Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 572

Mayor Saks Luto arrived sometime after Jenkins and the others. Until today, Jenkins had only ever seen him in the papers, and in person, the man was just as unremarkable.

He was stout and tall, with a neck so short it seemed nonexistent. A black silk hat sat perched on his head, his bow tie was a startling shade of red, and a neatly folded handkerchief peeked from his breast pocket.

The lamp honored to be the first lit by the mayor stood to the left of the City Hall. Like every other streetlight on the road, it was shrouded in a large white cloth.

Upon the mayor's arrival, the men waiting by the post pulled the cloth away in unison, revealing the black lamppost and its shrouded lantern to the waiting crowd.

Jenkins stood with Mayor Saks Luto beneath the colonnade of City Hall. He could see, just above the lantern at about eye level for a man of average height, a line of elegant script inscribed into the post: "The light of time is like water, knowledge is like a song."

It was one of the most widely circulated phrases from the sacred texts of the Church of Knowledge and Books, an aphorism praising how the pursuit of knowledge gives meaning to life. Its placement here was perfectly fitting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, fellow citizens, if I may have your attention. I am your mayor, Saks Luto. Today, on behalf of the Kingdom's Ministry of Finance, the Nolan City Council, and the Civic Committee, I am proud to announce that Nolan City's very first streetlight is about to be lit! Our city will now be the third in the entire kingdom to be graced with such an innovation!"

The onlookers erupted in boisterous cheers, while the ladies and gentlemen closer to the front offered polite applause.

"Of course," the mayor continued, "we must also thank our local merchants and the Orthodox Church for their generous patronage. I can't let them all give a speech, but I have managed to invite the bishop of the Legacy Sage Church... well, his representative. Now, let's have Mr. Jenkins Williams say a few words!"

Bringing a cat on his shoulder to an event was clearly out of the question. Chocolate, perched atop their carriage at the end of the street, seemed to be enjoying his predicament immensely.

"Very well," Jenkins began, finding his footing. "I am Jenkins Williams. Bishop Parrold was unable to attend today's ceremony due to a prior engagement, and so he has asked me to come here in his stead."

That part was mandatory, easy enough to put into words. The rest, however, was up to him.

After a perfectly timed pause, he scanned the faces of the crowd gathered below the steps and continued:

"The Legacy Sage Church contributed sixty-three percent of the funding for these new streetlights..."

He made sure to point out the Church's contribution, a detail the mayor had conveniently omitted, even going so far as to mention the merchants before the Church.

"Our purpose is not profit, but charity. The advance of our age gave rise to the steam industry, and the advance of that industry has, in turn, produced all manner of conveniences for our citizens. I have always believed that the progress of the era, the world, and the individual are intertwined. The advancement of one supports and drives the others; they do not move forward in isolation."

Jenkins himself had no idea what he was talking about, and most of the audience seemed to agree. A few found his phrasing interesting, while a very select few thought the young man on the steps had truly mastered the fine art of spouting eloquent platitudes.

"Yes, I have a dream! A dream that from Nolan City on the western coast of the continent to the border outpost of Thorntown in the central plains, from the port of Luden on the southern shores to the Lopida Mountains in the kingdom's farthest north, every home and every street will be bathed in light, even in the dead of night!

I have a dream! That men and women, old and young, rich and poor alike, will all be able to share equally in the brilliance of this new steam age!

As Jenkins spouted the impassioned nonsense he was cobbling together on the fly, he discreetly scanned the audience below. Whenever he met someone's gaze, he would offer a confident smile and a nod. It didn't disrupt the flow of his speech in the slightest, mostly because he himself had no idea what words would come out of his mouth next.

He soon spotted Miss Mikhail standing toward the back of the crowd. He smiled and gave her a polite nod. Before she could even react, the group of young women beside her began waving enthusiastically at him.

Fortunately, he was in the middle of his speech and didn't have time to voice the thought aloud.

After a brief, five-minute speech, the crowd erupted into a roar of cheers and applause. The mayor's face soured slightly, but he still gave Jenkins an enthusiastic embrace before joining him to announce that the ceremony would now commence.

For safety, lighting a gas lamp required the simultaneous opening of a control valve deep underground, a main gate at the end of the street, and a special valve at the gas company. But City Hall apparently decided that having the mayor simply turn a knob wasn't grand enough for the occasion. Instead, they had prepared a ladder so he could personally climb up and screw the bulb into place.

This promised to be the most entertaining part of the evening. Even Jenkins found himself wickedly wondering if the ladder would hold the mayor's considerable weight.

As the crowd surged toward the lamppost, Jenkins took the opportunity to speak with the old priest who had accompanied him.

"Excellent. Truly excellent, Mr. Williams."

The old priest patted Jenkins on the shoulder, a kindly smile on his face.

"Truly, it was excellent, and I mean that sincerely. Bishop Parrold has always told me you were an exceptionally bright young man, and he was clearly right. Excellent! We are living in a great era of change, an era that is in desperate need of sharp minds like yours. Just excellent!"

"Bishop Parrold has impeccable judgment. No matter which way the carriage of history may turn, it is always men of broad vision who steer its course, while others are forced to simply follow along. Mr. Williams, your performance was truly... exceptional. Forgive me, I can't find a better word for it."

As the crowd shifted to get a better view of the mayor climbing the ladder, Jenkins slipped around the edge of the throng and found Miss Mikhail standing across the street, her arms folded beneath an awning.

Her friends greeted Jenkins warmly as he approached. When they heard he wanted a private word with Miss Mikhail, they giggled and whispered amongst themselves as they backed away to give the pair some space.

"I don't have much time; I need to head back shortly," Jenkins began. "So this will have to be quick."

Standing under the shop's awning, Jenkins spoke in a rushed, quiet tone. Miss Mikhail nodded at once, sensing he had something important to tell her. Thɪs chapter is updated by Nove1Fire.net