Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 610

The situation had been incredibly awkward. Jenkins had originally planned to ask Miss Audrey for another divination after the lesson, but he was too embarrassed to linger in the lady's home any longer. He couldn't comprehend what future the vision he'd seen foretold. Perhaps it was just a mental image produced by this body's normal physiological reactions.

John's year-end exams were set to begin on Wednesday of that week, but Jenkins only needed to accompany him to the school on Friday.

It was the last exam of the year. Jenkins wasn't quite sure what the subjects were, but from the look on John's face, he wasn't the least bit worried about the upcoming test.

He left the church early with a rather drowsy cat and had breakfast with his family on Maidenhaven Road. Newman Williams was home as well; with the year drawing to a close, his academic trips with the professor were finally over.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, absolutely not."

John shook his head, refusing while chewing on a pastry. Jenkins was young enough that he could pass for a fellow student if he went to the school, but if the considerably more mature-looking Newman showed up, his friends would surely find out that he still needed his family to escort him to his exams. John would never allow such an embarrassing thing to happen. If he could, he wouldn't even want Jenkins to come along.

According to the kingdom's customs, children living away from home were not allowed to return for the end-of-year festival during their first year. So, Mary briefly went over the arrangements for Monday's festival with Jenkins. They would need to visit the graves of his grandfather and grandmother in the cemetery. After that, Jenkins would be free to enjoy his first end-of-year festival away from home.

"Did you get a new pocket watch?"

The Joël Bridge was temporarily closed after nearly being destroyed, and Jenkins worried the whole way that the detour would make them late for the exam. His frequent checking of the time finally drew John's attention to the fact that it was a lady's pocket watch.

"Oh, yes. The one you gave me was accidentally broken by Chocolate. I haven't had a chance to get it repaired yet."

The cat, who had been dozing on his lap, opened its eyes and looked up at him. Noticing Chocolate's movement, Jenkins lowered his head to look at his cat. A few seconds later, it rested its head back down, closed its eyes, and resumed its nap.

"I heard the watchmaker's near the Travelers' Bank has closed down. You might try Charles's Mechanical Shop in the southern district. Miss Hood told me they're very skilled at repairing pocket watches, and their prices are quite reasonable,"

Jenkins teased, "I don't mean to pry into your private life, but if you and this Miss Hood are truly fond of each other, you should take the initiative and propose. Don't end up like me, still being nagged to get married at my age." Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel·fiɾe·net

John thought to himself. He just smiled at his brother, not continuing the topic, and turned to look out the window at the vast riverbank.

The Westminster River, usually bustling with boats, was completely frozen over. In the distance, they could see a few people walking on the ice.

Every winter, City Hall would warn people against such dangerous activities. But crossing the river directly was much shorter than taking the bridge, so no one could stop the more daring citizens from doing so.

As children, the three Williams brothers had also walked on the river's frozen surface, and had been lucky enough to never have an accident.

As Jenkins continued reading his newspaper, he suddenly felt John tug at his sleeve.

"I think someone fell into the water,"

he said, his voice laced with anxiety.

By the time the carriage brought them across the bridge and to the riverbank, a large crowd of onlookers had already gathered. Amid the chaotic chatter, the two learned that the ice had suddenly cracked, and two children had plunged into the river. They still hadn't resurfaced.

"Maybe they can't swim?"

Looking out, they could see several men lying flat on the ice, trying to find the children beneath the hole, but it was a futile effort. Even in winter, the Westminster River was well over twenty feet deep at this point.

Although both Jenkins and John could swim, there was nothing they could do to help in this situation. They watched for a moment before setting off again. On the way, they heard the coachman sigh. He was over forty and had grown up in Nolan, and he heard about things every year.

"That's why we never drive the carriage over the ice. It might be faster, but a carriage weighs several times more than a single person."

This wasn't something for Jenkins to lament or mourn. People had to take responsibility for their own decisions. If no one had been around, he wouldn't have minded slipping on his black robe and playing the hero for a moment, but with a crowd watching, he would never take such a risk.

John's school was an institution for the nobility, a fact made obvious by its tuition fees. In the end, his pride got the better of him, and he didn't let Jenkins see him all the way to the school gate, instead having the carriage stop a block away.

"Alright, but if Mother asks..."

"We arrived at the school together,"

"Good enough. Well then, good luck with your exam."

"Alright, thanks. See you on Monday. And I hope you don't give me another cheap mug as a gift!"

he shouted before disappearing into the crowd of students, not giving Jenkins a chance to retort.

When he yawned his way into Pops Antique Shop, he was greeted with some unexpected news. The church investigators looking into George Liverpool had discovered that the young man had vanished.

It had happened just last night. Liverpool, who should have returned to his rented apartment, never came home. And when investigators went to the St. Chekhov Institute of Steam Power Technology this morning, there was no sign of him there either.

"Could it have been Miss Lawrence's family...?"

he said, raising a hand and drawing it across his neck.

"No, it wasn't that,"

Papa Oliver shook his head. "The key isn't Liverpool, but the St. Chekhov Institute of Steam Power Technology. We made a major, unexpected discovery while investigating your request. I believe you remember when we went to that alley by the Stress family's home to buy an antique."

On that occasion, both of them had felt as if they were plagued by bad luck.

"That afternoon we visited, one end of the alley had been sealed off with a hastily built brick wall to prevent passersby from noticing anything unusual. We were never able to track down the young men who built it, not until an investigator went to the St. Chekhov Institute of Steam Power Technology. Oh, that name is far too long. In any case, I suppose it was the Sage granting us a bit of luck."