The top of the clock tower was filled with the chanical clatter of turning gears and moving levers, but Mr. Hood still heard the soft rustle of footsteps. He imdiately looked back to see a white kitten scampering up, followed by an unfamiliar man.
"Good evening, Mr. Hood."
He revealed the purple pentagram emblem in his hand as he bent down to scoop up the struggling Chocolate.
"Good evening, Mr. Candle."
Mr. Hood shrugged, then turned back to continue observing the chanical structures.
Thanks to Jenkins's "testimony," the Church now knew that a New God Cultist code-nad "Mr. Candle" was active in Nolan City. But this believer had very likely obtained the status of a Savior, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, the Church had chosen not to issue a warrant for his arrest, increasing the bounty on the black-robed figures instead.
Magic Miss had probably put so pieces together, but Mr. Hood still greeted Jenkins amicably.
"I heard from the locals that this clock tower was just maintained three years ago."
Cradling his cat, he walked over to stand beside Mr. Hood, listening to the clash of tal echoing from the chanisms in front of them.
"Oh, I'd forgotten you're an outsider. Yes, this clock tower is one of the city's landmarks. The Nolan Council sets aside tax funds every year for its upkeep."
Mr. Hood seed to recall sothing and added, his tone tinged with amusent:
"Rumor has it that during repairs over a decade ago, people over there..."
He stretched out a hand, pointing toward the center of the rotating chanisms.
"They found a spare part. That should have been impossible—this clock is maintained every three years, and the artisans are flawless. It was later discovered that the gear wasn't part of the clock tower at all. Instead, it was one of those special, numbered items..."
"Which one was it?"
"Oh, my dear sir, it's just a rumor. No one outside the Orthodox Church knows the specifics. The story led to a flood of Enchanters visiting this place, hoping to get lucky. Eventually, the Church lost its patience, organized a raid, and arrested at least ten of the poor sods. Since then, no one has dared to co here at night."
Jenkins snorted. So that was it. Mr. Hood had chosen this place precisely because he was certain no one would ever suspect anyone else would be so audacious.
Sooner or later, the other attendees arrived. It seed no one had lost their life amidst the recent chaos, a fact that brought Jenkins a small asure of relief.
As was tradition, they took turns exchanging information. This ti, however, nothing particularly new caught Jenkins's ear. The conversations were all dominated by the events of the 31st and the chaotic battles of the previous week.
Mr. Black Cat had the most to say. It seed he had been on the front lines and gathered so intelligence firsthand. He described the details of the witches' ritual to summon the Hanging Shadow with such vivid precision, it was as if he had witnessed it all in person.
The others must have thought the sa, because they all subconsciously shuffled a few steps away from him.
The information exchange took longer than usual; after all, Nolan City had been through so much recently. During his turn, Mr. Black Cat announced he was planning to leave.
While the constant chaos offered certain opportunities, he valued his life more. Therefore, this would be his last ti attending their gathering.
When it ca to the so-called New God Cultists, the mbers were largely in agreent. No one doubted their existence any longer. The debate now centered on their identities.
Mr. Hood theorized that the followers of the New God were likely high-level, unregistered Enchanters who didn't maintain close ties with one another. Unlike the well-defined hierarchy of the churches, they seed to take their orders directly from the pseudo-god.
Considering the New God had only erged recently, it made sense that his followers would be few and far between.
Jenkins sat out the trading session that followed. Aside from the few items he hadn't been carrying at the ti—like his fruit platter, cane, and Ouija board—nearly all his possessions had been lost in the pool beneath the tree. He had little cash on him either. The only valuables he still possessed were the three pouches of ashes, which he'd had the foresight not to take with him into the water.
But no one at the gathering showed any interest in the ashes. Magic Miss even seed a little frightened by the sight of them. Jenkins guessed she must have had a truly awful experience being hunted that day.
After the eting concluded, Mr. Hood announced that the ti and location of their next gathering would be calculated based on the date of the next snowfall. Nolan winters were never lacking in precipitation, so they wouldn't have to worry about a long interval.
As the clock tower chid twelve tis, the mbers drew lots to decide their order of departure. Jenkins was fortunate enough to go first. However, once he reached the alley below, cat in his arms, he didn't leave right away. He stood there, waiting quietly.
Fifteen minutes later, Magic Miss appeared.
"Did you need sothing from ?"
She was extrely wary. Jenkins stood behind a stack of wooden crates, while she remained poised at the alley's entrance, refusing to take even a single step farther in.
"I do have sothing to discuss... But why so cautious? We're practically old friends at this point. Surely you don't think I an you any harm?"
"I know nothing about you followers of the New God."
So she had figured it out. She'd seen right through the web of lies Jenkins had spun.
He shrugged and took two steps closer. She flinched but held her ground. The fact that she hadn't ntioned their eting in the Evergreen Forest to the others proved she wasn't nearly as afraid as she was pretending to be.
"I have sothing important to handle soon, and I might miss the next gathering. If I don't show up, I need you to let know the details for the one after that. Just use the communication thod from our last trade."
"What are you people planning now?"
she asked nervously.
"It won't involve you... Relax. I may not know your real identity, but I can tell you this won't involve ordinary citizens. So, do we have a deal?"
The woman was silent for a mont. "Alright."
"Excellent."
He smiled, patting his yawning cat. Just as he was turning to leave, another thought occurred to him:
"One more thing. There was a problem with that ritual I hired you to restore."
"Impossible."
Her voice hardened instantly at the ntion of it:
"There's absolutely no way there was a problem."
"No, no, madam, please don't get so worked up."
He held up a placating hand. "Your restoration was a success," he clarified, "but perhaps a little too much of one."
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