Being forced to use the magic sword's power five tis to resolve the "Vampire's Trail" and "Demon's Shadow" incidents left Jenkins feeling cornered. He was constantly reacting to these difficulties but could never find a way to seize the initiative, which filled him with a growing sense of crisis.
Therefore, after the red accident card "Steam" appeared as expected in the first quarter of the year, Jenkins decided to try a new approach.
"Although I don't hold that card, I do, in fact, possess certain knowledge."
Jenkins tapped his own head.
"So, as the male king, I believe I can..."
"No, you cannot," the living statue interrupted. "The ga forbids the use of any power outside of the cards. If you wish to break the rules..."
Before the living statue could finish, all the wax figures in the museum twitched in unison, their heads turning to stare at Jenkins. The elven lady swallowed hard and nervously edged a little closer to him. Jenkins, however, simply shook his head.
"How do I create a card?"
He asked.
"Or does the ga forbid creating cards as well?"
The living statue glanced at Jenkins.
"The rules do not forbid the creation of cards, but you can only do so proactively during special events, such as when you forged the magic sword in the sixth year."
"In other words, creating a card requires a tangible reason."
Jenkins understood. He pressed his hand flat on the table.
"As a higher-dinsional being manipulating this ga, I wish to send a dream to the male king, to give him a revelation."
"Absolutely not."
The living statue shook its head.
"That is not allowed. you have no reason to do so."
"Then, as the God of Lies, I will send a dream to the male king," he declared.
"What?"
Miss Silf looked at Jenkins in confusion, suspecting she had misheard. The living statue shook its head once more.
"The male king's faith is not devoted to you. You cannot send him a dream."
"Who is it, then?"
"According to the ga's setting, he is you, but also not you. Therefore, his faith lies with the God of Books."
Jenkins couldn't really argue with that, but it at least proved his line of thinking was correct. Creating a card required a viable reason. Anyone else would have to wait for an event to appear, but Jenkins had another trick up his sleeve.
"Miss Silf, when you were young, did you ever sell flowers?"
"Of course! What young elf hasn't sold flowers?"
The elf answered imdiately, and Jenkins finally let out a long breath. Even if many of his stereotypes about elves—like not eating at, not drinking, and being pacifists—had been proven wrong, at least their love for nature, flowers, and plants was an accurate impression.
"Good. I wish to send a dream to the female king and grant her so knowledge," Jenkins announced.
"And why are you able to send her a dream?"
the living statue asked.
"Because I am the Protector of Flower Girls. Even a forr flower girl, should I wish it, falls under my protection. I love all flower girls—past, present, and future—so I can most certainly send her a dream."
Jenkins nodded with great solemnity.
"I have spoken."
The stack of red cards by the living statue's hand trembled slightly. And so, in the first quarter of the seventh year, for the first ti, an accident beyond the usual two occurred. Jenkins and the elven lady, for the first ti, began to truly intervene in the ga.
A red accident card: "An Unexpected Revelation." The female king received a revelation from a higher-dinsional being in a dream, thereby gaining new knowledge.
The living statue tossed the card onto the table, and Jenkins imdiately reached for it.
"I will grant her new knowledge, about electricity and..."
He believed the most direct way to eliminate the influence of the "Steam Kingdom" was not to regress the kingdom's productivity to the age of slavery, but to replace steam power with a more advanced thod of production.
But before he could finish his sentence, a violent tremor made the elf instinctively grab his arm.
The entire wax museum was shaking, as if the world itself was coming to an end. Jenkins did his best to remain steady in his chair, his eyes fixed on the living statue opposite him, which was also watching him.
When the shaking finally subsided after a full half-minute, Jenkins asked, "What was that about?"
"I do not know."
It was, surprisingly, the truth.
"Could it be people from the outside trying to force their way in to help you? The one I was just talking to?"
Miss Silf asked, but Jenkins didn't think so. Anyone who could help him either wouldn't be able to force their way into a Mysterious Realm at all, or wouldn't need to cause such a commotion to do so.
He looked down at the "Revelation in a Dream" card in his hand.
"This technological system can't appear yet... Is it against the rules?"
He muttered to himself, then tossed the card back to the center of the table.
"The female king received a revelation from a higher-dinsional being—she will see a different historical trajectory. She will witness a more complex and advanced society."
As he spoke, Jenkins activated "Psychography." The three large, red books he had left for Jessica in the church materialized on the table. Since he had gone through this process once before, the books were "drawn" into existence with remarkable speed.
A faint light shone on the books, and under the rules of the ga, they shrank and transford into cards. The result, however, was twenty identical cards: "Maintain Stability."
"Why 'Maintain Stability'?"
Jenkins had expected a different kind of surprise. After all, he had been a good student in his past life; he was quite familiar with those subjects and a good deal of related knowledge.
"Because that is all she can comprehend," the living statue said. Jenkins glanced at Miss Silf and nodded.
"What's with that look?"
The elven lady tugged at Jenkins's sleeve, slightly annoyed. Jenkins didn't want to answer, but she kept pestering him until he finally asked in a low voice:
"Since elves have schools, why didn't you go on to study at a higher academy after graduating? Why did you choose to stay in your hotown and beco a wheat field inspector?"
"That's because..."
Miss Silf's face turned red as she instantly understood Jenkins's aning.
"Studying requires talent. I just don't have the talent for it, it doesn't an I'm not smart," she stressed, only letting Jenkins off the hook after he firmly assured her he understood what she ant.
They failed to stop the "Steam" card in the first quarter of the seventh year, and thus failed to stop the accidental "Steam" cards in the second and third quarters as well. But in the fourth quarter of that year, an unexpected event finally appeared that was favorable to Jenkins and the elven lady.
Even if the living statue could manipulate the ga, it likely wasn't deciding every single card, but rather raising or lowering probabilities. Therefore, luck was bound to smile upon Jenkins and Miss Silf eventually. If nothing went wrong, this would likely be the last ti an event completely favorable to them would appear in this ga.
Reviews
All reviews (0)