Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 700

"This one's on me. I appreciate customers like you."

Seeing Jenkins's confusion, the bartender explained with a smile.

"Oh, that's very kind of you."

The complimentary drink wasn't just water; the bartender wasn't that stingy. Jenkins took a cautious sip and found the taste to be quite pleasant.

Even Chocolate stretched its neck, wanting a share, but the glass was small, and Jenkins finished it in a single gulp.

The cat meowed in protest.

After downing the drink, a wave of drowsiness washed over him amidst the melodious music. His eyelids grew irresistibly heavy. Even as he was talking with his companion, his consciousness began to sink, irretrievably.

Julia took another sip of her juice, a little puzzled that Jenkins hadn't immediately replied. She looked over and saw that the man had already slumped onto the table, fast asleep.

"Mr. Williams must have a lot on his mind," she mused. "After all, he faces so many dangers."

Dreams are the strangest of things. Plunging once more into the dreamscape, Jenkins had no awareness that he was dreaming this time. This was highly unusual; after all, even when the Star Spirits guided him to the astral plane in his sleep, he could always sense it.

"Hey, is everyone here?"

Warrior Jenkins, wielding a legendary sword, stood before a table in a tavern and posed the question.

Bard Hathaway held her harp, her gaze gentle as she looked at him. Young Cleric Fini nervously clutched the hem of her robes, but her face was full of determination. Wizard Alexia cradled an azure magic cube, runes swirling within it. Archer Stuart held her ice-carved longbow, eager to begin their adventure.

And on the table lay a lazy cat, who was actually Chocolate the druid. This team of five people and one cat was setting out to slay the dragon that dwelled in the mountains.

They encountered numerous dangers along the way, but the six of them worked together and overcame every obstacle. When Jenkins's sword finally plunged into the dragon's throat, they all cheered in triumph.

By then, he had started to feel that something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The group followed him into the dragon's lair, stepping over piles of gold coins and past the cage where a princess was held captive, until they saw the treasure chest resting in the deepest part of the cavern. The source of thɪs content is N()velFire.net

"Go on," everyone said in unison.

Jenkins strode forward and lifted the jewel-encrusted lid of the chest, only to find a single slip of paper lying inside. He picked it up and saw that it was written in a script he couldn't understand. The characters were long and slender, like delicate green leaves or blades of grass, or perhaps like tightly coiled vines.

Chocolate the druid offered a reminder, and because Warrior Jenkins also possessed elven blood, he could understand the cat's words.

"Oh, that's right! I'm a descendant of pure-blooded elves. This is Elvish!"

He suddenly realized and read the words on the paper aloud:

[The Player (White Basic)]

"An ability? Am I dreaming...? It seems I really am."

It felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head, and he was instantly wide awake. Everything around him began to crumble. His friends waved goodbye to him. At the very end of the shattering dreamscape stood a colossal, towering tree...

He opened his eyes and pushed himself up from the table, staring blankly at Julia, who sat across from him.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Half an hour. Did you have a nightmare, Mr. Williams? You look quite pale."

The maid instinctively reached to find a towel to wipe his brow, only to remember they were in a tavern.

"I... I had a strange dream. Yes, I remember now! There was something wrong with that drink—the one the bartender gave me!"

He shot up, ready to confront the bartender, but Julia held him back, asking with a look of confusion:

"I'm sorry, but what are you referring to? Did the bartender give you a complimentary drink?"

There were only four glasses on the table, remnants of their two orders. He looked up toward the bar and saw that the bartender wasn't a middle-aged man at all, but a white-haired old man. Noticing Jenkins's gaze, he even offered a polite nod.

"Oh, for the Sage's sake," he groaned, summoning his ability motes. [The Player (White Basic)] was now clearly among them.

According to his Eye of Reality, the elderly bartender before him was just an ordinary person, completely unrelated to the middle-aged man Jenkins had seen earlier.

"I'm sorry. I think I've run into a bit of trouble."

He picked up his glass with a somber air and drained the rest of the juice.

"No, perhaps 'trouble' isn't the right word," he added before Julia could ask. He hadn't suffered any loss; on the contrary, he had gained an ability for free.

Unable to comprehend what had just happened, he could only bid Julia farewell, take his cat, and return to the speeding steam train. Julia stared at Jenkins's empty seat for a moment, then pulled her cloak back on and stepped out into the deep, snowy night.

The old bartender's movements, wiping a glass, paused only after Julia had completely vanished. He looked over at the young musician by the wall, still strumming his harp.

The musician finished his melody before sauntering over to the bar, where the bartender handed him a glass of plain water.

"That Eye of his is truly formidable," the musician complained in a low voice. "If it weren't for the great Lord's blessing, I would have been completely exposed in his presence. I never thought this mission to the material world would be so complicated. And what was with that cat of his? I felt like it saw right through me."

"I don't know anything. I'm just an ordinary human bartender. I have nothing to do with you pointy-eared folk."

The old man chuckled and started wiping another glass. The musician brushed his hair aside, revealing a pair of pointed ears, a sight that went completely unnoticed by the other humans in the tavern.

"Alright, if you don't wish to speak of it, I won't pry. But is that all? Just giving him that ability?"

"It is. Your mission is complete. You may enjoy a holiday in the human world before returning home, but don't cause any trouble for me."

"Of course. I understand. That's simple enough."

With that, they looked at each other and simultaneously traced a sacred emblem over their chests:

"May the Lord of Blossoms protect you for eternity."

The train soon carried its weary travelers back to Nolan City. Breathing in the familiar, grimy air, Jenkins felt a strange pang of nostalgia for the smell.

At the train station, he shared an awkward farewell hug with Briny, Hathaway, and Miss Lawrence. He stood under a streetlamp at the station entrance, suitcase in hand, watching their carriage disappear into the night. Only then did he turn and, at the next corner, board a carriage from the Church that had come to meet him.