"Yes, when the steam train stopped in Ovske City, I saw it in the papers. They found illegal weapons on the Galvan family's estate. Sothing about steam bombs with the serial numbers filed off?"
"It's not that simple. Your information is a bit outdated."
Miss Mikhail wagged her finger.
"Oh?"
Jenkins raised an eyebrow. The charge of hiding illegal weapons should have been serious enough. What else could there be?
"A search team sent by the royal family discovered so fresh bones beneath the Galvan family's ancestral ho, supposedly linked to illegal rituals. The matter tarnishes the honor of our kingdom's nobility, so it hasn't been widely publicized for now. But it definitely happened, and there's ample evidence to suggest that this is more 'real' than the business with the hidden weapons."
Jenkins understood the hidden aning in her words, but he truly hadn't heard anything about it and decided to ask Papa Oliver later.
The conversation with the two ladies continued until evening. The trio had dinner at the club before parting ways. Jenkins retrieved his hat, coat, and cane, then placed a drowsy Chocolate on his shoulder before leaving through the main entrance.
George Liverpool was no longer at the entrance. As evening fell, Sheftil Avenue was bustling with pedestrians. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, people hurried along the winter street. Aside from a barefoot boy selling the evening paper, most were bundled up tightly.
It was the latter half of November, and a cold front from the north had swept over the L'Hôpital Mountains. Winter had well and truly arrived.
Jenkins stood at the intersection for a mont, ignoring an empty carriage nearby. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his black coat, lowered his head so the brim of his hat hid his eyes, and ambled along the courtyard walls lining the street before ducking into a sunless alley.
A few minutes later, Hathaway, now in a different outfit, entered the alley. She nodded at Jenkins and cast a cautious glance back over her shoulder before relaxing and removing her hat and scarf.
"Sorry, Briny kept talking for a while..."
she said apologetically.
"It's fine. I just got here myself. Co over here."
The crosswind was bitingly cold. The two walked to the middle of the alley, where a few wooden crates were stacked. A label, scrawled ssily with a fountain pen, read "Brooks Waste Disposal Company."
"Thank you for the gift. I didn't get a chance to say it inside."
She subconsciously toyed with a lock of hair by her ear.
"Miss Mikhail already thanked for both of you, and it was just sothing trivial."
In a way, he wasn't wrong, since he hadn't paid a penny for it.
"I think we should get to the point. I have sothing else on this evening."
He pushed the cat's head, which had peeked out, back into his coat, then pulled a pocket watch from his breast pocket to check the ti. He had to attend Corpse Gentleman's gathering later.
"You're always like this..."
Hathaway didn't seem to mind, sighing softly.
"So, what exactly happened the other night? I heard from a friend in the city yesterday that the man we killed was a notorious fugitive."
"Yes. He was after because of an expedition to so ruins a long ti ago. But the thing he was looking for doesn't exist anymore. That stone slate really did crumble into sand on its own."
"He was only after the slate?"
"Yes."
Hathaway nodded firmly. "To be honest, our group didn't find anything of great value on that expedition. If it weren't for this, I would have almost forgotten about it... Oh, now I rember."
She suddenly looked as if she'd recalled sothing, shaking her head in frustration.
"There was one very strange thing, yes. Directly above the slate that the giant, Salman, was looking for, there was a statue of a mythical hydra. Before I found the slate, I happened to lock eyes with its central head for a mont, and so knowledge was suddenly implanted in my mind."
"What kind of knowledge?"
he asked hurriedly, not noticing in his haste that they were standing a little too close.
"I don't know."
Hathaway replied, her face flushing. "I only rember selling that knowledge once. After that, my mory of the event beca completely blurred. I can't recall the content of the knowledge, nor who I traded it with. After checking my assets, I found I had a new weapon... that rapier from the other night. I suppose that was my paynt for selling the knowledge..."
Jenkins's mouth fell slightly open. He seed to recall hearing about sothing like this in the Church's archives.
"Is this..."
"Yes."
Hathaway nodded, troubled. "So knowledge cannot be shared. Once its owner speaks of it, that knowledge becos the sole property of the second person. I'd only ever heard of such things, never imagined I'd experience it myself. I'm truly curious about what I sold, and to whom."
"Yes, I'm quite curious myself."
Jenkins nodded gravely, though inwardly he was terrified by the chain ability of "Our God is Here."
No matter how he thought about it, anyone who sought such a bizarre ability could not be a person of good character. A divine descent was a solemn and montous event. If possible, he wanted to keep this knowledge locked away forever.
"So, are they still going to hunt you? Do you need to find a place to hide? I don't think Bishop Parrold would mind clearing out a spare room in the church for you."
"Thank you, but I don't think it's co to that yet."
She took a natural step back, a blush rising on her cheeks. "I have my own sources of information. That group shouldn't be bothering again anyti soon. They don't know my full identity, and our encounter that night was partly a coincidence. I think I can handle this."
"That's good."
Jenkins nodded and rubbed his nose. "If you need help, don't hesitate to find ."
"Thank you."
she said softly, then suddenly laughed. "I rember you've said many tis that you hate these kinds of back-and-forths. You said they're like sothing out of a second-rate courtly romance novel."
"No, this would only qualify as third-rate."
the writer corrected her gravely.
After bidding Hathaway farewell, Jenkins exited the other end of the alley onto Greenwood Second chanical Avenue. In front of a sweet shop at the three-way intersection, he hailed an empty carriage. It took him toward the edge of the city, where he t up with Professor Burns. Yes, today was the day of Corpse Gentleman's gathering.
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