The second "traversal" was faster than expected, and Jenkins sat on the bench to take a rest, and before the old painter Grant returned, sleepiness surged up again.
He comforted the agitated cat, then leaned back on the hard back of the bench, his consciousness returned to the depths of his body little by little.
"Don't sleep here, you'll catch a cold~"
This time, he was woken up by the girl's sweet voice, and when he opened his eyes, standing in front of him was a girl in a beautiful little dress with a basket of flowers. She looks like a flower girl, but according to Jenkins' understanding, flower girls usually don't dress so beautifully, let alone wear lace-trimmed hats, and don't have beautiful lace circles on their skirts.
The location is still the original bench. It seems that this is still the near future, and the gallery still exists. Where the painting of cats fluttering butterflies on the wall is now hung is an ordinary landscape painting, which depicts a seaside at sunset, and a girl is bending over to pick up shells.
"Hi, I'm so sleepy."
He said to the girl in a low voice, and the feeling of headache became stronger when he held his forehead. At the same time, a slight sense of nausea also appeared, and it seemed that he was not only dizzy with space movement, but also with "time movement".
"Uncle Jenkins, why are you here? I thought you were in Beldyran's palace."
The girl on tiptoe asked softly, and then sat next to Jenkins with a small skirt, feeling very close. The gallery is still very lively, but I don't know which artist's painting exhibition this time is.
"Oh, I'm here because...huh?"
He raised his head abruptly, unexpectedly, the girl carrying the flower basket knew him. She called out the name "Jenkins" precisely just now, so she must be someone very familiar.
"Call me uncle..."
According to the customs of this country, except for the children of John and Newman, the only ones who can call Jenkins "uncle" are the children of very familiar friends. For example, if Jenkins has been living next door to Mr. Goodman and maintains a good relationship with their family, Mr. Goodman's daughter can also call him "Uncle Jenkins" when she grows up.
"Oh, I came to Nolan for some personal business... why are you here?"
He asked vaguely, while covering his face with a tired look. He didn't care about the girl saying "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 a practical activity organized by the school. Mr. Sanders organized us to be flower girls at the art exhibition for half a day, as a final exam for the practical class!"
The girl's voice is light and cheerful, and she must have a good relationship with the future Jenkins.
"That's good, Pygmy..."
Jenkins still didn't understand the relationship between the girl and himself.
"Oh, what time is it? I think I may have slept in too long."
"Uncle Jenkins, it's 3:25 p.m. on the first weekend of the Universal Calendar 1880 [The Moon of Artificers and Rain]! Don't sleep here! You'll catch a cold!"
The girl said loudly, holding a small pocket watch in her hand, with a ring of broken diamond-like things embedded around the pocket watch, which seemed to be specially made for children.
"The last time was 12 years later, this time it's 14 years later... It's great to meet young children, I just wanted to know if it was morning or afternoon."
Thinking of this in her heart, the girl beside her stretched out her hand and put it on Jenkins' forehead.
"Uncle Jenkins, do you need to see a doctor? I noticed that your face is really ugly."
"No, I think I'm just too tired."
Jenkins answered in a low voice, curious about his life in the future, but didn't know how to ask.
"I give you a flower, I wish you good health."
The girl said very sensiblely, Jenkins rubbed his face and took it over. Seeing the expectant look on the girl's face, he took out a handful of banknotes from his pocket and stuffed them to her.
"Take it to buy sugar."
A bright smile immediately appeared on the girl's face.
"It really is a child."
Jenkins muttered, feeling drowsiness set in, which meant his time was up.
"I'm going to study in Beldylan in a while, Uncle Jenkins, can I live at your house? My grandfather's house is 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 Alexia always makes me learn, and Aunt Chocolate..."
It's a pity that Jenkins was the only one who didn't hear the last sentence, but at least he woke up smiling, because some future promised that the girls could live together in peace.
But even if the heart is happy, physical discomfort cannot be completely ignored. Although he didn't gain any valuable information at the end of the "travel" for the second time, the headache and nausea really got stronger, and he didn't even notice the worried expression on the face of the cat beside him.
The old painter Grant came back before the start of the third crossing. He also noticed that Jenkins' face was not good, so he suggested that Jenkins go back first. But Jenkins is in a comatose state right now, and all he wants to do is sit here and wait for B-07-1-6233 to end.
So on the pretext of being thirsty, Grant was asked to get some hot water. The old man looked at Jenkins very worriedly, and left quickly.
The third crossing happened three minutes and twenty-five seconds later. After waking up from a coma, the biting wind made Jenkins shiver uncontrollably.
In front of him was a quiet and deserted corridor. There was no light in the dim room, only a window at the end of the corridor, allowing the moonlight to shine in.
It should be late fall, and the nights have started to cool down considerably. Looking up at the opposite wall, there is a portrait of Dolores Stuart wearing a crown and a luxurious dress.
The girl in the painting looks more mature, but compared to "now", this maturity is most likely due to the painting style. At least from the appearance point of view, she is still the sixteen-year-old girl Jenkins is familiar with, and she is really charming...
"It seems that she has really succeeded. She is really luxurious. Is the title Queen Dolores Stuart... No, why is the portrait of the Queen of the Kingdom of Hampavo hung in the Kingdom of Fidiktli? In the unofficial gallery?"
The picture frame of the portrait is suspected to be pure gold, and it is covered by a glass cover embedded in the wall, and a guardrail is pulled underneath to stop anyone who tries to approach the portrait.