Mulling over Old Dad’s words, Jenkins found himself gaining a different kind of understanding, even though he was already aware of most of it.
“You're a fifth-level Enchanter now, which is why I can tell you this. Don't repeat our conversation tonight to anyone—human or otherwise. You understand the secrecy of this matter.”
Old Dad cautioned.
“Fifth-level? Oh, right. But I'm level six now. After killing that vampire this afternoon, it seems the world credited with resolving the [Blood Mosquito Curse]. Even though I didn't eliminate the curse at its source, I don't think it will appear again in this Epoch. After all, there aren't many years left in it.”
Jenkins was lying. In truth, he had only gained a very small amount of Spirit.
“Level six? That's fast! Rember to get it registered. You can learn a new ability now. I recall you've always been fond of the [Aegis of Books]. A divine art of that difficulty is just right for a sixth-level Enchanter. You are the Saint of the Sage, after all, and you haven't mastered many divine arts.”
Old Dad had grown accustod to Jenkins's rapid advancent. He was surprised but not puzzled. Skirting past the subject, Jenkins asked another question:
“So, how many Saviors are there supposed to be in this era?”
“According to the records in the [Millstone of Fate], which is in the keeping of the Church of Destiny and Equilibrium, there are nine Saviors in the eighteenth Epoch.”
“And how many have the Orthodox Churches found so far?”
This was the question that truly concerned Jenkins. The number the churches had found, combined with his own, would help him calculate the arrival of the final day. The cat, curled into a ball and feigning sleep, cracked open an eye to glance at him, as if finding him incredibly dull.
“Now that's a secret.”
Old Dad remarked, but he didn't say he didn't know the answer. This only further hinted at the kind of past he'd had within the Church.
“I know you might think the Twelve Orthodox Churches have already found most of the Saviors. It's a matter of utmost importance, after all, and their influence covers nearly the entire world. But in fact, the opposite is true. Saviors can be divided into two types. The truly orthodox ones are natural-born Saviors, aning the Soul Essence Ability they awaken as an Enchanter is what defines their status as a Savior. However, there are special thods that allow one to acquire a Savior's ability later, letting it overwrite the very core of their soul. We've learned that the Believers of Lies are masters of such techniques. As it stands, most of the known Saviors belong to them.
The most famous and confird ones are the frequently seen [Twin Demons] and the [Undying Man] born in the Evergreen Forest. Beyond that, nurous clues suggest Miss Fabry is the [Real Illusion], and the fraud she perpetrated was just the tip of the iceberg of so grander ritual. There are no leads on [Fate's Stage] for now. The Believers of Lies have shown traits of [The Stranger], and [Hero] was clearly obtained by the person who stopped the Nolan tsunami a month ago. The Church managed to retrieve information from a clay tablet held by the Tree House mber who confronted him.”
Old Dad went through the details one by one, all of which Jenkins already knew. In reality, no one was more familiar with these matters than Jenkins himself.
“So, that's six of them. What are the remaining three?”
Jenkins asked with keen interest.
“One belongs to destiny, one to life, and one to spells. The one of twisted destiny has likely also been claid by the Believers of Lies, as their fates are always so bizarre that not even the diviners of the Church of Destiny and Order can predict them...”
Jenkins couldn't agree with that point. He hadn't actively acquired any Savior's Emblem related to destiny.
“The qualification representing spells is just beginning to surface, but we don't have specifics yet. The one of vigorous life is the only Savior the Church has a lead on, and also the only natural-born Savior to have appeared in this Epoch so far.”
“Who is that?”
Jenkins probed nervously. That would be his rival.
“Yes, who could that be?”
Old Dad said softly, his eyes narrowing until the wrinkles at their corners stood out. His two white eyebrows curved slightly as his gaze fixed on Jenkins.
“ow~”
Chocolate stirred, leaping from the desk to the floor and then onto Jenkins's lap. Tilting its head back, it squinted and nudged its little head against Jenkins's hand, as if trying to prompt the sowhat dense man.
“Who could it be?”
Old Dad asked again, the aning in his eyes so potent it could have ford tangible words. There was no need for concealnt anymore. The Believers of Lies were nearing their showdown, the final days were approaching, and the ti was now.
“That... it couldn't be , could it?”
Jenkins, who had only wanted to hear so news, was stunned. But then, he finally understood.
“Think about it. Who else could it be but you?”
Jenkins had never thought there was anything special about his Soul Essence Ability, [Life Source], which ca from this body's bloodline. Not even after it had evolved twice, not even when its healing effects were better than any similar ability he had ever heard of... Yes, this ability was indeed very special.
The day after hearing this news, Old Dad and Jenkins went to the Church. There, from the old Keeper of Secrets, Elder Wood Broshier, they learned most of the details about the Savior ability, [World Tree Seedling].
“This was the first Savior ability foreseen by the [Millstone of Fate], and also the one with the most detailed information released by the Church of Destiny and Order.”
The Church of Destiny had not shared all of its intelligence, so even the Sage Church was, until now, unaware of the ability's na, [The Unknown Path].
“The child of elves reappears in the material world, Contact Treatnt soothes all living things; Breath of Healing scatters to the corners of the earth, Life Source awakens the prival fount. This is the information those diviners were willing to provide. When I first heard it, I thought it was another one of those baffling prophetic verses, but now it seems they were being quite straightforward.”
The old Keeper of Secrets looked at Jenkins:
“It points directly to you.”
“You are the descendant of an elven priest, the Williatte with the most pronounced ancestral traits in this generation, and the only living Enchanter of the Middleton family. It can only be you.”
Old Dad added.
They made a convincing case. Although the Middleton family also had another Enchanter descendant in Miss Capet, the ability's description was an almost perfect match for Jenkins.
“Once your ability evolves again, you will obtain the [World Tree Seedling]. The Church has found ancient docunts describing it as an exceedingly rare ability, one in a million, that only appeared among the ancient elven royalty. With it, you can manipulate nearly all the life force in this world.”
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