The satisfied smile on the cat's face froze. In the next moment, Jenkins was shielding his face as he "battled" with the cat, which had leaped up, trying to whip him with its tail.

The matter of the World Tree Seedling had already been learned by the other churches because of the Nightshade Manor incident, but on this night, no one mentioned it to Jenkins.

The Saints' conversations mostly revolved around Nolan's legends and local security. Although none of them knew Jenkins before, they managed to find common topics. As for the other clergy who came to pay their respects, they spoke only of religion, not of legends.

Sigrid seemed very happy. Tonight, she wore the one-third of the World Tree Seedling on a chain around her neck, not noticing Jenkins repeatedly glancing at it.

“I'll ask for that third of the seed when she visits my home,” Jenkins said to himself, nonchalantly averting his gaze. But then, a very important thought struck him. Seizing a moment when Sigrid turned her head, he put on his monocle and looked at her chest.

A cluster of green flames burned quietly on her chest.

Because he had observed the other royal heirs at the banquet, and even Queen Isabella, but hadn't seen the Tree Soul, Jenkins was already prepared for this outcome. Sigrid Capet was both a royal descendant and an Enchanter of the Church of All Things and Nature; it was not surprising that she was the true possessor of the Tree Soul.

“But this is troublesome. Now I have to ask for two important things from her at once,” Jenkins thought to himself. He didn't have anything to compensate the blonde girl with, and he disliked taking advantage of people for nothing.

“Moreover, members of the royal families of the Hamparvo Kingdom and the Fidektri Kingdom both carry King Souls. The Dragon Soul was from beyond this world, brought by a dragon and obtained by me. The Dark Soul is still gestating with Miss Windsor. This means the royal line of the Cheslan Kingdom surely holds no King Soul... Could fate be hinting at something...”