"Pomphey really forced his way into the Sage's Church? Oh, right. With Miss Bevanna gone, of course he'd dare... Thanks for the warning. I won't be rushing to the front lines."
Jenkins nodded and peeked out cautiously, seeing a large contingent of Enchanters surging from the church and hurrying down the street toward the Dock Area.
"So Pomphey isn't at the church now?"
"He's gone."
Magic Miss nodded. "He left as soon as he grabbed what he ca for. He's probably headed for the Church of Ocean and Exploration. I expect he's going to steal sothing there, too."
"Such nerve. Isn't he afraid of being cornered by the demigods?"
"No."
Magic Miss declared with absolute certainty, a smug smile playing on her lips.
"I can guarantee that right now, I'm the only one who knows the full situation. Rember the man whose legs you crushed last night?"
"Duke Antak?"
"A duke? Huh, so it was him? I had no idea about his secular identity... Anyway, it looks like the Church never got their hands on him. After we left, Pomphey went back and rescued him. And do you have any idea what kind of power that duke wields?"
"I don't. He's just a low-level Enchanter."
Jenkins replied honestly.
"But he commands a Miasma Lock! And it's the most bizarre one of all!"
Magic Miss explained, practically bursting with impatience. It was obvious that hoarding a secret, only to reveal it to a friend, brought her imnse satisfaction.
"It's 'The Stage' Miasma Lock, the one that supposedly requires no preparation and can be activated instantly! The most terrifying thing about 'The Stage' is that it can string together a series of seemingly insignificant events, weaving countless coincidences into sothing like a theatrical script."
"That duke used the power of 'The Stage' to make sure all the demigods just happened to be far from the church this morning... Huh? Mr. Candle, what's with that look on your face?"
After explaining everything, Magic Miss remained sprawled on the rooftop, waiting for Pirate King Femishue to slip up. Jenkins offered his thanks and set off once more.
According to Magic Miss, the power of "The Stage" Miasma Lock was already affecting the entire city. A series of coincidences, born from various accidents, would dramatically ensure that anyone trying to intercept Pomphey would fail to cross his path at the right mont.
Using a Miasma Lock of this scale would naturally consu a trendous amount of spirit. Duke Antak's pathetic abilities were nowhere near enough to sustain it. Pomphey must have provided so wicked ans to allow the duke to maintain the lock for so long.
Therefore, what Jenkins needed to do now was not join the Church's fruitless search for Pomphey's next target, but to find the duke and kill him. That would unravel the entire problem.
But the new problem was that neither Jenkins nor Magic Miss knew Duke Antak's exact location. Although Magic Miss could see traces of the Miasma Lock, she couldn't pinpoint the user's location by sight alone.
"Perhaps you could seek help from a diviner, or other Enchanters who specialize in Miasma Locks."
This gave Jenkins a crucial idea. While he couldn't go looking for Miss Audrey or Miss Brolignans right now, Alexia would definitely be more than willing to help.
He arrived in Ruen in a flash. The petite woman was in the lavatory of her residence, touching up her makeup. She wasn't the least bit surprised by the sudden appearance of a man in the brightly lit room.
"Well, hello there, Jenkins."
She greeted him through the mirror's reflection, offering no reproach for his unannounced visit.
"There's been a breakthrough in Howard Stuart's interrogation. You won't believe what we've discovered! Nolan isn't free of new Tree House mbers after all; Duke Antak has one with him."
Alexia continued her work, her eyes on the mirror as she spoke.
"Yes, it's precisely because of Duke Antak that I've co for your help!"
Jenkins rapidly explained the situation. Alexia listened, using a pencil to touch up her perfect brows. Only after he had finished did she place the pencil in a small case by the washstand.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
"No, no, no."
Jenkins quickly shook his head. "I know you've been busy. You're not done with that tower business, are you? There's no need for you to co back to Nolan yet. If it truly cos to that, I'll co for you myself."
"Are you worried about ?"
she asked.
"No, it's just that things haven't reached the point where we need a demigod to step in."
Jenkins could handle Duke Antak himself. As for Pomphey, the mont a demigod appeared, that sly fox would flee. Alexia's place was on the final battlefield, not here and now.
"I'm always ready, Jenkins. It's perfectly normal to ask for my help. You shouldn't hesitate in the slightest."
As she spoke, she walked right up to Jenkins and, straining on her tiptoes, kissed him. When they broke apart, a translucent blue cube rested in his hand, with tiny motes of light glittering within.
"You can use this. It will automatically calculate the center of the Miasma Lock and point you in the right direction."
"Thank you."
"Do we really need 'thank yous' between us?"
she asked, smiling.
He had a Star Spirit bring the crystal back to Nolan for him. The instant it fully materialized, it began to work. He felt a faint warmth in his palm. After about five minutes, all the light within the crystal condensed into a single point, which then hovered in the cube's upper-right corner.
"This way?"
Alexia's device was even more sophisticated than Jenkins had imagined.
He hurried out of the dark alley and into an even gloomier one shrouded in thick fog.
For so reason, the streetlights were on. The Church must have lit them, since the municipal workers in charge of the lights had likely all fallen into a deep sleep.
The current situation clearly indicated that the Sage's Church was either unwilling to deactivate the Cursed Item, or unable to.
If it was the forr, it ant the Church foresaw that what was about to happen would be even harder for ordinary people to accept than "the entire city falling into a strange slumber." The only possibility Jenkins could imagine was an army of the undead launching a full-scale assault on the city.
If it was the latter, it ant Pomphey didn't want the Church to have the help of the general populace. This implied he was about to do sothing that would affect the whole city, yet sothing ordinary people could help thwart. Again, the only possibility that ca to mind was an undead army storming the city.
This was a terrifying thought. The city of Nolan was truly on the brink of war.
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