Jenkins sat at his desk, pondering the pros and cons of his new acquisitions. He reached out, turning up the gas lamp, then lowered his gaze back to the words he'd written. Aside from its connection to the [Millstone of Fate], the [Writer] ability seed to overlap heavily with traits he already possessed. Furthermore, it wasn't an ability that could only be advanced from [Cycle (White Basic)]; Jenkins had already mastered [Storyteller], one of the components of [Destiny's Stage], and it too could be promoted to [Writer].
The ability's effects seed unremarkable on the surface, but Jenkins had a peculiar intuition that its true nature was far from simple. The re possibility that it could connect the concepts of [Destiny] and [Books] was reason enough for him to conduct a thorough investigation.
"I can just ask Miss Audrey about it later, can't I?"
The thought brought a sense of ease. He picked up his pen and began to organize the complete rituals that were drifting through his mind.
There were few rituals related to the starry sky, and most of them overlapped with knowledge Jenkins already possessed. Only two were of any interest: [Contacting the Astral Ancients] and [The Seal of the Starry Ancients]. However, since both "Astral Ancients" and "Starry Ancients" generally referred to Star Spirits, Jenkins figured he could simply get the details of these rituals from Rakul.
The rituals related to destiny were next. They consisted of various divination ceremonies, along with a handful of counter-divination rites.
In reality, there were nurous rituals associated with the god of destiny, not just those for divination. For so reason, however, the only ones Jenkins had received were for scrying and fortune-telling.
He ticulously transcribed this knowledge onto paper. After finishing, he read through it one last ti to ensure it had been recorded perfectly in his [Book of mories] before burning the sheets. Then, he copied so of the tadpole-like script, accumulating an amount of spirit that was but a drop in the ocean compared to what he needed to ascend to demigod. Only then did he head downstairs to join the ladies for lunch.
The rain was still coming down, but it had nothing to do with the shower Jenkins had summoned hours earlier. Sumr was Nolan's rainy season, after all; the recent stretch of clear skies had been the real anomaly.
While curling up with a book was an appealing option on a rainy day, Jenkins couldn't afford to be idle. Over lunch, he asked Hathaway and Briny about their plans and learned they intended to stay in. Julia, however, ntioned she wanted to return to Dolores's side for the afternoon and would be back in the evening to prepare dinner.
"You should stay ho today," Jenkins suggested. "Surely Dolores can manage without you for one afternoon?"
Jenkins posed the question, and surprisingly, Julia didn't argue. She simply nodded, accepting his suggestion.
After lunch, Jenkins left the house with his cat and stepped out into the rain. Chocolate had always detested getting its fur wet, so as soon as they were outside, it burrowed into Jenkins's pocket and refused to erge.
Jenkins first found a carriage to take him to the church. There, he asked Miss Bevanna for an update on the previous night's incident. He was relieved to learn that the Children of the Mist had been completely eliminated, with no lingering threats. The people who had vanished after touching the creature's eggs had been found as well. Each of them was as weak as if they'd been starved for a week, but thankfully, they were expected to make a full recovery with so rest.
"But the problem is still severe," she said. "We've only eliminated one of the Children of the Mist. Based on the state of Nolan's fog, the Church believes the next one will be born in about two weeks."
"Two weeks?"
Jenkins echoed, surprised. Then, a realization dawned on him.
"This situation isn't limited to just Nolan, is it?"
They were standing in a corridor flanking the church's main hall. Soone had pushed open one of the windows, and a damp breeze drifted in, but neither of them paid it any mind.
"After we destroyed the fog giant last night, its body may have dissolved into a gray mist and scattered across the city, but the Church of Death and End still managed to preserve a sample."
She paused, but didn't go into detail about the thods used by the followers of Death and End.
"It took us several hours to analyze the remains. By combining our findings with the reports left by the Perfu Appreciation Committee and getting help from the believers of the [Spiraling Mist], we were able to study the fog's current behavior and the fluctuations in spirit. Our conclusion is that Nolan's Child of the Mist will reappear in two weeks. And, as you know, the entire world is showing signs of being enveloped in this fog. While other cities aren't as bad as Nolan, our analysis suggests that the whole world has beco a breeding ground for these creatures."
Jenkins pressed his lips into a thin line and stared out the window, montarily at a loss for words.
"The Church has the full analysis report. We're planning to send it to Bel Diran in a few days for permanent archiving—a piece of knowledge from the end of the 18th Epoch for the next to inherit. You're welco to read it if you're interested, but the table of contents alone is as thick as three encyclopedia volus. I'd recomnd sticking to the key sections."
"So, these giants, born from the mists all over the world... is this the end?"
He asked, gazing out the window.
"According to the Church's surviving records on the end of epochs," Miss Bevanna answered softly, "monsters of this magnitude are rely the harbingers, sent to announce the coming doom."
Professor Burns was still at the church, but Jenkins saw he was engrossed in a book and chose not to disturb him. Papa Oliver had already left, likely back at his antique shop. With none of his acquaintances around, Jenkins decided to head for the Evergreen Forest, but just then, he happened to run into Fini delivering so docunts.
The young girl rounded the corner of the hallway, a file folder clutched in her hands and a serious expression on her face. Her features only broke into a smile when she saw Jenkins.
"Sir, good afternoon!"
She greeted him brightly. Jenkins smiled and walked toward her.
"Why aren't you out selling flowers today?"
The church choir's sumr activity was supposed to run until the end of July, according to the schedule.
"The Church is preparing for the joint conference," Fini explained, "so the choir has rehearsals. We're going to sing on the opening day."
Fini explained, then added with a touch of regret:
"Sir, I t a lot of other girls selling flowers a few days ago. We were going to pool our money to buy a batch of tulips together, but now they'll have to manage on their own."
"Don't worry," Jenkins said. "Just tell how to find them, and I'll arrange sothing."
It was a simple matter for Jenkins. He could just pass Fini's information to Miss Windsor and have her people secretly divert so flower stock to the children. It wouldn't be difficult at all.
Fini was worried about causing him too much trouble, but when he insisted, she recited the nas and addresses of the other flower girls. Her mory was excellent—a talent that seed to have manifested after she beca an Enchanter.
After also greeting the little angel, Louise, Jenkins finally took his leave of the church and boarded one of its carriages, bound for the Evergreen Forest.
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