Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 574

"Thank you for your patience, sir."

As he grew accustomed to being the center of attention, the man's voice gained confidence, rising from a near-whisper to a clearer tone:

"My friend told me about a very generous woman in the distant city of Eldron, a Miss Fabry. He said she's the daughter of the owner of the Fabry Mining Company. Out of sympathy for poor folk like us, she's allowing anyone with a Travelers' Bank account to invest in the mining business through simple wire transfers! My friend has already made thirteen shillings from that account, but I can't help but worry... Is this scheme really trustworthy? The returns that the esteemed Miss Fabry is offering are..."

He rambled on, recounting the details of "Miss Fabry's mining business." In truth, apart from the correct bank account numbers and profit margins, the rest of the story was so embellished that for a moment, Jenkins wondered if someone else had started a similar scheme.

What was even more terrifying was that a full third of the people attending the night class had heard a similar story.

He was still managing the dozen or so accounts in batches, but the cash flow was so immense, and the lag between transfers so significant, that even he had lost track of exactly how many people were depositing money.

Thinking about his current total assets, Jenkins suddenly had the unsettling feeling that the scheme had taken on a life of its own, holding him captive.

"Miss Fabry's mining business... yes, I've heard some things about it."

Fini, who was sitting at the very end of the front row, offered a smile.

Jenkins, in both his past life and present, was no expert in economic theory. He knew full well that his so-called mining business was nothing more than a crude pyramid scheme—robbing Peter to pay Paul. Letting it continue would do him no good whatsoever. Therefore, his intent in answering was to subtly warn people of the immense risk and dissuade them from participating.

After Jenkins had talked in circles and finally arrived at the conclusion that "it can be profitable, but the risks are substantial," the man who had asked the question cut straight to the point:

"So, sir, what you're saying is, if I invest my own money, I really can get a return!"

The question left Jenkins speechless. He realized with a sinking feeling that his subtle warning had been completely lost on most of them.

"Yes, but the risks are substantial. Extremely so!"

He emphasized the point again, his voice firm, but judging by the excited expressions on their faces, few were willing to turn down the promise of profit so close at hand.

Miraculously, Chocolate awoke during the latter half of the lesson. The cat usually snoozed on a desk in the front row right up until Jenkins dismissed the class.

Having woken up early, the cat had nothing to do. It knew full well that causing a disturbance now would provoke a certain someone's wrath. Its gaze fell upon the nearby Fini Faithford, who was struggling to copy her notes—she was still learning to read and write. The cat padded over to her side. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel(ꜰ)ire.net

One glance at the pitiful little notebook was enough to make the cat shake its head. It wasn't just the atrocious handwriting; Chocolate spotted several glaring errors immediately. Although Jenkins considered it an illiterate cat with a disdain for mathematics, having spent so much time with the writer, its mathematical abilities were actually quite sharp. It just found the subject dreadfully boring.

Letting out a soft meow, it casually swiped a paw across the desk, and miraculously, several letters in the notebook rearranged themselves.

A look of smug satisfaction settled on the cat's face.

A sudden heavy snowfall forced Jenkins to dismiss his night class early. Even with streetlights installed on the main thoroughfares, navigating the city's inner roads at night was still a treacherous affair.

As a result, Jenkins needed to find something to occupy his time before his combat lesson with Miss Bevanna began.

He soon found his diversion. While crossing the church courtyard through the falling snow, clutching the notebook that held his lesson plans, he spotted Miss Audrey standing in a cloister, gazing up at the sky. It was an unusual sight; the follower of Destiny rarely visited the Sage's Church.

She was wearing a shawl with a white fleece collar, making her stand out quite conspicuously against the darkness.

"Good evening, Miss Audrey."

He initiated the greeting. Seeing that Jenkins intended to stop and chat, the cat on his shoulder leaped nimbly to the ground and darted off into the darkness.

"Good evening, Jenkins."

The woman glanced at his attire, easily guessing what he had just been doing.

"It's fortunate I ran into you; this saves me the trouble of sending a messenger. Are you free the night after tomorrow?"

Jenkins mentally reviewed his schedule. Mr. Hood's gathering was on Thursday, a dinner party on Saturday, and the Corpse Gentleman's meeting on Sunday. As it happened, the night after tomorrow was indeed the only evening he had free.

Was this the power of a diviner, he wondered, to so accurately pinpoint the only available time?

"Of course. I'm always available."

"Excellent. Our divination lessons will begin this Friday night. I've borrowed a rather interesting Series B Extraordinary item from the Church of the Unlit Moon. I'm hopeful it will help improve our inspirational divination."

Miss Audrey had been invited to the church to perform a divination for them. The temporary silence from the vampires and the Evil God's scion didn't mean they had vanished completely. Though Jenkins's own schedule had been quiet, it was, in fact, still a perilous time.

Bound by a confidentiality pact, Miss Audrey couldn't tell Jenkins precisely what was happening. She did, however, hint that the Orthodox Church had discovered the secret behind the vampires' repeated successful escapes.

After bidding Miss Audrey farewell, Jenkins found Chocolate back in his room. He rested for a short while, and when the time was right, he rose and made his way to Miss Bevanna's office.

He knocked, and upon receiving permission, turned the handle. Miss Bevanna wasn't working; instead, she was sitting on the sofa, toying with a closed fan. It was clearly a lady's fan, its surface made of silk and brocade, and adorned with long feathers from a bird Jenkins couldn't identify.

"This is a new special item the Church confiscated today. It's connected to that old junk shop. It's due to be transferred to the special items office shortly."

Miss Bevanna explained, then smiled at Jenkins.

"Care to guess what it does? It's quite amusing."