Chapter 1682: Chapter 1682

Keepers of Secrets typically didn't involve themselves in the Church's administrative affairs, so they knew little about the joint conference of the Twelve Orthodox Churches. Jenkins would have to ask Miss Bevanna or someone else, but for now, his primary concern was the tower. He had to confirm that it wouldn't undergo any new changes, at least not in the immediate future.

Jenkins wasn't needed here tonight; the Church would arrange for its own guards. In fact, a good number of Orthodox Church Enchanters had recently arrived in Nolan, so this would give them something to do.

After saying goodbye to the Keepers of Secrets and Professor Burns, Jenkins first took his cat home. He confirmed that the girls and Julia were already asleep before setting the cat down, gently soothing it for a moment to convince it to stay put. Only then did he venture out again.

In an alley near St. George Avenue, he donned a black robe to disguise his identity. He then summoned his unicorn and, without any attempt at subtlety, rode it high into the sky before landing in the Public Square.

The followers of the Righteous Gods had spotted him in the night sky long before he landed. The unicorn was a unique mount, one that immediately identified its rider as a Believer of Lies. Because their two factions were on the verge of cooperation, the Believers of Lies weren't currently considered enemies. Though the Church was displeased by the unicorn rider's uninvited arrival, they at least didn't drive him away.

The Orthodox Enchanters approached with wary eyes but didn't surround Jenkins.

"A Believer of Lies? What are you doing here?"

There were four demigods on watch that night, led by an acquaintance of Sigrid's—Miss Bennett. The woman, who appeared quite young, stood about a meter away from Jenkins, refusing to take another step closer.

"I came to take a look at this tower. It's rather conspicuous, isn't it?"

Miss Bennett gestured to the black tower behind her:

"But we've already investigated it. It's completely..."

"No, I don't mean I want to get a closer look," Jenkins interrupted. "I mean I want to go inside."

Presuming the Believer of Lies was unaware of the incident that had already occurred inside the tower, Miss Bennett briefly recounted the Orthodox Church's unsuccessful expedition from earlier that night, hoping to persuade him to abandon such a dangerous idea.

But Jenkins was already well aware. He had looked directly at the tower with his Eye of Reality, and the mechanization that began in his heart—its appearance and transformation—was identical to what had happened to the five victims who entered the tower at dusk.

Therefore, Jenkins believed he could withstand it. Besides, he had his Real Illusion ability prepared and could retreat immediately if any problems arose.

"I just want to see what it's like inside. I might be out in a few seconds."

He promised, though in reality, it was a precaution in case Real Illusion didn't work. He planned to exit immediately after opening the door.

But no matter what he said, allowing a Believer of Lies to enter the tower was not a decision the four demigods present could make. Seeing that she couldn't persuade the stubborn man before her, Miss Bennett told him to wait while they relayed the matter to the Church. The Church would make the final decision.

"But I can't wait that long. It's already late, and I need to go home and sleep."

With that, he dashed toward the door at the base of the tower. Jenkins had landed not far from it, but even so, the Orthodox Church Enchanters intercepted him before he could reach it.

"Believer of Lies, we are currently in a cooperative relationship. Please refrain from any reckless actions." Content orıginally comes from N0velFire.ɴet

Miss Bennett warned, but just then, a black, roaring shadow materialized right behind the surrounded man's back.

"This is Twin Demons. If it explodes, I don't think anyone nearby will escape."

Jenkins explained, a strange beeping sound audible in the background.

"I'll count to three."

He stared directly into the eyes of the beautiful woman before him, who met his gaze without a trace of fear.

"Fine. You can go in."

Miss Bennett cleared a path. Someone beside her objected, but she stopped them.

"He's dead set on going in. Even if I could stop him now, he'd just find another way in sooner or later. But this might be for the best. If the Believer of Lies can actually gather some information from inside, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

And if he died in there, that would be even better. He was going in voluntarily, which meant there would be one less Savior candidate in the running.

"I'm so glad you see it that way."

Jenkins chuckled and stepped forward to grab the doorknob.

"But remember this," the woman behind him warned, "if you come out and can't prove you're still flesh and blood, then don't blame us for attacking you."

Jenkins didn't reply. He simply raised a hand and gave a wave without looking back, then pulled open the great metal door of the black tower.

Behind the door was pitch-black darkness, obscuring any detail of the tower's interior. Jenkins hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The door swung shut behind him automatically.

The instant he stepped through the door, it felt as if he had crossed into a Mysterious Realm, though in reality, the space hadn't changed. When he came to his senses, the deafening roar of machinery was so loud it nearly shattered his eardrums.

Light was everywhere—an endless, blinding light that made it almost impossible for Jenkins to open his eyes. At the same time, his heart began to turn into gears, but this degree of transformation was much milder than what he'd experienced when he looked at the tower directly with his Eye of Reality that afternoon.

The spirit of life surged into his heart to fight the transformation. Even the gray aura symbolizing death rushed in to combat the mechanization process.

Though it put some strain on Jenkins, he estimated he should be fine for at least half an hour. With that, he finally relaxed.

He tried to activate Real Illusion with a thought, but the ability had no effect in the tower's space. Jenkins frowned slightly. He turned, shielding his eyes with his hands, and searched for the entrance door amidst the blinding white light. After fumbling for a moment, he found the familiar doorknob.

He knew he shouldn't linger in this strange place, so he kept his grip tight on the doorknob.

He turned back, still shielding his eyes, and squinted through his fingers to peer into the white light of the tower's interior. A moment later, he let out a piercing scream as blood streamed from his eyes, overflowing through the gaps between his fingers.

He wrenched the door open and leaped out. The warm night breeze of Nolan and the familiar, acrid stench in the air told him he had left the tower. The shock of the light had left him temporarily blind even after escaping its glare. A stabbing pain spread from his eyeballs through his entire head, as if insects were crawling along his optic nerves, preparing to devour his brain.