The Master of the Strange Realm

"So, paintings by deceased painters are generally very valuable."

"Paintings by famous dead painters are usually very valuable."

The old man said this, and then said with emotion that after his death, his works will gradually be appreciated and even put on auction houses.

This statement was very unlucky, so Jenkins thought about it and expressed it tactfully. But the old man didn't care. He was very open-minded about death and believed that it was a day that everyone would face and that it was just the beginning of another great adventure.

After walking around this exhibition hall, Jenkins couldn't help but begin to wonder if any of the authors of these paintings were mentally disturbed, and he thought of the young painter who was shot dead by him on a rainy night last autumn. When the two walked out of the exhibition hall, Mr. Grant wanted to go to the toilet and asked Jenkins to wait. Jenkins took his cat and sat down at the entrance of the exhibition hall.

The art exhibition is not a celebration. It is an elegant and quiet place, and there will be no stalls selling food. So Chocolate was not very interested in this place. He was held by Mr. Writer and struggled in his arms for a while, then he stared at the decorative painting of a cat flapping butterflies on the opposite wall with wide eyes.

"I know you have always had bad thoughts about that lost butterfly. Stop thinking about it. I can't give you anything to eat."

He touched the cat's little head and warned.

Chapter 1000 Chapter 982 Uncertain Future (Part 1)

Hearing Jenkins' groundless accusation, the well-behaved cat whispered "meow~" without knowing what he was thinking.

Probably because he came home too late last night and didn't get a good rest. Jenkins sat on the long chair in the corridor of the gallery and felt sleepy. He tried hard not to close his eyes, but he couldn't suppress the sleepiness at all. He fell asleep the moment his eyelids closed together, but was soon awakened by the noisy environment around him.

He raised his head tiredly and looked forward, seeing the bustling crowd passing by in front of him. My eyes looked at the painting on the opposite wall, but instead of a cat flapping about with butterflies, it turned into a self-portrait of a middle-aged man wearing a ridiculous hat.

Some people don't understand why the painting changed so quickly. When I touched it, the chocolate next to it disappeared. Jenkins stood up suddenly, and then realized that something was wrong with the surrounding environment.

It's still a gallery, but the walls have been painted and the gas lamps on the walls have become more intricate. A more sophisticated bronze mechanical structure hangs underneath the lamps, with fine gears and bearings interlocking and connected in series with the tiny metal parts inside the wall.

The bench beneath him changed from wood to metal, but it was also padded with soft cushions. People were dressed normally, but it looked more like summer clothes, but it was early spring.

"Sorry, have you seen my cat?"

He stopped a passing gentleman and wanted to inquire about the specific situation.

"I'm sorry, I just came here. There were too many people at the art exhibition celebrating the tenth anniversary of Mr. Grant's death. Those black-hearted businessmen, I don't know how many tickets they sold... Huh? Why do you look like this? Looks so familiar?”

Jenkins was frightened by the phrase "the tenth anniversary of Mr. Grant's death." He hurriedly said goodbye to the confused middle-aged gentleman, and followed the flow of people inward. What is currently displayed in the gallery is the familiar cartoon-style oil painting. The person who lent the painting and the last auction price of the painting are also marked under the inner paintings.

"Thirty thousand pounds?"

Jenkins was frightened, and then frightened by the fact that this could be the future.

He stopped a person again, asked about the current date, and got the fact that it was 1878 on the universal calendar.

"The tenth anniversary of his death... The current year I know is 1866 in the universal calendar. If this is really the future, it means that Mr. Grant died two years after meeting me..."

He opened his eyes and looked around, but he didn't see any suspicious aura. Surrounded by the crowd, I walked from the gallery exit to the street. It was also crowded with people coming and going outside. Most of the houses on both sides of the street are still in their original appearance, but the steam pipes climbing on the walls have all turned into mechanically beautiful shapes made of fine gears. Various metal pipes cross the sky, and people In his hand was a brass-colored mechanical device that Jenkins didn't recognize.

The policemen carrying miniaturized steam stoves and steam rifles looked at the dazed Jenkins at the gallery door suspiciously, but were unable to cross the street to question him because of the dense flow of people. He grabbed the iron box under the sage's motto on a street lamppost. After entering the password, he took out a slender iron box like an abacus from the small door that popped open. of hitting those buttons.

Jenkins didn't notice that he was being noticed. He felt that the shadow covered most of him and the street. When he looked up, he actually saw a huge steam airship flying over the city, and it was pulling behind it. A red banner:

【Maxius steam power furnace, your best choice! 】

"Am I crazy?"

Jenkins asked himself on the noisy street, and then thought of a very famous Class B extraordinary event related to the future, B-07-1-6233 [Uncertain Future].

This is a type B extraordinary event that can only happen to the benefactor. It targets a certain person and causes the target to frequently travel between the present and the future in a short period of time.

The future observed by the Giver who experienced the B-07-1-6233 incident is not a certain future, it is only a possibility.

According to the teachings of the Great One [Hermit of Destiny], before the future arrives, all observations of the future are uncertain. This is to warn fortune-tellers not to over-trust prophecies, but it also illustrates the unreliability of B-07-1-6233.

It's just that based on a large amount of information, part of the future predicted by B-07-1-6233 will definitely appear. For example, the scene Jenkins saw now may mean that Nolan has become a ruin 12 years later, and dense tourists are walking through the ruins, remembering the last relics of this great city.

B-07-1-6233 is valuable, but people often don't know which part is valuable. This leads to the fact that for those who have experienced the B-07-1-6233 incident, choosing not to trust everything they see is the safest approach, in order to prevent being misled by the future and being played by fate.

Jenkins stared at everything in front of him with wide eyes. He didn't belong to this world, and now he doesn't belong to this era.

"Speaking of which, can I see myself in this era?"

He suddenly thought of this and was eager to go to his home on St. George Street. But before he could get through the dense crowd of people celebrating, he felt sleepy again.

Before he could make a protest, his eyelids closed unconsciously, and then his consciousness disappeared again, falling into a peaceful sleep.

"Meow~"

Chocolate's cry awakened his numb brain, and then the strange pain caused by the cat's claws scratching the back of his hand made his consciousness completely awake.

When he looked up, the cat painting was still on the opposite wall. Obviously, Jenkins had returned.

He couldn't help but cover his forehead and sighed deeply. The left side of his head hurt a little, or he had a migraine now, which was one of the sequelae of observing the future through B-07-1-6233.

Generally speaking, the gifted who experienced the B-07-1-6233 event will "travel through the future" several times in a row at intervals of about 5 minutes. The highest number of times in the record is ten times, and the minimum number is three times, which means that Jenkins will still experience multiple observations of the future.

"Should I tell the church about this?"

Jenkins thought about it in his heart, and then decided to depend on the observed future results. If it was a peaceful future like the one just now, without any secrets or unknowns involved, then it would be okay to say it out. But if it involved his own secrets, then it would be better to keep it in his heart along with other things.

Section 1001 Chapter 983 Uncertain Future (Part 2)

The second "crossing" was faster than expected. Jenkins sat on the bench to rest for a while. Before the old painter Grant came back, he felt sleepy again.

He comforted the somewhat anxious cat, then leaned back on the hard backrest of the bench, and his consciousness returned to the depths of his body little by little.

"Don't sleep here, you will catch a cold~"

This time he was awakened by the sweet voice of the girl. When he opened his eyes, he saw a girl holding a flower basket and wearing a beautiful little skirt standing in front of him. She looked like a flower girl, but according to Jenkins' understanding, flower girls generally don't dress so beautifully, and they don't wear lace hats, and there won't be circles of beautiful lace on their skirts.

The location is still the original bench. It seems that this is still the near future, and the gallery still exists. In the place of the painting of a cat catching butterflies on the wall, there is now an ordinary landscape painting, depicting a sunset beach, with a girl bending over to pick up shells.

"Hello, I'm so sleepy."

He whispered to the girl, holding his forehead and feeling a stronger headache. At the same time, a slight feeling of nausea also appeared. It seems that he is not only dizzy with space movement, but also dizzy with "time movement".

"Uncle Jenkins, why are you here? I thought you were in the palace of Beldiran."

The girl asked softly on tiptoe, then sat next to Jenkins with her skirt lifted, looking very close. The gallery is still very lively, but I don't know which painter's exhibition this time.

"Oh, I'm here because... huh?"

He raised his head suddenly, and didn't expect that the girl carrying the flower basket actually knew him. She just called out the name "Jenkins" accurately, so she must be a familiar person.

"Call me uncle..."

According to the custom of this country, the only people who can call Jenkins "uncle" are the children of very familiar friends, except for John and Newman's children. For example, if Jenkins had always lived next door to Mr. Goodman and maintained a good relationship with his family, Mr. Goodman's daughter would be able to call him "Uncle Jenkins" when she grew up.

"Oh, I came to Nolan to do some private business... Why are you here?"

He asked vaguely, while covering his face and pretending to be tired. He didn't care that the girl said "I thought you were in the palace", he guessed that maybe this future him had a good relationship with Miss Windsor, who had become the queen.

"Oh, Uncle Jenkins, I'm participating in the practical activities organized by the school. Mr. Sanders organized us to be flower girls at the exhibition for half a day as the final exam of the practical class!"

The girl's voice was light and pleasant, and she must have a good relationship with the future Jenkins.

"That's good, flower girl..."

Jenkins still didn't understand the relationship between the girl and himself.

"Oh, what time is it now? I think I may have slept too long."

"Uncle Jenkins, it's 3:25 pm on the first weekend of the universal calendar year 1880 [The Moon of the Craftsman and the Rain]! Don't sleep here! Otherwise you'll catch a cold!"

The girl said loudly, holding a small pocket watch in her hand. There was a circle of diamond-like things embedded around the pocket watch. It seemed to be specially made for children.

"The last time was 12 years ago, this time it's 14 years later... It's so nice to meet little kids, I just wanted to know if it was morning or afternoon."

With this thought in mind, the girl beside him stretched out her hand and put it on Jenkins' forehead.

"Uncle Jenkins, do you need to see a doctor? I noticed that you look really ugly."

"No, I guess I'm just too tired."

Jenkins answered in a low voice. He was very curious about his life in this future, but he didn't know how to ask.

"Give you a flower and wish you good health."

The girl said very sensibly, Jenkins rubbed his face and took it. Seeing the expectant look on the girl's face, he took out a handful of bills from his pocket and gave it to her.

"Take it to buy some candy."

A bright smile immediately appeared on the girl's face.

"He is indeed a child."

Jenkins muttered, feeling sleepy already appearing, which meant that his time was coming.

"I'm going to Belduran to study in a while. Uncle Jenkins, can I stay at your house? My grandfather's house is really too far away, and my grandmother doesn't like living in the city..."

Jenkins knew that the girl in front of him must be the child of his two brothers. Given Mr. Goodman's age, it is unlikely that his parents would have survived to this point in time.

"I love Aunt Hathaway's pancakes, but Aunt Alexa always makes me study, and Aunt Chocolate..."

Unfortunately, Jenkins was the only one who didn't hear the last words, but at least he woke up smiling, because a future showed that the girls could coexist peacefully.

But even if you are happy in your heart, your physical discomfort cannot be completely ignored. Although he didn't gain any valuable information after finishing the "travel" for the second time, his headache and nausea really became more intense. He didn't even notice the worried expression on the face of the cat beside him.

The old painter Grant came back before the third time traveled. He also noticed that Jenkins looked bad, so he suggested that Jenkins go back first. But Jenkins is now in a state where he may fall asleep at any time. He just wants to sit here and wait for B-07-1-6233 to end.

So he asked Grant to get some hot water on the pretext of being thirsty. The old man looked at Jenkins worriedly and left quickly.

The third time travel occurred three minutes and twenty-five seconds later. After waking up from his comatose state, the biting wind made Jenkins shiver.

There was a quiet and deserted corridor in front of him. There was no light in the dim interior, and only the open window at the end of the corridor allowed the moonlight to shine in.

It must be late fall now, and the nights have begun to cool down significantly. He raised his head and glanced at the opposite wall. Hanging there was a portrait of Dolores Stuart wearing a crown and a luxurious dress.

The girl in the painting looks a little more mature, but still very limited compared to "now". This maturity is most likely due to the style of painting. At least in terms of appearance, she is still the sixteen-year-old girl that Jenkins is familiar with. She is really young and charming...

"It looks like she really succeeded. She is so gorgeously dressed. Is the title Queen Dolores Stuart... No, why is the portrait of the Queen of the Kingdom of Hampavo hung in the Philippines? In the unofficial gallery of the Kingdom of Dicktley?”

The frame of the portrait is suspected to be made of solid gold. It is covered by a glass cover embedded in the wall, and there is a guardrail underneath to stop anyone trying to get close to the portrait.

Chapter 1002 Chapter 984 Uncertain Future (Part 2)

This future night is quiet, and Nolan seems to be at peace. In the deserted gallery, only Jenkins looked up and admired the girl's hanging portrait. The portrait is protected by a glass frame, which speaks volumes about its importance.

The contact point between the glass frame and the wall has a complex gear structure like a base. Those gears shone coldly in the faint moonlight, and Jenkins guessed that this should be an anti-theft measure based on a steam-powered gear structure.

In the corridor illuminated by the moonlight, the man raised his head and looked at the girl in the painting, and the girl in the painting seemed to be looking at the man. Somehow, a sad mood suddenly came up. Jenkins quickly shook his head and went to look for new information.

Although it was unlikely that anyone would be here at night, Jenkins was still able to obtain information. There was a newspaper randomly placed in the empty space of the bench, half pressed by Jenkins' butt. The date was in the most conspicuous upper left corner. It was the spring of 1882.

"This time it's 16 years later."

After receiving this answer, Jenkins held his forehead to adjust to the headache for a while, and then picked up the newspaper.

The front page featured a black-and-white photo of an unfamiliar middle-aged man in formal attire and a ridiculous wig. The title is to celebrate the success of the country’s third five-year air pollution control plan. After a cursory reading of the text, the man in the photo is the Minister of the Kingdom’s Ministry of Environment and a member of the House of Lords.

"The Third Five-Year Plan...why does this phased environmental governance bill feel so familiar...couldn't this be proposed by me?"

He hoped to find his name in this edition, but unfortunately failed. But he found something even stranger: "Fidictli Kingdom" turned into "Fidictli Empire".

"Only countries that occupy more than half of the continent can become empires... Did the war between Fidictli and Cheslan end with the complete victory of our country?"

He couldn't get an answer, so he could only continue to flip back. But this time the tiredness came so quickly that Jenkins fainted after only seeing "Calendar Change Notice on the End of the Eighteenth Era (Third Edition)".

"What's going on? Official notice of the end of the era? Is this the end of peace?"

This was his first reaction after waking up, but the future he observed was only one of the possible futures, and it was not necessarily a certain future event.

"I really want to vomit."

The discomfort in his body was getting worse, and now it felt like stepping into a light gate in a strange world. Chocolate's voice appeared in his ears, and the cat was trying to comfort Jenkins by patting him with his paws.

"I'm fine, it will be over soon."

He said this to his cat, and then fainted again, this time at an exceptionally fast speed.

Jenkins was awakened by the rumbling thunder and the manic rain. It was still the familiar corridor. The summer night rain looked particularly terrifying in the dark room. This time there was no moonlight. Before summoning the monocle, Jenkins could only rely on the occasional lightning to see the painting on the opposite wall.

It was not a cat catching butterflies, not a self-portrait, not a landscape painting, and not even Dolores's painting. What was very interesting was that it was not even a painting, but a note placed in a frame.

[Wells Lane, 32B, Room 3, 2nd Floor. Kill him, at least kill him before the end of the third month of 1866! ]

The handwriting was slender and looked very familiar. It took a while to realize that it was Jenkins' own handwriting. The "now" he belonged to was the third month of 1866, and the note seemed to be written to him.