Chapter 1789: Chapter 1789

Though she had decided not to go back with Jenkins for safety's sake, Miss Stevel was clearly hesitating. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh.

"Forget it. I'll go with you after all," she declared. "I won't be able to rest easy until we've sorted out what's happened to Papa Oliver. Just give me a moment to change my appearance."

While waiting for Miss Stevel to use her talisman, Jenkins noticed something was amiss nearby. The souvenir shop next door, owned by old Mrs. Sally, was shuttered, even though it had been open for business just over an hour ago.

Jenkins rapped on the door, and Mrs. Sally opened it from the inside.

"Aren't you open today?"

"Open for business?" she exclaimed. "After that powerful earthquake just now, I wouldn't dare stay in the shop. Jenkins, do you and Oliver want to leave the city with me? It's really not a day for business."

She spoke in a rush, her employees packing bags in the shop behind her.

"Yes, almost as strong as the one we had when that black tower 'sprouted' up a while ago," she confirmed. "Anyway, I can't talk now. I have to finish packing."

The full-figured woman shook her head and turned back to directing her two employees. Jenkins bid her farewell and rejoined the now-disguised Miss Stevel, sharing his suspicion.

"I'm afraid the third level of that black tower has just emerged from the ground."

He gazed in its direction, towards the metal black tower hidden deep within the dense fog, completely invisible. In the vision of his Eye of Reality, however, the powerful black spiritual aura outlining the tower revealed it to be startlingly taller than the last time he had observed it with the naked eye.

A faint click echoed from his heart as the mechanization of his body began to spread from the organ, but it was instantly suppressed by his own power.

To prevent any further incident, he quickly averted his gaze to another part of the sky. Just then, he saw the auras of Enchanters soaring through the air. One party consisted of the demigod and the Holy Son from the Church of Creation and Machinery, whom he had seen a few nights ago when the Children of the Mist were born. The other person was a stranger to him, only a level seven, yet flying at incredible speed. But Jenkins recognized the aura of the weapon the stranger wielded—it was the [Wrath of the Thunder God], now transformed into a Cursed Item.

"Miss Stevel, can you fly?"

Jenkins asked suddenly, his eyes still on the sky. Puzzled, she hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

"Almost no Enchanter below the demigod level can fly. I've never learned an ability like that myself. Why do you ask?"

Jenkins kept his head tilted up, watching the two sides circle each other in the air. The one wielding the [Wrath of the Thunder God] was fast, but was ultimately struck by an explosive thrown by the Church of Creation and Machinery's demigod.

He plummeted unsteadily toward the ground, his landing point roughly three blocks away from where Jenkins and Miss Stevel stood. It wasn't an ordinary spot; a cluster of black spiritual aura converged on the horizon, indicating the location was likely an alley.

"Something's wrong. Come with me,"

he said quickly, holding out a hand to his cat. Chocolate leaped into his palm and deftly scrambled up his arm to perch on his shoulder.

Watching Jenkins expertly scale the outer wall of Papa Oliver's antique shop and onto the roof, Miss Stevel sighed. She ducked into a nearby alley and took off, chasing the figure moving across the rooftops in the distance.

The distance was considerable, so by the time Jenkins and Miss Stevel arrived, the two demigods and Holy Son Grev from the Church of Creation and Machinery were already in the alley. The Enchanter who had been holding the [Wrath of the Thunder God], however, was nowhere to be seen.

Miss Stevel remained hidden while Jenkins emerged from the dense fog with his cat. The three church members were startled at first, but relaxed after he revealed his green Soul Emblem to prove his identity.

"What's going on here? I thought I saw someone fall from the sky."

"This morning, the Church of the Sage transferred a numbered item to us and requested our assistance in appraising it," Mr. Grev explained grimly. "During the transfer, a cultist from the Gear Artisans' Association ambushed us and stole it."

Mr. Grev spoke with a grim expression. It was hardly a proud moment for them; the handover had been completed, and it was their own people who were leaving the Sage's Church with the item. The responsibility was entirely theirs.

The three of them immediately noticed the look of astonishment on the Sage's Saint's face—an astonishment laced with disbelief.

"A silver wrench? One that can repair most mechanical devices?"

"I heard it was found in Nolan a while ago. You know of this wrench?"

Jenkins never would have imagined such a turn of events. He had found that very wrench following the instructions of Mr. Pisco, who was now likely dead. It was an absolutely vital item.

"That wrench might be the key to repairing...!" Jenkins exclaimed, his voice sharp. "Where is the person who took it?"

His tone grew urgent. He scanned the area, but saw nothing. The burly demigod, whose name Jenkins didn't know, pressed a hand to his black hat and said:

"He must have... escaped. We will offer compensation."

"This isn't something that can be fixed with compensation!"

Jenkins shook his head vehemently. He couldn't believe his church would simply hand the wrench over to the Church of Creation and Machinery for appraisal. He recalled his conversation in the tavern, how he'd refrained from telling Miss Stevel about the wrench's potential function. Looking back, it seemed like an incredibly foolish decision.

Without another word to the three from the Church of Creation and Machinery, Jenkins turned and strode back into the fog. His abrupt departure was rude, but the trio simply assumed he was angry and said nothing.

Jenkins found Miss Stevel in the alley and spoke to her directly.

"Do you remember the wrench from the tavern?"

The woman nodded immediately, recognizing from the speed of his words that he had uncovered something serious.

"I suspect it was the Gear Artisans' Association. Their goal must be to use that wrench to repair that massive thing underground—there's no other reason they'd take such a risk to steal it. Before, it was just a guess. Now, I'm almost certain."

"So what do we do...?"

"You head back to the church. Report what happened to Papa Oliver and what you've learned here. Have Miss Bevanna request assistance from the Evergreen Forest and dispatch a team directly to the eastern mining district to search for the Gear Artisans' Association's lair. We all know they're hiding out there. This time, I'm afraid it will take a massive search."

He didn't tell Miss Stevel that he already knew the hiding place of the injured, unconscious demigod, thanks to his [Bloodsource] ability.

Miss Stevel nodded, then asked.

"The Church of Creation and Machinery lost it, but I highly doubt they'll be the ones to get it back."

Jenkins would never normally speak so dismissively of others, but the current situation was too dire.

"I'll go on ahead to the eastern mining district and track down the cultists. Once I find them, I'll either create a diversion or use a ritual to signal you. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine,"

he said with a grave tone.

"We absolutely cannot allow those cultists to take that wrench underground. Even if there's a chance it won't work, we can't afford to take that risk."

"I understand. You be careful, too. Papa Oliver is still waiting for you."

With that, Miss Stevel gave Jenkins a quick hug, then turned and vanished into the dense fog of the alley. Jenkins watched as her aura, the aura of his senior, faded into the distance. The anxious look on his face immediately dissolved, replaced by a calm resolve.

He turned to face the fog beyond the alley. As his cat's fur shifted color, his own appearance began to flicker, changing dozens of times per second.

The tall, thin, expressionless man he had become let out a whistle. With a soft neigh, a unicorn shattered the barrier of space and galloped to his side.

He walked out of the alley with his cat and stood beside the unicorn. The young creature obediently lay down, nuzzling the back of its master's hand with the side of its face as it waited for him to mount. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by NoveI-Fire.ɴet

Jenkins raised his head to the fog-shrouded sky.

"It seems it's time for the Believers of Lies to make their appearance."

On Monday, during his fight against the Children of the Mist, Jenkins had been attacked by a demigod he suspected was from the Gear Artisans' Association. The encounter had been perilous, and the Cursed Item version of the [Wrath of the Thunder God] had inflicted significant damage, but in the end, his enemy had been struck by [Blasphemous Creation].

Jenkins had deliberately allowed the demigod's companion to carry the unconscious body away, all so he could use his newly acquired [Bloodsource] ability to trace its location.

His original plan had been to let them take the body underground, hopefully right to the Difference Engine itself. That way, he might have been able to solve the entire problem in one fell swoop. But ever since Monday, the body hadn't moved; its location remained fixed, somewhere above ground in Nolan's eastern mining district.

He couldn't wait any longer. While he doubted the wrench alone could repair the Difference Engine, he wasn't willing to take the risk.

The unicorn carried him into the sky. Under the cover of the fog, he had no fear of being spotted, even in broad daylight. He took a small wooden tube from his pocket and uncorked it. The liquid inside looked like clear water, but a careful observer would notice a single, thin thread of blood floating within.

Jenkins carefully poured a small amount of the liquid into his left palm. As his [Bloodsource] ability activated, the location of the blood's owner appeared clearly in his mind once more.

He fixed on the direction and urged the unicorn forward. Soon, they had crossed the city and were approaching the eastern mountains. Nolan bordered the continent's central mountain range, and the area east of the city was a rich mining zone, famous along the entire west coast not only for its coal but also for the nearby gem mines Jenkins himself had invested in.

Due to the high concentration of laborers, many of the single men lived in cramped, shoddily constructed housing illegally put up by the mine owners. Alongside these dwellings, unscrupulous shops and small, private clinics had sprung up. The target Jenkins was tracking was located inside one such clinic.