Chapter 2189: Chapter 2189

The one-legged old man held a pipe between his teeth, but there was clearly nothing in it.

Seeing Jenkins approach, the old man, who had been leaning against a rotten wooden crate, slowly sat up straight.

"I need some information."

Jenkins spoke as he pocketed the coin. The old man glanced up at him, his face expressionless, then removed the pipe from his mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Do two things for me."

"Where did that smoke come from? Well, that's not important. What do you need me to do?"

So far, there was nothing overtly strange about the man; he seemed perfectly ordinary. As for that puff of smoke, Jenkins wasn't certain, but it seemed to be a manifestation of the old man's ability. This was no ordinary person.

"Two simple things. First, stay here until the ship docks. Second, once we've stopped, take me to the shelter. As you can see, I've lost a leg, and I lost my crutch a few hours ago when we were fighting off that sea monster."

"Pressed for time? That's fine."

The old man said with a chuckle, which was exceedingly strange. Until now, no one else on the deck had so much as smiled.

"We'll reach our destination in five minutes. It won't take up much of your time. If you're bored, you can go back to your fishing."

This was a piece of information Jenkins had been desperate to learn, and now it had just been handed to him. And it was the truth.

He immediately spun around to face the bow, but the fog ahead was exceptionally thick. He couldn't see a thing.

"Yes, five minutes. This ship has sailed for so long and sacrificed so many lives. We're finally about to reach our destination. Since you're here with us, why not stay and see what awaits?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't go to the destination. I just want to know what has happened to this world."

Jenkins decided it was best to remain polite, as he was still unsure of the old man's true intentions.

"But you'll only learn the truth about this world once you reach the destination,"

the old man said, his eyes fixed on Jenkins's face.

"Exactly what I said, young man. Don't be in such a rush. Sometimes, you see more when you slow down."

He placed the pipe back in his mouth, took another puff, and exhaled a fresh cloud of smoke before adding an explanation:

"Trying to quit lately. Tobacco is hard to come by, after all."

The old man was clearly trying to persuade him to stay until the ship docked, but Jenkins still wasn't sure whose side he was on. Fortunately, he had a way to find out for certain.

"Alright, then. May I ask you a question? It has nothing to do with this world, so feel free to answer however you like. I want to know... do you know a great many things?"

"Yes, of course. That's why my information is so valuable. I'd venture to say I'm the most knowledgeable person on this ship. The head doesn't count, of course."

"Since you know so much, then tell me honestly: do you think I should leave this ship right now?"

"Leave? No. You don't know enough yet,"

the old man said meaningfully. And every word was the truth.

He considered this for a long moment before nodding. After all, he wasn't the only one who was good at playing with words.

"The figurehead tried to get me to slow down, and now you're trying to do the same. Are your intentions the same as its?"

He hadn't forgotten how the figurehead had deceived him.

"I want you to slow down because it's what's best for you. As for the figurehead... it has to make sure you stay until the ship reaches its destination. It doesn't want to perish, you see. This ship was deliberately spared, otherwise how could there be so many survi—"

"If you say any more, you'll break the rules."

The head, which had been silent for some time, finally spoke up. The old man could only shrug.

"You see? It touches on the background of this world, so I can't say more. But in my opinion, you should agree to my two conditions."

Jenkins gave him a long look, then nodded in silence. He didn't return to his fishing spot, however. Instead, he picked up his backpack and checked its contents, making sure everything he might need was in its proper place.

Chocolate seemed to understand that Jenkins was preparing for a fight and didn't disturb him. The cat simply yawned and turned to gaze in the direction of the ship's travel. The dense fog could not hide anything from Chocolate's eyes; it could see exactly what awaited them.

Though they still had five minutes to go, after only two minutes of sailing, Jenkins saw a dark shadow loom ahead, growing larger with each passing moment. With two minutes left before they were due to dock, he could clearly make out the shape behind the fog: a colossal tree.

The tree's size was no less impressive than the great tree in the heart of the Evergreen Forest. Its crown spread out in all directions like a vast canopy; even as a hazy silhouette, its immense scale was undeniable.

As Jenkins stared at the tree in the fog, the metal head on the chair spoke up, offering a warning:

"Are you sure you don't want to leave now?"

"I still don't know the nature of the disaster. Leaving isn't an option, even if I wanted to."

He had no idea what was in league with the Difference Engine.

"I'm guessing there's no one on this deck who can give me the complete picture of this Mysterious Realm's disaster, is there? The Difference Engine is forcing me to stay until the ship docks,"

"No, Savior, you are mistaken this time. The rules of a Mysterious Realm cannot be altered, and a Mysterious Realm can never be impossible to clear. There is indeed someone on this ship who can give you the final piece of the puzzle. You simply haven't found them."

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Jenkins turned to face it.

"Don't tell me it's you."

"Of course not. I don't count as one of the refugees. In truth, it doesn't matter if I tell you. The person you're looking for is still hiding among the crowd, and he doesn't even know what he knows. You would not only have to complete a task for him, but you'd also need to awaken his memories to unlock the hidden information."

"Of course. There is a way to awaken his memories, and I can tell you right now. First, you would need the figurehead to awaken. Then, you'd have to catch at least five different kinds of fish and sacrifice them to it. Next, you'd need to sift through the junk pile on deck to find thirteen brass components and assemble them into a memory extractor of my master's design. The schematics for it are hidden in a hollow space under one of the deck planks. You would use the blue gem you received from the sacrifice to power the extractor. And finally, you would have to find the 'priest' hidden among the crowd to learn the incantation to activate the device. Only then would you learn what you wish to know."

With less than two minutes remaining, it was utterly impossible for Jenkins to accomplish all of that, even knowing the steps.