Chapter 215: Chapter 215

The gruff, low growl came from Mr. Robinson.

"Oh, my apologies. Wrong room!"

the woman chimed, and the door immediately slammed shut.

A moment later, the sounds of a struggle erupted from the hallway. Even without the aid of the ear, loud gunshots and screams of alarm from nearby rooms were clearly audible.

Jenkins stopped looking at the wall and turned his head, his face instantly flushing.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have..."

He quickly released his grip.

Her warning came too late. With a splintering crash, the door burst open. Mr. Robinson, gun in hand, was sent flying into the room and slammed against the wardrobe. Then, the woman in sunglasses and a lace-trimmed hat stepped deliberately inside.

She ignored Robinson as he struggled to his feet and fixed her gaze on Jenkins—or more specifically, on his ear.

"It's a... novelty item. Can I help you?"

He feigned a flustered expression as he edged closer to Audrey.

"What are you even saying!"

he screamed at himself inwardly, his mind reeling from the shock.

The woman shook her head, removing her hat and glasses. It was Alexia Miller.

"You should know perfectly well who my employer is. Hand over the item now. Otherwise, I don't mind collecting the bounty on you. A spy from the Hamparvo Kingdom is worth more than one from Cheslan, so that's a nice bonus."

Robinson raised his pistol, aimed it at Miss Miller, and pulled the trigger. But there was no sound other than the click of the firing pin.

"So, I'll have to handle this myself, then?"

Alexia Miller elegantly peeled off the long, white, openwork lace glove from her left hand and turned her palm toward the man. Just then, the thundering of many footsteps approached from a distance. She frowned, then suddenly lunged forward and seized Robinson by the neck. She shot Jenkins a quick wink before dashing toward the window.

It seemed the club's guards had finally arrived, but Jenkins and Audrey had no legitimate reason to be there either. There was no need to get caught up in the trouble. Forgetting about the man infected with the mechanical virus, he grabbed Audrey's hand, and the two of them followed Alexia toward the window.

Alexia glanced back at them, then roughly shoved the window open. She tossed the unconscious Robinson out before leaping down after him.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

The woman, who hadn't pulled her hand away from Jenkins's grasp, frowned. "Something is very wrong."

There was no time for more. Jenkins realized that among the approaching people, three were Enchanters. The ones coming to investigate were certainly more than just the club's guards; perhaps the Marquis's bodyguards were here as well.

The two of them climbed onto the windowsill and, without a moment's hesitation, jumped.

In mid-air, Jenkins gasped inwardly. He finally understood what Audrey had meant earlier by "door" and "window." Directly below the second-story window, a portal shimmering with endless white light was embedded in the ground.

They, along with the two who had jumped before them, plunged right into it.

A familiar white light. In a timeless space, a barrage of strange illusions assaulted them.

When he finally felt solid ground beneath his feet, Jenkins leaped up, his body feeling as if it were on fire.

Flames surrounded them, and the ground beneath was a stretch of scorched earth. All four of them had landed here. Before them stood a round, yellow wooden table.

A young man was already seated at the table. Dressed in a black robe, he was frowning, his eyes fixed on his hands, which were expertly repeating the motion of shuffling a deck of cards.

Beside the round table were four other chairs, clearly prepared for them.

Beyond a three-meter radius around the table raged a boundless sea of fire. The leaping flames twisted into ugly human faces, peering at them from the inferno's edge.

Jenkins wiped the sweat from his brow. He reached a clammy hand into his pocket and found that the charm disguising his identity had shattered. It should have lasted for at least three hours; entering the Mysterious Realm must have affected it.

The other three, including the knocked-out Mr. Robinson, had also come to. The petite Miss Miller rose gracefully to her feet, wiped the sweat from her own forehead, and gazed curiously at the endless red flames. Read full story at novelFɪre.net

She looked up at the sky, where there was nothing but a shroud of black mist.

They had last seen each other a week ago; there was no way she hadn't recognized Jenkins. Her silence now clearly indicated she had other plans.

Jenkins, ever the gentleman, helped Audrey up, then stole a glance at Robinson, whose fear was tinged with excitement.

The four of them exchanged no words. They simply closed their mouths and silently took their seats in the red, cushioned chairs at the round table. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable, with golden armrests and a warm backrest and seat. The moment they sat down, the tension in the air seemed to ease considerably.

"Is it a special item?"

Jenkins wondered, his gaze shifting to the master of this realm, who continued to shuffle the cards while looking at them.

Like the creatures from the first two Mysterious Realms Jenkins had experienced, this one seemed devoid of human emotion. Its crisp, dark blue suit and pristine white collar gave one the impression of a croupier or dealer from a high-end casino. Despite the intense heat, not a single bead of sweat could be seen on its face.

The conductor from the third Mysterious Realm, the train, had been different from these three.

As the rustling shuffle of the cards repeated, the monotonous sound began to shift in tone. The beating of their hearts started to sync with its rhythm. The higher-level Alexia Miller and Audrey seemed to manage, but Jenkins and Robinson's faces grew progressively paler.

Suddenly, the fair, nimble hands stopped moving. The four of them, who had just begun to adapt to the rhythm, all coughed up a mouthful of blood at the same time. The blood splattered across the yellow wooden table, creating four arc-shaped red stains. Jenkins clutched his chest, instinctively wanting to try and heal himself, but he remembered the rule that abilities could only be used once in a Mysterious Realm and held back.

Audrey reached out to steady Jenkins, about to say something, but he just shook his head.

Nearby, Alexia also glanced at Jenkins and pursed her lips. She didn't want the one writer who could discuss mathematics with her to die so easily here.

The air grew increasingly oppressive.