Chapter 1908: Chapter 1908

"Jenkins, what is it?"

Seeing Jenkins materialize out of thin air, Alexia released Dolores and walked over to him. Dolores, clad only in her undergarments, scrambled for the wardrobe, shutting the door behind her with a thud.

"Why does everyone like hiding in wardrobes?"

Alexia had caught Jenkins's absentminded mumble.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking... remember that Mysterious Realm we experienced in Ruen last winter? The one with the flowers that fed on blood? Do you still have any of those flowers that you didn't trade away?"

Jenkins had sold all of his on the black market for cash, keeping only a few pressed petals as a souvenir. His finances hadn't been nearly as comfortable back in the winter.

"I do. They're all in Ruen, under the care of the young princess, Angelina Stuart," Alexia replied.

"Perfect. I'll head to Ruen, then. I'll give Angelina your regards."

So, it was far better to fetch a whole pot from Ruen.

He gave Alexia a quick hug, ready to depart, but then another thought struck him.

"Also... I've invited Jessica to my place tonight... to spend the night."

The petite woman arched an eyebrow.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Her tone was clearly tinged with annoyance.

"I feel I have to tell you these things. Otherwise, I get this feeling I'm cheating... No, it's not just a feeling."

He held Alexia as he spoke. The shorter woman was still a little upset, but she knew this was inevitable.

"I'm the one who chose you. This is something I have to accept."

With that, she embraced Jenkins, and they shared a deep kiss. Just before he left, she remembered to add a word of caution.

"You're in the eastern suburbs now, aren't you? You must be, or you wouldn't suddenly be asking me for flowers. I've heard about what's happening out there. Be careful."

He placed one last kiss on Alexia's forehead before projecting himself to Ruen. A few seconds later, the true illusion pulled his physical body away as well.

"You can come out now."

Alexia touched the spot on her forehead Jenkins had kissed, a gentle smile on her lips, and called toward the wardrobe. Dolores, now fully dressed, emerged. As she stepped out, she nearly tripped on the nightgown lying at the bottom of the wardrobe.

"Why did you have to hide in there? You know, you're not bold when you should be, yet you're incredibly brave when you shouldn't."

Alexia said it with a sigh, her voice free of criticism.

"But... when exactly should I be brave? I was only trying to be modest just now."

The princess sought her teacher's guidance.

"That's a difficult question. It's something you have to experience for yourself."

On this matter, not even the profoundly knowledgeable Alexia could offer any help.

After the succession to the northern kingdom's crown had been settled, Jenkins no longer visited Ruen as frequently; his work in Nolan was demanding, after all. That didn't mean he had stopped coming altogether. He had promised the young Princess Angelina that he would visit her often, so he made a point of stopping by once a week, though usually just for a few words before leaving again.

Recently, the number of spatial anomalies near Nolan had been increasing, and one of them connected to a region near Ruen. Upon hearing this, King Salhir II had suggested to the Church that they establish a new trade route utilizing the anomaly. He even expressed his own desire to return to Ruen for an inspection.

But the Church, deeming the spatial anomalies far too dangerous, refused to give an inch.

In any case, it was about three in the afternoon when Jenkins arrived in Ruen. At that moment, Angelina was in the royal palace, enjoying afternoon tea served by a few of her maids.

The moment Jenkins appeared, the maids set down what they were doing and quickly exited the room, remembering to close the door behind them. Angelina put down her teacup, rose to her feet, and gave Jenkins a hug.

"What took you so long to come see me?"

Her words carried a certain weight, but unlike Dolores, Angelina was still just a little girl, and Jenkins didn't read too much into it.

"Things have been overwhelming in Nolan. Dolores sends her regards."

He took a seat as he spoke, and Angelina poured him a cup of tea.

"How have things been in Ruen lately?"

He reached for a biscuit on the silver platter, but then hesitated. He remembered Chocolate waiting for him outside the church in Nolan, and if the cat found out he'd snuck a snack, she would surely raise a fuss. He placed the biscuit back on the tray.

"Everything is fine, though the number of strange occurrences is on the rise. But the Church has been handling them well, so there's no need to worry. I've heard from the newspapers and letters that the situation in Nolan is dire. You must be careful."

Angelina's voice was laced with concern. She then added, "Father and my brothers and sisters must be careful, too."

"Don't worry," Jenkins reassured her. "It's not the worst it could be just yet. The Church can manage."

After comforting her, he explained the purpose of his visit.

Before Alexia had left Ruen, her flowers had been kept in the basement of Dolores's mansion. But after the night of the chess game between Jenkins and Salhir II, when Dolores was declared the heir, Alexia's flowers were promptly moved from their pots to the royal palace's rear garden, where they were tended to by dedicated servants.

Jenkins selected the plainest-looking plant and had a Star Spirit transport it to Nolan. He then discussed the northern kingdom's internal politics with Angelina, particularly the reactions of Ruen's high nobility to Dolores becoming the heir, before taking his leave.

Upon returning to the small town in Nolan's eastern suburbs, he carefully carried the plant into the garden behind the little church. The bald priest, still watering the plants, accepted it and tucked it directly inside his robes.

"The location of the treasure is not in the wilderness."

This was the clue he had gone to such lengths to obtain. After speaking, the priest set down his watering can, and his body slowly faded until he vanished completely, as if he had never been there at all.

"I can't shake the feeling I got the short end of the stick in this deal," Jenkins mumbled to himself before slipping out of the church once more in the form of a mouse. The cat, long since impatient, leaped from the fence and pounced on the scurrying gray creature.

But with no one around, Jenkins, even as he was pinned, transformed back into himself in a flash of purple-gold light and reversed their positions, pinning Chocolate instead.

"What do you think you're doing?"

He stroked the cat's head briskly. But Chocolate, far from feeling humiliated, let out a contented meow.

"I knew you'd try something. If you pull any more funny business, I won't be so lenient next time."

He feigned anger as he warned his cat, but Chocolate seemed not to understand, showing no reaction to his words.

The clue "The treasure is not in the wilderness" was hardly enough to find anything. While the eastern suburbs of Nolan, the designated area for this B-class extraordinary event, were sparsely populated, they were not entirely uninhabited.

With scattered small villages, solitary farmhouses in the fields, and the lonely huts of gravediggers, the area that "wasn't wilderness" was actually quite extensive.

Thus, to find the treasure, he would have to seek out a second Greed for another clue. Riding his unicorn, he circled the skies but found no other target with a blue aura in the small town, which meant there was no second Greed here.

During his search, however, he did discover another creature derived from the event B-06-2-4482, "The Treasure Hunter's War"—a monster called "Greed's Reflection." It possessed a bizarre aura of mingled blue, red, and black, and lay quietly in the gap between a wall and a woodpile behind a cabin on the edge of town.

It appeared to be a wooden box, much like a traditional treasure chest. But as Jenkins approached, the chest lunged at him, dozens of root-like tentacles sprouting from its base to give it mobility.

The monster's strength was underwhelming, however. Jenkins defeated it with ease, marveling at the creature's malevolent design.

Confirming there were no other leads in the town, he took out a map and had the unicorn fly him and his cat toward the nearest settlement, Honeywood Town.

True to its name, the town's residents made their living as beekeepers, producing honey. Their goods were supplied mainly to Nolan City, but it was said their products could even be found in the northern kingdom.

Jenkins hadn't realized the depth of Chocolate's love for sweets. As he held the map, the cat clung to his clothes with one paw to steady herself, then reached over his shoulder and pointed a fluffy little paw directly at Honeywood Town on the map.

It wasn't that she had suddenly learned to read; Jenkins was looking at a tourist map, and next to Honeywood Town was a small icon of a honey pot. Though the cat couldn't read words, she was highly sensitive to simple images.

"I see, that's our next stop. We can buy plenty of honey to stock up at home, but you're not allowed to eat too much of it."

He softly warned the white cat, about to launch into a lecture on dental health and obesity. But, distracted by turning his head to speak to the cat, his grip loosened, and the map was snatched away by the wind.

The unicorn was flying at high speed. The map shot past them like an arrow released from a bow, quickly vanishing in the distance.

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He groaned and slapped his forehead, then gently patted the unicorn's back.