Chapter 1856: Chapter 1856
After recounting the marital statuses of his two friends, Mr. Hood couldn't help but shake his head, his expression unreadable. He gazed melancholically at Mr. Birchwood's tombstone, his hand twitching as if to pull a cigarette from his pocket, but he ultimately restrained himself. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ Nove1Fire.net
"You know Magic Miss's true identity," he began. "Though she claims to be Mr. Howard's widow, she's never actually been married. I've known her for a long time. She adopted that persona to ward off trouble when she opened her detective agency—it's how she's always protected herself. I'm not well-acquainted with Miss Silver Flute, but I heard from Magic Miss that her husband died in an accident a long time ago. As for Skylark..."
Mr. Hood glanced up at him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, before nodding.
"Yes, but I ran into her at the black market a few days ago. She told me she's practically engaged now and has already set a wedding date with her fiancé. Speaking of which, Mr. Candle, I don't believe I know whether you're married. You don't have the look of a married man. A married man carries himself differently."
"That's right. I'm not married yet."
He admitted it without a hint of hesitation.
"See? I told you last time," Mr. Hood remarked. "There's a clear difference between a married man and an unmarried one."
"What a topic to discuss in a cemetery," Mr. Black Cat chimed in playfully. "Still, from the way you carry yourself, Mr. Candle, you must be of marriageable age, despite your youth. Haven't you found a young lady to your liking? Oh, Mr. Candle, ladies these days are quite particular about appearances and family standing. I should think you'd have quite the advantage."
Jenkins shook his head in response to Mr. Black Cat's jest.
"I've found someone, actually. It's just... I've managed to make things incredibly complicated. I believe I have a handle on it now, but there are still many challenges to overcome. Marriage is truly no small affair."
To that, the three married men in the group nodded in perfect, unspoken agreement.
"Why are you all talking about marriage in a cemetery in the middle of the night?"
Miss Skylark, Hathaway, had also arrived in the cemetery, and she posed the question with a light, teasing laugh.
Mr. Hood beckoned her over, quickly recounted his earlier conversation with Jenkins, and then added with a smile:
"You must invite us to your wedding banquet when the time comes. We all know you're a noblewoman; it's sure to be a grand affair."
"Of course I'll invite you."
Hathaway smiled and nodded, her gaze drifting to the cat lounging on Mr. Candle's shoulder. She noticed how the moonlight seemed to bend around it, never quite touching its fur.
Magic Miss and Miss Silver Flute were the last to arrive. Once all seven had gathered, they relocated to a small grove just outside the cemetery to hold their meeting, leaving the tranquil night to the eternally slumbering Mr. Birchwood.
A meeting of seven felt a little crowded. However, Jenkins was accustomed to the gatherings hosted by the Corpse Gentleman, which were even larger, so he felt perfectly at ease.
As usual, Mr. Hood opened the gathering. He welcomed Mr. Black Cat back to Nolan from the eastern city of Turin on behalf of everyone, then expressed his relief that all of them were present and safe, two months after their previous meeting.
The arrival of the End of the Epoch and the great cataclysm to follow were facts known to nearly every Enchanter by now. Everyone born and active in this age had to confront this reality, living with the constant risk of death. Mr. Hood's words, therefore, struck a chord with them all.
The date of their next meeting was uncertain, and there was no guarantee everyone present tonight would be there. This underlying fear was the source of Mr. Hood's earlier solemnity.
The two-month hiatus had allowed everyone to gather a wealth of information. Eager to trade intelligence, and perhaps more importantly, hoping to ensure their friends would be present for the next gathering, all seven members shared what they deemed their most crucial news.
Of course, there was very little Jenkins didn't already know. Now considered a level-seven Enchanter by the Church, he was privy to almost all of its secrets. He was already aware of most of what Mr. Hood and the others had to share.
Only Magic Miss's information about the black metal tower came as a minor surprise. Without any knowledge of the "Reverse-Fated Ritual," she and her associates had somehow deduced that the tower was the centerpiece of a massive ceremony. While they couldn't decipher the ritual's purpose from the tower alone, they had astutely connected it to the impending cataclysm.
This sparked a new line of thought for Jenkins. The Orthodox Church was powerful, but in certain specialized fields of research, it was likely outmatched by the followers of Pseudo-Gods who dedicated themselves to such things. Therefore, in dealing with the "Reverse-Fated Ritual," perhaps he could rely not only on the Church and the [A4 Type Arithmetic Auxiliary External Machine], but also on the followers of a god of rituals.
Hathaway also took the opportunity to advocate for an alliance with the Believers of Lies. Unfortunately, while Magic Miss's associates had already pledged their support, the others present belonged to no unified organizations. Not every Enchanter who followed a Pseudo-God was willing to act in concert with a religious order.
Miss Silver Flute had ties to the order of the [God of Nobility and Order], but its members had no intention of coming to Nolan. They preferred to carry on with their own lives, scattered across the globe. The order suffered from poor cohesion; with so many followers, their interests were too varied to form a unified body. Though an order existed, it was more concerned with mundane affairs like missionary work and exercised almost no oversight of its Enchanters.
Jenkins, in turn, provided an update on the Twelve Churches Joint Conference, sharing a few minor accords that had yet to be publicly announced. He also listed the dangerous locations in and around Nolan currently monitored by the Church. With Cursed Items now rampant, incidents were breaking out all over the city. Most were being handled, but the unresolvable ones were simply being contained where they appeared. He urged his friends to steer clear of these areas and prioritize their own safety.
During the trading portion of the meeting that followed, Jenkins intentionally drew Miss Silver Flute aside to a secluded spot. In exchange for a vial of Serpent's Wort extract, he began to inquire about the deity she followed—the [God of Nobility and Order].
Jenkins had been puzzled ever since he'd heard from the Church of Creation and Machinery that this particular god had once discussed the "power of lightning" with the God of Nature, way back in the earliest of Epochs. Even after the World Tree had confirmed he was the only outsider to have ever reached this world, he couldn't shake his suspicion. Why would an ancient Pseudo-God have raised the subject of lightning?