Chapter 188: Chapter 188
Alexia Miller was yet another Benefactor with a personality problem. Did wielding supernatural power inevitably lead to character flaws?
"Good thing I'm normal."
He thought to himself as he waved goodbye to Miss Miller. His Eye of Reality was still active, and as he lowered his head to gather his things, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention.
Lifting his head, he saw a massive, illusory pattern materializing behind Miss Miller, composed of perfect circles, squares, and isosceles right triangles. Innumerable, densely packed mathematical formulas and symbols drifted within the design, their chaotic arrangement possessing a certain absurd beauty. Fınd the newest release on novｅlfire.net
A translucent shadow took shape behind the petite woman. Euler's formula, the very one Jenkins had just written down, slowly solidified and slotted into an empty space within the geometric design, making its bizarre aesthetic all the more intense.
Staring directly at the formulas and symbols made his head throb with a dull pain, but it quickly subsided.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Williams?"
Sensing his gaze, she turned back from the doorway. Jenkins smiled and shook his head, maintaining his composure despite his inner shock. "Nothing at all. I was just marveling at the beauty of mathematics."
"You feel that way too? Oh, numbers are absolutely the most wonderful things! By the way, where do you live? May I visit you if I have any questions? I believe you could be called a true mathematician!"
His Eye of Reality couldn't dispel illusions; it could only perceive "truth" in a certain sense. After advancing to the second level, his observation of spiritual auras and entities had become much clearer. However, this enhanced spiritual sight also meant he was more likely to see things not meant for mortal eyes.
The eyeball in the void he saw when Papa Oliver had "died and come back to life" was one such thing, and the giant geometric pattern was another. The former's psychic contamination had made him collapse, while the latter... well, the latter's math was clearly not on his level. That knowledge was nothing special.
"An illusion caused by a special item? Or a divine art granted by the god she worships?"
Jenkins was lost in thought, his head bowed, and nearly left the sleeping Chocolate behind in the church.
After the class ended, Priest Roberts gave Jenkins a 10-shilling note. Jenkins tucked it into his pocket and then asked about Miss Miller.
Surprisingly, Priest Roberts knew who Miss Miller was just from her name. According to him, Alexia Miller was indeed not a believer of their faith. She had started auditing every mathematics class the previous winter and was on good terms with the original lecturer.
Although she wasn't a believer, the Church was friendly toward her because of her thirst for knowledge.
Miss Miller had used this to her advantage, borrowing a large number of books from the Church's library, most of them about mathematics. Priest Roberts and a Mr. Fuli had discussed her in private, and Mr. Fuli believed that Alexia Miller's mathematical foundation was on par with that of a typical university student majoring in the subject.
She wasn't just an enthusiast; she was an expert.
Most Benefactors, as they reached higher levels, would deliberately build their abilities around a theme. The red-haired lady Jenkins knew, for example, was clearly centered on "music." And Miss Miller, with her love for mathematics and her claim that "everything in this world can be calculated," was likely centered on "arithmetic."
Jenkins thought for a moment and was quite certain that no evil god in this world claimed "mathematics" as their domain. That put him somewhat at ease regarding the woman.
The Church once again arranged a carriage to take him home. This time it was an enclosed carriage with the driver sitting outside, so the weary Jenkins had no opportunity for conversation.
Chocolate, having slept through the entire math class, was now full of energy. As the carriage started off with a clip-clop, the cat excitedly leaped from Jenkins's arms. Jenkins reached out to catch it, but as his hand extended, he realized someone was sitting next to him.
He didn't finish his sentence. In the light of the kerosene lamp hanging on the side, he finally saw that it was Miss Miller.
"Ma'am, you've boarded the wrong carriage."
Jenkins reminded her in a soft, casual tone, but his left hand tightened its grip on his cane, while his right discreetly lowered toward the spare talismans in his trouser pocket.
"Mr. Williams, I have not made a mistake."
The brown-haired young woman spoke, opening her hand to reveal a silver token. "A silence charm. I assume you know what this is. So, there's no need to worry about the driver outside overhearing our conversation."
"I don't understand what you mean."
"Alright, let's skip past the tedious questions like 'Who are you?', 'Why are you here?', 'How did you get here?', 'How did you know I'm a Benefactor?', 'Aren't you afraid I'm a Church Benefactor?' and get straight to the final question—aren't you about to ask, 'What do you want from me?'"
She spoke softly, gesturing to Jenkins with an open hand. "I mean no harm. I just want to ask for your help. Time is gold pounds, and since you're also sensitive to numbers, you should understand that principle."
The moment her words faded, a slanted triangular symbol glowing with yellow light appeared in the center of her forehead. Jenkins heard a buzzing sound in his ears, and then the woman's finger touched the same spot on his own forehead.
In a daze, countless fragmented images flashed before his eyes. Miss Miller flicked her hand, sending some of the fragments flying toward the paralyzed Jenkins. A few images materialized out of nowhere in his mind, and he began to understand.
"You are a non-believer, pursuing the pinnacle of mathematics;
The knowledge I taught in class today was basic, but my unusually thorough understanding of numbers and calculations made you curious about me;
Using an extremely complex and special method, you identified my cane as a Series B Extraordinary item, which confirmed that I am a Benefactor. If I weren't, you would have erased my memory;
You are not afraid of me reporting this to the Church, because you have never broken the law, you will be leaving Nolan City soon, and you believe no one can catch you;
You were waiting for me here because you want me to help you find out from the Church where A-11-2-3301, the Malicious Coachman, has appeared before. You can calculate its next likely appearance based on its past locations. You need to travel a long distance quickly and have a way to evade the Cursed Item's malice."
After unconsciously reciting all of this, Jenkins finally came to his senses. The sensation was as if someone had just crammed all that information directly into his head.