Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 996

In the dark bedroom, the sound of the man's breathing was the most distinct thing. The cat was desperate for something to eat, but it knew it couldn't wake Jenkins.

Although Jenkins wasn't quite like the princess from the "Stranger's Story Collection" who could feel a pea beneath a pile of mattresses, he was exceptionally sensitive to whether or not a cat was on the pillow beside him.

Chocolate stared wide-eyed at its target for a long moment before, as if having made a decision, it slowly retracted its head, curling back into a ball. But its paws were rhythmically kneading the bedsheet, inching its body smoothly toward the edge of the bed.

Ten minutes later, without startling Jenkins, Chocolate finally reached the edge. Just as it was preparing to "tumble" off the bed with a graceful flip, a hand shot out, grabbed the cat, and pulled it back to the pillow.

"Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."

Jenkins mumbled the sleepy instruction, then immediately fell back asleep. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs NoveI-Fire.ɴet

From the cat's expression, it was easy to tell that it was now very unhappy. It pretended to be asleep, peeking at Jenkins through slitted eyes. After a long while, it finally closed them for real.

The little cat knew its chance for the night was gone. The writer sleeping beside it was just that sharp sometimes.

The next morning, it was Chocolate that woke him. It leaped directly onto Jenkins's chest, attempting to use him as a springboard to get to the floor. At first, Jenkins thought the cat had spotted the neighbor's pet chicken and wanted to go out and play, but he soon realized it was just trying to sneak in an extra meal before breakfast. It had developed a keen interest in last night's fruit.

Chocolate, however, wouldn't stop pestering him, and Jenkins felt that the rind was a bit too thick and hard. So, he placed it on the cutting board, picked up a kitchen knife, and sliced down.

Anticipating that the fruit might be difficult to cut, Jenkins had used a fair bit of force. But as the blade descended, he felt no sensation of it cutting into anything at all.

He lifted the knife and saw a white mark on the rind that was rapidly fading. He glanced at the blade, then at the cat, whose face was full of expectation. Jenkins raised the kitchen utensil high, let out a low grunt, and brought it down with a powerful chop.

With a deafening sound, the cutting board and knife that had served Jenkins for half a year were utterly ruined. The black fruit, propelled by the kinetic energy, slid onto the floor.

Tossing aside the piece of scrap metal in his hand, he bent down to pick it up. He blinked, and then he saw it—a blue spiritual glow.

"Oh, so that's what it is... Weren't these supposed to be ordinary fruits?"

Chocolate sensed that its prize was now drifting far, far away from it.

The church library could probably tell him the origin of this fruit. With that in mind, Jenkins cut his breakfast short and headed to the church before making his way to Pops Antique Shop.

He was now a Level 4 Enchanter, which granted him access to more materials in the Secret Trace Library. The Keeper of Secrets was surprised to see Jenkins so early but opened the great doors for him nonetheless.

There weren't many fruits that emitted such a strong spiritual glow. Jenkins searched from the first floor of the library to the third, spending nearly an hour before he finally found a matching illustration on a shelf marked "Extraordinary Items" on the third floor.

The fruit's proper name was the "Fruit of Ennialaris," named after the elf who had first discovered it.

The church's books weren't very detailed in their description, mentioning only that the fruit's shell was incredibly hard. But once cracked open, the pulp, when applied externally, had the power to regenerate severed limbs.

The text speculated that the fruit might be related to an extinct exotic species known as the "Undying Lizard," as its rind bore a striking resemblance to the creature's skin, but there was no evidence to support such a bold conjecture.

"Limb regeneration? My Life Source ability can more or less do that."

At that thought, Jenkins's interest in the fruit plummeted to zero. He then tried to look up "Mr. Hunt's Fruit Platter," but the church's records offered nothing different from what MrBirchwood had told him when he sold the item.

Jenkins suddenly grew curious about MrBirchwood. How on earth had he found that platter? But he was already dead...

"I remember Papa Oliver saying that the Secret Trace Library keeps a backup list of illegal Enchanters who die each month. Maybe I can find something about MrBirchwood."

Even though most illegal Enchanters were looked down upon by the church, the institution still ensured their privacy was protected after death. The library only listed their names, with no information related to their real lives. So, Jenkins went directly to the Keeper of Secrets and asked where those confidential files were kept.

The Keeper of Secrets didn't even ask what Jenkins wanted. He simply pushed the Hall of All Things open a little wider.

This time, the space behind the door resembled a narrow crypt. A single, small bookshelf stood within, holding information on every illegal Enchanter the church had recorded as having died in Nolan over the past decade.

MrBirchwood's file was found quickly. Jenkins committed the information to memory, then bid farewell to the Keeper of Secrets, intending to head back to Pops Antique Shop.

Just as he entered the main sanctuary from the rear courtyard, he came face-to-face with the Bishop, who was speaking with another old priest. The Bishop signaled for Jenkins to wait, and after finishing his discussion about next week's mass, he called Jenkins over to a secluded corner.

"We've received word that the Queen's health has taken a sharp turn for the worse. Your ennoblement ceremony... I'm afraid it will have to be postponed for some time."

The Bishop's voice was heavy, his expression fraught with worry. He was likely concerned about the matters of war and peace.

"That's fine," Jenkins replied, stroking his cat to keep it still. "I don't really mind, and I have no desire to leave Nolan for any long journeys anytime soon."

"That's good... There's one other thing. I don't know if you saw this morning's paper, but the Hamparvo Kingdom has taken the lead in establishing a national Department of Banking. While its duties partially overlap with the old Ministry of Finance, its jurisdiction is much broader. I suspect both Cheslan and our own kingdom will announce the formation of similar departments by the end of the month. What we're worried about now is that the kingdom will summon you to Bel Diran, using your noble title as a pretense to make you an official government employee."

The Bishop looked deeply troubled by this possibility. His brow furrowed as he spoke, a gesture that seemed to age him considerably.