The thought of entering the black tower a second ti flickered through Jenkins’s mind, only to be dismissed just as quickly.
“No, I should be more cautious. I’ll wait until the Church uncovers more clues before making a move.”
He thought to himself, then watched a group of n in yellow overcoats hurry past. They were machinists from the Church of Creation and Machinery, the backbone of their organization.
“But this wasn’t a complete loss.”
Miss Bevanna’s voice, almost a whisper, ca from right behind him, nearly making Jenkins jump.
“Ever since this black tower appeared, the Church of Earth and Harvest has been monitoring the situation beneath Nolan. According to the latest report, they followed the seismic waves from the tremor and discovered a massive, unnatural cavity deep underground.”
“Is it... that thing?”
“Most likely.”
Miss Bevanna nodded slightly.
“This information is still confidential. Aside from Smith, the Keeper of Secrets who’s been stationed here, and myself, you’re the third person among us to know. Audrey was here just before you arrived. She said she saw an ominous light on the tower, and that it might be connected to the final calamity.”
“Miss Audrey dared to say sothing so direct?”
“She is one of the few demigod-level diviners in the material world now. Besides, the sect she belongs to has always been the most proficient in prophecy within the Church of Destiny. I doubt anyone in the material world, aside from her teacher, Miss Brolignans, would claim to surpass her in the art of divination.”
Miss Bevanna explained, then joined Jenkins and his cat in looking up, trying to see the top of the tower through the swirling mist.
“I can’t imagine... if more of its underground sections surface, will this tower beco the legendary ‘Tower of Babel’?”
Jenkins muttered under his breath.
“We’ll find out soon enough. The twelve churches all agree this tower is of grave importance. With all the elites of this era’s material world assembled, even the most troubleso and hidden problems will eventually be solved.”
The woman behind him said. Seeing that Jenkins’s spirits were still low, she changed the subject.
“Speaking of which, tomorrow is the last day of the month, and also your birthday. I’ll probably be on duty here and won’t be able to wish you well in person, so let be the first to say it: Happy birthday, Jenkins.”
“Oh, my birthday... Yes, it’s tomorrow.”
“Your gift will be delivered to your ho in the morning. I think you’ll like it.”
“Thank you, but you really don’t have to go to such trouble...”
He suddenly rembered sothing else he hadn’t done today. Before leaving this morning, he had promised the young won at ho that he would help prepare for tomorrow’s birthday party.
He groaned softly, clutching his forehead. He sighed at the tower, then looked up again. Jenkins, at the end of the 18th Epoch, truly felt helpless about the current situation.
Although he had co to terms with his identity as an outsider and his relationship with this body, Jenkins always felt that the 21st birthday on June 30th had nothing to do with him. He naturally considered the day he arrived in this world and first t Mr. Barnard to be his real birthday, just as he considered Chocolate’s birthday to be the day he found the cat.
But since everyone else wanted to celebrate his birthday this Sunday, he certainly wouldn't act strangely. So, when he woke up on Sunday morning, even before his cat started owing for breakfast, Jenkins lay with his hands folded strangely on his chest, staring at the familiar ceiling of his bedroom. To his surprise, he actually felt a flicker of anticipation for this special day.
The start of this strange day was marked by an even stranger event. When six o’clock arrived as usual, he turned his head and, for the first ti, didn't see his cat waking up on the pillow beside him.
Just as his heart suddenly hamred with fear, the faint sound of paws padding on the floor reached his ears. A mont later, Chocolate leaped onto the bed, holding sothing in his mouth. Seeing Jenkins staring at him, the cat was so startled that the golden rose he was carrying fell onto the covers.
The petals of the rose overlapped in distinct, beautiful layers. The golden hue deepened from the center outward, creating a stunning effect. There were even dewdrops on the petals, trickling down the thick stem and onto the bedsheets.
“For ?”
Jenkins asked cautiously. He saw Chocolate nod, his tail wagging.
He broke into a smile.
“It looks so familiar~”
He said, scratching Chocolate under the chin. The young cat closed his eyes and let out a comfortable purr.
“This looks like one from the bushes I planted in our backyard, doesn’t it?”
Inspired by cultivating tulips, he had planted other beautiful flowers in the yard. The cat’s gift had clearly been procured from there.
“ow~”
Chocolate kept his eyes squeezed shut, refusing to look Jenkins in the face.
“Never mind, never mind. I’m just happy you thought to get a gift.”
He reached out and stroked his cat’s little head again, imnsely grateful that Chocolate hadn't brought him a dead mouse or sparrow as a present.
After placing the golden rose in the vase by his bed, he washed up and shuffled downstairs in his slippers. To his surprise, at this hour, the three ladies of the house were already seated at the dining table.
He tilted his head and glanced at the wall clock in the living room.
“Why are you all up so early?”
“Because it’s a special day.”
Briny said with a smile, pulling out the chair beside her for Jenkins to sit.
“I’m not used to all this.”
He took the plate Julia handed him, then watched as Hathaway placed a teacup in front of him.
“This is just an ordinary day in my life...”
Seeing the expressions on the three won’s faces shift, he quickly corrected himself.
“Oh, no, what I an is, today is a very special day in my life. It’s the first ti so many beautiful young ladies my age have wanted to celebrate my birthday.”
Smiles returned to their faces, though it was unclear whether it was because of the “first ti” or the “beautiful young ladies.”
“But the birthday dinner is tonight, isn’t it? There’s no need for all this now. I’m a bit uncomfortable.”
As he spoke, Hathaway handed him a knife and fork, Briny stood up to refill his teacup, and Julia passed him the newspaper from the side table.
“See? This is what I’m not used to.”
He said, but the won paid him no mind, simply watching him with gentle smiles. His voice grew quieter and quieter until he finally resigned himself to eating and reading the paper as usual.
“Alright, it’s my birthday, I’ll take care of everything... How about we go see a play at the theater after breakfast?”
Although it was his birthday, Jenkins still felt that, aside from the evening festivities, it was no different from any other day. So, after breakfast, he left the house, promising the ladies he would return as early as possible.
Plunging into the thick morning fog, his first stop was Pops Antique Shop.
Papa Oliver always opened the shop earlier than Jenkins arrived. It seed Jenkins had never actually witnessed the old man unlock the door in the morning and hang the “Open for Business” sign on the handle outside.
“Good morning, Jenkins. Happy birthday.”
The antique shop was the sa as ever. Papa Oliver, who looked like he had already finished his breakfast, was sitting in his rocking chair by the fireplace, reading a newspaper.
“What brings you here today? I thought you’d be off checking on that tower.”
He said without looking up.
“There are so things I wanted to ask you. A lot has happened lately.”
Jenkins placed his cat on the cushion on the counter, then pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Papa Oliver.
“That chair is an antique. Be careful with it.”
Papa Oliver warned, then asked,
“What do you want to ask? Life advice? You probably don’t need that; you’ve always had a mind of your own. Relationship advice? Oh, no, you wouldn’t listen to on that, otherwise you wouldn’t have so many people living in your house. Your studies, then? No, the reading assignnts I’ve given you lately haven’t been too difficult. So, is it about your teacher, Audrey? What exactly did you two do in that lake that night? I haven’t seen your report yet. I only know that the lucky lady has advanced to demigod.”
“About that night...”
On Miss Audrey’s advice, Jenkins had only ntioned the suspected “ti travel” in his subsequent report, leaving out the mysterious figure who appeared at the end. Now, faced with Papa Oliver’s questions, he hesitated for less than a second, but in that instant, his mind raced through the decision of whether to reveal everything a thousand tis over.
In the end, he decided not to ntion the woman. He simply said that at the very end of the deep passage in the ritual site, he had seen a book, which Miss Audrey believed to be the *Millstone of Fate*.
“Your essence...”
By now, Papa Oliver had stopped reading his newspaper. Jenkins pressed on.
“So, was that really ti travel? Spatial jumps in the material world are incredibly dangerous without any protection, let alone traveling through ti...”
“Whether it was a ti jump or not isn’t what’s important. What matters is whether the book you saw was the Millstone of Fate.”
Papa Oliver’s expression was grave.
“So what exactly is this ‘essence’? Miss Audrey wouldn’t explain it to . She said she couldn’t explain it clearly herself.”
“Yes, ‘essence’ isn’t sothing that can be understood by its literal aning of ‘origin,’ ‘talent,’ or ‘foundation.’ It’s sothing far more profound and difficult to articulate. One typically doesn't encounter this concept until after becoming a demigod. After all, the path to demigod requires a vague understanding of one’s own essence in order to seek the next stage of sublimation... I had always thought your essence was life—it seed so obvious. But why did you see a book?”
“Could it be that the Sage’s power has shifted...”
“No, the Sage would never do such a thing.”
Papa Oliver cut Jenkins off before he could finish. He tossed aside the newspaper, which featured a photograph of King Salsi II and Princess Dolores, his expression turning serious.
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