After a ten-minute discussion about preparations, the two parted ways. The middle-aged man made sure to remind Jenkins about a few disaster prevention tips. He looked as if the morning's news had aged him a decade, his face etched with a sorrow that suggested his home had burned down, taking all his possessions with it.
Jenkins refrained from asking about the investment the man had mentioned previously, but the man's brand-new suit suggested that the venture had, at the very least, not failed. Jenkins genuinely hoped his neighbors would prosper. They were a family of genuinely good people, and he believed good people deserved good fortune.
When Jenkins reached Pops Antique Shop, Papa Oliver hadn't even opened for the day. He was surprised to see Jenkins up so early, but his primary concern was whether Jenkins had decided who to invite to the family dinner at the end of the month.
"I was thinking of inviting Fini," Jenkins began. "You know her, the little girl from the church."
A dangerous glint appeared in Papa Oliver's eyes.
"But I know that if I actually did, Mary and Robert would never forgive me."
He set his cat down on the counter. Chocolate ambled over to a soft cushion at one end, curled up, and prepared to begin another day of decadent, life-wasting indolence.
"They know you too well," Papa Oliver remarked. "If you tried to play dumb, they'd see right through it."
"Exactly. And that's why I'm so troubled."
"So, what am I supposed to do?"
The mention of the ruined display window made Papa Oliver's temper flare. He grumbled that the expensive pane of glass had served him for three years, and he'd planned on getting another two out of it before replacing it. He never expected such a stroke of bad luck.
Because someone had witnessed Jenkins throw the jade stone, the Church had easily connected the incident to the followers of the God of Lies who had fought the wielder of the Skull Sword.
They discovered traces of a Substitute Body at the mouth of the alley across from the antique shop. Connecting that discovery with the precious jade, which was quickly identified, they pieced together a rough idea of what had occurred. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Papa Oliver figured the followers of the God of Lies must have known what the jade was, hence their reluctance to hold onto it. This also suggested that the person who appeared yesterday wasn't the man in the black robe. Given his typical habit of collecting Cursed Items, he would never have passed up such an object.
"This suggests that the followers of the God of Lies likely have no connection to one another," Papa Oliver continued. "They act independently, only uniting to commit illegal acts when their god issues a divine command. The Church believes more than one of them was involved in the 'Fabry Fraud,' and divinations concerning the matter have descended into unprecedented chaos."
"So, did those scoundrels figure out the antique shop is a field post for the Church of Knowledge and Books? It seems too coincidental for the Living Corpse Jade to be tossed right in here."
Jenkins asked, his nervous tone a poor attempt to mask the guilt he felt for the shop's broken window.
"I doubt it. The witness said the woman and the young man started fighting abruptly; they just happened to cross paths at the mouth of the alley opposite the shop. I must be having a streak of bad luck. I should probably pray more at church..."
Papa Oliver muttered, folding his newspaper. He straightened his clothes, ready to open the shop for the day.
It was almost comical. The Church knew someone had fought the wielder of the Skull Sword before the demigods arrived, yet they couldn't find a single witness. Anyone who had been near the battle had been turned into one of the undead.
So, they jumped to the conclusion that both individuals involved were followers of the new god, working in concert to seize the sword, only to fail. They suspected the second person was the legendary 'Miss Fabry,' while the first was of unknown gender and age, but possessed abilities likely related to stage opera.
This assumption wasn't without basis. The Church had conducted a meticulous search of the alley destroyed by the tornado, eventually finding a lead at a small inn. The building was partially collapsed, and its guest registry had been destroyed.
Unfortunately, what few clues remained pointed to a suspicious room on the third floor. Jenkins had no idea how the Church had reached its conclusion, but they somehow decided that the room where the secret meeting had taken place was the very same one used as a hideout by the new god's followers.
The discovery of some occult materials related to theatrical performance inside the room led the Church to jump to a seriously flawed conclusion.
Jenkins was at a loss for words.
The Living Corpse Jade, designated A-12-02-1110, was now officially contained in the space behind the Gate of All Things. However, the Church of Death and End was actively negotiating to borrow it.
Thanks to Miss Audrey's report a few days prior, they could trace some of its specific origins. If they could identify the true culprit behind the murder on that farmland a decade ago, they might be able to follow the trail right to the Skull Sword wielder's true identity.
So, from a certain perspective, the woman who threw the Living Corpse Jade had actually done a good thing. Not that it mattered to Papa Oliver; he still despised her. He was still complaining to Jenkins about it when workers from the glass factory arrived with the new pane around ten o'clock.
Yesterday's tornado had caused extensive damage in the area, and Pops Antique Shop was far from the only business needing to replace its windows. But Jenkins was certain that his was the only one that had been broken by a person.
According to Papa Oliver, the tornado was caused by A-05-1-4906, the Hurricane Maker. The Skull Sword, however, displayed even more terrifying properties. So far, it had demonstrated the ability to resurrect the dead, spread curses, control souls, fire ranged energy blasts, teleport short distances, and even transport others from afar.
This was what Jenkins understood of the powerful weapon. He ventured to ask Papa Oliver if the artifact had a counter—specifically, if B-01-2-7401, the Blade of Light that had defeated it thirty years ago, would still be effective.
The answer, however, was no. The Blade of Light, B-01-2-7401, possessed the ability to absorb and store light. The last time it was wielded, it had unleashed nearly five hundred years of accumulated light in a single strike to narrowly defeat A-12-1-0044, The Skull Sword of the Departed Soul. Now, having absorbed a mere thirty years of light, the elemental weapon couldn't possibly have the same effect.
Jenkins then brought up the "life conquers death" theory Alexia had mentioned the previous night. Papa Oliver didn't respond right away. Instead, he studied Jenkins's face with a puzzled expression for a long moment before finally speaking:
"That line of thinking is correct, but the problem is that no weapons forged from the World Tree were left behind in the material world. After the elves vanished, humans never again laid eyes on a branch of the World Tree. So unfortunately, Jenkins, the only thing we can do now is find the wielder and kill him before he grows any stronger."