Chapter 1829: Chapter 1829

Alexia had Sin Coins, but when Jenkins had met with her earlier, he hadn’t thought to ask the petite woman for any. It would have given him the uncomfortable feeling that he was freeloading off her. Papa Oliver had Sin Coins in his private collection as well, but Jenkins couldn’t just brazenly ask for them, and besides, the old man only had two.

He truly hadn't expected the Church to have none at all. This was one of the few instances where the nearly omnipotent image of the Orthodox Church’s treasury had been tarnished in his eyes.

Accepting the fact that there were no Sin Coins to be had, Jenkins shifted his request. He asked for contained items that were "sentient," "evil," and "powerful." To be on the safe side, he wanted two of them. However, they couldn't be numbered items, as most humanoid numbered items knew how to acquire Sin Coins, and using Blasphemous Creation on them could lead to undesirable consequences.

What he wanted were those sealed, aberrant evils from pocket dimensions, or powerful malevolent spirits, or even visitors from other realities. If he couldn't get Sin Coins, he would just find a way to make them himself. Jenkins was quite pragmatic about it.

Because he refused to explain his reasons for wanting such dangerous creatures, the Church remained extremely cautious about his second request. They didn't reject it outright, but they didn’t seem particularly inclined to agree either.

Jenkins knew the request was indeed somewhat unreasonable, so he made a new offer to the Church of Creation and Machinery. If they agreed to his terms, and also told him the origin of the "Thunder God's Wrath"—specifically, the story behind the "Thunder God" in its name—he would return the hammer to them. Then they would be even, all debts settled.

"We can persuade the other churches to provide the two items you require," Saint Grev stated. "Even if they disagree, we can have them sent directly to you from another diocese under our church's name. That won't be a problem. We can also tell you some of the history concerning the Thunder God's Wrath and its connection to the Church, though it won't be the full story. However, as for your final condition, I'm afraid we cannot agree to that under any circumstances."

Jenkins considered it for a moment and agreed. The last two requests were purely to satisfy his own curiosity, add-ons to the main deal, so their refusal didn't matter much. Still, adhering to the principles of negotiation, he pressed the issue a little, feigning a deep interest in that final condition.

Perhaps his performance misled the representatives of the Orthodox Church, giving them the impression that he was determined to get his way. So, while they ultimately only agreed to the first two conditions, the Church announced they would offer a Bestowal to compensate for the difference in value in the transaction.

But since it was something he was getting for free, he wasn't about to be picky about a gift that had essentially fallen from the sky.

The two sentient contained items couldn't be produced immediately. The Orthodox Church still needed to discuss which ones to select, but they promised a decision within three days and asked the Believer of Lies to visit the Evergreen Forest again on Thursday morning.

As for the Bestowal, the Church of Creation and Machinery felt it was compensation for the Thunder God's Wrath, so they intended to provide it themselves. They asked Jenkins to wait a moment while they retrieved it, promising to deliver it along with the wrench within half an hour.

Taking advantage of the wait, Saint Grev and the demigod Lucius invited Jenkins for a stroll through the forest, away from the others, to discuss the matter of the Thunder God's Wrath.

"We anticipated that you would be curious about that hammer," Saint Grev said once they had left the clearing beneath the giant tree. Sir Lucius lagged a few paces behind them, seemingly uninterested in the conversation, his presence solely to ensure no one was eavesdropping.

"Why do you say that?" Jenkins asked, stroking the Munchkin cat perched on his shoulder, silently urging it not to show any hostility toward the squirrels. Otherwise, it would seem just like that other petty cat.

"Your friend entrusted the Thunder God's Wrath to Saint Williams of the Sage Church for temporary safekeeping. Three days ago, with the Sage Church's permission, we conducted a preliminary examination. The results indicated that although the Thunder God's Wrath shows some tendency toward becoming a Cursed Item, it still retains the characteristics of a Bestowal. In other words, not just anyone can use that hammer. To be able to lift it and call forth lightning, one must have a very deep connection to machinery." Check latest chapters at novel⁂fire.net

People often offered mystical explanations for how Bestowals chose their users, but it was usually just a set of arcane-sounding phrases without any real pattern. It was a means of deifying the items, a convenient fiction that everyone eventually came to accept, even while knowing it was just for show.

At the time, Jenkins hadn't sensed anything special about the hammer. He had used it as casually as any other Bestowal he had encountered. But he now thought of a different problem.

"The Gear Artisans' Guild had two people who could use that hammer," he pointed out.

"It's a matter of probability, after all," Grev replied. "For them to find two suitable users is highly improbable, but not impossible. In any case, since one of your people can also wield the Thunder God's Wrath, I imagine curiosity about its origins is only natural. But this is a very old story, and the Church itself isn't certain which parts are true. It's best if you listen to it as you would a myth."

A fork in the path lay ahead. Jenkins knew they wouldn't turn left, as the warehouse on that path was being stocked with materials for a ritual to contain the surge of life essence when the seed was sealed tomorrow.

He paused, letting Saint Grev choose their direction. As expected, Grev turned right.

"The Thunder God's Wrath was first discovered in a very ancient era," Grev began, "sometime before the Fourth Epoch. Our church was still of little renown back then."

Jenkins was certain that in that era, the current Righteous God, the Master Craftsman, had not yet achieved divinity. The divine domains of "Creation" and "Machinery" likely didn't even exist, or were subsumed under some older, more primordial deity.

"According to legend, the God of Nature and the pseudo-god, the God of Nobility and Order, decided to visit the material world for their amusement. The two deities observed the people of that ancient epoch, who lived and worked using slaves and simple, handcrafted wooden tools. Together, they made a wager on what natural force mortals would one day harness to advance their civilization."

Jenkins pursed his lips, remaining silent. This was the first he'd heard that Miss Silver Flute's deity, the God of Nobility and Order, was so ancient—old enough to feature in the myths of the Orthodox Church alongside the God of Nature.

"The God of Nature believed it might be the flow of water, or the power of the wind, or gravity, or even the magma from beneath the earth. The other great being also proposed many possibilities, even suggesting that the power of lightning might be one..."

The cat on his shoulder felt its perch twitch unnaturally. Suspecting Jenkins might have some unknown affliction, the cat brushed its tail against his cheek, as if to check his condition.

"The God of Nature's ideas were all realized eventually," Grev mused. "History shows that people did indeed experiment with all those energy sources. But the power of lightning? I can't imagine how that could be utilized. After all, wind can turn fan blades, water can power ships with its current, and the heat of magma can boil water. What usable power does lightning possess?"

"Indeed," Jenkins asked, a profound question forming in his mind. "What could it be used for?"

"I cannot fathom the great beings' intent, but the God of Nature did. The perspective of those two great ones is different from ours. They see civilizations and epochs, while we can only see the earth beneath our feet, the dust on our shoes, and the blades of grass we tread upon."

"To commemorate that fascinating conversation, the God of Nature plucked a bolt of lightning from the sky and forged this very hammer, the Thunder God's Wrath. Both deities then bestowed their blessings upon it. This is the legend of the hammer that has been passed down through the generations of our church."

Saint Grev concluded his story, and Jenkins said nothing. The tale itself was certainly filled with oddities. The God of Order's suggestion of lightning power was particularly noteworthy. But he was sure the story contained a kernel of truth. There had to be an underlying reason why a weapon was now in the custody of the Church of Creation and Machinery.

From their recent behavior, the Church of Nature had shown zero interest in the Thunder God's Wrath. And he'd never heard of the pseudo-god's cult—Miss Silver Flute's church—making any claim to it either. It stood to reason, then, that the hammer's ownership by the Church of Machinery had been sanctioned by its creator.

This implied that the current Righteous God, the Master Craftsman, had a very deep connection with the Righteous God, the Spirit of Nature—or rather, the ancient God of Nature.

Perhaps the Master Craftsman had ascended to godhood with the help of the God of Nature, thereby gaining ownership of the hammer.

In the current age, the divine domain of "Lightning" belonged to the Righteous God, the Storm Lord. The Master Craftsman's domain seemed to have no connection to nature, but the domains of the gods were notoriously complex. If one analyzed them piece by piece, an overlap with nature could surely be found.

Jenkins's thoughts spiraled into a tangled mess. A single story of questionable authenticity had seemingly shown him the path another being had taken from mortal to immortal.

If Jenkins was to become a god with the help of the Sage, then he would inevitably inherit some power or weapon from him. This was likely the very path the Master Craftsman had once walked.

But the one helping Jenkins was the Lord of Blossoms, and most of the power he inherited was from the World Tree... Thinking it over, his own path actually overlapped with his speculative theory about the Master Craftsman. Of course, this was all assuming his speculations were correct.