Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 559

"If you're asking for my opinion... I'd say you should go. While the invitation is from an official body, the university federation's committee is mostly comprised of high-ranking figures from local academia. This makes the invitation more of an academic exchange, with very little government flavor to it. What's more, Jenkins, I'm sure you've noticed that renowned authors do more than just produce excellent work—they often meet with their readers. Whether it's for book signings or public lectures, these are all very meaningful activities."

"That's a very good point."

Jenkins said, flipping through the letter:

"Alright, I'll ask Papa Oliver tomorrow if I can get the time off. If he agrees, I'll send my letter of acceptance directly to you, and I'd appreciate it if you could forward it to the organizers."

"Of course, not a problem."

The professor nodded, then looked down to button his overcoat:

"I'll see you then, Jenkins. Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams, Professor."

While Jenkins was still wrestling with Chocolate over the matter of a bath, far away in the northern city of Ruen, a blizzard that had raged for two days showed no signs of letting up. Dolores Stuart stood pensively beside the French windows of her bedroom, gazing out at the snow-covered scenery.

"Julia, how much longer?"

"My apologies, Your Highness. You'll need to wait another twelve minutes. I believe it's nearly time for the patrol guards to change shifts."

Julia replied in a hushed voice from the corner of the room.

"Honestly, why did Father have to swap out the guards? After all the trouble I went through to bribe every squad in the palace, now I have to start all over again."

A clear note of displeasure laced Dolores's words as she spoke.

Julia didn't know what to say, so she lowered her gaze to the tips of her shoes. In truth, Dolores Stuart had been just one step away from having the entire royal palace guard under her thumb—though her only aim, of course, was to make sneaking out more convenient.

But in Julia's eyes, such control would be incredibly useful in the future. Though her princess currently had no desire for the crown, there was no telling what the future might hold.

Many among Dolores Stuart's vast following shared Julia's sentiment. This was especially true recently, as the third princess had managed to win over two rather formidable Benefactors.

As Julia saw it, Mr. Williams and Miss Miller were likely both demigod-level powerhouses. While both had their little personality quirks, they were surprisingly approachable, which was no small feat. It was a stroke of luck unique to Dolores.

Julia would never force her princess to do anything she didn't want to, but befriending such individuals would prove useful no matter what the future held.

She had already acquired the [Dark Vision] ability, allowing her to see Dolores's form with perfect clarity even in the pitch-dark room.

Her thoughts drifted involuntarily to Mr. Williams, and the young maid furrowed her brow.

As the person closest to Dolores, she could easily discern the princess's feelings for the man. Being a maid, she had no right to pass judgment, but the man with the cat didn't exactly seem like ideal marriage material.

"His temperament and personality are fine, and if his face is genuine, then his looks are more than adequate... but he seems a bit... threadbare."

She had gleaned this from Jenkins's everyday conversations; after all, the man was unusually particular when it came to Gold Pounds.

"He's highly capable, a brilliant conversationalist, exceptionally talented in the arts, and even has a keen sensitivity to political affairs... but he's merely a baron. He's not a match for Her Highness's station."

Having followed Dolores for so long, Julia had met her fair share of so-called "promising young men." But she had to admit, Jenkins Williams was by far the most remarkable of them all.

"He's a bit wooden around women, but that's a good thing. At least he's not a womanizing playboy... Still, a man like that must have plenty of admirers, right? Miss Miller's attitude toward him, for one, is a little... unusual."

Standing there in the corner, Julia found herself fretting over a matter that hadn't even begun to sprout, nearly missing the important task at hand.

The reason they were venturing out in such a blizzard was that Dolores had learned through a secret channel of someone in urgent need of a [Twenty-six-sided Extreme Cold Ice Crystal], who was offering a C-class [Bestowal] in exchange.

This wasn't necessarily a bad deal. The value of a [Twenty-six-sided Extreme Cold Ice Crystal] was no less than that of a Bestowal, especially one that might not even be suitable for her.

It was a rare mineral that could only be found by leaving the continent, sailing far to the north, crossing a terrifying storm zone, and reaching the great ice cap. Generally, one couldn't even touch the material with bare skin unless they possessed ice-based abilities or were at least a level 7 Enchanter. The people active on the far northern ice cap were mostly followers of ice-related pseudo-gods; only they possessed the ability to survive in such extreme cold.

According to them, finding even ten [Twenty-six-sided Extreme Cold Ice Crystals] in a century was considered an immense stroke of luck, a gift from the gods.

As it happened, Dolores had acquired one last year. Her original plan had been to use it to learn an ancient spell ability after advancing to the next level, but a Bestowal was clearly more valuable.

Choosing their moment carefully, the princess and her maid slipped out of the palace and into the blizzard. The heavy, sight-obscuring snow aided their escape, but they had to be careful to cover the footprints they left behind.

After emerging onto the street from a sewer exit, a waiting servant immediately draped them both in black, fur-collared cloaks and guided them toward a carriage.

The carriage sped through the city streets, eventually arriving at Posala Avenue in the western district. Julia led the way with Dolores close behind, the two of them hugging the side of a building as they slipped into a narrow alley.

After sidestepping a pile of trash, they climbed the steps under an awning and knocked on a heavy iron door. The light rap was enough to send flakes of rust drifting down from its surface, causing Julia to frown.

The person who opened the door was a haggard-looking, middle-aged woman. Her dull, yellowed hair was tied back simply with a red ribbon, and she wore a somewhat old-fashioned, dark blue smock.

This was their contact, a woman who called herself Mrs. Wisdel.

Behind the iron door was not a corridor, but a storeroom even smaller than the washroom attached to Dolores's bedchamber.