Chapter 2188: Chapter 2188

"Why do bombs always have to make that particular sound before they explode? For that matter, why do they need a warning tone at all?"

As these pointless thoughts ran through his mind, Jenkins flattened his left hand into a blade, cleanly severing the boy's right arm. Just before it could detonate, he hurled it skyward with all his might.

The ship's protective barrier had an upper limit, but the boy's arm was a converted object. As such, it wasn't targeted by the metallic monstrosities that patrolled the dense fog overhead. The arm soared into the mist, beyond Jenkins's sight, and detonated with a sound like muffled thunder, though surprisingly, there was no flash of light.

The blast, however, churned the previously still fog into a swirling vortex. Unidentifiable dark shapes darted through the mist as if searching for something, but they vanished just as quickly as they had appeared.

"It seems the outside world is in a truly dreadful state," Jenkins mused. "Could it be that, in this story's setting, we're the only people left alive? If so, calling this ship 'Noah's Ark' wouldn't be too far off the mark."

Jenkins pulled his gaze back to the boy impaled on his sword. He held the weapon aloft with his right hand, the boy dangling from it like a lantern.

"Great Wisdom will eliminate all its enemies! You damned heretic!"

He finished with an attempt to spit in Jenkins's face, but a sharp punch to the lungs left him gasping for air.

"But why would the Difference Engine interfere so deeply in this particular Mysterious Realm?"

Lost in thought, Jenkins slid the boy off his sword and casually tossed him overboard. Since he hadn't fully undergone the metallic transformation, the creatures below deemed him a flesh-and-blood heretic. Metallic tentacles shot up from beneath the waves, dragging the one-armed boy into the depths.

Had Jenkins dared to peer over the side, he would have seen a plume of red liquid rising from the depths, punctuated by gurgling bubbles. But he had no time for such morbid curiosity.

"Alright, that's two down," Jenkins noted. "It's more or less confirmed that the Difference Engine appearing in this story's background—or at least a part of it—wields the full power of the original, and maybe even some abilities I'm unaware of."

He patted Chocolate again. The cat let out an obedient meow and pointed toward the third target.

The third person was near the open patch of deck where Jenkins had first been fishing. He was lying there alone, covered by a brown cloth blanket, his head resting on a flattened cardboard box.

He remained perfectly still, as if asleep, until Jenkins crossed an invisible threshold. Then, just like the boy, he shot to his feet.

But he neither fled nor attacked. Instead, the man spun on his tiptoes, and with a whoosh, transformed into a streak of light that shot into the cardboard box. The flattened box instantly puffed up as if full, and the once-ordinary object now pulsed with a spiritual aura.

"What in the world? A ritual? An ability? Or some kind of subtle numbered item?"

Jenkins didn't touch the box directly. He prodded it twice with his magic sword, only to find the blade couldn't pierce it. It wasn't that the cardboard was strong, but that it was fundamentally untouchable. The box was actively evading danger.

He tried again with the spiral greatsword. Perhaps because the flames wreathing the blade were more dangerous, the box reacted more dramatically. The moment the sword drew near, the cardboard deformed like putty, sinking inward to avoid contact.

So Jenkins bent down to pick up the box. It tried to squirm away, but a sharp glare from him seemed to freeze it in place. He scooped it up and tossed it overboard. The tentacles shot up from the water again, but the box simply morphed its shape, dodging their piercing grasp.

The box splashed into the water, and Jenkins had no idea if it could continue to evade whatever lurked in the depths.

Jenkins didn't dwell on it, turning instead and walking back to the female boatswain.

"I've expelled the three suspicious individuals from the ship."

The third man hadn't been killed, but he was certainly gone from the ship.

"Good. You've done well. As promised, you may claim one extra privilege from me, as well as two pieces of information. Here is the privilege."

She played no games, simply untying a red cord from her left wrist and handing it to Jenkins.

"Just tie this cord anywhere on the railing, and it will activate."

Jenkins nodded, asking no further questions.

"Now, you may choose two pieces of information—You can learn the ship's destination; you can learn the specific techniques used to build this ship; you can learn the dangers you will face if you leave the vessel; or you can learn partial information about the Unnamable."

It was another choice of two from four, but the information the boatswain offered was far more valuable than what the previous two could provide, likely due to her station. Still, Jenkins wasn't satisfied.

"Can you tell me how long it will be until we reach our destination?"

The boatswain shook her head.

"Can you tell me which of the refugees on deck would be most valuable to question?"

Again, she shook her head.

Jenkins felt a flicker of disappointment. He then chose to learn the ship's destination and the information about the Unnamable. Knowledge of the ship's construction would be of little help in solving the Mysterious Realm's puzzle—it seemed more like a reward he could take with him. As for the dangers beyond the ship, he couldn't yet see a use for that information. It was a tempting option, but with only two choices, he reluctantly passed on it after some consideration.

"The ship's destination is the last sanctuary. When the calamity struck, the people and other races of this world tried to find solutions, but all their efforts failed. Now, only a single refuge remains. It lies at the river's end. To symbolize their defiance against the disaster, the builders shaped it like a tree. And to shield it from interference, they constructed it from Mind-Blocking Metal. Thus, the sanctuary was named—the Steel World Tree."

Jenkins sighed. He finally understood which Savior's Emblem this Mysterious Realm corresponded to. If his guess was correct, that meant only The Unknown Path remained for the ninth level—representing fate, the beginning, and the end. The Difference Engine had certainly gone to great lengths.

Still, he refused to believe the Difference Engine would reveal itself on the eighth level.

"And the information about the monster?"

"It is not a creature of flesh and blood. Its very essence is completely different from our own. Its intellect, its power... they are beyond our comprehension."

She paused deliberately, then the plump woman looked up at Jenkins, her expression all but screaming, "Pay close attention to what I say next." Content orıginally comes from noᴠelfire.net

"Aside from its own power, it also has a host of helpers."

"Helpers? Not minions it converted?"

"No. They are a completely different power. They are loyal to it, and they help it remake the world."

Jenkins considered this for a moment before nodding. The Difference Engine couldn't have existed in the Mysterious Realm's original state. That meant the "calamity" in this story must have been something else entirely. Only after the Difference Engine's power infiltrated did the two forces merge, with the Engine taking the lead.

Therefore, to submit the background information on the calamity, he would have to identify the original disaster that existed here first. This was likely part of the Difference Engine's trap. If he had guessed the Engine's involvement and immediately reported it to the metallic head, he would have undoubtedly failed the trial.

"But is that the only trap?"

While each of the previous seven Mysterious Realms had felt off, the sheer wrongness of this eighth one far surpassed them all. Caution dictated that Jenkins remain skeptical of the truth. After receiving his two pieces of information from the boatswain, he still had the privilege she'd given him. It would allow him to question one more person—the very last one in this Mysterious Realm.

There were no hints, no assistance. Jenkins didn't even rely on the "tool cat" perched on his shoulder to sniff out the answer. This time, he decided, he would do it himself.

He tied the red cord to the deck railing beside him, then pulled a Blasphemy Seed from his pocket, intending to try his hand at divination. Although Miss Audrey had tried for nearly a year to teach him the basics with no success, it was undeniable that Jenkins wasn't completely devoid of talent. He had an innate ability to touch fate; his divinations just never seemed to go smoothly.

Now that the World Tree had been nurtured, the world had become clearer in his eyes. If he truly wished, it wasn't impossible for him to directly touch the threads of fate in his current state.

So Jenkins wanted to try finding the clue his own way, feeling it was the most correct choice at this moment. Besides, even if the divination failed, he had no other method. He would just have to pick someone at random.

He took out a pen and drew a small black dot on one side of the coin. He then flipped it into the air, not high enough to pass the ship's protective barrier.

"If it lands face up, I'll search in the direction the dot is pointing. If it's face down, I'll turn around and then follow the direction the dot is pointing."

As the coin spun in the air, Jenkins blinked. For less than a second, he once again saw the world as a tapestry of colorful threads.

He slowly exhaled, brushing aside Chocolate's swishing tail before opening his palm to reveal the coin.

He spun a full one hundred and eighty degrees, skirted a pile of moth-eaten canvas, and came to a stop before an old man with a missing leg. The man was sturdily built, his hair mostly white with a few stubborn black strands remaining. He wore a faded sailor's shirt and a pair of simple, loose-fitting black trousers.