“Can the awakening of a bloodline power really be triggered by external stimuli?”
Jenkins was quite curious about this, so he asked while standing in the hallway.
“Of course. Prompting an awakening through external stimulation is actually the more common way. After all, Fate doesn’t often turn its gaze upon mortals. Hoping to one day just naturally awaken to some extraordinary power is less likely than having a pleasant dream in your own bed.”
Mr. Smith shook his head at Jenkins before turning to leave.
Since he was scheduled to give a public lecture at the church that morning, Jenkins began his preparations right after breakfast. The number of people who came to listen was far greater than he had anticipated, even surpassing the crowd for his public class in December. There were plenty of officials and nobles in attendance, yet they all mingled casually, sitting among the common folk.
The most surprising attendees were members of the royal delegation from the Kingdom of Cheslan, who were on an official visit to Nolan City. Since only followers of the Sage were permitted entry, the listeners from the delegation were limited to the duke and a few of his attendants.
Jenkins was astonished to learn that this foreign duke was also a follower of the Sage.
“That’s to be expected. Faith in the Sage is quite widespread among mortals.”
Priest Roberts, who was chatting with Jenkins, remarked casually, but then his tone shifted, hinting at something more.
He was, of course, alluding to the duke. It was, in fact, nearly impossible to expect such high-ranking nobles to possess any genuine piety. To put it in words Jenkins often heard, “The pursuit of gold pounds and power has blinded the eyes and hearts of these sinners. They are nearly beyond redemption, yet a merciful God is still willing to help them...”
Around nine o’clock, Jenkins officially began his lecture for these “sinners.” Although Bishop Parrold had nonchalantly suggested that Jenkins could simply repeat what he had said before, the writer, feeling a strong sense of responsibility, decided to incorporate some new material.
He had previously discussed matters of finance, currency, trade, and banking with Alexia and Miss Stuart, and all three of them had benefited from the exchange.
Jenkins, with his broader knowledge and perspective, understood the most. Whenever the other two offered a new insight, he could immediately expand on it, drawing further conclusions and connections.
Alexia was the sharpest of the three. During their discussions, she would listen quietly as Jenkins explained everything he knew, absorbing and processing the information before synthesizing it with the realities of the current era to propose the most fitting ideas.
As for Miss Stuart, while she couldn't match her friends in most respects, her way of thinking was the most straightforward. To be more precise, she wasn't so much trying to contribute to the conversation as she was simply enjoying being part of it. As a result, her understanding was often fragmented, but this sometimes allowed her to arrive at unique and unexpected insights.
The content of Jenkins's lecture today was largely the same as what Miss Stuart had shared with her father, just presented in a different way.
He quite enjoyed this style of presentation, which required more recitation than active thought. He had even planned to simply read from a script, but the papers had gotten soaked the day before when his cat, Chocolate, had knocked over a glass of water while playing.
“This must be a sign from fate,”
Jenkins had thought with a sudden superstitious flicker. And so, it led to today's brilliant performance.
The word “brilliant” wasn't Jenkins's own assessment, but rather the praise given to him by Bishop Parrold after the lecture concluded. The old man had spent the entire morning listening to Jenkins explain the rudimentary principles of economics, and he appeared to have grasped them. Latest content publıshed on novel{f}ire.net
“Everything I've said is based on my own understanding, but it isn't necessarily the absolute truth,”
he felt compelled to clarify. After all, it wasn't his field of study, so his knowledge was limited.
“But for the ignorant, any word from a prophet is a guiding light,”
the old man replied profoundly, patting Jenkins's shoulder.
“If you have time this weekend, write up your lecture notes so I can review them again. Your proposal for expanding the function of banks is fascinating. Perhaps we could collaborate with the Travelers' Bank—it's quite a good idea. Oh, and I've recently heard some interesting rumors concerning a title of nobility for you. While nothing is certain yet, I suspect it will all work out...”
This was something Miss Stuart had mentioned before, so Jenkins wasn't surprised.
The bishop's mention of the weekend reminded Jenkins of the ball Papa Oliver had accepted on his behalf. The weekend was tomorrow, yet Jenkins still had no idea who his dance partner was supposed to be.
He stewed over the matter all through lunch, and in his distraction nearly spilled hot soup on Chocolate's tail. This prompted a half-hour cold war between them, which only ended when Jenkins managed to procure some sweets from the kitchen to appease the indignant cat.
He didn't have to go to Papa Oliver's in the afternoon, not because he had the day off, but because the Church needed a full account of how he had destroyed the Cursed Item A-06-1-4408, the Curse of the Shipwrecked Remains, the previous day.
By relying solely on his own abilities, he had managed to completely destroy an “indestructible” Cursed Item. If the reason behind his success could be uncovered, it would provide the Church with an invaluable tool for containing these terrifying objects.
He had already written a detailed report of the incident and submitted it, but the truth was, even Jenkins himself didn't fully understand how he had managed to destroy A-06-1-4408. He had initially assumed it was merely a high-level undead creature, which was why he had ignored the curse and malice emanating from it as he approached. He even suspected that his success was partly due to the skeleton being in a weakened state. After all, he had previously witnessed the full power of a rampaging A-06-1-4408 within the church, and the one he faced yesterday evening had shown no capacity for resistance whatsoever.
“That's highly likely.”
Miss Bevanna nodded thoughtfully.
“Even if that man, Provence Lucal, found a necromantic method to control A-06-1-4408, he would still have to consider the consequences of losing that control. He's only mortal, after all, and commanding a Cursed Item is no simple feat. The skeleton was certainly weakened, but even so, it shouldn't have been so easily destroyed by you...”
The two of them were standing in a vast plaza revealed behind the Gate of All Things, which had been pushed open by a third of its width. In truth, the space resembled a colosseum more than a plaza. The circular arena was a mixture of yellow earth and steel plates of some unknown material. Towering walls flanked the grounds, and beyond them rose tiers of seats and platforms of varying heights. According to Miss Bevanna, this was the Church's proving ground, used to test weapons and conduct rituals best kept secret from heretical eyes.