Chapter 500: Chapter 500

Early Wednesday morning, Papa Oliver presented Jenkins with a difficult test. He brought out the vase the Stress family had delivered the previous morning and gave Jenkins ten minutes to determine its age.

Failure meant his weekend book report would likely grow by a few pages.

"It can't be earlier than 1309 of the Universal Calendar, since that's the year the first porcelain artifacts were discovered," Jenkins began. "And judging by the craftsmanship, this vase is quite refined, which means it must have been created after porcelain-making techniques had matured!"

Papa Oliver nodded, but Jenkins worried it was just a perfunctory gesture and that he was secretly preparing to tear into him. He kept his eyes fixed on the old man.

"You're actually correct this time," Papa Oliver conceded. "You may continue. Young people need to have a little more confidence in themselves."

A satisfied smile spread across Jenkins's face. He leaned forward, his white-gloved hands carefully examining the vase's patterns and signs of damage. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N()velFire.net

"The artistic style leans toward the middle period of the ancient Sicari Kingdom... or perhaps the late-middle period."

He glanced up at Papa Oliver again.

"I won't always give you hints. Time is running out. You should hurry."

He picked up a magnifying glass and held it to his eye, widening his gaze to inspect the material and the wear around the rim. He even gave it a sniff, though that was entirely useless.

As Papa Oliver started counting down while watching the wall clock, Jenkins licked his lips and declared his final answer:

"Approximately 1400 to 1423!"

"Papa, don't play these mind games," Jenkins pleaded. "Just tell me the answer. I'm ready for it!"

"The answer is correct!"

Jenkins's eyes filled with relief; it was a rare moment for him to guess correctly. His good mood made him more talkative.

"Since it's such a valuable vase, how did the Stress family come by it? It couldn't have been an heirloom, could it?"

Papa Oliver rubbed his nose. He had already mentally prepared a list of extra reading for Jenkins, but that could wait until next week.

"The eldest daughter of the Stress family works at a cotton mill in the factory district east of the city. People are always dumping their refuse nearby, and it's formed a mountain of garbage. You grew up in Nolan; you must know the place I'm talking about."

"I do," Jenkins confirmed. "A few years ago, the city council used to clear it regularly and dump the trash deep out at sea. But after the believers from the Church of Ocean and Exploration protested, they had to build a large incinerator nearby instead. I read in last week's Nolan newspaper that the garbage mountain should be completely gone by next summer at the latest."

The real impetus for building the waste treatment plant had been the "silver vertigo" epidemic a few weeks prior. Some people believed the plague was caused by the excessive garbage piled up around the city and had protested in the papers. Their theory was obviously wrong, but the outcome had certainly benefited the citizens.

Papa Oliver grunted, clearly skeptical of that timeline, but he quickly returned to their conversation.

"As the garbage mountain gets smaller, it's starting to reveal household items from many years ago. Ever since someone found valuable jewelry there, children and idle workers have been going there to scavenge. The Stress family's eldest daughter, who works nearby, was the one who brought that vase home. I must say, they have some remarkably good luck."

"What's your appraisal?"

Jenkins asked eagerly.

"The selling price would be at least..."

The shop door was suddenly pushed open, setting the bell hanging upon it ringing. The two of them turned to the entrance to see a carriage parked outside. Captain Bincy was holding the door open, waving frantically at Jenkins.

"Come quickly! We need your healing! Something terrible happened this morning!"

Their destination was the Church's secret sanatorium on the outskirts of the city. As the carriage thundered into the courtyard, Jenkins could already see the wounded being carried into the main building on stretchers.

"What in the world is going on?"

He hadn't had a chance to ask during the frantic ride; Captain Bincy had only repeated what Jenkins would need to do once they arrived.

"Yesterday evening, we received intel from KalFax Field. After cross-referencing our data, we were confident we'd found a large settlement of vampire servants. But when the combat squad mobilized this morning, they didn't run into vampires at all—it was the witches from the Witch's House!"

He stamped his foot in frustration, then immediately pulled Jenkins from the carriage. They hurried into the main hospital building, made a sharp turn, and started up the stairs. Seeing Jenkins, the people on the staircase instinctively parted to let them pass.

"All of our preparations were for dealing with vampires. The sudden battle caught both sides completely off guard. We won, but we paid a heavy price. Those madwomen... it's no wonder they once summoned a giant monster from the Shadow Realm. This time, they actually planted a ring of steam bombs around their own stronghold! If I ever find out where they got those..."

Most of the injuries were from a final, suicidal blast meant to take everyone down together. Fortunately, almost everyone in the combat unit possessed the divine ability "Blessing of the Books," so only two had died on the spot.

But that was already a devastating loss. Cultivating Enchanters was an arduous process, and the Scribes who joined the combat units required immense time and resources to train. Compared to the vast human population, the number of Enchanters was minuscule. Whether in the Orthodox Churches or the cults of pseudo-gods, Enchanters were always the rarest and most precious of individuals. A battle with hundreds of casualties was simply unheard of in their world.

The healing session began in the morning and lasted until two in the afternoon. Thanks to the assistance of the Life Pearl, Jenkins's stamina while using his healing ability was greatly enhanced. With two other healers from the diocese working alongside him, they managed to prevent any further deaths.

After several grueling hours, Jenkins finally found a moment to rest on a bench in the ward's hallway. Chocolate, meanwhile, was listlessly hugging the green pearl and nudging it back and forth. For the cat, the past few hours had been dreadfully boring.

By the time all the work was done, the sun had already dipped below the western horizon. Its golden light spilled across the wasteland to the west of the sanatorium, casting a brilliant radiance that was almost blinding.

Captain Bincy was again the one to take Jenkins back. With most of his squad members confined to their beds in the sanatorium, he had to handle matters himself today.

"Where to? Pops Antique Shop or your home?"

"The church. I have a math class to teach tonight."