Chapter 471: Chapter 471

Of course, Jenkins hadn't noticed the cat's little snack at all.

After scooping up the Blasphemy Seeds, he cautiously eyed the box lying silently on the floor. He didn't have the courage to touch it directly, so he reached for the fire poker hanging by the fireplace, squatted down, and gave the box a little nudge with it.

He quickly shuffled back a step, but fortunately, nothing happened.

By this time, both the elf and Mr. Black Cat had mostly recovered. The former carefully walked over to Jenkins's side, while the latter remained on the other side of the room, looking as if he had firmly decided not to come any closer.

"It should be fine now, right?"

Jenkins muttered to himself, nudging the box again with the black fire poker. When there was still no reaction, he flipped it completely over, right-side up.

Saramanda and Jenkins peered together at the glass panel. The two-headed serpent was still lying quietly inside, as if nothing had happened at all.

"It should be fine, right?"

Jenkins was worried that his actions might have damaged the device sealing the two-headed serpent, Herfis. He didn't have a single drop of divinity left; if that snake escaped, they would all be doomed.

The elf carefully picked up the box and examined it for a good while before coming to this conclusion.

"That's good. That settles it. I'm going to find the owner of that old bookshop now. Want to come with me?"

Chocolate, satisfied, rubbed its face against Jenkins's trouser leg.

According to his pocket watch, it was around nine o'clock at night. But in this strange world where time stood still, the sun hung in the sky just as it had when Jenkins first arrived.

The two men, one cat, and one elf walked together through the empty city. Although Saramanda claimed that nearly a hundred living people still resided here, they didn't encounter a single soul.

The owner of the old bookshop still had the same drowsy look about him. As they pushed open the door, the first to greet them was, once again, the green-feathered parrot.

"Welcome! Oh, my apologies. It seems I've dozed off again."

"No problem. I'm here to make a trade..."

Jenkins was the first to navigate through the bookshelves to the counter. The elf followed close behind, maintaining a flawless smile. Mr. Black Cat hesitated for a moment, but seeing his companions' courage, he quickened his pace and followed them.

He slapped the small green coin, which he had been clutching so tightly his palm was sweating, onto the counter with a sharp clack. The owner's eyes immediately lit up.

"I just knew you were a generous customer! Please, have a seat. What can I get the three of you to drink? Green tea, perhaps?"

His display of hospitality was almost comically exaggerated, but the three of them were in no mood for tea.

"We can take the tea to go, but for now, let's proceed with the trade we discussed last time. What is really going on in this place?"

He rested his left hand on the counter while his right hand, holding the coin between two fingers, rhythmically tapped its edge against the wooden surface, producing a steady tap, tap, tap.

"Of course, but the price is a bit steep... at least this much!"

He opened his right hand and showed his palm to Jenkins.

He felt a surge of relief at his good fortune; not only was it exactly enough, but he'd even have one left over.

The smile froze on Jenkins's face.

The very existence of currency implied a system for measuring value. He didn't suspect the bookshop owner was just trying to extort him, because from what Jenkins understood, these strange beings had an intense craving for Sin Coins.

If the information were truly of low value, he would have agreed to Jenkins's price of five coins just now.

"In that case, I have a different request. The three of us want to get out of here. How many coins for that?"

He pointed to himself and his companions, subconsciously forgetting Chocolate. The owner, too, seemed not to notice there was a cat in the room.

"The price is negotiable," Jenkins added.

"No, no, no, that's not it. The key issue is that this place was designed as a one-way trip. You can get in, but you can't get out."

Jenkins heard Mr. Black Cat draw in a sharp breath behind him.

His mouth twitched, and he was about to say something more, but he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned his head to see the elf shaking his head at him.

"Alright. I'm sure you can think of a way."

He pressed the coin in his hand firmly onto the counter with another clack, slid it across to the shop owner, his expression grim.

The old man chuckled and rubbed his hands together. He picked up the small, round green coin, blew on it sharply, then held it to his ear.

"Excellent. A Blasphemy Seed, indeed. I haven't seen one of these in a long time."

Jenkins covertly observed his companions' reactions. The elf seemed unfazed by the term, while Mr. Black Cat's attention was still focused on finding a suitable escape route in case of an incident.

"While this place was indeed designed as a one-way trip, so many epochs have passed. Accidents are bound to happen."

As he spoke, he carefully slipped the coin into his pocket, pausing just long enough to ensure everyone at the counter was hanging on his every word:

"The elf gentleman over there has likely mentioned the higher beings from subspace that periodically invade this place. You should all be aware of how terrifyingly powerful those things are. In short, their power has caused irreversible damage to the spatial structure here. While it doesn't affect this place itself, it has unintentionally carved out a small pathway."

"Can it help us return to the material world?"

"No." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

he answered crisply. "To prevent all sorts of strange creatures from invading the material world, both the gods and the world itself have exerted their power, making entry into it incredibly difficult."

After speaking, he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together in Jenkins's direction.

Jenkins tilted his head and pressed his right hand against his cheeks, struggling to suppress the urge to beat the man senseless. The gesture clearly meant he wanted more Blasphemy Seeds, but Jenkins wasn't about to be taken for a ride:

"We're going to need you to show us the way out later."

he reminded the owner, implying that the Sin Coins in his pocket weren't going to stay there for long, so there was no need to be so hasty.

"Very well. But the material world doesn't reject all methods of entry. Didn't your elf friend get in from the outside?"

Though he hadn't received another coin, he offered a hint anyway.

"But my experience cannot be replicated," the elf explained softly.

But Jenkins already understood what he meant. He was well aware of one legitimate way to enter the material world:

"You mean... a Mysterious Realm?"

"Yes, yes! A Mysterious Realm is the best option. It's a direct channel to the material world."

Mr. Black Cat let out a groan behind Jenkins, as if lamenting their rotten luck.