Chapter 353: Chapter 353

The second was "Quick Reading," a golden divine ability. Its function was exactly as the name suggested, and it could be found on the Church's list of acquirable abilities. It held a similar status to Psychography, both being foundational to the Sage series of divine arts. During his conversation with Miss Bevanna, she had mentioned that certain special divine abilities required one of the two as a prerequisite—arts that were typically only learnable by those at level seven or higher.

"They're both very useful," Jenkins thought with a touch of regret, "but I can't learn either of them right now."

He reached out and stroked Chocolate's back a few times. The cat had just finished its breakfast and was now craning its neck, pretending to look out the window when it was actually peering at the copy of the *Nolan Daily* spread open on a nearby chair. Googlᴇ search novel(ꜰ)ire.net

The final item was a special ritual called "The Spirit of the Lost." Travelers often met with accidents on their journeys, and some unfortunate souls lost their lives. This ritual was essentially a contract: the Enchanter who performed it would help return the victim's body to their homeland, and in return, the ritual would grant the Enchanter a measure of spirit.

It was another method for strengthening one's spirit, but both transcribing the tadpole-like script and observing the cosmos with "Astral Perception" were far more efficient.

The day-long snow had ceased during the night, yet the morning air, thick with melting slush, felt somehow colder than the blizzard itself.

Having already taken a day off, Jenkins knew he had to go to work today. After organizing his gains, he spent a considerable amount of time in front of the washroom mirror, trying to make his face look a little more "mature" before finally daring to head out with Chocolate in his arms.

As for the documents he had taken from the cultists, he decided to review them in detail later, after he had a chance to contact Miss Miller.

In the shop, Papa Oliver stood before the shelves, a weary expression on his face. He nudged a vase at the very top a few inches to the left, positioning it squarely in the center.

He had assumed their first topic of conversation would be about the events of the previous day.

"Robbed? Someone came in here to steal something?"

Jenkins's voice was filled with disbelief. Then, noticing the past tense Oliver had used, he pressed on, "What was taken? How many gold pounds was it worth? Do we need to call the police?"

"No, no, it wasn't an antique that was stolen."

Papa Oliver returned to the counter with his feather duster and stomped his foot lightly.

"Something from downstairs is missing. It must have happened last night. But I can't find a single trace, and none of the ritual wards were triggered. Who on earth would be interested in the things I keep?"

He seemed genuinely bewildered but didn't elaborate on what exactly had been taken.

Jenkins blinked and glanced downward. With his Eye of Reality, he saw that the missing aura belonged to that extremely problematic Mysterious Object—the eye.

"Perhaps it was the third member of the Association of Eye Collectors," he speculated silently.

The organization had dispatched three Enchanters to the city. The Still Eye had been captured, and the Thousand-Eyed Hierophant had been killed yesterday. That left only the middle-aged man Jenkins had briefly clashed with during the incident with the suicidal demonic eye. His name was still unknown.

Although a theft was always a potential threat, Jenkins couldn't help but feel relieved that the dangerous object was no longer near Papa Oliver.

He carefully concealed his relief and started his work as usual.

Papa Oliver didn't notice that his apprentice had advanced another level. Jenkins didn't dare tell the Church he had reached level three either; his progress was so astonishingly fast that he had no way to explain where the immense amount of spirit had come from.

His plan was to wait until the same time next month, concoct a plausible story for his advancement, and then immediately apply to learn the divine ability "Blessing of the Books."

It wasn't until Jenkins had finished his daily transcription of the tadpole-like script that they finally began to discuss yesterday's events. Jenkins was the one to broach the subject.

"Papa, what exactly happened yesterday? After Miss Audrey told me to go home, I went to the church around noon to ask, but Miss Bevanna wouldn't say much either."

Papa Oliver glanced at him, stroking the whiskers on his chin.

"I thought you'd be asking the moment you walked in. Very good. To possess curiosity yet maintain a fitting amount of patience... that's an excellent trait to have."

"I was just worried that if I seemed too eager, you might question my motives," he said with a shy smile, while silently repeating the excuse to himself.

"So much happened yesterday. Which event would you like to inquire about first?" Papa Oliver asked.

Jenkins thought for a moment. "I only know that two unusual phenomena appeared in the sky in the morning, and there was an earthquake in the afternoon."

"Then your sources are far too limited. It seems you truly did stay home all day."

Papa Oliver wagged a finger. "Jenkins, a lot has happened in Nolan these past six months, but yesterday is guaranteed to be recorded in both historical texts and books on mystic studies. Do you know why?"

"Um... because of the large-scale celestial phenomena?"

"That's only part of the reason. More importantly, a Bestowal dating back to the Ninth Epoch was destroyed! You should know how precious a Bestowal is. They are gifts to humanity from the world and the gods. Every time one is destroyed, it causes a major religious crisis. Just you wait. The Church of Creation and Machinery is going to make a big move. The followers of the new gods and those cultists from the Gear Artisans' Association are probably in for a world of trouble!"

Jenkins's mouth twitched, and he instinctively looked away.

"Well, that's certainly... collateral damage."

The three hands of the clock were still safely tucked away in a pillowcase at his home. He was well aware that yesterday's events would bring him trouble, but he had never imagined it would come from the completely unrelated Church of Creation and Machinery.

"So, what about the strange phenomenon that appeared in the sky later? I heard from Miss Bevanna that it wasn't just visible in Nolan."

"From the reports we've received so far, Enchanters across at least half the continent witnessed those... unsettling scenes in the sky. The Church managed to record portions of the content and discovered it consisted of extremely advanced knowledge in mathematics and the natural sciences."

Papa Oliver fell into deep thought as he said this. Jenkins probed cautiously, "Could it have been an accident caused by a Bestowal related to the Sage, or perhaps some Mysterious Object?"

"We have absolutely no leads on this matter. None at all. The knowledge is incredibly abstruse. Even the scholars at the Holy See can't fully comprehend it. They've already begun contacting the Tower to decipher its secrets together."

"The Frozen Tower, near Ruen in the Hamparvo Kingdom. Young man, if you don't even know that location, then you can go and transcribe the seventh chapter of *Mysteries of the 17th Epoch* twice."