Chapter 1878: Chapter 1878

"Even within our organization, the Gear Artisans' Association, we have different factions. Though we all believe in our Lord, the Great One in the Void—the Gear King—we hold differing opinions on cooperating with the Tree House and helping the 'Great Wisdom' deep underground."

"You're against helping them?"

Jenkins furrowed his brow, wondering if this was just a ploy to escape his grasp. But it didn't matter; lies were useless against him.

"I'm not completely opposed," he replied, "but some of us believe one should always have a backup plan. Seeing you puts my mind at ease. Even if we fail completely, the power of machinery won't be cast aside as utter heresy, like the ancient necromantic arts. I suspect, Viscount, that even if you won't admit it, you too believe deep down that machinery is the future of this world."

Even though he was completely trapped by Jenkins, the man showed no sign of panic. He posed his question with grave seriousness, and Jenkins answered him:

"The power of machinery is not wrong. What's wrong is how you use it."

The man spoke again, summarizing his thoughts:

"A heretic is more loathsome than a heathen."

Vines descended from the void, granting the two men eternal silence.

Jenkins picked up two ethereal coins and, holding one in each hand, slapped them together with a sharp crack. He sighed, momentarily setting aside his thoughts on machinery.

He strode to the gate of the Mysterious Realm, which shimmered against the right-hand wall in the center of the alley. He lifted the cat from his shoulder and placed it on the lid of a nearby trash can. It wasn't exactly clean, but it was the tidiest spot in the immediate vicinity.

"You wait here for me. I'll be back soon."

As he spoke, he loosened his hold on the cat, but the kitten immediately looked up and, without rising from its crouch, hooked Jenkins's sleeve with a front paw.

"If I don't return, go to the Church and find Miss Bevanna. That shouldn't be too difficult for you. Don't worry, I'll come back safely. I still have dinner on Maidenhaven Road tonight. I'll be back."

Only then did the cat retract its claws. With its amber eyes, it watched, somewhat displeased, as Jenkins stepped through the white gate of light. For origınal chapters go to NoveIＦire.net

No matter how many Mysterious Realms he had experienced, Jenkins still hadn't grown accustomed to spatial transference. But this time, he had no moment to spare for the dizziness it caused. The instant his feet touched the ground, he lunged toward a massive black serpent, as thick as his own waist and seemingly radiating a dark light.

Mysterious Realms possess temporal unity, meaning that regardless of when one crosses the gate from the material world, as long as they enter the same instance of the realm, they will arrive at the same moment in its timeline. This meant that although Jenkins was nearly half a day behind Miss Windsor and Magic Miss, he arrived in the realm at the exact same time they did—and immediately saw the great serpent pursuing them.

"I've never seen a Mysterious Object voluntarily enter a Mysterious Realm! Oh, except for that one fellow who wanted to gamble with me!"

He shouted as he wrapped his arms around the serpent's midsection. Its scales felt slick in his grasp, but an instant later, a powerful force slammed into his back. The serpent's tail had coiled around him, and in the struggle, they both tumbled to the ground in a tangled heap. Jenkins didn't even have a chance to assess the new Mysterious Realm, only managing to get a fleeting impression of a dim corridor lined with closed doors on either side.

Jenkins heard Miss Windsor's voice, but he wasn't worried she would rush over. Magic Miss would surely hold her back.

He writhed on the floor like an earthworm, trying to break free from the serpent's coils. The damned snake had only gained the upper hand by taking advantage of his momentary weakness from the spatial transfer. Jenkins was certain his own strength was greater than the serpent's.

The black serpent was covered in invisible, transparent scales, its skin unnaturally slick and wet. Where its body made contact with Jenkins's, black smoke billowed upward with a constant sizzling sound.

The snake turned its head back to look at its "captured" prey, allowing Jenkins to see its blood-red eyes and its flickering, forked tongue. The creature's appearance alone was incredibly intimidating; combined with the eerie black light radiating from it, it was no wonder an ordinary person would be scared out of their wits on sight.

That black light was more than just a visual effect. Tangled up with the serpent, Jenkins could clearly feel its influence on his body. It wasn't direct damage, but rather an overall debilitating effect, inflicting ailments like disease and weakness.

Of course, these effects were useless against Jenkins. The physical immunity to negative statuses granted by his World Tree Seedling had a higher priority than the status effects inflicted by the serpent's black light.

"A-01-1-2839, Morpheus, the Darkness-Devouring Serpent! They say it's related to the legendary Ouroboros. Be careful! When it opens its mouth, it can swallow almost any object up to a thousand times its own size!"

Just as Magic Miss finished her warning, the serpent's head, facing Jenkins, opened its mouth. The gape wasn't unnaturally wide; overall, it remained within the physiological limits of a snake.

But as its maw opened, the black light enveloped Jenkins completely, and a powerful suction began to pull him ever closer to the dangerous mouth.

It was a strange sensation. Jenkins was certain he was still coiled in the serpent's body, not moving from his spot, and the serpent's head hadn't moved either. Yet the distance between them was inexplicably shrinking. He could only conclude that the serpent's mouth possessed some kind of spatial ability.

The situation seemed perilous, but he didn't panic. The crimson Fire of Grace flowed from his pores. As the giant serpent coiled around his body, the flames coiled around the serpent. The Fire of Grace took effect immediately, but it only suppressed the strange black light, failing to cause any significant damage to the snake's skin.

Jenkins didn't dare send the flames directly into the serpent's mouth, fearing they might be swallowed and never return. He shouted out to reassure the two ladies, then abruptly vanished.

The great serpent had been constricting with all its might, trying to crush Jenkins before swallowing him. When its target suddenly disappeared, its body coiled into a tight ball on the floor.

Just then, a small gray mouse scrambled nimbly off the serpent's body and scurried straight toward Magic Miss's feet. She immediately pressed her skirt down, eyeing the rodent warily. Fortunately, the mouse made no attempt to run under her skirt; instead, it leaped high into the air.