Chapter 249: Chapter 249

"Welcome to Pops Antique Shop, sir. How can I help you?"

The man extended a hand, shook Papa Oliver's, and then stepped inside, shutting the cold wind out.

"Well, my boss at the law firm has a birthday coming up. I was hoping to find an antique vase for him—it's the sort of thing he loves. Do you have anything you'd recommend?"

As he spoke, he took off his hat and surveyed the shop. When his gaze met Jenkins's, they simply exchanged a nod.

"An ordinary person, but he has a black spiritual aura. Confirmed—he's the source of the infection."

Jenkins tightened his grip on his pen, his eyelids drooping to hide his gaze as he made his judgment.

Papa Oliver was still playing his part. He feigned understanding. "Since it's a gift, what sort of vase are you looking for? Any specific requirements for size, pattern, or price...? Oh, right this way, please. Williams! Williams! Slacking off again, are you? Go make a pot of tea, then get out there and collect my debts! I've never seen such a lazy apprentice!"

Once they both had their backs turned, Jenkins quickly hid the report he'd been writing under the counter. After preparing the tea, he called out, "I'm off to collect the debts!" and dashed out the door.

About half an hour passed. Papa Oliver was still regaling the middle-aged man with the history of a small porcelain bottle. The man was clearly growing impatient but felt it would be rude to interrupt such a professional explanation, so he forced himself to listen.

Seeing the door pushed open again, he watched the young apprentice who'd gone to collect debts return with a large package. He quickly waved his hat and said:

"Another cup of tea, please. Thank you. I'm a bit thirsty."

"Williams, get to it!"

Papa Oliver urged as well.

Jenkins nodded frantically. "Sir, what kind of tea would you like?"

The man finally had an excuse to get away from Oliver and walked toward the counter.

Suddenly, the bell on the door chimed a second time as three or four crudely dressed men pushed their way in. One of them was cursing out his companions.

"Oliver, Oliver! Come take a look at this ring some poor bastard gave me as collateral! Is it worth anything!?"

He waved his fist as he approached the counter. The very instant he brushed past the first man, the newcomers swarmed forward and seized him.

One of them brought the edge of his hand down in a sharp chop to the man's neck. Before he could even cry out, he collapsed, unconscious.

Papa Oliver hurried over and greeted them in a low voice. The leader, Captain Bincy, found a squad member with a similar build to the middle-aged man. This man would now play the part of the infection source and walk out of the shop. The others would leave ten minutes later, taking the unconscious and re-dressed man with them.

It was crucial that no one thought the source of the infection was arrested in, or had disappeared from, Pops Antique Shop. Unsure if they were being watched, this was the safest approach.

Since Jenkins had already confirmed the man was an ordinary person, he wouldn't pose a threat to Papa Oliver. The only real worry after leaving the shop was that Oliver might contract the terrible pathogen from prolonged contact with the man.

He didn't even hail a carriage. Instead, he activated his [Cat's Grace] ability. Taking advantage of the sparsely populated morning alleys, he swiftly vaulted over low walls, taking the most direct route to the church.

As the people in the shop left one by one, the two of them—master and apprentice—acted as if nothing had happened, continuing their day as an ordinary shopkeeper and an ordinary apprentice. Such was the life of clerical staff, though a report would probably be required.

"Papa Oliver, what will happen to that man?"

He was still curious. Though he suspected the man wouldn't survive, he wanted to know what methods the Church would use next.

"First, they'll question him about where he's been and who he's been in contact with. Then... they'll kill him. There might be some experiments and a physical examination in between, but you wouldn't want to hear about that."

Papa Oliver glanced at him. Seeing no unusual expression on Jenkins's face, he went back to scrubbing the utensils they had used.

Jenkins was no bleeding heart. He knew all too well how terrifying this gear-transforming Mysterious Object was. The Church's actions were exactly what he'd expected. It was cruel for the unlucky man, but nothing in this world was perfect.

Half a month had passed since A-08-1-9990 was discovered by the Orthodox Church. In all that time, the five churches had only captured five sources of infection, including this one. On one hand, it suggested the situation was better than anticipated—at least there was no need to worry about causing a panic among the citizens. On the other hand, it highlighted the caution of the [Gear Artisans' Association]. They were likely plotting something far more sinister.

This was just a small incident in the day. Before lunch, Jenkins finally finished his report. Papa Oliver had been assigning him fewer reading tasks lately. According to him, Jenkins had reached Level 2 in less than half a year since joining, something that hadn't happened in many years.

In light of this, Papa Oliver had adjusted Jenkins's study plan, beginning to teach him practical skills like setting up rituals and preparing materials ahead of schedule.

Not all rituals were as simple as drawing a circle and placing some materials. The initial preparation of ingredients—like crushing petals into a thick juice or filtering a specific substance from a liquid—required methods an Enchanter had to master themselves. After all, they couldn't always count on finding a reliable assistant to help them prepare materials.

This also highlighted the importance of the courses the Orthodox Church arranged for new Enchanters, such as chemistry and arithmetic. In other words, a high-level Enchanter could never be illiterate. An illiterate person wouldn't get very far on the path of an Enchanter—they wouldn't even be able to read the abstruse texts.

Jenkins's classes were scheduled to begin next month, and Papa Oliver expected to receive his curriculum soon. Because of Jenkins's unique status, the Church was being extremely cautious in selecting his instructors, which was causing some delay. Official source ıs novel-fire.net

After lunch, new customers arrived at the shop. While Papa Oliver handled them out front, Jenkins went to the warehouse in the back to work on a batch of bullets. Papa Oliver had instructed him to 'sanctify' them, imbuing them with special properties to harm supernatural creatures.