Chapter 390: Chapter 390

The underground space wasn't particularly large, and because it had been sealed, the objects within had suffered little from oxidation. Shelves were filled with jars containing various organs, while the workbench was oddly scattered with brass nuts and springs. A massive steam-powered machine stood in one corner, its metal components faintly gleaming in the gloom. If the original owner's memories were correct, this had to be a first-generation steam engine—a veritable antique by today's standards.

"Wait a minute... I remember these things being worth a fortune."

But since he couldn't see any aura, it meant there were no supernatural items here.

After a quick look around, he found a letter on the desiccated corpse—its final testament.

"Sealing himself in here... who was this letter meant for?"

The question was answered soon enough. The letter revealed that the man was certain he wasn't the only one who knew the location of this secret basement.

But no matter how certain he had been, the fact remained that no one had visited this place in fifty years.

The letter contained little useful information. It simply stated that the writer had been accidentally poisoned during his research and could no longer contact his companions. He had left his findings here, hoping that if a fellow believer ever found this place, they would take them back.

This was clearly an unprofessional researcher; he hadn't left behind any systematic reports or data logs. Jenkins searched for a long time before finally finding a diary-like notebook on the third shelf, which contained some records.

The notebook was bound in a deeply unsettling, dark red cover devoid of any text. Frowning, Jenkins traced his fingers across its surface and was surprised to feel faint, raised patterns.

As he carefully traced the shape, he realized it was an ankh.

"Is this related to the Undying Man again?"

He muttered to himself, feeling it was too much of a coincidence.

This time, however, his guess was completely wrong. Roughly fifty years ago, the followers of the Lord of Immortality had no idea the end of the epoch was approaching. The notebook contained the experimental records of a cultist who had desecrated the tombs of the Augustus family and experimented on the corpses.

The cultist himself had been a local villager. Since childhood, he had heard the local legends about the special relationship between the Augustus family and Death itself.

Now, fifty years later, Jenkins knew that the current Viscount Augustus had a special relationship with Death—a significant distinction.

The descriptions of the experiments and their data were stomach-turning. He flipped to the end to find the conclusion, only to discover the man had simply written: "The Augustus family possesses a unique constitution. Further observation is required to determine the specifics."

Jenkins fought the urge to kick the desiccated corpse over.

He placed the diary back where he found it, searched the shelves once more, and then returned to the corpse.

Chocolate poked its head out of his collar again, stretching its paws toward the letter lying beside the corpse.

Jenkins chuckled, picked up the paper, and held it out near the kitten's paws. To his surprise, Chocolate pushed it away with a look of disdain before burrowing back into the warmth of his coat.

"This little rascal."

Shaking his head, Jenkins moved to place the letter back on the table, but he paused mid-motion.

"Is Chocolate trying to tell me something?"

The kitten had been displaying an uncanny intelligence lately. Jenkins suspected its sensitive perception might have genuinely detected something wrong with the paper.

He held the letter up to the light again, examining it closely, before turning his attention to the corpse's clothing. Sure enough, the left cuff of the man's coat showed signs of having been unstitched and sewn back together. Jenkins carefully slit the seam with a small knife, revealing a fine gray powder within the lining.

"Such an old-fashioned trick?"

It was old-fashioned, but effective. Had a ritual been involved, Jenkins would have detected its aura long ago.

Using a small metal spoon from the workbench, he carefully collected the powder in a container. Then, holding his breath, he spread it evenly over the letter. Faint words, invisible moments before, began to appear in the gaps between the original lines of text.

A self-satisfied grin spread across his face, and he didn't forget to give Chocolate's little head a gentle stroke as a reward. Seeing the kitten was still not content, he scratched under its chin until it began to purr contentedly.

"Great Second Sovereign, Ancient Death, your bloodline still flows among mortals. We have confirmed the Augustus family as the target, but the bloodline is extremely diluted. None of the test subjects have exhibited the expected traits. We theorize the bloodline is dormant or has vanished entirely. If no individual with the trait appears within five generations, the experiment will be deemed a failure.

May the Lord of Immortality watch over me. May my soul be with the Lord!"

The information was so unexpected that Jenkins's first reaction was that he must be dreaming.

"The Augustus family... descendants of a Sovereign?"

He found the idea impossible to accept. He had never heard of even the gods leaving bloodlines among mortals, let alone the far more mysterious Sovereigns.

His eyes returned to the letter, but there was no other information of value. The rest of the hidden text was merely the author boasting about his own wisdom and perceptiveness.

In short, the legend was purely a local one. The cultist hadn't told anyone about his research, planning to present his findings to his church only after achieving a breakthrough, thereby securing a greater promotion. Fresh chapters posted on NoveI-Fire.ɴet

And so, fifty years later, Jenkins reaped the benefits.

The diary also explained why the undead had been able to linger here for fifty years, and why Carly Alex had appeared in a nun's habit.

The former was a result of his attempts to unravel the secret of the Augustus bloodline. Despite his caution, some indescribable power had seeped into the land, allowing the spirits of the dead to linger far longer than they should have.

The latter was because of a special Bestowal, C-12-1-3011, the Corpse-Wrapping Nun's Habit. The diary didn't describe its function, only stating that he had "left it here, temporarily sealed, though its power might leak".

That was likely why his Eye of Reality hadn't detected it. But he had already spent more than enough time here and couldn't afford to search any longer. Taking out his pocket watch, he checked the time, then returned to the surface with Chocolate, taking nothing with him but the letter.

Back on the surface, he used his ability to create a wooden plank large enough to cover the entrance. Once it was in place, he piled dirt and stones over it.

It was the best he could do for now. If time permitted, he could return to search for the Bestowal. If not, or if someone else discovered the place first, then it simply wasn't meant to be.

Jenkins was philosophical about things that weren't his to begin with.