Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 642

After receiving the large sum of money, Jenkins didn't forget to "repay" the ten thousand pounds he had misappropriated. Of course, the public excuse was that it was a donation. Though he was reluctant to publicize the matter, feeling it wasn't exactly honorable, some busybody still managed to summon reporters, who captured the moment he d 9,999 pounds.

Considering the donation was made through the church, eliminating any possibility of embezzlement or skimming, Jenkins quietly added a one-pound gold coin to the suitcase, bringing the total donation to a round 10,000 pounds.

"So I didn't take so much as a single copper from this whole affair."

He told himself this, and while he didn't feel his character had been elevated in any way, he still considered himself an honest man.

Friday morning was still snowy, and the sky remained dark and gloomy. The air quality was clearly unsuitable for going out, thick with a strange, pungent odor. This was probably unrelated to the power of the heretical god's child; it seemed the Air Protection Act hadn't been fully implemented.

In the morning, he visited the Silver Jasmine Opera Troupe with Miss Mikhail and Hathaway. Mr. Nelly was very pleased with the first draft of the opera's libretto that Jenkins had submitted.

The afternoon was spent at a warm, comfortable club. The overly plush chairs made Jenkins drowsy, and indeed, he fell asleep again, but he didn't have any strange dreams.

The only sound in the room was the crackling of the fire in the hearth. Miss Mikhail looked up from her book, tilting her head to watch Jenkins's sleeping face.

After a moment, she stood up and walked over to Hathaway, who was at the desk. She placed a finger to her lips, signaling for silence, then beckoned for her to come out of the room with her.

"Is something wrong, Briny?"

The corridor was empty, so the two of them stood by a window to talk. Outside, snowflakes drifted down in a flurry; inside, Miss Mikhail was filled with apprehension.

"The winter trip starts next week."

She didn't dare look Hathaway in the eyes. Although she still hadn't made a final decision about the choice her father had presented, she had resolved not to let this opportunity pass. It was better for one of them to gain freedom than for both to fall into the abyss. But that meant one of the two women in the corridor would have to... with the man in the room.

"Yes, have you finished packing? I remember last year you forgot an important suitcase and ended up... not having enough to wear, and had to wear..."

Hathaway's voice trailed off as she spoke. She knitted her delicate brows slightly and looked at the blonde girl standing opposite her:

"What is it, Briny? Is there a problem with the trip this time?"

"No, it's fine. I just wanted to say..."

Miss Mikhail finally steeled herself, lifted her head, and bravely met Hathaway's eyes:

"I just wanted to say that this trip will be an excellent opportunity to get closer to Jenkins..."

"What are you talking about?"

In a rare move, Hathaway cut Miss Mikhail off, something she had never done before.

"Jenkins is already our friend. I think even his cat knows that. Briny, what are you trying to say?"

Realizing her tone had been a bit harsh, she reached out as she spoke and brushed a stray lock of hair from the flustered blonde's forehead.

Miss Mikhail flinched, then weakly placed her hands on the red-haired girl's shoulders:

"No, I just meant... for our future, it's very important to have the support of a powerful and influential friend. Yes, that's what I meant."

Hathaway didn't respond, leaning forward slightly. Miss Mikhail immediately understood and pulled her into an embrace.

The two of them held each other in silence until a strange noise from downstairs made them part.

"Hathaway, maybe I was being too sensitive. Yes, I shouldn't have such strange ideas about Jenkins."

She apologized softly.

"There's no need to apologize. You're also thinking about our future."

Hathaway replied gently, seeing that her lover's smile was forced.

She knew very well that Jenkins would never make a move on Briny, and the meaning behind what she'd just said was strange no matter how she thought about it, almost like she was testing the waters.

"What on earth is going on?"

There was no need to tell Jenkins about this brief conversation. She decided to investigate it herself:

"Yes, since those words weren't what she truly meant, and it's impossible that Jenkins did anything, then the only possibility left is—Marquis Mikhail!"

In the evening, he met with his middleman, the Clown, in the black market. The Clown regretfully informed him that there was still no news about the thousand-year-old tree heart he had requested, so Jenkins would have to keep waiting patiently. But Jenkins wasn't in a hurry. The potion wasn't essential at the moment; he was simply intensely curious about it.

When he met the huntress, she looked rather exhausted. Jenkins hoped it had nothing to do with his commission, otherwise the woman would find some roundabout way to ask for more money.

"I hope your investigation was worth the five-figure commission fee."

He reached for the file folder on the table. It was much thinner than Jenkins had expected.

"You can rest assured. For the sake of your blasted commission, I haven't taken any other jobs all week. I have to say, I completely underestimated how much trouble this would be from the start. I seem to be on a streak of bad luck lately. That wretched Miss Fabry cost me twelve shillings!"

Jenkins had absolutely no intention of commenting on that matter.

"Don't tell me you were discovered by those dreadful aberrations during your investigation."

"No, I don't think so. It's just that I ran into one tricky thing after another during the investigation, as if someone knew about your commission and was deliberately trying to obstruct it. But thankfully, everything worked out in the end."

Jenkins wasn't surprised by what the huntress pointed out. The vampires held that mirror, an object that was practically all-knowing, so naturally, they could foresee danger by questioning it. Unfortunately for them, the huntress's investigation stemmed from Jenkins's commission. And now that he possessed the Lie Godhood, the mirror's "omniscience" was far less effective when it came to matters involving him.

Therefore, they knew someone was investigating, but they had no idea who it was or what methods were being used.

"East District, Hammerhead Street, Apartment 13." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on ɴovelfire.net

He skipped past the details of the investigation and went straight to the conclusion.

"Yes, I can confirm that's the source of the flu. I don't know if they're the aberrations you're looking for, but this winter's unusual flu definitely started with that household."