Chapter 1854: Chapter 1854
The three men had no intention of fighting such a terrifyingly swift opponent. The one who had assembled the cubic gate grabbed his companions, one in each hand, and tried to step through the frame, which was shrouded in scorching white steam.
But something else was faster. None of the three saw where the white ring of light came from as it followed the man who had shot up to the third floor, sliding silently toward them.
As it made contact, the screech of tearing metal was enough to set one's teeth on edge. Yet even as the subsequent flames engulfed the three men, the [Sword Dance: Cycle] triggered by the dagger failed to destroy the special alloys.
But the white sword dance was not a single-target attack. Though it only lightly wounded the three, the blade of light utterly destroyed the doorframe they were about to enter.
Just then, Jenkins pulled himself completely onto the third floor. Seeing their escape route destroyed, he ceased his attack. Instead, he stomped his foot, causing the wood beneath the floor's metallic film to grow, completely ruining the ritual's foundational array.
Sounds echoed from downstairs; the Church demigods trapped in various corners of the arcane lock had likely figured out its nature. Jenkins strode forward, intending to restrain the three men, but as he drew closer, he realized they were all devoid of life.
"Suicide? To keep the Church from learning their secrets? I don't recall the Gear Artisans' Association having a habit of training death-sworn agents."
Muttering to himself, he crouched down to examine the cause of death. But a sudden sense of crisis flared in his intuition, and he instinctively spun around.
On that otherwise peaceful Saturday morning, the sound of exploding bodies thundered across half the city.
(Chocolate scurrying...)
"I'll say it again, I'm really, absolutely fine."
In a hospital room on the third floor of the white building behind the Sage Church's courtyard, Jenkins couldn't help but repeat the words he had said countless times. But he wasn't speaking to Hathaway, who sat by his bed peeling an apple, nor to Briny, who was smiling as she arranged the flowers in the vase on the nightstand, nor to Sigrid, who had just walked through the door. He was talking to his cat.
Though he was lying in a hospital bed, the Church had already cleared him for activity, since he was completely unharmed. The cat, however, didn't seem to believe it. It kept leaping and bounding all over Jenkins, as if checking for missing parts.
Jenkins had to use both hands to get the cat under control. He looked it seriously in the eye and stressed once more that he was truly fine.
"Honestly, when I got the news at home, I was terrified."
Hathaway spoke as she began to slice the peeled apple, placing the pieces on the plate on the bedside table.
"Briny and I were both scared to death. We thought something terrible had happened to you."
"It was just a small explosion... Good afternoon, Sigrid... Chocolate, why are you ignoring me for an apple?"
Sigrid had entered the room by now. Seeing Jenkins cheerfully "scolding" his pet cat, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I came as soon as I heard. How are you?"
"Aside from being a bit shaken, I'm fine. A shame, though. The attic was blown to bits, so most of the documents didn't survive. The value of resolving this incident isn't as high as we'd hoped."
"I heard the gist of it. What was the final outcome?"
Hathaway moved aside, letting Sigrid sit by the bed. She then took half the apple over to Briny, leaned in, and whispered something in her ear. The blonde girl covered her mouth and giggled.
"It was indeed the Gear Artisans' Association. We dug up the bodies of the missing people from beneath the apartment building, but none of them had heads. The case has been classified as the cultists collecting human brains. Based on the victims' common trait—all being involved in the machinery industry—the Church believes they were either performing some kind of ritual or gathering materials to build a malevolent mechanical creation. That would also explain the arcane lock's properties, why it didn't kill but selectively filtered those who entered... I originally wanted to free the souls of the murdered family myself, but it seems that's no longer necessary. By destroying the ritual, their souls were released."
He picked up a slice of apple that Hathaway had already cut and held it in front of the cat. Chocolate sniffed it, then leaned forward and plucked the apple slice from Jenkins's hand.
"The Church immediately conducted a seance at the scene and managed to learn that they were collecting the medulla and brainstems. The machine underground demanded it, and it also provided the arcane lock. The three cultists were just carrying out orders; they didn't know what it was all for. However, a high priest from the Gear Artisans' Association speculates that creating intelligent metal machinery might require certain human parts as materials."
Hearing this, Sigrid's face twisted in disgust.
Besides this information, the Church had other important gains. The blueprint for the mechanical arm that Jenkins had seen and fully memorized was considered a minor detail. The crucial part was the remnants of the mechanical doorframe the three were about to use to escape, which survived the explosion.
Even though the blast erased most of the clues, a spatial distortion is not so easily wiped away. The Travelers' Church specializes in tracking spatial movement. Based on the residual unique spatial fluctuations at the scene and the fragments of the doorframe Jenkins had torn apart, they confirmed that tracing the other end of the connection was entirely feasible.
This would provide the most effective lead for pursuing the Gear Artisans' Association. Fearing that news of the incident would reach the other side and prompt them to leave, the Church launched their operation immediately after the explosion.
As the "injured party," Jenkins did not participate in the subsequent operation. He was ordered back to the church for a physical examination. After confirming that he was indeed unharmed and merely needed a shower and a change of clothes, the Church allowed him to move about freely.
By the time the girls from his home and Sigrid came to see him, the next phase of the operation had already begun. Jenkins had no reason to join in the middle of it, so he remained at the church, awaiting the latest news.
Hathaway and Sigrid were both Benefactors and understood that what happened today wasn't the most dangerous of situations. But Briny was an ordinary person, and she was deeply worried about what Jenkins had been through.
She had always known that Jenkins constantly faced danger, that anyone involved with the mysterious and the supernatural could meet with an accident at any moment. But a steam bomb (the official story) exploding right next to him and collapsing an entire building was still beyond her imagination.
Briny didn't try to persuade Jenkins to stay away from such dangerous matters, but she subtly expressed her concern. Jenkins comforted her with a hug, which made the other girls in the room, and the cat, feel a bit awkward.
Jenkins hadn't lost consciousness in the explosion; he was just buried under the collapsed building and had to spend some time digging himself out. By the time he arrived at the church and finished his examination, it was only three in the afternoon. Check latest chapters at noⅴelfire.net
Seeing as he wasn't needed for the next stage of the operation, he stayed at the church, planning to attend the final meeting of the afternoon. Sigrid left after confirming Jenkins was fine, and Hathaway and Briny departed together.
Somehow, Queen Isabella heard that Jenkins had been "injured" and sent Miss Windsor with her well-wishes and a gift.
Miss Windsor was also a little nervous, but seeing Jenkins still had the energy to play with his cat, she was able to relax.
"By the way, tonight, are you without any guards?" Jenkins asked suddenly, just as Miss Windsor was about to leave.
"Hmm? Of course not. My guards are always with me."
"No, I mean Magic Miss and Silver Flute Miss."
At his words, Miss Windsor hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes, they said they were meeting friends and have both taken temporary leave... Is there a problem?"
It was because of the Hooded Man's gathering.
"Alright. Since they aren't with you, you will stay at the Sage Church for tonight. I also have some business to attend to. When I'm done, I'll escort you back to your residence and wait for those two to return before I leave."
Miss Windsor nodded, her voice still tinged with hesitation as she asked Jenkins, "I know things have been dangerous lately, and our plan is in its final stages... but is this really necessary? I'm not downplaying the danger, I'm just a bit confused as to why you're specifically suggesting this."
Her confusion was justified. Jenkins wasn't worried that Queen Isabella would harm Miss Windsor; he was worried about the cultists. Of the Four King Souls, the Ice Soul was with Dolores. Not only was she protected by Alexia, but the Church had also assigned three full squads to guard the Stuart family at all times to prevent a tragedy like the one that befell Tackwen the Proud.
But Miss Windsor, the host of the Dark Soul, had only Jenkins's two friends and her ordinary guards. In Jenkins's experience, those ordinary men, even armed with guns, would be no match for cultists.
He didn't know if the Tree House had a way to detect the still-nascent Dark Soul, but he wasn't willing to take any risks.
Hearing Miss Windsor's question, Jenkins hesitated for less than a second before deciding to tell her the truth. Hiding it from her could lead to unforeseen consequences.
"It is absolutely necessary. Right now, you are carrying something incredibly important. Something everyone wants, including the cultists. So until I can find a way to remove it, you'd better ensure you have a Benefactor protecting you at all times. The two ladies you hired are very skilled. I trust them."
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