Chapter 1843: Chapter 1843

In the end, the Church never figured out why the "Father" suddenly disappeared that night. But just like the unpredictable appearance of a Mysterious Object, the vanishing of "The Father is Dead" came without any warning.

When it vanished, it was simply gone.

Thanks to this baffling event, Jenkins was able to return home a little after ten in the evening. He had wanted to get involved in the tobacco incident, but the Church had already formed an investigation team and didn't need his help. So, after reporting on the night's work, he headed home with his cat.

The ladies were still awake, waiting for him. Jenkins had missed dinner when he left, so Julia had saved a late-night snack for him and the cat.

Briny, sitting beside Jenkins, whispered that he had recently acquired a strange "forest" scent. She couldn't quite describe it, but it was something like Chinese roses and a summer field. Hathaway and Julia also caught a faint whiff of it, agreeing it smelled of the forest, though one thought it was "the scent of roses" and the other "the scent of a morning stream."

Jenkins figured it was a side effect of becoming the World Tree Seedling.

Taking the opportunity while everyone was together, Jenkins announced his plans for the upcoming Sunday. He intended to take a break from everything and treat them all to a trip to the Evergreen Forest.

Noticing a flicker of concern on Hathaway's face, he added:

"This time, I'm taking you as my fiancée. That forest is quite interesting. Don't worry about a thing. I'm a man of some standing in Nolan now."

The next morning, a Friday, Alexia arrived at the house on St. George Avenue before breakfast. For the first time in a while, she and Jenkins ate together.

After breakfast, the two of them went down to the basement, where Jenkins used the still-intact ritual circle to summon the coachman. When the carriage appeared in a swirl of black smoke, Jenkins explained that there would be two passengers this time, but the destination was the same, and asked the coachman for a price.

The coachman hesitated for a moment before quoting a price of four soul-golds or six other Sin Coins. The previous price for one person and a cat was three or four-and-a-half coins, which meant Alexia's fare wasn't much extra.

Jenkins breathed a sigh of relief. He could afford that.

There was no time to waste, so they set off immediately. After a short and uneventful journey, the carriage came to a stop, and Jenkins knew they had arrived.

The sealed subterranean space was unchanged from his last visit. Alexia stepped out of the carriage behind him and surveyed her surroundings with great interest.

A pillar of light rose from the center of the metal altar, and within it, a blank, human-like face materialized.

"Savior, you have returned sooner than I anticipated."

Jenkins wasted no time on pleasantries, pulling out the wrench and placing it on the altar. Immediately, waves of light rippled out from the pillar, spreading across the flat metal surface like ripples on water. The light didn't pass through the wrench, instead leaving its silhouette on the tabletop. Once again, Jenkins heard the deep, mechanical whirring from the walls, the floor beneath his feet, and the layers of earth and rock overhead. He knew it was analyzing the wrench's function.

"This is the A4 Type Arithmetic Auxiliary External Machine I mentioned. What we're seeing is its core and its external interface. The main body is inside these walls, and it must be enormous."

Jenkins explained to Alexia.

"I like that term, 'interface.' I've noticed you have an unusual understanding of my principles and structure."

the mechanical voice stated. Jenkins ignored it and turned to Alexia, who was still examining the chamber.

"So, what do you think? How is this different from the other auxiliary computing machines you've studied?"

"This model should be older."

Alexia said, her voice filled with delight. She raised her hand, and the blue cube materialized in her palm.

the mechanical voice asked, but no one answered.

"All the data I've seen, the ruins and wreckage I excavated before meeting you last autumn, and the machine we defeated on the snowy mountain last winter—they were all characterized by miniaturization and high intelligence. A machine this large, while it aligns with my early theories from my first few years of research, doesn't match my later discoveries."

"Correct. The early models of auxiliary computing machines were all massive. Later, the machine deep underground drew some unknown inspiration from human civilization, and the machines it designed and manufactured became much more compact."

the mechanical voice agreed. The sounds from the surroundings hadn't stopped, which meant it could perform at least two tasks at once.

"So you're an early model, then?"

"Not one of the earliest, but certainly before the technology for miniaturization was acquired. My database contains no records of compact machine technology."

Then Jenkins turned back to Alexia.

"So, is it valuable to you?"

"Yes, of course. Since it's willing to communicate and its database is at least partially intact, it will definitely be helpful. You go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll talk with it afterward."

the petite woman said considerately.

After that, Jenkins and Alexia chatted idly about ancient mechanical technology. About twenty minutes later, the whirring from the earth and rock around them finally slowed to a halt.

the voice from the metal altar announced.

"It cannot restore me completely. After all, it can only repair, not regenerate the parts lost to the river of time. But this wrench is truly an excellent tool. It's as if it was made for the very purpose of repairing beings like me."

"So, can the wrench repair that thing deep underground?"

"I don't know the extent of its damage, but regardless, this wrench can at least solve some of the problems. This is a genuinely useful item. I like it very much."

The main body of the A4 Type Arithmetic Auxiliary External Machine was embedded in the earth and rock, as were its damaged parts. But repairing those sections didn't require Jenkins to laboriously blast open the walls. He only needed to tap the machine's core a couple of times for the wrench to do its job.

"The shape of the wrench is irrelevant; its function is what matters. It could be a screwdriver, a small hammer, or even a comb. As long as it has its current effect, the form is completely unimportant."

the mechanical voice explained.

Jenkins had originally planned to let Alexia handle the repairs, thinking it might help her understand these things better. But since the process was so simple, he decided to do the manual labor himself.

Just like last time, a cylinder rose from the center of the metal altar. It split open to reveal the core, suspended in light.

It was a perfect sphere, but its structure was hollow, like latticework, covered in complex and exquisite patterns. A cool blue light emanated from within the core. "Cool" was the only word Jenkins could find to describe the color.

The light was serene, pulsing gently from the inside out with the ambiguous rhythm of a breath. It was so beautiful that Jenkins had to grab his cat. He knew Chocolate had a special fondness for glowing objects of this size, like the old Life Pearl and another luminous sphere from the past.

But the cat merely craned its neck from his shoulder to watch, showing no sign of pouncing.

"Are you sure you want me to hit it with a wrench?"

Jenkins confirmed one last time, and the mechanical voice confirmed again.

Alexia took a step back, watching Jenkins's nervous antics with amusement. He was tense, worried he might strike too hard and break the device, which was currently their most important source of information.

"Alright... here I go."

With that, he hesitated no longer and swung the wrench. Though he drew it back in a wide arc, the downward motion slowed dramatically until, at the moment of contact, the tap was as light as could be.

The wrench touched the core's surface, producing the distinctive sound of metal on metal, just as expected. The sound was soft, a testament to Jenkins's caution.

At the same time, as the wrench touched the blue light emanating from the core, a ripple spread across the surface of the light. Jenkins felt a similar jolt in his mind, and he suddenly sensed something unusual. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novelꜰire.net

To be more precise, as the "chime~" resounded, he found he could faintly perceive parts of the metal structure beneath the altar through the sound's reverberations. This wasn't because he had suddenly developed enhanced hearing, of course—not even sleeping with a follower of the God of Music would grant such an ability.

It wasn't even a vision granted by the wrench; it felt more like because he was repairing the machine, he could now perceive the machine.

"Is something wrong?"

Alexia asked, seeing Jenkins standing there in a daze.

"Here, you try. I think I... Just give it a try."

He said, thrusting the wrench at Alexia. She gave him a puzzled look, then floated slightly off the ground and gave the suspended core a clean, crisp tap. Another clear, metallic chime rang out. If one could judge the strength of a metal in this world by the pleasantness of its ring, then the core was surely made of the finest material.