Chapter 2152: Chapter 2152
After Jenkins briefly explained his situation to the women, all three were eager to help him find a solution. But he waved them off.
“I already have a plan.”
As they walked together toward a small path leading away from the clearing, he summoned the glowing orbs representing his abilities to inspect them. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel~fire~net
“The clues are quite obvious,” he mused. “My current physical state is perfect for this next step. Although my body has been severely compromised in the Mysterious Realm, this instability also presents a golden opportunity to overcome my greatest weakness.”
The four of them finally stepped out of the clearing. The moment they did, all the rituals surrounding the giant tree deactivated. The people nearby immediately noticed Jenkins, but a single look from Miss Brolignans warned them not to react. The gaze of a level-nine demigod was quite effective, especially with the intimidating power behind it.
“So, what do you need to do now?” Audrey inquired.
“I need a few things,” Jenkins said, thinking. “I have to perform a ritual. Yes, a ritual.”
“What location and supplies will you need?” Alexia asked as well.
“The location is that abandoned hospital on the outskirts of the city. Yes, the one where the Corpse Gentleman was hiding. I need the Titan statue there.”
Miss Audrey didn't quite understand the statue's purpose but nodded nonetheless.
“Alexia, I need you to return to the church immediately and see if Anathasia has returned. If she has, please have her go to the hospital at once... and bring Chocolate with you.”
Alexia nodded, then leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of light that shot away.
Jenkins stared after her, looking utterly bewildered.
“When did Alexia learn to fly as a beam of light? She always just... flew before, didn’t she?” he wondered aloud, but Audrey simply shrugged. She had no idea either.
“Miss Brolignans, I have a list for you. Have the church begin preparations at the old hospital site. My time in the outside world is limited, so as soon as I gather the core materials for the ritual, I’ll head there immediately. Also, before you leave the forest, please have the red dragon contribute some of its blood and scales, just in case my friend Anathasia hasn't returned.”
He recited the contents of the list, and Miss Brolignans departed at once to make the arrangements. Thanks to the passage the God of Lies had left before entering the tower, the church knew Jenkins might emerge at any moment seeking aid. They had ample personnel on standby, ready to assist the Savior.
After Miss Brolignans was gone, Jenkins turned to Audrey.
“I need to go into Nolan to see someone. I need you to take me.”
Jenkins held out his hand to her.
“I can’t fly, you know.”
He had already used his unicorn summon once, otherwise he wouldn’t have had to suffer the indignity of asking Audrey to carry him through the air.
He had been worried that the old elf, like Fini, might not have returned yet. But as they landed on the street in front of the elf's rented apartment, the soles of his shoes barely touching the white ash on the ground, Jenkins saw a figure move behind the curtains.
He hurried forward and knocked on the building’s main door. A moment later, the old elf came downstairs and opened it, his face a mask of astonishment.
“Not even close,” Jenkins cut in. “I’ve run into more trouble, and I need your help again.”
The old elf immediately ushered Jenkins and Audrey inside, leading them up to his second-floor apartment. Professor Burns and Sigrid were also there, engrossed in conversation in a living room cluttered with books and candles. The young flower seller was absent; she was still in the Mysterious Realm with the elven army, clearing out the monsters tainted by the power of human pus.
Although the three of them had presided over the ritual that summoned the elven army, their combat abilities were limited. For their own safety, after Jenkins left that level of the Mysterious Realm, they had withdrawn their consciousness back to the material world.
“I’d like to speak with you alone,” Jenkins said to the elf. Leaving the professor, Sigrid, and Audrey in the living room, he and the old elf went into the bedroom.
“Do you know about an ability called [Four Seasons]?” Jenkins asked as soon as the door was shut. The elf’s expression was one of genuine surprise.
[Four Seasons] was the ability that had evolved from Jenkins's [Cycle] ability, which he had gained from twelve Month's End Whispers after first seeing Papa Oliver's [Evolution Key].
In his quest to understand this ability, he had questioned both Saint Bennett of the Church of All Things and Nature and the ancient silver dragon. Though he had learned how to use it, his multiple attempts had all ended in failure.
Anathasia believed the ability was so perfectly attuned to Jenkins that it had undergone a subtle transformation. Ordinary symbols of the seasons were no longer enough to activate it; he would have to discover a new way to wield [Four Seasons] on his own.
Thinking back, Jenkins realized he had asked everyone who might possibly know about this ability, yet he had forgotten to ask the old elf. And from the elf’s expression now, it was clear that he knew.
“Do you know my Lord’s title?” the elf asked, seemingly changing the subject.
“The Lord of Blossoms.”
The answer came to him instantly. The young flower seller had told him that name, and it was etched so deeply in his memory that he could never forget it.
The elf nodded, choosing his words with care, which at least proved he truly understood the details of [Four Seasons].
“Jenkins, you must understand that the names mortals use for gods and masters are not their true names, but simply what mortals call them. For example, the Legacy Sage can also be called the God of Books or the God of Knowledge. As for my Lord, the [Lord of Blossoms], there is actually a more common title used among the elves of the Evergreen Forest.”
Jenkins asked. The old elf’s expression grew solemn. He traced a symbol over his chest that Jenkins didn’t recognize, then sighed in reverence.
“Praise be to the Lord of the Four Seasons in Bloom!”
The religious and mythological stories concerning the Lord of Blossoms couldn't be explained in a few simple sentences, but the essence of what the old elf wanted to convey was that a master of the natural path also held dominion over the seasons.
This did not refer to the “seasons of time,” but the “seasons of nature.” The concept of [Nature] could extend to many domains, but for the master of the Evergreen Forest, the most central were [Four Seasons] and [Blossoms].
“To put it simply, the [Four Seasons] ability within the material world’s current supernatural system is a high-level Benefactor ability under my Lord’s faith. Its essence is the seasons of nature, which means drawing power from the seasons. However, according to what you’ve said, your [Four Seasons] evolved from [Cycle], which leans more toward the ‘seasons of time.’ Therefore, using ordinary plants as symbols for the seasons is naturally insufficient for you to use this ability.”
The old elf’s explanation was remarkably clear, and since Jenkins already had some ideas of his own, he easily grasped the meaning.
“So, to use my ability, I need to break free from the constraints of [Nature], find more powerful symbols, and use a ritual to assist in its activation,” he summarized, and the elf nodded in satisfaction.
“Yes, that is precisely what I mean.”
“I need to use this ability now,” Jenkins declared. “I’m facing a Calamity capable of altering bloodlines and heredity. I need the power of the Four Seasons.”
“Very well, I can help you. Let’s go now... However, have you found suitable symbols?” the old elf asked, hesitating for a moment.
Jenkins nodded, and together they left the bedroom.
“Professor, you and Sigrid should head back to the church. It’s safer there. We’re going to the old hospital where the Corpse Gentleman was,” he told the three in the living room. The professor had no objections and simply wished him well. Sigrid, however, pulled him into a hug.
“Come back soon,” she said, looking him in the eyes. Jenkins smiled and nodded.
“I’ve already reached the sixth level. It will be over soon, don’t worry.”
He placed a light kiss on Sigrid’s forehead. The five of them left the apartment and parted ways at a dark street corner where white ash drifted through the air.
Sigrid and the professor headed back to the Inherited Sage Church a street away, while Audrey took Jenkins and the old elf by the hand and flew toward the abandoned hospital on the outskirts of the city.
Miss Brolignans and the church had moved with incredible speed. By the time the three in the air could see the two colossal stone statues looming in the distance, the church’s convoy had already reached the hospital grounds.
Shortly after they landed, the silver dragon arrived with Alexia. Perched on Alexia’s head was the small cat, Chocolate, and in her hands, she held [Mr. Hunt's Fruit Platter]. Hathaway had wanted to come along, but the moment Chocolate heard that Jenkins needed him, he had leaped onto Alexia’s head without a second thought.
Not wanting to delay Jenkins’s business, Hathaway could only entrust the fruit platter to Alexia and refrained from insisting on coming herself.
Chocolate, for his part, cared little for such formalities. Upon seeing Jenkins, he immediately sprang from Alexia’s head and into Jenkins’s arms. Jenkins stroked his cat, savoring the familiar feel of his fur, a smile he hadn’t worn in what felt like an eternity gracing his features.
Watching the scene, Alexia also smiled gently. It reaffirmed her belief that Jenkins was indeed struggling with some troubles of the mind, but she was confident she could help him overcome them.
“What’s the fruit platter for?” Jenkins finally asked, then teased, “Is it snack time for Chocolate? Oh, wait, it’s not time for a snack right now.”
“Princess Sophia recognized this platter as a ritual item used in the elves’ seasonal sacrifices,” Alexia explained. “Hathaway asked me to bring it, thinking you could take it into the Mysterious Realm. It might be helpful.”