Backlund, the underground meeting room of the Mechanical Research Society.
Today's meeting was personally chaired by Archbishop Horamik Hayden. In the gap between the captain and the deacons entering the meeting room, Horamik thought of the telegram sent from headquarters, instructing him not to go to the Church of the Goddess of Night to ask for his release, but to pretend that he had not seen him being taken away by the angels of the Church of the Goddess of Night.
However, the search for Odis Garr cannot be stopped, but it is no longer the most important task, and there is no need to devote too much effort to it.
The more important headquarters had been to Odis, the stranger this telegram became.
Once everyone had arrived, Horamik stopped thinking about the problem and said, "First, let Iconsel summarize the information we have so far."
Senior Deacon Ikonser nodded: "From the letters of Odis and Sherlock, we have basically reconstructed the true course of events."
"The 'Witch Cult' conspired with Prince Edsack to attempt the descent of the 'Primordial Witch'."
"But the witch who served as the vessel was unwilling to become a sacrifice, so she asked Sherlock for help."
"Edessa and the 'Witch Cult' realized that their scheme had been exposed, so Prince Edssa committed suicide out of fear of punishment."
"In order to cover up their crimes, the 'Witch Cult' collaborated with the Aurora Society to spread a plague in the East District, hoping that the mass deaths would help the Aurora Society bring down their evil god."
"This will create chaos so that we won't notice the escaped witch."
"However, their actions were thwarted by Odis and Sherlock respectively. Odis, together with the 'Mysterious Queen,' stopped the 'Lady of Despair,' while Sherlock destroyed the Aurora Society's altar."
He smoothed his messy hair and continued, "On December 29th, Odis also sent Max a letter explaining that he had long been aware of the 'Mechanical Heart' monitoring him."
He said he didn't want to spend the rest of his life under surveillance, and that he would continue to write to Max frequently, asking Max to pass on two of his thoughts to us.
"The first is to continue using Garr's Herbal Shop as an intelligence base, and train the shop's manager, Kaina, to continue gathering intelligence for us."
"The second is to make Hugh Deercha the new leader of the Mysticism Research Society and continue to provide us with intelligence."
Archbishop Horamik said, "Both of these proposals are in our best interest and can be implemented, but shouldn't the 'leader' of the Mysticism Research Society be replaced?"
"Odis also mentioned this in his letter." Max answered the question: "He said he would help Hugh Deercha become the new 'leader,' and we just need to be wary of MI9 and not let them ruin the party."
The deacons and captains exchanged glances, a subtle threat in their words: no one could be a "leader" unless they were approved by Odis.
Holamick laughed, "Selte's fate is now unknown, so they have no interest in causing trouble again."
He then sighed and said with emotion, "Odis has left Backlund, yet we still have to deploy our intelligence network according to his intentions."
He said seriously, "We have become complacent in the past few years and have relied too much on the intelligence provided by Odis!"
Iconsel asked, "What about the Mysticism Research Society...?"
Horamik leaned back in his chair: "Let's proceed according to Odis's plan for now."
...
Misty Sea, Lasha Island, Emerald Palace.
Led by a servant, Arya hurried into the palace, modeled after the "White Maple Palace," to pay her respects to Her Majesty the Queen.
She didn't know why she had been suddenly transferred back from the Northern Continent, and she guessed that this audience with the "Queen" might have some new arrangements for her.
Upon arriving at the inner sanctum of the Emerald Palace, as Arya passed through the wide corridor that led through the courtyard, she caught a glimpse of someone lying on an armchair in the courtyard.
This surprised Aria slightly, because the "Queen" had never used the inner sanctum of the Emerald Palace to entertain guests; besides the "Queen," there were only a dozen or so servants inside.
It is obviously impossible for a servant to lie in an armchair and rest during the day.
Arya turned her head and looked, then exclaimed in surprise, "Odis!"
The person in front of me was Odis, dressed in local attire, short-sleeved shirt and shorts, looking completely lacking in gentlemanly manners, and was now comfortably reclining in an armchair drinking fresh coconut juice.
To Aria's surprise, Odis was even wearing "Your Majesty's" sunglasses!
The sunglasses were designed by the Emperor. The Queen had several pairs made for herself, but she rarely wore them and never lent them to anyone else.
Odis, feeling a bit lazy under the sun, looked up and said, "Oh, you've arrived. Go on, the 'Queen' is waiting for you."
Arya asked in surprise, "How did you get here?"
"I couldn't stay in Backlund any longer, so I came to seek refuge with the 'Queen'." Odis calmly put down the coconut in her hand: "From now on, we'll be colleagues."
For some reason, a word flashed through Aria's mind: "male concubine".
She took another look at Odis. Actually, upon closer inspection, Odis was quite good-looking and had a sunny disposition. He lacked the formality and restraint of the gentlemen of Backlund and was more in line with the temperament of the Intis people.
The only downside is that this guy doesn't care about his appearance. He was like that back in Backlund. His style of dressing is always based on comfort, and he doesn't care about current fashion trends or the style of dressing in that city or country.
The situation remained the same on Lacha Island. Lacha Island and the surrounding islands, large and small, were the "Queen's" territory, and the rule here was essentially similar to that of a colony.
The pirates and adventurers led by the "Queen" were the rulers and colonizers of the Shara Islands, while the local inhabitants were the ruled and had a very low status.
Generally speaking, pirates or adventurers from the Northern Continent are unwilling to wear the clothing of the local residents, but prefer to wear the clothing of the Northern Continent to show their difference from the local residents.
But Odis in the Emerald Palace was dressed in local clothing and looked quite content.
These thoughts only flashed through Aria's mind for a moment before she smiled and said, "Oh, we'll talk later."
She then quickly followed the attendant and entered the spacious inner sanctuary.
This is where the "Queen" receives her confidants and handles affairs. The main hall is very spacious, with only some valuable works of art and famous paintings.
The side hall on the left was the "Queen's" study. As the servant announced her arrival, Arya entered the study and bowed to the "Queen".
Standing by the window, gazing at the sea view outside, Bernadette said, "Don't worry about Backlund's affairs for now. Stay on Lasha Island for the time being; there's a task that only you can handle."
Aria replied respectfully, "Yes."
Bernadette turned around: "We are going to build a new kind of large ship, which will be three times faster than steam-powered steel ships, and its weapons will far surpass the most advanced steel behemoths we have now."
Arya was slightly taken aback: "Your Majesty, I... I don't know how to build ships."
"Odis will," Bernadette said. "Odis is the chief designer of this ship, and your task is to coordinate the work between Odis and the shipyard."
She paused, then added, "To be precise, it means making the shipyard's designers follow Odis's orders!"
Arya finally came to her senses: "Odis...can build ships?"
This guy seems to have always been in Backlund, never gone to sea, and never studied shipbuilding.
Shipbuilding is not like building a wheelbarrow, especially modern seagoing vessels. It requires highly professional and innovative design concepts. You can't just put together planks and build a large ship.
"I've seen his design drawings, they're very professional!" A hint of curiosity flashed in Bernadette's eyes: "Although some parts seem to show a lack of design experience, it doesn't affect the overall structure and advanced nature of the design."
"Moreover, the interior of this ship extensively utilizes advanced magic arrays designed by him, making him the only one who could serve as the chief designer!"
"Send a few more scholars over there; they can learn as much as they can."
Aria paused for a moment before saying, "Yes, I understand."
She discovered that the truth was not quite what she had imagined; Odis did not seem to be a "male concubine," but rather a senior advisor invited back by the "Queen."
...
Backlund, the underground meeting room of the Mechanical Research Society.
The meeting of "The Mechanical Heart" continued, and Ikonser said: "Now we have a few questions. First, the ancient ruins that Sherlock mentioned have not been found, and the royal family does not acknowledge that such ruins have been discovered."
"Is it true, as Sherlock suspects, that Prince Edsack is merely a scapegoat, and the real collaborator with the 'Witch Cult' is the Royal Family of Rune?"
"Second, how did Odis foresee the actions of the 'Witch Cult' and the Aurora Society? How could she have drawn a magic circle in the East District in advance and blocked the actions of the 'Lady of Despair'?"
"Well, I should explain here that, judging from the traces of the magic circle left at the scene, it was a very complex magic circle that would take several hours to draw. It must have been Odis's preparation in advance."
"Third, where is Odis now? Why is the 'Mysterious Queen' helping him?"
A deacon from "Mechanical Heart" asked, "Didn't you inquire about the location of the '2-111' ruins?"
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
"2-111" is "Arodes's Magic Mirror".
Iconsel seemed to recall an unpleasant memory: "We tried, but we couldn't find where it was supposed to be?"
Khoramik spoke at a measured pace: "The surveillance and investigation of the royal family's high-ranking powerhouses can be put on the 'table'. There's no need to worry too much. They've always known we're doing these things, and this is also a warning."
"The investigation of the underground ruins continues, and the Church of Night and Storm has been informed."
The higher-ups of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery also sensed that the Royal Family of Rune seemed to be brewing some kind of conspiracy, and had been investigating, intentionally or unintentionally, since last year.
Bishop Horamick continued, "Ikonser, ask '2-111' why Odis knew about 'Lady of Despair's' plans in advance, and where he is now."
Ikonser glanced at the archbishop, then at his colleagues, and gritted his teeth before saying, "Yes, Your Excellency the Archbishop."
He picked up the ancient silver mirror in front of him, cleared his throat, and said, "Honorable Arodes, my question is, how did Odis Garr know about the 'Lady of Despair's' plans?"
On the two silver mirrors, which seemed to have eyes, water suddenly shimmered, quickly forming a picture:
Odis sat in front of a glass jar filled with various herbs, gazing quietly out the door as if deep in thought.
Iconsel interpreted it this way: "He knew it through contemplation?"
Those around him also noticed: "In the footage just now, Odis was wearing spring clothes. Could it be that he knew about the 'Witch Cult's' actions a few days ago more than half a year ago?"
At this moment, Horamik said, "Perhaps Odis really has a problem. He possesses some strange abilities that we don't know about, and he can foresee the 'Witch Cult's' plots in advance."
Many deacons nodded. They all knew that the church had been paying close attention to Odis, but no one could say for sure what exactly was wrong with him.
Ikonser nodded, looked at the mirror, and waited for Arodes to pose a soul-piercing question.
At that moment, bright red words appeared on the mirror, forming a sentence: "Do you know how it feels to try your best to please someone, only to be abandoned by them?"
Iconsel breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "I know."
Thinking to myself: This question isn't very insightful.
New words appeared on the surface of the silver mirror: "Congratulations, you got it right."
Ikonser pressed on, asking, "Honorable Arodes, my second question is about Odis's current location."
A glint of light flashed across the surface of the silver mirror, quickly sketching a scene: Odis was comfortably reclining in an armchair, seemingly holding a coconut and drinking fresh coconut juice through a straw.
However, the scene was very dark, and all that could be seen was that person was Odis, but no other clues could be discerned.
Ikonser explained, "He seems to be at the seaside, but something is affecting the '2-111' divination, and we don't know his exact location."
At that moment, another bloody word appeared on the surface of the silver mirror, and Ikonser immediately had a bad feeling.
Those words formed a sentence: "Who is it that you give everything to please, only to be discarded?"
Iconsel felt a chill run down his spine, his head buzzed, and his face flushed red.
This question both pierced the deep wounds hidden in his heart and left him at a loss.
He swallowed hard before saying, "I choose punishment."
A bolt of lightning struck immediately, hitting Ikonser squarely on the head, making his hair stand on end and crackle with electricity.
Archbishop Horamik sighed and muttered, "A level 0 sealed artifact?"
Once Ikonser had recovered, he looked around and said, "There's another question: when did Odis establish such a close relationship with the 'Mysterious Queen'?"
"Who among you will use '2-111'?"
The conference room fell completely silent.
...
Lacha Island, Emerald Palace.
Odis hadn't enjoyed the sun so comfortably in a long time; he lay in his armchair, feeling a little drowsy.
When he saw Aria come out, Odis calmly took off his sunglasses: "Finished talking?"
Aria nodded and quickly got into work mode: "When are we going to the shipyard?"
"Tomorrow morning then," Odis yawned. "You should also get ready and let them know."
He was well aware that he was, after all, a chief designer who had been "parachuted in," and he definitely needed someone to help him mediate the relationships between the various parties.
Aria said, "Okay."
After agreeing on a specific time, Aria said goodbye and left.
Odis got up and stretched, strolled to Bernadette's study, and said to the "mysterious queen" who was looking at the sea, "I also want to order a ship from you. It doesn't need to be too big, a small seagoing vessel will do, but it needs to be built using my design drawings."
Bernadette glanced at Odis: "Alright, 15,000 pounds."
Odis nearly spat out the coconut juice he had just drunk: "So expensive!"