Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 567

Liverpool had put on a rather clumsy disguise, pretending to be an idle man just off work, holding a newspaper as he stood across from the clothing and hat shop. Though he was some distance away, Jenkins still noticed that the paper was from yesterday, as none of the stories in today's edition featured a picture of Councilman Bekov.

“It's him. Is he really stalking Jennifer? How shameless!”

Miss Mikhail chided in a low voice, then tugged on Jenkins's sleeve.

“I'm sorry, but could you please make him leave? I didn't see Jennifer's maid, so she must have come out alone. I'm worried...”

This moment highlighted the difference between Miss Mikhail and Hathaway. Had the red-haired young woman been at Jenkins’s side, she would never have intervened so directly. The most she would have done was warn her friend later.

Jenkins had no intention of judging the right or wrong of either approach; in fact, he felt both were valid. The important thing now was to get rid of the young man who was stalking and spying.

To look a bit more serious, Jenkins first lifted the cat from his shoulder and left it with Miss Mikhail. Only then did he thrust his hands into his overcoat pockets and head across the street.

His luck was terrible. Just as he reached the middle of the street, an incredibly fast carriage came charging from the other side. The street was teeming with pedestrians; any coachman with an ounce of decency would never have driven so recklessly.

He hastily dodged backward, but the rumble of the passing carriage and the ensuing complaints from the crowd drew Liverpool's attention. Once the carriage was gone, he immediately spotted Jenkins standing in the street.

On instinct, Jenkins gave chase. He hadn't expected Liverpool to break from a brisk walk into a full sprint, quickly ducking into a side alley. Without a moment to signal Miss Mikhail, Jenkins plunged into the alley after him, only realizing a few minutes later that there was no reason for him to be pursuing the boy at all.

Seeing that Liverpool had already vanished into the labyrinthine alleys ahead, Jenkins slowed his pace, ran a hand through his hair, and kicked a loose stone out of his path as he began to walk back.

The southern district was home to Nolan City’s largest slum, and its alleys were a tangled, interconnected web. These labyrinthine passages concealed countless secrets and sins, and ordinary citizens would never venture into them without a very good reason.

Jenkins hadn't lost his way, but as he approached the mouth of the alley, he saw a boy in a patched cotton coat, his hair slick with grease, standing with his back to him.

The boy was facing Miss Mikhail, with Chocolate at her feet. She looked rather alarmed.

Hearing the footsteps, the boy spun around. Jenkins saw that he was holding a long dagger, its blade glinting in the dim light. It was long and slender, more like a stiletto than a common knife—a weapon clearly designed for killing.

He brandished the weapon at Jenkins, his mouth open in a snarl that revealed yellowed teeth. “Throw your wallet on the ground. Then put your hands up and go stand next to the woman.”

“Alright, sir. If it’s just money you need, please, take it.”

Jenkins reached into his pocket and tossed his wallet to the ground. Keeping his eyes fixed on the boy, he raised his hands high and walked over to Miss Mikhail. He instinctively took another step, shielding her with his body.

The boy pointed at Miss Mikhail. “Besides the wallet, I want your jewelry. I don't believe a rich young lady like you would leave the house without something valuable on her.”

Miss Mikhail pressed her lips together, removed a decorative pin from her hair, and bent down to place it on the ground.

“What happened to the last person who tried to rob me, again?”

Jenkins thought to himself, feeling his luck for the day had run out.

“Good. I just want some money. For people like you, a loss is nothing. Now! Face the wall!”

The boy suddenly barked the command.

“If you just wanted money, there would be no need for us to stay.”

Jenkins refused, sensing the boy’s ulterior motive.

“Greed and lust are cardinal sins. The Sage teaches us...” The source of thɪs content is novel•fire.net

What an irritable person, Jenkins thought. Then again, perhaps that was a flaw common to all teenage boys.

“If you want to find out what color your blood is, I don’t mind showing you. Now! The man, get out of here! The woman, get up against the wall.”

“Put down your weapon, now!”

Jenkins took a step forward as he spoke. The boy instinctively retreated, then realized his own movement had betrayed his fear. For a boy like him, a wounded ego was far worse than a financial loss, and he immediately grew even more furious.

Of course, he would never admit his fury stemmed from hating his own cowardice. No, it had to be anger at the pampered-looking man before him.

“Hah, you’re asking for it!”

He charged at Jenkins with the knife raised, and Miss Mikhail cried out in alarm.

Instead of retreating, Jenkins advanced. He swiftly blocked the boy’s knife arm, twisted the joint to disarm him, and drove a knee hard into his stomach. The boy let out a pained groan.

With a subtle grunt, he drove his knee into the boy's gut one more time before tossing him to the ground like a dirty rag. He bent down, collected his wallet and Miss Mikhail’s things, then turned and shrugged at her.

“You might recall that I won a duel back in Bel Diran. These are just basic fighting techniques, nothing to be surprised about.”

In truth, Miss Mikhail had only entered the alley because Chocolate, seeing Jenkins disappear inside, had darted in after him. Worried for the cat, she followed, which was how she’d unfortunately run into the mugger. Therefore, technically speaking, Chocolate bore some of the blame for the incident.

After consulting Miss Mikhail, they decided not to call the police. Instead, Jenkins took the boy’s knife, gave him a few more hard kicks for good measure, and then they prepared to leave.

They were only two steps from the mouth of the alley when another sound came from behind them. Jenkins spun around instinctively. A middle-aged man with a scar across his face was crouching by the wall next to the boy, his expression filled with rage.

The cat let out a warning hiss, and Jenkins's pocket watch chain suddenly began to vibrate. The man’s face twisted in fury as he raised a pistol and aimed it at them.

Jenkins once again pulled Miss Mikhail behind him.