The silver-white sword in Odis's hand corresponded to the Sequence 7 'Weapon Master' of the 'Twilight' Pathway. He could even trace the formation process of this sword. It was formed when a 'Weapon Master' died, and his Beyonder characteristic merged with the sword in his hand, forming this mystical item... Or rather, this Sealed Artifact.
The sword's ability was that as long as one wielded or equipped this weapon, they would gain extensive combat skills and weapon expertise. For instance, even if one had never handled firearms before, they could become as proficient as a sniper with any gun.
The negative effect was that after having the sword in one's possession for a cumulative 30 minutes or more, regardless of combat, one would experience body aches, fatigue, and a dip in spiritual energy for the next 24 hours.
Odis set the sword aside, thinking its negative effects weren't too severe. After all, a Beyonder's physique was enhanced. Full-body soreness and fatigue were probably manageable.
Next, he looked at the gloves seized from Capim's villa. Odis had long been curious about the gloves' abilities and negative effects but had yet to find a way to appraise them. Now, he could finally use the Knowledge Moor to identify them.
Four of the gloves' abilities were under Verdict:
- Exile
- Imprison
- Flog
- Death
Then there was Prohibition...
Prohibition could only be stacked twice, meaning it could be used thrice in a single battle or within a certain timeframe.
But this was already enough to make Odis happy, since these abilities were all at Sequence 5 level!... {T/N: According to the wiki, these are the abilities of a Sequence 6 'Judge'. It could be that the author meant the characteristic used to make the artifact was that of a Sequence 5 'Disciplinary Paladin', hence the abilities were strengthened proportionally to the higher Sequence...}
'Unfortunately, I can't take this Sealed Artifact out to use right now...' Odis sighed in regret.
The gloves' negative effects were severe hair loss and a tendency toward arrogance and aloofness.
He recalled the previous owner of this Sealed Artifact, who seemed to be wearing a head covering at the time. Odis had initially thought the man was 'acting' as a Judge. Now he suspected it might have been to conceal hair loss.
"Mm, this negative effect is tolerable." Odis muttered.
He happened to know a hair regrowth formula, so he could just grow it back after it fell out.
The other negative effect, the tendency towards arrogance, was what needed attention. In battle, arrogance could easily lead to missing opportunities or placing oneself in dangerous situations.
But now wasn't the time to worry about that. The various mystical weapons Odis had crafted were sufficient for Sequence 8 use. Just like in tonight's battle, with adequate preparation, killing a Sequence 7 was not impossible.
But the prerequisite was sufficient preparation. Without time to prepare, it would be like back when he encountered that 'Pyromaniac' the other day, even managing to escape would be considered good enough...
Odis then examined the other spoils. Alva's revolver was an extraordinary weapon. Its bullets could harm both the physical body and the Spirit Body. If the spiritual injury wasn't treated with corresponding ritual magic, the wound might never heal.
What surprised him was that the dagger was also a mystical item, enhancing the wearer's agility and granting exceptional thieving skills. The negative effect was an irresistible urge to steal.
This mystical item was clearly used by Alva to increase his agility. Although he was a 'Spirit Medium', one item gave him combat proficiency, and another made his movements agile. Even without combat training, he would still be a formidable fighter.
Recalling the glove seized from Selt days ago, Odis used the orb to appraise it. It was a Sealed Artifact corresponding to Sequence 8 'Folk of Rage' of the 'Tyrant' Pathway.
Its primary ability was to accumulate anger and strength for a burst of power in attack. The negative effect was a tendency to act recklessly due to anger, which could be significantly mitigated by swimming for half an hour daily.
Odis had long heard that the arena had made some investments in the three leaders of the 3N Party. Now he saw the extent of it, and it wasn't small. The two Sequence 7 leaders together had two Sealed Artifacts, one mystical item and one extraordinary weapon.
Looking at it this way, his operation to dismantle the 3N Party was profitable...
He materialized a display cabinet in the orb-formed room, carefully arranging the spoils on it one by one. He planned to sell the dagger and Sequenc 8 glove if he had the chance, as they were of little use to him.
The silver sword might come in handy, so it could be kept for now.
"The Sequence 5 gloves are definitely worth keeping for personal use. Since that's the case, they need a name."
After much deliberation and research, Odis named them the 'Hand of Judgment'! Those who fight against him are guilty!
"Although the name is a bit chuuni, it's better than just giving it a code..."
After looking over the items, Odis began to settle down and write the Outline of Combat. He had prepared paper and ink from the outside world and sent into the Knowledge Moor. This way, after leaving the Sefirah, he could take the completed manuscript out for use in the outside world.
...
Using roughly the equivalent of fifteen days in the outside world, Odis finally completed the 120,000-word 'Outline of Combat'.
He hardly rested in between because the more he wrote, the more vibrant his Spirituality became. It felt like he had inexhaustible energy. Especially when summarizing his two battles with Chipman, he felt his Spirit Body was about to boil over.
Detailing these experiences also elevated the book to a certain level. The previous parts were mostly about technical and theoretical aspects. But this summary offered readers a chance for enlightenment through valuable combat insights and analysis.
After carefully revising the manuscript, Odis submitted it as this period's research project to the Knowledge Moor and awoke from his dream...
...
The moment he awoke, Odis felt something shatter inside him. Then, the shattered fragments integrated into the circulation of his internal Spirituality, becoming a part of himself.
This was the feeling of complete digestion of the potion. In less than a month, the 'Melee Scholar' potion had been completely digested.
Advancing to 'Warlock' was now on his agenda. He planned to take a slight break after reaching Mid-Sequence, properly digesting the potion before continuing his advancement.
He also had to decide whether to leave Backlund... Staying meant enduring the influence of the Machinery Hivemind, which also meant his actions would always have some restrictions.
For instance, Ikanser might send Max to demand an explanation for the 3N Party operation.
Odis knew the Machinery Hivemind would primarily blame him for not reporting the operation. As for the two people he killed yesterday, they definitely didn't care much about that, and not out of indifference, but the Hivemind had also long been displeased with those people.
Currently, Odis was very useful to the Machinery Hivemind, so at most, he would receive a verbal reprimand. There wouldn't be any substantial punishment.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, "Staying in Backlund a day more means another day under the constraint of the Machinery Hivemind..."
Odis had considered leaving before, but he would definitely be captured and brought back by the Machinery Hivemind. He estimated that the higher-ups of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery wouldn't let him go so easily.
Three years had passed, but he didn't know if they had relaxed their surveillance of him. Regardless, he planned to attempt to leave Backlund when the timing was right.
That night, Odis tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He only managed to drift to dreamland after a session of Cogitation.
~~~
~Empress Borough, Earl Hall Villa~
On Monday morning, Audrey walked to the dining room as usual for breakfast. Passing by the newspaper stand, she glanced at the front pages of several newspapers.
The newspapers were there because Earl Hall had the habit of reading them during breakfast.
Audrey quickly noticed that only the Daily Observer seemed to have reported on the incident involving Bishop...
"Did you sleep well last night?" Countess Caitlyn asked with concern.
She had heard that Audrey had gone to watch a match at the arena last night, and a fire broke out. The Countess was worried her daughter might have been frightened.
Earl Hall put down his newspaper and looked at Audrey sternly, "If I had known you were going to watch an arena match, I wouldn't have allowed you out! My views differ from those of Viscount Verde and his ilk. You should also try to stay away from such barbaric competitions."
Earl Hall had already spoken with Audrey once last night. His words now were just to reinforce the outcome of that conversation.
"I understand, Father," Audrey replied earnestly, "I won't go to the arena again in the future."
Pleased with his daughter's attitude, Earl Hall hummed in acknowledgment and returned to his newspaper.
As Audrey sat down, she mentioned, "Speaking of Viscount Verde, I just saw a report on him in the Daily Observer."
Earl Hall was slightly taken aback. He glanced at his personal butler, who immediately handed over the Daily Observer.
As he read, the Earl unconsciously furrowed his brow. Eventually, he placed the paper on the table and commented, "This is a disgrace to the nobility." After a moment, he asked, "Was this done by that 'Lelouch' you mentioned yesterday?"
Last night, Audrey had detailed her experience to Earl Hall and provided a legitimate reason for her presence at the fighting arena: hearing that Lelouch was a Beyonder, she and a few friends wanted to investigate, which led them to the arena...
Aware that Audrey and her friends were enthusiasts of the occult, Earl Hall hadn't severely reprimanded her, only admonishing her not to go to such potentially dangerous places.
"Yes." Audrey answered, "I think Lelouch has a point. Some nobles are indeed arrogant."
"When will they wake up?" Earl Hall sighed, "A noble's lineage is not the most critical aspect. It is vision and capability that determine the height of one's life."
"Through yesterday's events, I have gained a deeper understanding of some of your previous teachings," Audrey said, skillfully steering the conversation toward her intended direction.
The Earl smiled contentedly, "Perhaps it's time to let you experience some things."
That was exactly what Audrey was hoping for!
At that moment, Audrey's brother, Hibbert, noticed, "It seems only the Daily Observer reported on Bishop's affair."
"They are truly courageous," Audrey said opportunely.
Earl Hall picked up the newspaper again for a look, then said, "If they require it, I will offer them covert support."
This was Audrey's second objective, which was just accomplished with her brother's assist.