Chapter 288: Chapter 288

The interrogation revealed that the cultists from the Demonic Eye Collection Association had used divination to pinpoint their target within Nolan City. At present, only three Enchanters from the organization had arrived in the area. One of them, a man named Stippy, had been apprehended after casually wandering into Pops Antique Shop. The whereabouts of the other two remained unknown. By the time the Church had extracted the location of their hideout and dispatched a team, the remaining pair had already vanished.

"A Cursed Item... an eyeball..."

Jenkins mulled over the words, his gaze shifting furtively toward Papa Oliver.

"Could they be after the very thing that brought Papa Oliver back from the dead...?"

Everyone had their secrets, and Jenkins had never pried into the specifics of Papa Oliver's revival from that golden statue. Still, as an appraiser of special artifacts, he couldn't possibly have been unaware that he was dealing with an Extraordinary item.

The truth, then, was likely that Papa Oliver merely believed it to be a Series B Extraordinary item, not a Series A Cursed Item.

"That makes things interesting," he mused. "Could it be that the object's cursed properties aren't obvious?"

He carefully studied Papa Oliver's eyes, only to be met with a sharp glare.

He really hadn't finished the three books, so he knew he had to be careful not to provoke his mentor again.

The Cursed Item's spiritual aura was so intense that Jenkins could pinpoint its location even when Papa Oliver had it hidden away. Only on rare occasions did his mentor take it out of the antique shop; most of the time, it remained directly beneath the store. That was where Papa Oliver kept his library and archives, a room Jenkins had seen on his very first day. It also housed another five or six items that radiated powerful auras.

It was safe to say that, apart from the 8th-level Enchanter, Constantine Sir, and the mysterious Corpse Gentleman, Papa Oliver was the wealthiest person Jenkins knew.

"Perhaps I should find a way to warn him," Jenkins thought. "Keeping something like that in the shop is a constant liability."

As the thought crossed his mind, Jenkins stared at the tadpole-like script before him and decided to steer the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"Sir, are there many cataloged demonic eyes? What I mean is, an item like that, once it's attached to someone, it's almost like giving an Enchanter a whole new ability. Surely there must be some kind of restriction on them?"

Since the question pertained to the world of Enchanters, Papa Oliver didn't see it as Jenkins slacking off. He began to explain:

"There aren't that many demonic eyes on record, but we have reason to believe the Demonic Eye Collection Association possesses many that the Orthodox Churches have never documented. The organization has a very long history. There are records you don't have access to yet, but I can give you a glimpse—the association's history predates the emergence of the pseudo-god known as the Void Eye Demon."

Seeing the shock on Jenkins's face, Papa Oliver chuckled. "The earliest incarnation of the association was a semi-neutral, benevolent group dedicated to resolving incidents caused by demonic eyes going out of control. Yes, only demonic eyes. If you sift through ancient history, past all the misleading accounts, you can find traces of the organization as far back as the 9th Epoch. That much is certain. Of course, it went by a different name back then."

"But why did it become what it is today?" The source of this content ɪs novèlfire.net

"No one knows for sure. Perhaps it was corrupted by the Void Eye Demon after its ascension to godhood, or maybe something else happened. In any case, the number of special eyes the Demonic Eye Collection Association possesses would defy your imagination. They seem to have their own methods for tracking down these forbidden artifacts."

Jenkins paused, setting his pen down and scratching his nose. It was difficult to wrap his head around. He had assumed they were just another cult, but now he was hearing they had ties reaching all the way back to the 9th Epoch.

"As for the dangers, that's not a simple question to answer. But unless someone is the original owner—meaning they were born with the eye—anyone who uses one for an extended period will eventually develop mental issues. It's not always a direct result of the eye's power. It could also be that they occasionally see things they aren't meant to. Eyes imbued with special power can often perceive a... more 'real' version of the world..."

Papa Oliver's words were heavy with implication, and a corner of Jenkins's mouth twitched.

"I seem to have a habit of seeing things I'm not supposed to see..."

He thought to himself, though he wasn't worried about the Demonic Eye Collection Association coming after him. His Eye of Reality wasn't a physical object but a special ability rooted in his very soul. The proof was that he could still perceive spiritual auras even when his consciousness was detached from his physical body.

"Have you ever used a demonic eye, or anything like it?"

Jenkins had finally steered the conversation to this point.

Papa Oliver set down his pen, his expression growing distant with recollection. "I came across a few in my younger days, but I never dared to use one. Looking back, I was bold then, but my caution served me well. As for later in life? No, never. I never had the courage to experiment with a special item that bonds directly with the body."

"That makes sense. I agree, things like demonic eyes aren't something to be trifled with."

He said this as he lowered his head, his gaze returning to the photograph in front of him.

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, but he could only come to one conclusion: the demonic eye must be sealed within another object. Papa Oliver probably thought he was only dealing with the outer shell, completely unaware of the more terrifying item hidden inside.

He continued transcribing the text, his mind racing to understand the situation. The dark spiritual aura was just beneath his feet. If he were to sneak down there...

The thought prompted a self-deprecating smile. Papa Oliver would certainly have set up ritual traps and other protections in his basement storeroom. As much as he wanted to help, there was no need to take unnecessary risks or make his mentor suspicious.

Sending that letter to the Aediran District had taught him a harsh enough lesson. For the time being, one "righteous crusade" was more than enough.

Last week, Miss Mikhail had asked Papa Oliver to appraise an antique she had acquired. Jenkins had been out of the shop at the time, caught up in a poisoning case connected to the Witch's House. Remembering it now, he asked what the item had been.

The surprise on his face was genuine. Seeing his reaction, Papa Oliver retrieved the object from the storeroom. Thankfully, it had no spiritual aura.

As Jenkins already knew, even though supernatural forces were very real in this world, there were always bored people, ignorant of the truth, who insisted on probing the boundaries of the mysterious and arcane with the most reckless, death-defying methods.

Games like these, attempting to communicate with spirits, were the most common example. They were wildly popular among the youth of high society. While some were genuinely trying to contact the other side, and others were just there for the boys or girls at the party, no one would be able to escape if something went wrong.