Chapter 1940: Chapter 1940

Jenkins abruptly changed the topic, his hand tapping lightly on the lectern before him. Chocolate, who had been resting there, flinched from the vibration and glanced up at him with a hint of annoyance.

"While there are similarities, the two are vastly different. The most significant distinction lies in the consequences; the fallout from the Tulip Mania incident was far more severe than Miss Fabry's scheme. 'Tulip Mania' has the potential to utterly collapse a region's economy and market—a crucial lesson for any future financial reforms..."

Watching the audience murmur amongst themselves, Jenkins raised a hand and pointed in Dolores's direction:

"To help us better appreciate the Tulip Mania incident, perhaps we should first revisit Miss Fabry's scheme. I believe I left out some important details in my earlier speech... Miss Stuart, why don't you take over for me? Yes, she's a student of mine. During my time in Ruen, Princess Stuart and I became good friends. Dolores, come on up!"

With that, he ignored the bewildered look on Dolores's face and the murmurs of confusion from the audience, swiftly scooped up his cat, and strode out through a side door of the lecture hall.

Captain Bincy, who was already waiting just outside, immediately explained the reason for his earlier gesture:

"We have a problem. A serious one. A Cursed Item has appeared."

For Captain Bincy to have interrupted his lecture so abruptly, Jenkins knew he must be involved.

he asked again before Captain Bincy could reply.

"This isn't an ordinary Cursed Item. It's A-08-1-0006."

As a general rule, a particularly dangerous Cursed Item wasn't always designated with a low number, but a low-numbered Cursed Item was guaranteed to be exceptionally dangerous or possess some extraordinary property.

Jenkins asked in astonishment. Upon receiving a nod of confirmation, he instantly recalled what that designation meant. Meanwhile, Chocolate stirred from its drowsy state, suddenly alert and excited, as if it had just heard the call for dinner.

"The Human Jigsaw Puzzle? How is that possible? Wasn't that Cursed Item contained and sealed long ago? I remember Papa Oliver telling me it's one of a kind. The Church of Creation and Machinery contained it in the last epoch, at a terrible cost. It's supposed to be sealed in the catacombs beneath their Holy See, with a Saint of their church always standing guard."

It was considered one of the most dangerous Cursed Items in the material world. The Human Jigsaw Puzzle, as its name implied, was a puzzle that could assemble itself into a human form. It wasn't a two-dimensional paper puzzle, but a three-dimensional construct of metallic pieces. Each piece was shaped like a regular triangular pyramid, but with an inverted triangular depression on each face. The pieces themselves were forged from a steel alloy.

Due to the small, fragmented nature of the metal pieces, it could be assembled in various ways to create different humanoid shapes. The most fundamental characteristic of A-08-1-0006, The Human Jigsaw Puzzle, was its sentience—it could assemble itself.

It could replicate the form of any humanoid being it had ever witnessed. Once assembled, despite retaining its bizarre metallic exterior, it possessed powers identical to the original being it had copied.

For instance, if The Human Jigsaw Puzzle were to witness Miss Bevanna, it could assemble itself into her form and wield the full power of an eighth-level demigod from the Church of the Sage. If it witnessed Miss Brolignans, the resulting form would possess the abilities of a ninth-level diviner.

The most troublesome aspect was that once it witnessed a being, the memory was permanent. This meant A-08-1-0006 effectively possessed a catalog of every powerful humanoid it had ever seen, from ancient times to the present day.

If that were all, its most powerful form would be that of a humanoid Saint, wielding a semblance of divine power derived from a Cursed Item. It could be defeated by gathering enough Saints from the material world.

However, the puzzle's repertoire included humanoid creatures from Series A, B, and C. Furthermore, unless it was forcefully shattered, it could shift between forms with almost no delay. Consequently, fighting A-08-1-0006 was like facing a legion of the most famous humanoid Cursed Items, Extraordinary items, and even Bestowals Jenkins had only ever heard of, spanning all of history.

It was a terrifying prospect. Individual Cursed Items, no matter how powerful, often had specific weaknesses. But when faced with hundreds of them appearing in rapid succession, the Church couldn't possibly devise effective countermeasures in mere minutes.

According to the records, The Human Jigsaw Puzzle was defeated in the seventeenth epoch through the efforts of the Church of All Things and Nature. At the precise moment the puzzle tried to disperse and reassemble, two of their Saints expended a Bestowal, C-02-2-0047, the "Roots of the Earth," along with two Extraordinary items: B-01-1-8381, the "Elven Arrow of Ruin," and B-01-5-0224, the "Song of Nature." They used the Song of Nature to bless the Roots of the Earth, which were then carried by the Arrow of Ruin to pierce the gaps between the puzzle's metallic pieces.

The growing roots briefly prevented the pieces from rejoining, creating a window of just over ten seconds where the puzzle remained unassembled. This gave the demigods of the Orthodox Churches the opening they needed to strike it repeatedly, eventually shattering it enough to complete the containment.

This was the extent of Jenkins's knowledge on the Cursed Item. In his mind, a threat of this magnitude, especially during the critical time at the end of an epoch, should have been under the strictest security. A containment breach seemed impossible.

"The Church of Creation and Machinery has already confirmed it," Bincy continued. "The original A-08-1-0006, The Human Jigsaw Puzzle, is still secure in their Holy See. That message came through while I was waiting for you, after I signaled you in the lecture hall."

"Then there's more than one Human Jigsaw Puzzle?"

Jenkins asked, stunned.

"No, there's definitely only one. The Twelve Orthodox Churches have verified it multiple times in the past. The Human Jigsaw Puzzle that appeared throughout history was always the same one. The Keepers of Secrets have proposed a theory: the one that has appeared in Nolan now is a replica."

"Someone replicated a Cursed Item? Could it be..." Jenkins paused. "Oh. It's that thing."

He stomped his foot, a subtle gesture hinting at the Difference Engine deep beneath the city. Captain Bincy gave a curt nod.

"The Keepers' theory has gained widespread support. For one, the basic pieces of the puzzle in Nolan differ in shape from the one contained by the Church of Creation and Machinery. In addition to the triangular pyramids, this one has gear-like components. Furthermore, while this active Human Jigsaw Puzzle can perfectly replicate the full power of a human demigod, its simulations of Cursed Items and Extraordinary items are consistently weaker than the originals."

"So it's most likely a replica?"

"Yes. But even a weakened version is no easy opponent, given its abilities. As we speak, most of the demigods and Saints from the Evergreen Forest have joined the battle, leaving only a small force to defend it. The demigods stationed in the city cathedrals remain on standby. The Church fears this is a diversion, meant to weaken our defenses in the city, and that the cultists have another objective."

Bincy's reason for coming was clear: they wanted Jenkins to join the fight. The strategy used to defeat The Human Jigsaw Puzzle in the last epoch couldn't be replicated. While the three artifacts used weren't unique, the Church currently had none of them in its possession.

Still, the underlying strategy could be adapted. And while the Church lacked those three artifacts, the puzzle they faced now wasn't the original that could flawlessly replicate the full power of nearly any Cursed Item.

Therefore, the Church hoped the World Tree Seedling would join the fray. By leveraging its powerful control over plants, combined with an item the Orthodox Churches had found that was similar to the "Roots of the Earth," they believed there was a small chance they could defeat The Human Jigsaw Puzzle, just as it had been done in the previous epoch.

Jenkins hesitated, not out of fear for his own life, but because he was certain their plan was doomed to fail. He had heard about C-02-2-0047, the Roots of the Earth, from the old elf. That Bestowal had another name: the Root of the Ancient World Tree.

One of the reasons the elves had left the material world was the decline of the original World Tree. Before their exodus, they had only managed to take with them its still-viable seeds, a few ordinary branches and pieces of bark, and the single most vibrant branch that represented the tree's very essence.

The World Tree's massive trunk, however, had not turned completely to ash after the elves' departure. For various reasons, the remains of the ancient tree had eventually transformed into various Series B and C items, a testament to its immense power. Read complete versıon only at novel_fіre.net

Its roots, for instance, were named "Earth's Tendrils" by the Church—a name given simply because the Church of Earth was the first to classify them.

Finding a substitute for the roots of the ancient World Tree was impossible. Jenkins was certain that no replacement, no matter what it was, could ever possess the true power of the "Roots of the Earth."

The containment records he'd learned about from Papa Oliver were crystal clear on this point: even the true World Tree root had only survived within the puzzle's gaps for less than ten seconds. The final blow to shatter the puzzle was landed at the seven-second mark, and even after that, the fragmented pieces continued to crush the root. The two had nearly annihilated each other.

A second-rate substitute wouldn't even last a single second, rendering it useless in the fight. Not to mention that the key to getting the tendrils into the puzzle's gaps in the first place was B-01-1-8381, the Elven Arrow of Ruin. Without it, the roots alone lacked the power to penetrate the metallic seams.

"The Church knows how important your lecture is. We wouldn't have interrupted unless it was absolutely necessary, but the Human Jigsaw Puzzle is a matter of grave importance," Bincy explained. "The recommendation is that you pause the lecture or find a substitute. We can help seal off the city hall; no one will leave until you get back."

That was certainly an option, but other serious problems could easily arise during his absence from the city hall. Besides, there was no guarantee he could actually deal with The Human Jigsaw Puzzle in just an hour or two.