Chapter 384: Chapter 384

The alley fell silent once more. Beneath the twin moons and the falling snow, only the maid and the cat remained.

Julia stared blankly at the bare wall for a long moment before she finally noticed the cat standing in the snow. She crouched down carefully, clapped her hands gently, and called out in a soft voice,

“Come here. How about we go back to the carriage?”

Chocolate didn't spare her a glance. It deftly scrambled up a rusty, snow-covered wooden ladder beside the wall and onto the roof of the adjacent low building. Lying down, it let out a soft meow, its amber, slitted pupils fixed intently on the spot where the others had disappeared.

“What happens when you enter a Mysterious Realm as a projection?”

The question had only occurred to Jenkins as he stepped into the realm.

Even at Level 3, the vertigo and nausea were still overwhelming. He sank to one knee, struggling to catch his breath, and it was a long moment before the world stopped spinning.

It was much warmer here than in the city of Ruen. The room was cramped and, as was typical of these places, had no decent source of light.

Beside him stood Miss Miller and another young woman he didn't recognize—Jenkins assumed she must be Dolores Stuart.

The room was bare, devoid of any decoration. Just like in his first Mysterious Realm, the windows were boarded up tightly with planks and nails.

In the center of the room stood an absurdly large round table, crowded with countless potted plants. Beside it, an old man with a beard so long it nearly touched the floor held up an old-fashioned black oil lamp, his face a mask as he stared at the three figures in the gloom.

“Miss Miller? So you're also an...”

the young woman exclaimed in surprise.

Miss Miller's eyes narrowed.

“Julia was worried about you, so she had us come in here to help. This is my friend, Mr. Poirot. Please remember, you owe us a huge favor for this!”

Seemingly intimidated by Miss Miller's forceful demeanor, she refrained from asking for details. Instead, she offered a slightly awkward thanks, then carefully sized up the strange man at Miss Miller's side from the corner of her eye.

Her acquaintance with Miss Miller had started with the letter from Mr. Williams she'd delivered. Though they had known each other for less than a week, Miss Stuart was already deeply impressed by the woman's uncommon eloquence and remarkable intellect. Learning that she was an Enchanter now only confirmed her suspicions; it felt perfectly natural.

But having grown up in the royal court, she wasn't one to trust so easily. While her impression of Miss Miller was excellent, she made a mental note to thoroughly investigate her background once they were out of this place.

Miss Miller then asked Miss Stuart how she had ended up in the Mysterious Realm, as she couldn't have possibly entered willingly.

“I was leaning against the wall, waiting for Julia to come get me, when I suddenly fell right through it.”

After composing themselves for a moment, the three of them approached the old man together.

His vacant eyes sized up each of them in turn. Then, with a stiff, unnatural movement, he pointed to the potted plants on the round table.

“Each of you, choose two pots,” he instructed. “Water them.”

Jenkins took the opportunity to study the table. The plants were a bizarre assortment. A few resembled common flowers and grasses, but the colors and shapes of the majority were unlike anything that should exist in the natural world.

The three pots in the center were the most eye-catching. One contained nothing more than a bare branch stuck into the soil. Another held a severed human head with a mouth and tongue; a green stalk grew from where its neck should have been. The mouth hung open, drool trickling out, revealing clusters of coarse black hair inside.

The last pot looked ordinary, but the flower within it had seven petals, each a different color. He recognized it—a Rainbow Flower. When in bloom, its petals held the supernatural power of a “Minor Malicious Wish.”

He blinked, and the entire table erupted in a kaleidoscope of spiritual auras.

“There's no watering can,”

he pointed out. Turning his head, he saw Miss Miller helping Miss Stuart to her feet.

“Don't look at the third pot from the left, in the second outer ring.”

Miss Miller cautioned him. “What's planted in it is... unusual. I'm not certain it's what I think it is, but it's better to be safe.”

Jenkins nodded and moved closer to the two women. He risked a sidelong glance at the spot on the table. Countless eyeballs hung like fruit from a lantern-like plant. It was a nauseating sight, but he felt no other ill effects.

“I don't see a watering can,”

The expressionless old man's voice was as cold and lifeless as stone. Of all the hosts Jenkins had encountered in these realms, only the train conductor who knew how to demand a bribe had shown any semblance of humanity.

What was it that made that guy so different?

“And how much do we need to give them?”

“Until their growth is complete.”

He replied without the slightest pause, his tone as flat and mechanical as ever.

Jenkins nodded, then turned to Miss Miller and Miss Stuart. The source of this content ɪs NoveI★Fire.net

“Any thoughts? And is it just me, or is it getting colder in here?”

“That's normal,” Miss Miller replied. “A Mysterious Realm isn't a sanctuary. You can't expect to linger here for long.”

Seeing Miss Stuart's hesitant expression as she looked at the two of them, who seemed completely unfazed, Miss Miller kindly added,

“We're both low-level Enchanters, but we've been through one of these realms together before, so we have some experience. Oh, and I'm Level 2.”

The corner of Jenkins's mouth twitched. He fought the urge to make a sarcastic remark and instead nodded solemnly. “I'm Level 2 as well.”

“Yes, I'm... also Level 2,”

Miss Stuart chimed in.

Though they were all lying, Jenkins suspected that both he and Miss Miller could gauge Miss Stuart's true level, while she, in turn, was likely regarding them with a healthy dose of skepticism.

His first impression of the young woman was forming. She possessed a commendable level of caution and alertness, though her abilities clearly limited her. Still, for someone her age—Jenkins guessed she was around eighteen—it was quite remarkable.

“So, do we really have to use our blood?”

the young woman asked hesitantly, unable to bring herself to look at the table again.

“The rules of a Mysterious Realm must be obeyed,” Miss Miller stated. “It's only a question of method. We have to accomplish two things: offer our blood, and make two of the plants grow.”

As Miss Miller spoke, she extended a slender finger and tapped a few points in the air. Miss Stuart watched, clearly baffled, her lovely blue eyes fixed on the motion. Jenkins, however, could see what she was doing: activating a complex, large-scale chain ability centered on her [Mathematical Principles]. At least six points of light flared into existence simultaneously.

“I have a divination-type ability,”

she explained to Miss Stuart, before turning her gaze to Jenkins. “So, will you go first, or shall I?”