"Things related to pri numbers are always so troubleso, and also so charming. Oh, it's just like the Williams Conjecture!"
Miss Miller complained softly.
"The Williams... Conjecture?"
"Yes, the question you asked in the carriage when we first t on Wednesday. You were the first to propose it, right? I've never seen it in any book."
Jenkins's mouth twitched, and he subconsciously looked away. In this world, he was indeed the first to bring it up, but having it nad the "Williams" Conjecture always made him feel incredibly awkward.
In any case, the complex plan that relied on the maze had ended prematurely because of the question Jenkins had unexpectedly posed. The outco, of course, was good, since they had captured a prisoner.
Miss Miller's apartnt was stocked with a large number of wanted posters. The two of them searched for a bit and easily found the woman, whose na was Jane. She had a tragic and complicated history; the story of her life was enough to move even the most gifted of tragedians.
After many twists and turns, she had finally beco an Enchanter to take control of her own destiny. Perhaps because of her experiences as a young girl, her actions were incredibly frantic and terrifying. After committing several major cris, she joined the organization known as the Witch's House.
Jane soon woke up to find herself lying on the carpet. A man, a woman, and a cat sat in chairs, looking down at her with pitying eyes.
Even though the woman didn't speak, Miss Miller found a way to pry her mouth open.
The situation was as expected. Apparently, Miss Miller had slipped up during her investigation and been discovered by mbers of the Witch's House. They found out about Miller's next commission and suspected she had already obtained the photograph, which was why they sent soone to investigate.
It was just that their assessnt of Miss Miller's level and strength was severely inaccurate, which led to the current situation.
The short-statured lady grasped the situation, then pulled out a pistol and ended Jane's life with a single shot.
"How could you..."
Jenkins still had more questions he wanted to ask, like the location of the Witch's House hideout.
"That's not what's important. Don't forget what you're going through. Everything else is secondary. We need to be efficient. We'll just be back here again anyway, there's no need to waste ti on this."
She directed Jenkins to move the body aside, and only then did she begin to summarize the current situation with him.
"Based on what you've said, and Audrey's judgnt, we'll tentatively believe that everything Pisco said is true."
She chewed on the end of her pen for a mont, then wrote three lines on a piece of paper:
8:00, Clock Shop, Gear Artisans' Association
10:00, Alexia Miller's apartnt, Witch's House
17:00, Southside counterfeit shop, Magic Eye Collectors' Association
"Take a look. Are these the three matters you need to handle 'today'?"
"Yes."
Jenkins nodded. Because he was required to personally deal with the potential sources of disaster, and he could only be in one place at any given ti, he had to make efficient use of every minute of the 31st.
Now that his morning and evening were planned, he still needed to find tasks for the early morning, afternoon, and night before the fourth reset.
The more incidents he dealt with, the smaller the chance of the prophesied disaster occurring.
"You also need to rember that 'Jenkins Williams' must handle these things personally. We don't know how broad the definition of 'personally' is, but to be on the safe side, you must defeat all the enemies with your own hands."
Miss Miller reminded him again, then drew a line under the ten o'clock entry:
"My part is no problem. Rember my ability? The Contract of Fair Power. I can currently use this ability once every two days. When the ti cos, I'll just lend you my power. This is the third reset, so including this afternoon, you don't have much ti left. Next ti, rember to remind to ask our prisoner about their abilities before I kill them. But you'll have to figure out how to deal with the remaining enemies yourself."
Miss Miller's analysis was spot on, and it was exactly what Jenkins had been worried about.
Jenkins was already figuring out a way to defeat the enemy at the clock shop. And while the owner of the magic eye was tricky, he still had his divinity in hand.
Miss Miller enthusiastically helped Jenkins draft a detailed plan. There were certainly benefits to being friends with soone so intelligent. Miss Miller admitted that even she couldn't plan for everything, so in the end, it was all up to Jenkins.
"Mr. Williams, I'm leaving it all in your hands."
She seed to have great faith in Jenkins.
After lunch, Jenkins and Miss Miller went out into the snow, making their way to the hos of Professor Burns, Miss Mikhail, and Hathaway to check on them.
These people were Jenkins's friends. Following the principle that "the clues are right beside you," anything happening to them could be one of his targets.
But the 31st was peaceful for all three of them, though Hathaway seed a little put off that Jenkins had brought an unfamiliar woman to see her.
Even if he couldn't figure out the reason for her reaction, it didn't matter. This part of the loop wouldn't be rembered anyway.
Regardless, the sun eventually sank below the hills. After a busy day, the two returned to Miss Miller's apartnt.
"Since the clues aren't with your friends, we must have missed sothing."
She dotted and drew on the paper, discussing potential trouble spots in Nolan City with Jenkins.
They seriously considered heading into the underground mine tunnels to find the Gear Artisans' Association's temporary base in Nolan, but the vast network of tunnels was not sothing two people could traverse in a single afternoon.
"Perhaps we're overthinking this. The real source of the disaster might lie within the three incidents we've already identified..."
Jenkins stood by the window, gazing at the snow on the street. His reflection also showed Miss Miller standing behind him, her head tilted up as she studied the large map hanging on the wall.
"Whatever the case, don't forget to visit Mr. Pisco again in the early hours of the 31st. He might reveal sothing. If you really can't find anything else, then don't forget to plan how you'll handle those three incidents."
"I understand."
When he opened his eyes again, a crisp crackle ca from the fireplace. Chocolate was still curled into a ball on the sofa cushion.
He stood up and found the tal block that sealed his divinity and the once-sacrificed Elixir of Wisdom. This was enough to confirm that this was the fourth 31st.
He woke the reluctant cat and headed to Mr. Pisco's house under the cover of night. As expected, he was already waiting for Jenkins, and his landlord wore the sa impatient expression as last ti.
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