Chapter 395: Chapter 395
Only a handful of people had witnessed the events of last night, and the Church certainly wouldn't allow rumors of Jenkins's ability to “reverse aging” to spread.
Besides, upon observation, it seemed the bishop's physical condition had merely improved; it was still a far cry from true biological reversal.
A curious idea suddenly struck him. He asked one of the sisters for some water, snatched the Life Pearl from under Chocolate's paws, and soaked it before trying to feed the water to the unconscious patients.
Of course, there was a risk of the water entering their windpipes, but in an era without saline or glucose solutions, let alone specialized intravenous equipment, it was the best method available.
By Tuesday morning, as the sun rose, the people Jenkins had given the water to showed significantly lower levels of aging than the others.
Thus, a problem that had plagued the Church for some time was finally solved. Although the patients had yet to awaken, as long as the aging could be halted, the city's residents wouldn't panic, and the cover story of a “plague” could be maintained.
Given the dangerous situation, Jenkins wouldn't be allowed to leave on his own, at least not before the baptism ceremony. He spent all of Tuesday at the church, helping out as more Enchanters from the Orthodox Churches who had fallen unconscious were brought in for his treatment.
The families of the comatose patients expressed their joy upon hearing that the “physical deterioration caused by a strange bacterial infection” could be suppressed. In short, while the matter was far from resolved, at least the Church was no longer facing the worst-case scenario.
He was sure Miss Audrey would be fine, so his only remaining worry was whether Hathaway was still in good health.
He hoped to see her at the church gates, but then he reconsidered—why would Hathaway ever come here?
At ten o'clock on Tuesday night, a bored Jenkins stood in the courtyard with Chocolate in his arms, stargazing. Thin wisps of spirit filtered down from the starry sky and flowed into his body—a slow but steady stream.
“Mr. Williams, someone is here to see you at the gate.”
A cleric had been waiting to the side, and he only spoke up once Jenkins lowered his head, rubbing his stiff neck.
The visitor wasn't a woman, but a man—Viscount Augustus, to be precise.
This was a guest Jenkins never would have expected. After all, the viscount wasn't a follower of the Sage, and the two of them had no pressing business to discuss recently.
When Jenkins saw him, Viscount Augustus looked rather distressed. His face was pale, perhaps due to the cold night air.
His servant had been ordered to wait in the carriage. Jenkins led Viscount Augustus to a private room. The temperature inside was quite warm, yet he still looked cold.
“Mr. Augustus, what can I do for you?”
“Oh, Mr. Williams, I do indeed...”
He stammered, his face turning red—not from the warmth, but from the words he was about to say.
“I know this is an impudent request, but I had to come. As the head of the Augustus family, I cannot simply watch my butler die before my eyes. Yes, oh, gods, I have never asked anyone for anything my entire life.
Rambling, he repeated himself, pulling off his black leather gloves and then his hat.
“Yes, Mr. Williams. I was hoping... that you might be able to give me some of the special medicine. My butler unfortunately contracted the Silver Fainting Sickness this afternoon. I can't let him die. He’s been with me since I was a child...”
He bowed his head to Jenkins.
“Please, don’t do that.”
He hurried to support Viscount Augustus. The man's face held a deeply complex expression.
“I would very much like to help you, but... what special medicine?”
After some questioning, Jenkins learned that the water in which the Life Pearl had been soaked was being called a “special medicine” because of its effectiveness in suppressing the plague's symptoms.
But it wasn't as simple as dipping the pearl in water and taking it out. Later examinations revealed it could only affect a small amount of water in a short time. Even with rituals and Jenkins's cooperation, it was impossible to produce enough to distribute to all the patients at once.
The water distributed by the Church of Knowledge and Books had a blue dye added to it, making it look more like a professional potion. Jenkins wasn't clear on where all of it went, but he could guess that while believers of the Sage were prioritized, various other allocations were made based on power and money.
Clearly, a down-on-his-luck nobleman like Augustus had no way of obtaining the potion.
But since the viscount had come all this way to beg, and since the old butler had left a good impression on Jenkins during their few encounters, he filled an empty test tube with the water and handed it over.
“Damn, I forgot to add the dye!”
The thought only occurred to him as he was handing it over, so he could only claim it was the undiluted solution, which was why the color might seem off.
As he escorted the profusely thanking viscount to the church gate, Jenkins suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, Mr. Augustus, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
From his expression, it seemed that if Jenkins were to ask him the color of his underwear, he would answer without hesitation.
“The other day, quite by chance, I came across some strange records in an ancient book. It’s a tome from the last epoch; Papa Oliver paid a hefty price for it. It mentioned an Augustus family and claimed they had deep ties to the God of Death. I have an interest in these old myths.”
He feigned embarrassment and scratched his nose.
“So I wanted to ask, is your family the same ancient family I read about in that book?”
A look of surprise crossed the viscount's face, but it quickly turned to contemplation. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novᴇlfire.net
“The origins of the Augustus family do indeed trace back to a very ancient time, and there are some strange rumors about our connections to certain deities. But those are just things I heard from my elders when I was very young. Now that I am the only one left, there is no way to verify them.
If you’re interested, we could discuss it when we have some free time. But most of the stories are bizarre and... blasphemous. I am likely the only one who knows of them now. To be honest, I don't remember them very clearly myself... a hanged man, a strange world... hah, they’re more metaphor than substance, ahem...”
He coughed violently a few times, not because he wanted to end the topic, but because his body was genuinely struggling to hold up.