"ow~"
Seeing Jenkins standing there, lost in thought, Chocolate promptly reminded the man that he had more important things to do.
Besides experinting with his abilities, Jenkins also needed to test the newly acquired wooden toy dagger. It wasn't even sharpened; he could slide it forcefully across his palm without so much as scratching his skin.
The weapon's mystique lay in the fact that it was a gift from a god, a gift that, according to said god, could "save the world." Moreover, it had directly triggered the evolution of Jenkins's Soul Essence Ability.
The thought of his Life Source naturally led him to think of life, which in turn brought the undead to mind, and finally, the Skull Sword. It seed highly likely that the God of Music wanted to entrust him with defeating that sword, but Jenkins couldn't for the life of him understand why she would be the one to make such a request.
"Is it because she's a benevolent deity, so she considers maintaining world peace her duty, even at the cost of a drop of her own divinity?"
He mused, then forcefully plunged the dagger in his hand into the earth at his feet. It was the sa motion as before, but nothing happened. The wood didn't grow.
"It's not that simple, of course. What is this even made of? Could it be from the World Tree?"
He didn't even believe that conclusion himself.
Muttering under his breath, he used his strength to drive the wooden dagger deep into the trunk of a nearby leafless fruit tree, but there was still no reaction.
Steeling himself, Jenkins used his pocketknife to slice open his palm, placed a part of the toy dagger into the fresh wound, and infused it with his spirit, but still, nothing happened.
"Do I need to find an undead to test it on? But Papa Oliver never taught any rituals for raising the dead."
He clicked his tongue, a puzzled look on his face. He held the dagger in his left hand and gently poked the cat's rear end as it perched on his shoulder.
"Mrow!"
Chocolate, who had been standing with his back to Jenkins and admiring the scenery, let out a threatening hiss at the poke, looking ready to bite. When he realized what Jenkins was up to, the whiskers on his furry cheeks trembled with indignation. It was the first ti Jenkins had ever seen the cat make such an expression.
Chocolate was in no mood to forgive such an offense. The entire way back to Old Jack's herbal shop, the kitten kept baring its fangs, looking as if it wanted to give Jenkins a good swipe.
"Don't you forget about that ti I was turned into a mouse!"
Jenkins brought up the old incident, threatening retaliation. The cat flicked him with its tail, then leaped from his shoulder onto the top of his head and lay there, stubbornly refusing to get down.
Night had fallen, and the shop was quiet. Old Jack and Jenkins chatted for a bit more before the old man started preparing dinner. Throughout this, the cat remained firmly planted on Jenkins's head, forcing him to keep his neck rigid for fear it would fall off if he tilted it.
"By the way, it's been about six months since your cat took that Animal Intelligence Awakening potion, right? Have you noticed any changes?"
Old Jack asked as he handed Jenkins a plate.
"He's incredibly smart," Jenkins said, "sotis, too smart to be a cat."
He spoke his true feelings, unable to see the look in the cat's eyes above him.
"That's normal. It ans your cat's constitution is well-suited for the potion. The first sign for most pets that beco smarter is that they start sneaking into the kitchen to steal food. Has your little cat done anything like that?"
Old Jack inquired.
"He has!"
Jenkins wanted to nod his head vigorously, but considering the sulking cat was still on his head, he could only use a louder voice to show his agreent.
"On top of that, he's learned how to turn invisible and make simple changes to his fur color. Sotis I even feel like he can read my mind."
Atop Jenkins's head, Chocolate guiltily turned his head away.
"Now that... is a bit unusual..."
"ow~"
"...But it's still within the realm of possibility. It probably has an extraordinary bloodline. You've probably heard of special breeds in this world, like the A-03-1-7299 Sand Cat, the B-11-05-2333 Humanoid Cat Beast, or even the legendary Devouring Moon Spirit Cat."
Old Jack said, turning back to tend to the soup. But by the ti he sat down at the dinner table, he had completely forgotten their earlier conversation.
Since the topic of potions had co up, Jenkins had to ask about the Bloodline Awakening Potion. This was, after all, the main purpose he had given Papa Oliver for his trip to Shire. Although he already knew the stuff ca from Skryu Pompey, the wielder of the Skull Sword, Jenkins still had so lingering questions.
Old Jack had already received so information transmitted from Nolan, and he had even looked over so of the texts that had been uncovered during the recent search of Skryu Pompey's ho.
"That stuff is no good."
The old man's tone was wistful, as if recalling a distant mory. He paused, looking at Jenkins and the cat on his head, then spoke softly:
"The followers of the great Spirit of Nature believe that most things that go against nature co at a price, and that includes our current steam industry. I'm not a follower of that Righteous God, but I'm inclined to agree. The Bloodline Awakening Potion is sothing that completely violates the laws of nature. Forcing atavism can only lead to the rapid decay of the body."
He sighed, but he made a point not to look directly at Jenkins, lest the cat's antics on his head make him laugh and ruin the seriousness of the conversation.
"The awakening of exotic bloodlines in modern humans is, in essence, an accident born from countless coincidences and inevitabilities. Any external stimulus that defies the natural process will inevitably cause irreversible damage to the body. I rember the intelligence from Nolan ntioned that the woman who drank the potion was ntally unstable from the start, and her body is slowly weakening..."
"Yes. When we captured her, no one could face her head-on. It took a massive number of runic traps to finally catch her. But now, she can't even break the bars of her cage."
Jenkins recalled.
"You were there?"
Old Jack asked, startled. The report he received contained no such information.
"I was."
Jenkins tried to brush the matter aside nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Old Jack felt a surge of regret for letting Jenkins wander around when he had first arrived last week. The letter Papa Oliver had sent ahead ntioned Jenkins's knack for finding trouble, but Jack, unaware of the confidential details, had assud Oliver was just being as overprotective of his apprentice as ever.
"Of course, that Skryu Pompey didn't need to worry about the user's body breaking down. After all, he just wanted to use that potion to create as many special types of undead as possible. I really don't know whether to call him a genius or a madman."
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