Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 969

The morning passed without any customers. Papa Oliver took stock of the decorative items prepared for the art exhibition, and at noon, he met with an elderly man who had come to inspect the goods.

The man was quite pleased with the shipment and repeatedly warned Jenkins to be extremely careful when escorting the antiques the next day.

After lunch, Papa Oliver brought over a thick book titled 'Dark Forces: Defense and Counterattack' for Jenkins to study as preparatory material for his advancement to Level 4. Meanwhile, Papa Oliver stood at the counter, studying the tattoos from the balrog Jenkins had brought in, though most of the patterns and symbols held no real significance.

Around three o'clock, Chocolate finished the snack Jenkins had prepared for him and began to wander around Jenkins's arm to aid his digestion. The cat's attention was first captured by a new kerosene lamp at the other end of the counter, where he paused to observe his distorted reflection in the glass shade. Then, he hopped down to investigate a dust-covered display case tucked away in a corner of the shop. The most update n0vels are published on NoveIＦire.net

The display case had been empty ever since Jenkins first set foot in the shop; Papa Oliver claimed he still hadn't found a suitable item to display for sale.

Seeing that Jenkins wasn't going to pay him any mind, the cat finally hopped up into the display window to settle down. There were only two items in the window of Pops Antique Shop. One was a complete suit of knight's armor mounted on a special stand, one of the most valuable antiques in the store. The other was an enamel and silver-inlaid snuff box, resting on a soft cushion beneath a glass cloche. Though also valuable, this item was technically a modern work of art, displayed simply because its beauty was good for attracting customers.

It was Thursday afternoon, and Fifth Queen's Avenue wasn't very crowded. The Young Flower Seller passed by the window, glancing curiously at the cat, but unfortunately, Jenkins was too engrossed in his transcribing to notice her.

A gentleman with a walking cane passed by the window without a single glance inside. A short while later, a slow-moving carriage rolled past. One of its wheels happened to strike a protruding cobblestone, causing the carriage to jolt violently.

Next to the gas lamp stood a rusty postbox. Beside it, steam billowed from a crack between the cobblestones—a normal sight, as the underground steam pipes needed to vent regularly to stabilize the pressure.

Beyond the plume of steam, a familiar carriage emerged from the misty street in the distance.

Though somewhat displeased, Chocolate still let out an obedient meow to alert Jenkins. Jenkins didn't understand the feline language, of course, but after living with the cat for more than half a year, he had grown familiar with its behavior.

"Customers," Jenkins murmured. "And familiar ones, at that."

He announced this to Papa Oliver, who, knowing the unusual nature of the cat that had once consumed a Potion of Animal Intelligence, began clearing the papers marked with strange runes from the table.

Two minutes later, two young women stepped out of the carriage that had stopped in front of the antique shop. A maid had already alighted to open the shop door for them. Briny entered first, with Hathaway close behind.

"Good afternoon, welcome to Pops Antique Shop. How may I help..."

From behind the counter, Papa Oliver nudged Jenkins in the back.

"Oh, Briny, you look lovely today. Hathaway, good afternoon—that hair pin really suits you."

Everyone in the antique shop smiled with satisfaction.

After the blonde young woman produced a pearl necklace from a silk-lined box, Papa Oliver tactfully announced that he needed to go to the appraisal room on the second floor, leaving the young people to themselves.

The maid at the entrance closed the door, leaving Jenkins alone in the shop with his friends.

Both Hathaway and Briny had come to see Jenkins, but they hadn't planned to arrive together. They had run into each other by chance at the intersection of St. George Avenue and Woodward Walk.

The red-haired young woman had been in a sweet shop at the corner buying a cake for Chocolate as a gift for her visit, and as it turned out, Briny had the very same idea. That was how they had happened to meet.

Two exquisite paper cake boxes with handles were placed on the counter. The cat hesitated for a moment, then padded over to sniff them before leaping back onto Jenkins's shoulder.

He already knew what was inside, and since the young ladies certainly wouldn't be taking the cakes with them, it made no difference when he ate them.

The cat was in no hurry.

Jenkins wasn't sure why either of the young ladies had intended to visit him, but now that they had arrived together, he knew certain topics were definitely off the table.

Briny began by formally thanking him for the events at the opera house the previous Sunday. Although Duke Antak had only used the prospect of marrying her as a pretext to challenge Jenkins to a duel, most people were unaware of the truth. Now that Jenkins had won, he had gained more than just fame.

Hathaway, for her part, wanted to invite Jenkins to discuss the opera again. The premiere was over, but any news about it had been completely drowned out by the scandal with Duke Antak, the plague, and major diplomatic events.

But that didn't mean the libretto they had written together lacked artistic merit, and she wanted to discuss it further with him.

The relationship between the two ladies and Jenkins was now quite delicate. To put it simply, both young women liked him, but neither wanted the other to know the extent of her feelings.

Briny, unaware of Hathaway's feelings, hoped to gently ease her friend into accepting her relationship with Jenkins. Hathaway, on the other hand, understood everything perfectly. Worried about the future, she wanted Jenkins to propose to Briny first, and only then allow herself to grow closer to him.

It was as complicated as a tangled mess of thread. Jenkins wanted to take the initiative, but he found it difficult to see where to even begin.

Since both young women were present, he had intended to invite them to dinner over the weekend, but Briny spoke up before he had the chance.

"Jenkins, are you free next week? I'd like to invite you on a country outing. A lot of people will be there..."

The blonde young woman then turned to Hathaway:

"It's the event Miss Wanda is organizing—a trip to the meadows in the outer suburbs. I think everyone would be delighted if Jenkins could join us."

The red-haired girl nodded absently. She didn't particularly care about the outing; her mind had suddenly drifted to last Sunday night, to the conversation she and Jenkins had shared in her room.

The ladies' visit was as brief as it was sudden. Papa Oliver timed his return perfectly, descending from the second floor only after their carriage had departed.