Chapter 338: Chapter 338

"But I must remind you of one thing." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on noveⅼfire.net

She added, "According to social etiquette, it is absolutely improper to impulsively invite an unmarried lady to move into your home."

Jenkins blinked, quickly realizing the implication of what he had just said.

It was nearly high noon, and for some reason, the snow was falling even harder. This wasn't how Jenkins remembered it, but Miss Miller believed that two massive spiritual disturbances were enough to alter the weather patterns. They were lucky it was just bad weather and not a large-scale natural disaster.

A worried Jenkins felt as though the entire morning had stretched on for a year. As he thought about his plans for the afternoon and evening, a dull ache began to throb at his temples.

Playing the part of a perfect gentleman, Jenkins invited Miss Miller to an expensive restaurant for lunch—after they both put on light disguises, of course. He wanted to make it up to her for dragging her into such a troublesome affair, but Miss Miller insisted she was the one indebted to him.

"Yes, I've found the way forward."

As she held the steak in place with her fork and sliced along the grain with a silver knife, she remarked, "I don't think I'll be lost again, at least not until I reach Level 8."

Outside the window, snowflakes drifted down in a thick flurry. Inside the restaurant, gas lamps cast a warm, yellow glow. Well-dressed gentlemen and ladies elegantly wielded their knives and forks, attending to the pitifully small portions on gleaming porcelain plates. A band in red uniforms played soothing music, following the gestures of their elderly conductor.

And at a table near the inner wall, two people continued to discuss extraordinary matters.

"Well, congratulations."

Jenkins wasn't sure what else to say. For the woman before him to state a precise timeframe like "ten years" meant—given what he knew of her—that the actual margin of error would be no more than two months.

He didn't actually know much about the concept of a Level 8 Enchanter. All the powerhouses of that caliber he had met had, for various reasons, never displayed their full strength in his presence.

But if they were known as demigods walking the mortal plane, they had to be incredibly formidable.

Although Miss Miller professed to revere the principle that all things could be understood through numbers, she thankfully didn't embody the mad scientist persona Jenkins imagined in her daily life. She was a woman of exceptionally high intellect and emotional intelligence. Jenkins sometimes entertained the wicked thought that her short stature might be the price for it.

After lunch, Miss Miller dropped her luggage off at Jenkins's house for temporary storage before heading to Panton Manor early to make her preparations.

Jenkins, on the other hand, first paid a visit to the church. His reason, naturally, was that he felt uneasy about the two strange phenomena from that morning and had come to discreetly gather information.

Given his standing, Jenkins could go directly to Miss Bevanna. He politely declined the nuns' offers to guide him and walked down the long corridor alone.

He undid the top button of his shirt, tapped his chest lightly, and a small feline head immediately popped out.

"In a little while, I want you to go to the courtyard and pretend to play in the snow. Then, head over there—yes, to that nursery near the back gate—and steal a seed for me, understand?"

He pointed in that direction. Chocolate twitched its ears, scrambled up his coat with its paws, slipped out from his collar, and quickly vanished.

Jenkins nodded to himself. Just in case, his upcoming plan required a seed. Though the seedlings weren't highly valued, their numbers were certainly tracked. To prevent anyone from discovering a seed was missing one day, he couldn't be the one to take it.

Chocolate was the perfect choice. After all, who would ever suspect a poor, helpless little cat?

Despite the two unexpected major incidents that had rocked the city that morning, Miss Bevanna hadn't left; she remained inside the church. At a time , as their highest combat power, it was crucial for her to stay calm and hold the fort, especially since no enemy requiring a Level 8 Enchanter had yet appeared.

No one understood what was truly happening today better than Jenkins, so he only stayed with Miss Bevanna for half an hour before taking her advice to head home.

It was clear that everyone in the church was bustling with activity. Even the Bishop, who would normally stop to chat with Jenkins whenever he saw him, only had time for a quick hello.

To avoid making his visit seem too deliberate, Jenkins made a point of playing in the snow with Chocolate in the courtyard for a while after his conversation with Miss Bevanna ended.

The cat completed its mission with ease. Once it became a snow-white feline crouching in the drifts, it was nearly impossible for anyone to spot a living creature there at a glance.

Of course, Jenkins had no idea that buried in the soil around the nursery were small metal plates, each etched with a single symbol, which together formed a protective and warning ritual. But the cat couldn't be bothered with such things. It simply extended a paw, and a seed flew right out.

While in the church, Jenkins also ran into Captain Bincy. The man looked considerably more haggard than usual today.

"Damn it, damn it all!"

He muttered, cursing the culprit behind the morning's two incidents. The second one was less severe, visible only to Enchanters, but the phenomenon had covered half the continent. The diocese would have to dispatch numerous personnel to investigate, gather evidence, and write reports, all while waiting for the Holy See to send more specialized teams to handle the cleanup. The aftermath, he knew, would be an absolute nightmare.

As for the first incident, half the city's ordinary citizens had seen it. Heaven only knew how that follower of the nameless New God had managed to destroy a Bestowal.

They still couldn't be sure if it was the work of the black-robed man, the Twin Demons, or some other follower who had yet to show their face, but they were certain it was connected to the New God.

Captain Bincy and his squad had been rushing about in the snow all morning. He was only back for a half-hour break before he had to head out again, disguised as a patrolling police officer. In times like these, they had to be extra vigilant against opportunists looking to stir up more trouble.

"Since the New God appeared, Its followers have never revealed themselves in public, nor have they formed any organization to proclaim their deity's glory. That in itself is highly irregular. And considering that the followers of this 'great one' are all a bit... abnormal, we're starting to wonder what this god's divine domain really is."