To preserve his own sanity, Jenkins promptly left the water with his cat.
Back on dry land, the origin of the thin tal sliver had already been determined:
"It's clearly a piece of a forr Bestowal, the chanical Heart."
Many years ago, a grave incident of apostasy shook the Church of Creation and Machinery, resulting in the theft of three Bestowals. The Stopped Clock was one of them, destroyed by Jenkins during the thirty-one-day ti loop last autumn. Storm's Wrath was another, which Jenkins recovered not long ago. The third, the chanical Heart—corrupted into a Cursed Item that produces Gear Germs—has remained in the hands of the Gear Artisans' Association ever since.
"But isn't the chanical Heart with the Gear Artisans' Association? Did they just hand it over to the Difference Engine?"
Jenkins asked in astonishnt. His suspicion was soon confird by intelligence extracted from the vampire.
The Difference Engine had long been trapped underground, its seal and damaged state a persistent, unresolved problem. In the months surrounding his return from Bel Diran to Nolan, Jenkins himself had stumbled upon the Gear Artisans' Association's various operations to aid the machine on multiple occasions.
Sohow, Jenkins had a knack for stumbling upon most of their operations, thwarting their plans to free the Difference Engine and repair its shattered body. Ultimately, the Gear Artisans' Association and the Tree House reached an agreent, deciding to risk a few bold—but theoretically viable—attempts.
Just last week, Jenkins had witnessed half of the Difference Engine's core erge above ground through a colossal brass gate. That alone was proof that the seal confining the machine was in serious trouble. He had assud the cultists had simply found a way to breach the seal after years of effort, never imagining the chanical Heart was involved.
The chanical Heart was a premier Bestowal of chanical power, one that surely held far more secrets than Storm's Wrath.
The vampire demigod had no idea how the Difference Engine utilized the chanical heart. All he knew was that on the day it was taken underground, everyone with the machine's technology integrated into their bodies fell unconscious for two hours. When they awoke, their power had increased dramatically.
By fusing with the Cursed Item, the chanical Heart, the Difference Engine had gained entirely new powers. These included the swarms of brass clockwork birds and, of course, the black mist.
"The black mist isn't an evolution of the gray fog. It's sothing far more terrifying, more elusive. You could think of it as sothing that can actually change the world. Yes, wherever the black mist spreads, it alters that space, that area, making it more suitable for the use and evolution of chanical power. It’s like... a fog that rewrites the very rules of the world. That's right—it rewrites reality, making it more compatible with the power of machines."
These were the vampire's words, relayed by Gilbert. If true, it ant the Difference Engine was already planning its next foray to the surface. Otherwise, there would be no reason to release the mist and tip its hand so early.
"This is really terrible..."
With a sigh, Jenkins concluded his visit to the Evergreen Forest for the day.
It was late by the ti he got ho. All the young won were there. Hathaway ntioned that Jessica had stopped by that afternoon to invite him to an evening reception, but she couldn't find him.
"I'll go see her after dinner. Also..."
He put down his knife and fork and looked at the three young won at the table:
"Have you considered staying at the church for a while?"
"Has the situation beco that dangerous?"
Hathaway asked, her voice laced with worry.
"No, it's not that dangerous. I'm just a little worried."
"Which church do you want us to move to? The Sage's Church?"
Briny chid in. Jenkins considered it. The Sage's Church had been infiltrated by cultists on more than one occasion, so the Evergreen Forest seed a better choice.
But then he imdiately recalled that the Evergreen Forest had seen its own share of trouble. His battle with the Skull Sword had nearly incinerated a fifth of the woods.
His own ho, by contrast, had always felt safe. Aside from the serial killer who snuck in last winter—a re mortal—the most dangerous threat had been the Cursed Item at the door. And that only happened because he'd carelessly extended an invitation for it to enter the yard.
"On second thought, it’s better to stay here."
He picked up his knife and fork again:
"But don't invite anyone into the house, not even people we know. Don't make any invitations lightly."
"We can be protected at ho, and Her Highness the Princess has Miss Miller to protect her, but what about Miss Windsor?"
Julia also asked.
"Magic Miss and Silver Flute Miss are very reliable... I have a plan."
He set out to find Jessica after dinner. His timing was perfect; the reception, which had been on the verge of cancellation, proceeded as planned. There, Jenkins and Jessica t with several army generals who had previously been in the opposition. He learned from their conversation that the Fidektri army had already been deployed. They were preparing to launch a joint offensive against Cheslan alongside forces from the northern Hamparvo Kingdom.
The Church was determined to see the second prince of the Alecio family truly seated on the throne before Friday's negotiations, so the decisive battle was to begin imdiately. The combined armies of the two kingdoms would efficiently crush Cheslan's forces along its western border. It wouldn't be a difficult task; after all, Cheslan was already in utter chaos from the coup and the massive fire.
Beyond the idle chatter, the army generals also subtly voiced their anxieties to Jenkins. The source of their concern was his engagent to the daughter of the naval marquis, which naturally made them worry about the army's future standing.
It was a serious matter, one that could easily create a rift between the military factions if mishandled. Unfortunately, Jenkins had no ti for such political maneuvering. He simply reassured them that Queen Isabella's policies would remain in place for the ti being. As for long-term policy, Jessica would be the one to draft it, but he promised he would ensure fairness.
After these official matters were dealt with, Jenkins requested to speak with Magic Miss.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty."
In a deserted corridor on the third floor of the manor, Magic Miss teased him, leaning against the windowsill.
"And congratulations to you, the royal family's new occult advisor. Once I'm formally enthroned in Bel Diran, I can officially announce your and Silver Flute Miss's titles. Do you two prefer dals or certificates?"
He said casually, then got down to business:
"You've had that Heart of the Ocean for a few months now. Any progress in your research?"
"Not much, I'm afraid. All I can say is that these heart-type Bestowals are as mysterious as they say. But that's a good thing. Any breakthrough will be a massive gain for ... Why are you asking about this?"
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