The Master of the Strange Realm

Chapter 862 Chapter 845 Butterfly

"Professor Burns and I have an appointment to help out at the library together on the weekend."

Before getting on the train, Jenkins wanted to test how determined his father was to let him leave.

"It's okay, he won't mind."

Seeing that the train was already coming from a distance, people sitting or standing on the platform began to pick up their luggage. The old man said loudly in the huge noise:

"Have fun in Shire. You don't need to come back so early. Just come back before the baptism at the end of the month. Oh, the baptism seems to be postponed to the beginning of next month. The changes in the starry sky have changed the most suitable day!"

"I know~"

Jenkins also answered in a very loud voice. In fact, he had left the spiritual magnet at home.

Without saying goodbye to anyone, the train carried the young writer and his cat away. Being away from Nolan City always makes Jenkins very sad. All his relatives and most of his friends live here.

"Think of something good. At least there won't be so many dangerous things in Shire."

Jenkins said to himself, and then stroked Chocolate who was squatting on the windowsill to watch the scenery. The ticket that Daddy gave him was for the VIP carriage. He didn't know whether he paid for it himself or the church could reimburse him.

He had taken the train to the Shire last fall, but the winter earthquake completely destroyed a tunnel in the east of Nolan, so the train from Nolan to the Shire now had to bypass the mountains. This meant that the trip would last until tonight, but Daddy said that Old Jack would pick him up at the station.

As for whether to live in the church or in Old Jack's herbal shop, it was all up to Jenkins himself.

The bed was placed under the window facing the door of the compartment, with a desk and a clothes hanger on both sides. The hot water bottle wrapped in a bamboo net bag was placed at the foot of the desk, and it trembled regularly on the floor with the vibration of the train.

Jenkins' life full of surprises has never lacked surprises. He spent the whole morning reading. At noon, he wanted to take chocolate to lunch. When he opened the door of his compartment, he found that the guest in the next compartment was also opening the door.

That was an acquaintance, not only Jenkins' neighbor on the train, but also his neighbor in reality.

"Oh, Mrs. Forland? What a coincidence. I didn't expect to meet you here."

The acquaintance was Miss Silver Flute, the middle-aged woman who had engaged in swindling with Jenkins and spent a lot of money to buy the crown at the auction.

She also didn't expect to meet her young neighbor here. The two greeted each other and went to the restaurant for dinner together.

Miss Silver Flute's destination was also Shire City, and according to her, she was visiting a friend.

Jenkins would not believe this. According to his observation, this woman was also traveling fully armed. She must be going to do something dangerous, so Jenkins didn't talk to her much and returned to his box after lunch, fearing that he would be involved in unknown troubles.

Although he still suspected the purpose of Miss Silver Flute's trip, Shire City was also a big city, and the chances of the two meeting again were very low. Jenkins quickly put this "meeting an old friend in a foreign land" behind his mind and began to plan his itinerary in the next few days.

Since his father asked him to stay in Shire for a while, it would definitely not be possible to go back early in a fair and square manner. When packing before leaving, I had left the spiritual magnet on St. George Street, so as long as I projected it back and activated [Real Phantom], it would be equivalent to being able to move quickly between the two places.

Just don't forget to leave the spiritual magnet in Shire, otherwise it would be bad if I couldn't come back.

I didn't encounter any troubles that day, but when it was close to dusk, Chocolate suddenly became interested in the group of butterflies outside the window, and scratched the glass with his cat claws vigorously to make noise, almost making Jenkins angry and forbidding him to eat dinner.

It is the season of late winter and early spring when everything is revived, and it is normal for some butterflies. When night fell and it was completely dark outside, Jenkins knew what Chocolate was interested in.

It was almost seven o'clock at that time. Jenkins was sitting in the restaurant car, drinking tea and reading newspapers, while quietly listening to two middle-aged men at the next table talking about banking.

Judging from their clothes and temperament, the two men should be businessmen or something like that, but Jenkins felt that their views on new banks and currency reforms were completely nonsense.

But it was really interesting to eavesdrop on other people's conversations like this. He noticed that his cat was also perking up his ears and didn't know what he was listening to.

"Does it know what a bank is?"

The young writer looked down on his cat and laughed at Chocolate's behavior in his heart.

Miss Silver Flute sat opposite Jenkins and read a magazine called "Beautiful Girls". This is a magazine dedicated to introducing popular styles of each season, which Jenkins had seen in the girls' club.

Further away, the waiter served the guests in the restaurant with a tea tray, and the uniformed conductor whispered with his colleagues while eating. The lady with her pet dog looked at Jenkins with interest, her dog looked at Chocolate with interest, and the woman's husband, the hairless old man, was sitting in a wheelchair and dozing with his head down.

Such an environment is really comfortable, away from Nolan's disputes, allowing Jenkins to feel the meaning of life for the first time in a long time.

"When I want to retire one day, I will live in my own manor with chocolate. I will have a big house, a windmill, a lavender field, two or three..."

"Oh, God, look!"

The woman's exclamation disrupted Jenkins's yearning for a better future. He looked out the window unhappily in the direction of the sound, only to see the brilliant light spots moving along with the train in the black night.

Looking carefully, it turned out to be a group of glowing butterflies, whose flying speed was only slightly slower than that of the train. They flapped their wings, and dots of fluorescence floated in the air, embellishing the black night with an extremely gorgeous scenery.

This is a gorgeous scene that can only be seen in oil paintings and dreams. Jenkins even heard the young maid not far away moaning softly.

"Is this...a strange species?"

The middle-aged man who was discussing the banking industry just now frowned and asked his companion.

"Maybe, I heard that fish in the deep sea can glow, maybe this is some kind of rare butterfly."

His companion didn't know either, but in order not to lose face, he still explained vaguely.

But Jenkins knew that these things were definitely not ordinary species. In his eyes, the azure light suppressed the fluorescence of the butterflies themselves. This was a group of alien species, a group of alien species that Jenkins could not even identify the name of the population.

Chapter 863 Chapter 846 Lost Butterflies

The butterflies emitting light in the dark night followed the train for nearly an hour, and gradually dispersed when approaching the Shire, flying into the distant night sky like a glowing ladder. In fact, Jenkins felt that the way they flew towards the double moon was more like moths flying towards candlelight, but this metaphor was not very appropriate.

The people in the restaurant car had been discussing excitedly at the window. Most people thought it was a symbol of luck. After all, not many people were lucky enough to see such a scene.

If we don't discuss the special characteristics of those butterflies, then they are indeed very beautiful. Even the swarm of fireflies flying in summer would not be more beautiful than this, but Jenkins, who knew the truth, remained vigilant for an hour, fearing that the butterflies would suddenly merge into a big monster and swallow the entire train in one bite.

Chocolate kept meowing, as if he was extremely hostile to the butterflies. Jenkins then remembered that the next spring would be the first for him to adopt this cat, and perhaps a cat that doesn't like exercise would be very interested in catching butterflies.

The train arrived at 11:32 pm. After saying hello to Mrs. Forrant, Jenkins was the first to get off the train with his small box.

He was worried that he couldn't find Old Jack, but he didn't expect the old man to be blocking the exit of the VIP carriage, standing under the stone pillar of the station, flipping through the book in his hand by the light of the warm yellow kerosene lamp above his head.

"Good evening, Jenkins, I didn't expect your train to be late."

He didn't look up, but he knew Jenkins was coming just by the footsteps and the cat's cry. He closed the book and gave Jenkins a big hug. The excessive enthusiasm made Jenkins a little uncomfortable.

"Good evening, Mr. Old Jack."

This is a very strange name, but Jenkins still doesn't know his real name.

"You've been waiting for a long time, right? It's really a bother for you to come pick me up so late."

"It doesn't matter... And judging from Oliver's letter, if I didn't pick you up, that grumpy old man would probably smash my store... Haha, no more talk, let's go, it's too late now, stay here for one night, and go to the church tomorrow morning..."

The night in Shire is very different from that in Nolan City. Away from the foggy city, Jenkins was still a little uncomfortable breathing the moist air of late winter.

The temperature here is higher than that in Nolan, and old Jack no longer wears cotton clothes. When the two of them went back in the carriage, the old man kept introducing the characteristics of Shire. It seems that he received his father's request to "keep him for a while."

But no matter how good Shire is, it is not Jenkins' home. He still likes the coastal city of Nolan.

When he got off the carriage and walked into the alley towards the herbal medicine store, Jenkins talked about the group of glowing butterflies he saw on the road. Old Jack, who was walking in front, paused for a moment. He looked at Jenkins with eyes as bright as a child, not dim at all.

There was no light in the alley, and the lighting depended on the strange-shaped mining lamp in Jenkins' hand. He usually explained to people that this was a lighting tool formed by ability, and no one questioned this point. After all, the power of the starry sky was too obvious.

It is obvious that the power of the starry sky is primitive and gentle, and will never make people die without a complete body.

"Did you touch them?"

The old man was excited, and after getting Jenkins's confirmation again, he turned around and continued to walk forward quickly. The sign of [Kingsley Tea Shop] broke in half and fell on the road, and the two had to step over it with effort.

"You came so early this year? That's a good thing! They are a species called [Lost Butterfly], active near the Shire in early spring every year. Most of the gifters in this city know that group of little guys. They are very beautiful, aren't they?"

Old Jack's herbal medicine shop is in the middle of the alley. Although the location is a bit remote, I heard from my father that the business here is better than the antique shop.

Although Old Jack usually sells fake medicines that are harmless, he can really prepare herbal medicines, and can cure common diseases.

"Lost butterfly? Is it dangerous?"

Jenkins asked, gently shaking the chocolate he was holding, trying to coax the cat to sleep. He didn't notice that the cat's whiskers in his arms were trembling, and the cute nose was gently moving to feel the air in the strange city, and at the same time raised his head with an expression of "Are you stupid?"

"It's not dangerous. Those little guys hate to get close to any living thing. As you said, being witnessed by ordinary people has not happened for decades. What is attracting them?"

The old man guessed for a few seconds but couldn't get an answer. Seeing that the store was just ahead, he began to search for the key in his pocket.

"The only extraordinary ability of the lost butterfly is to randomly transfer the creatures it touches to any [safe] place. This is quite troublesome. I go to catch some lost butterflies every early spring to make medicine. Their wings are very good materials. I remember that seven years ago, I accidentally broke a hole in the fingertips of my gloves, and then I was teleported to a small fishing village on the east coast of the continent. Oh, this is really a disaster..."

Old Jack's store is similar to his father's antique store, but the store is smaller, and the warehouse behind is very large. The second floor of the store is the living area, and one of the rooms that has been cleaned up is where Jenkins will sleep tonight.

The writer who came from afar is very interested in this place. The small space always gives him a sense of security. Moreover, there is no smell of fog on the bed quilt, only the smell of being exposed to the sun, which makes him feel very happy.

After returning to the store, the two went to bed separately. Although Chocolate was not used to the strange bed at first, he still lay down beside Jenkins' pillow after strolling for a while.

The man turned over in bed and looked at the sparse starry sky outside the window. Suddenly, he felt that everything was a little unreal. Away from Nolan, the sky with stars was so strange that he missed his city a little.

"Chocolate, do you miss home?"

"Meow~"

The cat just wants to sleep.

"Tomorrow we will go to the church first, and then go to the cemetery in the suburbs to find out the situation. I think our trip to the Shire will be very interesting. I remember there are many delicious specialties here... Have you heard of carrots boiled in green radish soup?"

"Meow~"

The cat thinks Jenkins is playing tricks on it, and it thinks it is right. The stranger has a lot of recipes in his mind. Even if he can't cook, he can "draw" them if he is familiar with the ingredients. Every time at this time, the cat can also taste those unique flavors. It's a pity that Jenkins doesn't do this often, otherwise Chocolate will like this man more than now.

"Meow~"

It wanted to say good night to Jenkins, but Jenkins didn't understand, which made the cat suddenly feel a little angry, and planned to ignore Jenkins for a while after waking up tomorrow morning.

Chapter 864 Chapter 847 Testing and Escape

The next day, I got up very early and had breakfast with Old Jack. Both the man and the cat tasted a strong herbal flavor in the porridge, but it tasted good. The old man explained that this was a meal formula he had researched to strengthen the body, and then he was surprised to hear Jenkins say the word "diet therapy".

Somehow, the cat behaved very strangely after waking up. But after accepting Jenkins' patting and caressing, it immediately returned to normal, and rubbed against him on the way to the church.

The Sage Church in Shire City is not as big as that in Nolan City. It is located on a pedestrian street far away from the city center. The shops on that street are engaged in business activities related to books, printing and education.

The local church received Jenkins with great courtesy, and the elderly bishop personally led Jenkins to visit the church. The local bishop looked older than Bishop Palod of Nolan, but he was in good spirits and walked faster than Jenkins when he went up the stairs.

After handing over the material bag, the kind old man asked him if he wanted to live in the church during his "visit" to Shire, but Jenkins hesitated for a while and refused. He came to Shire City to investigate some things, and always living in the church was not conducive to acting alone. Moreover, living with Old Jack and listening to him talk about herbs was also very interesting.

The whole morning on Friday was spent in the church, and he met Old Jack again at lunch.

He asked Jenkins about his afternoon schedule. After learning that he was going to walk around, he just asked him not to go too far, and did not restrict his travel like his father.

After all, this is the peaceful and friendly Shire, and the dangers are far less than in Nolan.

To be honest, Jenkins doesn't know much about this city, and the original owner's memory has no impression of it. Although Shire is also a big city, it doesn't seem to have any special features. There is nothing to praise about the industry, tourism and even the catering industry. It's just that the crime rate is very low in the county and even in the country.

After saying goodbye to Old Jack, Jenkins took his cat and strolled to the street. He stood in the bookstore for a while, but only bought a copy of "Frozen". After confirming that no one was following him, he went into the alley and put on a black robe, then spent money to rent a room in a small hotel, and then used the projection ceremony to return to Nolan.

Coming out of the closet on St. George Street, everything went smoothly. The pretentious Chocolate also came out of the closet, missing the home he had just left.

"Shall we go to the circus?"

He picked up his cat and asked softly, and Chocolate certainly wouldn't have any objections.

The circus still stayed in the Martel Racecourse, at least until yesterday. After leaving St. George Street secretly, Jenkins took a carriage through the city, but as soon as the carriage reached the outskirts of the city and turned into the path to the racecourse, it was stopped by the police roadblock.

"Gentlemen, what's going on ahead?"

Jenkins heard the driver asking, so he stuck his head out. The uniformed police officer saw that there were still passengers in the car, and his attitude immediately became better.

"Last week's earthquake caused the road ahead to collapse, and the Martel Racecourse also suffered heavy losses. It's no longer passable over there. Sorry, sir, I think you can only return."

The earthquake happened on Monday this week, and now it's Friday, so this explanation is reasonable. The coachman couldn't move forward, so he had to pull Jenkins back to the city. But Jenkins got off the car not far away, claiming that he wanted to "breathe the fresh air in the suburbs."

The coachman was puzzled about what fresh air he could breathe in such a thick fog, but rich people always have quirks. He took the money and drove the carriage away.

"We need to act quietly next."

This is a country road, with large tracts of farmland that look like alopecia. The heavy snow last week also affected the area nearby. As the temperature rose, the snow began to melt, but it was not completely melted.

The dirt road underfoot was wet, and the footprints and ruts on the ground were clearly visible. Chocolate would never walk on such a road, as this cat loves cleanliness very much.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he summoned the unicorn. As soon as the little beast appeared, it flew up, and it also hated the dirty road surface.

It refused to come down, so Jenkins could only use a bone whistle to call out the skeleton horse, then stand on the horse's back and climb onto the back of the unicorn with great effort. The pure white little beast seemed very excited to meet Jenkins again, but he hated the dangerous cat that appeared again.

Of course, it knew what the cat was, and it was also afraid that it would have an appetite one day and open its mouth to swallow everything. But the unicorn clan is blessed by the great master [Lord of Flowers], and now it is also blessed by the man on its back, so it is expected that the cat will not dare to do anything.

The last time the unicorn was called out was in the living room on St. George Street, after which Hathaway invited her to visit him on the weekend. Jenkins will never forget what he saw during that visit. Thinking of this, he was glad that he was "in the Shire" now, otherwise Hathaway would definitely come to him again.

"Am I running away?"

The man muttered to himself while lying on the back of the unicorn, and the cat that popped its head out of his pocket immediately "meowed~"