The Sage's Church was ablaze with light tonight. From the outside, the entire cathedral seed to be glowing—a spectacle usually reserved for the Reading Festival, the Year-End Festival, and other special holidays.
Jenkins stepped out of his carriage at the church entrance. As he ascended the steps, the great doors swung open on their own. Inside, representatives from the Twelve Orthodox Churches lined either side of a red carpet, all clad in formal ceremonial attire.
Bishop Parrold stood in the center of the red carpet, arms outstretched to welco Jenkins. He wore black vestnts with a crimson-purple sash, a holy emblem of the Sage crafted from pure silver hanging from his neck, and a tall white miter upon his head.
"Saint Williatte," he declared, "for the first ti in the Eighteenth Epoch, a Saint has beco the king of the material world."
He quickened his pace and embraced Jenkins as he stepped inside. Beneath the crystal chandelier overhead, everyone applauded in unison.
Standing to one side, Miss Bevanna reminded him:
"Jenkins, since you've fulfilled your promise, we have prepared the fla and the hamr. I believe we can begin now."
Though the Twelve Orthodox Churches had their own differing interests and agendas, they were perfectly aligned in their goal of opposing the great cataclysm at the end of the epoch. Jenkins had told them he needed to beco king to acquire the Dark Soul and the Ice Soul.
Now that he had claid the throne, the Sage's Church had the leverage to negotiate. They had borrowed the Bestowal, Thunder God's Wrath, from the Church of Creation and Machinery, and the Series B Extraordinary fire, Inexhaustible Fla (B-03-1-3832), from the Church of Sun and Justice.
The latter was a divine artifact with a golden aura, sealed within a special crystal. This fla was truly impossible to extinguish, and compared to Jenkins's relatively gentle bestowed fire, this one was exceedingly violent. Given the chance, it could set an entire city ablaze in a short ti.
Jenkins planned to complete the transfer of the Dark Soul and Ice Soul at the church tonight, then receive the hamr and the fla. Tomorrow, he would visit the church in his guise as a Believer of Lies to press for progress in the negotiations, giving the church an opportunity to trade for the Dragon Soul.
The first step went without a hitch. After Alexia arrived with Dolores, Jenkins entered an empty room alone with Dolores and Jessica. Following the sa procedure as the Tree Soul's transfer, they perford the so-called "oath of allegiance." To emphasize his new status as king, he even put on the enormous golden King's Ring.
Once both parties had confird their intent, Jenkins placed his hands on Dolores's and Jessica's shoulders, respectively. Both won imdiately showed signs of chest pain but forced themselves to endure it. Then, a cold blue fla shot up through his arm and into his body first.
He shuddered involuntarily. The illusion of his very soul being frozen was terrifying.
anwhile, the transfer of the Dark Soul was proceeding more slowly, likely because it was currently held by three souls.
But with the Dragon Soul, Tree Soul, and Ice Soul now gathered in Jenkins's chest, the resulting resonance still stirred the Dark Soul into agitation.
"I can't... I'm sorry, I feel... terrible."
Jessica was now in so much pain she could barely stand upright. Dolores supported her with a worried look, then prompted Jenkins:
"Don't just press on her shoulder—touch her chest directly!"
Jenkins imdiately reached out. Ignoring the indescribable sensation of the touch, the close contact finally dislodged the Dark Soul. A black fla, like a flowing dark stream, passed from Jessica's chest into Jenkins's body through his hand.
This ti, it wasn't cold. His soul perceived a nauseating feeling that was difficult to describe. But once the black fla had fully entered his body, the repulsive sensation vanished.
He closed his eyes, calming his agitated spirit. Just as he'd expected, he found the Four King Souls were rely burning quietly within him, showing no sign of fusing.
"Does it still hurt?"
A green light glowed from his hand as he touched her chest again. A faint blush on her cheeks, she let out a soft moan.
"It's fine. I'm okay now."
She answered calmly, but when she saw Jenkins about to pull his hand away as if shocked, she summoned courage from nowhere and grabbed it firmly.
"Maybe you could continue the treatnt for a little while longer."
She lifted her head to et Jenkins's gaze, her own eyes showing her resolve. Jenkins looked back at her and saw the affection in those beautiful eyes.
Dolores blinked, feeling utterly superfluous in the room. Suddenly, she heard a ow and caught sight of Jenkins's cat in her peripheral vision. The cat seed to understand the princess's feelings perfectly.
The awakened Dragon Soul provided Jenkins with a constant source of vitality and faster spirit recovery. The awakened Tree Soul brought him closer to nature and enhanced his body's self-healing capabilities—though, because of his [World Tree Seedling], the Tree Soul's effect was almost unnoticeable. The awakened Dark Soul granted him "dark vision" and stronger ntal resistance. However, the latter effect wasn't very significant compared to his existing ntal fortitude, making it almost useless in his eyes.
The Ice Soul had yet to awaken, so its effects were still unknown. But at this mont, the Four King Souls were truly gathered. He was now just one small step away from the Savior ability, [Uncrowned King].
After he obtained the Ice Soul and the Dark Soul, the Church of Creation and Machinery and the Church of Sun and Justice presented the hamr and the fla. But due to the unique nature of the Bestowal and the fla, Jenkins wasn't allowed to take them with him. Instead, they were temporarily stored in the Evergreen Forest, where Jenkins could access them at any ti.
And so, the long day's events ca to a close. Alexia escorted Dolores back to the residence where Salhir II was staying, while Julia returned ho with Jenkins, Hathaway, and Briny.
Jessica was supposed to return to the Windsor family estate, but in the end, she also accompanied the group back to St. George Street.
She had already arranged Jenkins's schedule for the next day. Now that he was the king of Fidektri, he could no longer manage his own ti as freely as before. He needed to attend the Tri-King Summit in the morning. He could skip the afternoon session, but he had to be at the evening reception, where all his supporters would be present.
Furthermore, though he didn't need them, a royal guard was to be assigned to him. Queen Isabella had already found two etiquette tutors for Jenkins and arranged for a full retinue of servants, including those responsible for his travel, als, wardrobe, and more, who would coordinate with Julia in the coming days.
He would have to be cautious in his every word and deed. If he went out alone, he'd have to consider the consequences of being recognized. Under the title of king, everything would be different.
This was still just a transition period. The official coronation ceremony was scheduled for next month in Bel Diran. For now, it was a relatively relaxed interim, during which Jenkins would have to learn many things and attend various events. After the official coronation, his freedom would be even more restricted.
But Jenkins believed the coronation would certainly take place after the final great battle. After all, he didn't think the Difference Engine had the patience to wait a month.
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