The land forsaken by the gods, in the southern mountains of Silver City.
Before Colin, the demon wolf that had wielded the "Staff of Gus" seemed to have its spiritual power doubled instantly. Its black eyes sparkled with starlight as it silently gazed at the human before it.
The stronger its spirituality, the stronger its abilities will become. It was difficult to put Colin into a deep sleep before, but now Colin's "Dawn of Light" may not be able to withstand the opponent's abilities.
The two demigods faced off for a breath or two. Colin slowly took a step back, as he wasn't entirely confident that the fight would continue.
Therefore, Colin did not intend to take any risks and planned to let the wolf go first, then return to Silver City to form a "demigod team" with the other elders, and then chase after the wolf.
Since his sword was already stained with the blood of the demon wolf, he could easily find the demon wolf's trail afterward.
Seeing Colin retreat, the wolf did not continue its attack, but instead moved its eight legs quickly backward and left.
He reacted this way because he suddenly had a bad feeling.
The wolf had just taken a few steps back when it suddenly turned its head to look at the "Gus Staff" in its palm.
Suddenly, the staff emitted an even brighter light, followed by a surge of power. As if it had suddenly come to life, it broke free from the demon wolf's grasp and floated into the air.
Then, a towering figure descended.
...
In the "wilderness of knowledge".
When Odis entered, Colin, the "chief" of Silver City, had just started a battle with the demon wolves.
After the demon wolf tried using the "Gus Staff" and its spirituality was instantly enhanced, Odis immediately realized that the "chief" of Silver City would not risk his life for this "staff".
So Odis grabbed the "Hermit" card and the "Elf King's" divine blood from the side and made his move without hesitation.
...
The land forsaken by the gods, south of Silver City.
Colin, the wolf, and the exploration team members hiding behind the cover saw a majestic figure draped in a holy cloak appear in the light emanating from the "Gus Staff." His right hand held a lantern, while his left hand was half thunder and lightning and half surging waves.
All the confusion that had been lingering in everyone's hearts since childhood seemed to vanish instantly. That lamp was like a beacon of light in the darkness, a guiding light of knowledge to illuminate the way for those who were lost.
The moment this towering figure appeared, bolts of lightning flashed across the sky, one after another, as if stimulated by something, swirling above everyone's heads.
The thunderclaps, one after another, made Derrick and his teammates' heads buzz, and for the first time they realized how terrifying the familiar lightning could be.
At this moment, the wolf finally realized what was happening and turned to run away!
Lightning bolts struck it one after another; these were no ordinary lightning bolts, they had a chilling white light and an astonishing aura.
The first lightning bolt struck, and the wolf was electrocuted, its skin torn and bleeding. The second lightning bolt struck, and the wolf was charred and burned.
When the third bolt of lightning struck, the wolf had already lost its life.
At this point, its spirit, which possessed a slight degree of divinity, was not completely dead, but from a biological perspective, it was already dead.
Odis looked at the demonic wolf before him and marveled at how much more powerful the lightning was in the "Land Forsaken by the Gods".
This demonic wolf is different from the Outer God follower he killed before. The previous Outer God follower seemed to have only reached the level of a demigod, while this demonic wolf is stronger than a normal Sequence 4, but has not yet reached the level of Sequence 3.
With that thought, he withdrew his power, and the "Gus Staff" slowly descended.
Colin did not immediately go forward to pick it up. Instead, he waited until the "Guth Staff" fell to the ground and completely lost its light before approaching it.
After carefully examining the staff, a dark green symbol appeared in Colin's pupils. He scrutinized the staff again to make sure there was nothing wrong with it before picking it up.
When Derrick and the others arrived, Colin had the rest of the exploration team collect the loot. As they approached the dire wolf, Colin called Derrick back: "Who was that being just now?"
"I don't know," Derrick said honestly, feeling that it wasn't "the Fool."
But if it's not the "Fool," then who is it?
...
In the "wilderness of knowledge".
Odis observed for a while longer, and only returned to the real world after Colin led the team on their return journey.
After sitting at his desk for a while, Odis couldn't help but smile. He thought he had finally gotten his hands on the "Gus Staff".
During dinner, Bernadette glanced at Odis and asked, "Did something happy happen?"
"I'm quite happy that the potion is already half digested," Odis said with a smile, offering a casual excuse.
Bernadette shook her head: "Don't think of digesting potions as so simple, especially at Sequence 5. Even with good luck, it will take about a year to digest."
However, she then added, "Of course, you should be an exception, because before you, no one has ever digested potions by writing books, nor has anyone digested potions in the way of a 'wizard office'."
Odis smiled; this was merely an attempt to actively seek an opportunity to digest the potion.
While they were talking, Bernadette's housekeeper, whom she had sent out that afternoon, returned and reported to Bernadette that the tenants of the house were already moving out and would be leaving that night.
Bernadette nodded in satisfaction and made an appointment with Odis to go see the house the next day after he finished his interview.
The next morning, Odis rode in Bernadette's carriage and arrived at the administration hall again. Odis noticed that many people were observing him, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
It was Bud who greeted Odis again: "Please follow me."
As they were talking, Bud led him upstairs.
Odis asked, "Why does everyone seem so curious about me?"
"They know your exam results from yesterday," Bud replied as he led the way.
Odis paused for a moment before realizing: those people were looking at what the "top student" looked like.
He is gradually adapting to the atmosphere in Rembrandt, where doing well on exams makes you feel superior to others.
This time, Bud brought Odis to the third floor. The offices here all had double doors. Odis saw through a half-open door that there was a secretary's office inside, and the offices of the important officials were inside the secretary's office.
Bud first led Odis to a small conference room, asked him to wait a moment, and then left.
About half an hour later, Bud entered and said again, "Please come with me."
He led Odis to a small conference room containing a huge portrait of the king. In the portrait, the current king, Conrad I, wore a crown, held a scepter in one hand, and rested his other hand on the sword at his waist, looking very majestic.
It must be the result of the artist's embellishment, which preserved Conrad I's majesty while making him appear approachable and without the airs of a king.
Conrad I was in a somewhat awkward position, as only the Loen people recognized him as king, while other countries only recognized him as a duke.
The reason for this situation is that Conrad I's ancestors were dukes of the Kingdom of Feneport, and it was only during the War of the Oath that they broke away from the Kingdom of Feneport.
Besides the portrait, there are five tables and five seats in the room, four of which are arranged together, and there is a separate seat opposite the main table.
Bud invited Odis to sit in that separate seat: "Please sit here."
"The four people you will be interviewing later are the Minister of the Interior, Duke Bowen; the Bishop of Collife; the high-ranking official of Bernier Province, Beecher; and the Minister of Defence, Benedict."
"When you meet the Duke of Bowen, please observe etiquette and bow to him."
"In addition, before the interview, you must first swear an oath in front of the portrait of the king in front of the four interviewees, and then the interview will proceed."
"This is the oath, but of course, you can also improvise."
Odis took the oath: "Thank you."
He then read it through; the oath essentially stated that he would be loyal to the King and would not do anything to harm the interests of the royal family or the country.
Odis recalled that the members of the Remnburg royal family were also extraordinary individuals through the "arbitrator" pathway, and that Remnburg, in a mystical sense, was the "territory" of Conrad I.
This oath should establish a certain mystical connection with Remenberg. If Odis really wanted to do something that would harm the national interest, then the Duke of Remenberg should have noticed it.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, the four interviewers finally entered the room during the conversation.
Odis was initially prepared to stand up and greet them out of politeness, but when she saw the four interviewers sit down on their own and start reading the documents on the table, it seemed as if they were deliberately ignoring her.
So Odis did not get up, but continued to lean back in his chair and wait for them to read the materials.
He knew very well that this deliberate ignoring was putting pressure on him, but Odis was not buying it.
A few minutes later, the four interviewers finished reading the information about Odis and then looked up at Odis. After seeing that their deliberate ignoring of Odis had not put any pressure on her, the Duke of Bowen and the Minister of Defense were somewhat displeased.
Then Bishop Clifton, one of the interviewers, announced: "The interview begins."
Odis rose, swore an oath before the king's portrait, and then leisurely sat back down in his seat, awaiting his question.
Bigier first asked, as if he didn't know Odis well, "Are you sure you want to go to Wotai?"
Odis nodded: "Yes, I'm sure I want to go there."
Defense Secretary Benedict then asked, "How do you plan to deal with the bandits there?"
"Shouldn't they be called bandits?" Odis said. "From what I understand, they have already occupied most of the area except for Wotai City."
Benedict waved his hand and said, "Whatever, just tell me how you plan to deal with them?"
"Of course, we should reclaim the lost territory and imprison all the bandits who dare to resist," Odis laughed.
Benedict laughed too: "Are you kidding me?"
Then he asked, "What will you use to reclaim the lost territory?"
Odis simply said, "I personally possess the strength of Sequence Level 5."
This startled both Duke Bowen and Benedict, who immediately looked down to look at the information about Odis again. Clearly, they hadn't been paying attention at all.
Then Duke Bowen asked Odis the same question as Bigier: "Are you sure you want to go to Wotai?"
In a small country like Remnantburg, a Sequence 5 Extraordinary would have a much better future staying in the capital, Assara, than becoming a governor in a remote state.
"Yes," Odis replied again, then continued to answer the Minister of Defense's question: "I have heard that the government troops in Wotai City have not been paid for more than a year, and we cannot count on them."
"I also have some of my own forces, and I plan to bring them to Wotai State and use them to reclaim lost territory."
Duke Bowen's earlier indifference vanished: "Are you confident?"
For the Home Secretary, Bernier Province was a bottomless pit at this time, but he could not simply leave it unattended. If he were to abandon those territories and declare autonomy to some of the states during the Duke of Bowen's term, he would certainly be condemned and might even become a villain in history textbooks in the future.
Now that someone is willing to use their power to try to reclaim those lost territories, he will certainly support them wholeheartedly.
As for what will happen after the recapture, that's a question for later consideration, because in Duke Bowen's view, Odis can at most achieve some kind of balance with the forces of Intis and Fenneport in Wotai.
Odis will need Azshara's help to continue fighting the enemy, so he is not afraid that the pirate will escape his control.
The other interviewer, Bitchell, was taken aback. He hadn't expected Odis to bring his own forces to Wotai State, which made him realize that Odis's goal was definitely not as simple as just being a good governor.
However, Bitchell would not object to this, as he realized that his pressure would be greatly reduced after Odis went to Vote State.
Odis replied, "I am confident."
He then smiled and added, "At least it will prevent the city of Wotai from being harassed by bandits, and I will try my best to restore transportation between Azshara and Wotai."
Duke Bowen nodded: "Once transportation resumes, the capital will certainly provide you with sufficient support."
He thought that Odis meant the same thing as he had imagined: after stabilizing Wotai, he would ask the capital for reinforcements and supplies, which was why he made such a promise.
Odis actually meant to restore traffic "as much as possible." Of course, he wouldn't reveal his true intentions, but instead seized the opportunity to ask, "Before restoring traffic, I need some help."
Duke Bowen frowned and said, "You may not realize it, but if you are traveling to Wotai with supplies or a lot of wealth, it will make your journey very difficult."
"Because bandits are rampant on the road, you may often be attacked by them."
Odis smiled and said, "I only need a few hundred sets of military uniforms. You don't need to provide the weapons, but you must allow me to raise the military funds myself."
Duke Bowen thought to himself: There are only a few hundred people. We can raise the money ourselves. As long as it doesn't cost money, it will be easy.
So he said, "Okay."
Odis added, "I need military command over Vorta, if there are still government troops there."
Bowen readily agreed: "Sure."
He knew very well that the state guard there was no longer obeying the state government's orders.
"I will give the local powerful figures a warning," Odis said. "You cannot interfere in the affairs of the Vote region."
Bowen paused for a moment before saying, "That's fine too."
He originally wanted to remind Odis that the local order was basically maintained by the local nobles and self-governing associations, and that it would be difficult to deal with if they were offended.
But Bowen thought about it and decided to leave the mess to Odis, so he didn't say anything in the end.
Odis smiled and said, "I have no other requests."
Duke Bowen asked those around him, "Do you have any other questions?"
The other three, the high-ranking official in Bitchell and the Bishop of Culliford, all wanted Odis to become the governor of Vote, and the Secretary of Defense Benedict did not object, so everyone was fine with it.
Next came the scoring process, and Odis passed the interview with high marks once again. Moreover, at the suggestion of the Minister of the Interior, the Duke of Bowen, the Minister of Defense, Benedict, immediately gave Odis a permit, instructing him to take the permit to the quartermaster to collect his uniform.
After Duke Bowen and the others left, Bitchell asked, "Your formal appointment should be issued tomorrow or the day after. When do you plan to take up your post?"
"In the next few days," Odis smiled. "I plan to recruit a few clerks in Azshara after the appointment is made, and they will come with me to take up the post."
"In addition, my men also need time to get to Azshara."
Bichir nodded, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and whispered, "After you take office, I will allocate 20,000 Sasen from the provincial government as your initial funding."
He sighed: "The provincial government has a huge shortfall, so this is all I can give you."
"Oh, by the way, don't expect to find anyone in Azshara."
Odis calculated that it was roughly equivalent to 4,000 pounds: "Thank you."
Why not take advantage of a free lunch?
Moreover, Odis's real purpose was not to recruit people, but to see how fast Fenneport's intelligence agency would react.
The two chatted as they went downstairs and left the administration hall separately.
Odis first went back to Bernadette's residence to look at houses together.
The Sacred Tree Avenue has many old houses and a nice environment, with flower beds and trees on both sides of the road.
Like other neighborhoods, many people are reading on both sides of the street here.
Bernadette's house was at number 77; it was an elegant two-story townhouse with a small yard planted with flowers and plants.
The first floor has a living room, kitchen, and dining room, while the second floor has two bedrooms. The house is fully furnished.
Although the area is not large, it perfectly meets Odis's needs.
Seeing that Odis was quite satisfied, Bernadette said, "You can arrange it however you like, and use it for as long as you want."
After thanking her, Odis treated the "Mysterious Queen" to lunch, then immediately found Bazel and Cleveland, took them to 77 Sacred Tree Avenue, and told them that this was the secret stronghold in Azshara.
Then Odis began assigning tasks to Bazel and Cleveland, instructing Bazel to renovate the place slightly, with the requirement that it have a certain mystical atmosphere.
Cleveland first rented a conference room as a temporary studio, then went to the newspapers to place GG ads. The first ad was about the Governor of Vorta being recruiting a clerk with a high salary, and the next ad was about "Astrology Master Arrives in Azshara".
Watching his two subordinates leave, Odis recalled the scene when he first arrived in Bayam and couldn't help but think: It's so convenient to have subordinates.
When he couldn't stay in Backlund and went to Bayam, he was the only one handling these matters.
After explaining Azshara's situation, Odis used "travel" to return to Backlund, to 19 Pinster Street, which is Hugh and Fors' current residence.
The doorbell rang, and Fors opened the door for Odis.
After entering, Odis asked, "Where is Longzel?"
"Hugh took him to Edward's family cemetery," Fors said as she went to the kitchen to boil water. "He went this morning and should be back soon."
Odis nodded and sat down at the dining table to chat with Fors.
After waiting for more than half an hour, Xiu opened the door and brought Long Ze'er back.
Long Ze'er is at least 1.8 meters tall. He doesn't seem that tall in other places, but when he's with Hugh, he looks very tall, and it even looks a bit like a father bringing his daughter home.
"Chief!" Hugh saw Odis as soon as he entered the room.
Long Ze'er was a little down, but as soon as he entered, he saw Odis and nodded to him.
Fors poured tea for everyone, and after everyone was seated, Odis asked Longzel, "Have you seen the descendants of your family?"
"I took a look from afar." Long Ze'er took a deep breath and said, "I've thought about it, and I think it's best not to disturb them."
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Odis hummed in agreement.
Long Ze'er continued, "Today, Miss Xiu accompanied me to the family cemetery again. I found my father's and mother's graves. Their graves had long been covered by weeds, but fortunately there was still a tombstone."
He paused at this point.
Hugh then said to Odis, "I have given the cemetery workers enough management fees to keep them in good condition regularly."
Odis nodded, took out £200 in cash from his wallet and handed it to Hugh: "When I handed Longzel over to you before, I forgot to leave him some money. This is to make up for your expenses."
"No need," Hugh quickly refused. "Mr. Long Ze'er didn't spend much money, and besides, I…"
Odis, however, refused to listen: "This is also payment for gathering information about Longzel's family."
Hugh was about to refuse, but Odis simply pushed the money onto her.
In fact, Odis deliberately did not leave any gold pounds for Longzel, so that Longzel would understand that although he still had the strength of Sequence 6, he was no longer in line with the current state of Backlund.
Therefore, the protection and help that Odis provided to Longzel became all the more valuable at this time.
When Odis was just running a herbal medicine shop, he would have thought that such a move was a petty trick, something to be considered clever but ultimately ineffective.
But as his extraordinary organization expanded further, Odis gradually realized that such tricks could sometimes be quite useful.
First, you must genuinely provide tangible benefits to your subordinates; it's pointless to just make empty promises. Second, you must make them feel the tangible benefits you're offering.
Then Odis asked Ronzel, "In Backlund, is there anything else you haven't finished wishing for?"
"That's all," Longzel said. "After we return to Cruz Island, I will officially work for you."
"Go back and stay for the night," Odis nodded and said, "I'll pick you up and take you to Remburg tomorrow."
Long Ze'er nodded and hummed in agreement.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Odis told Longzel to wait there for a while, and then went to the Gar Herbalist's Shop to pick up Kaina. The three of them used the "travel" to return to Cruz Island together.
Odis had already prepared the "Arbitrator" potion for Longzel to take.
The potion inside Long Ze'er's body was "imagined," and he needed to take the potion again to fully recover.
Now that Long Ze'er has officially pledged allegiance to Odis, Odis will naturally help him recover.
Of course, his potions weren't given away for free; they would need to be redeemed with merit points later.
After drinking it down in one gulp, Long Ze'er said, "I felt the potion was digested the moment I drank it."
Odis hummed in agreement. Just as he had imagined, Longzel had already digested the potion once in "The Travels of Grosser," so if he took the potion again now, he could easily digest it again.
Long Ze'er wanted to continue drinking the Sequence 8 potion, but Odis said, "This is a potion, not plain water. Let it stabilize in a few days before drinking it."
After sending Longzel back to Grosser and the others, Odis took Kaina to see Mandy and introduced him to the work environment so that he could get into the swing of things as soon as possible.
Odis did not return to Azshara immediately today because the "Scroll Shop" project was almost ready, and the most crucial issue now was the location of the "shop".
Odis's plan was to use a house on the other side of Lighthouse Hill to set up a "teleportation array".
The main camp is located on Beacon Hill, while the secondary camp can randomly appear anywhere in Bayam, or even in Azshara.
Furthermore, Odis intended to place the house in a state between the real world and the spirit world, so that even if someone used divination, they would not be able to divine its exact location.
This would require setting up a large number of magic arrays, and also the extraordinary trait of a "traveler".
Odis does have another magical item that rivals the "traveler's" item, but before smashing it, he should explore the area and try to salvage the "Guth's Staff" there.
Odis doesn't have time these few days, so she plans to explore with Bernadette after arriving in Voutai.
Odis didn't want anything else; he only wanted the "Staff of Guth".
After Odis selected a suitable house, she asked Mandy to renovate it in advance for future use.
Odis returned to the capital Remnantburg that evening. It was past dinner time, so Odis said goodbye to Bernadette and went back to his room to rest.
The next morning, the administrative hall delivered the appointment letter, and Odis took it to Bernadette and said, "Get ready to depart!"
He smiled and said, "My men will 'arrive' in Azshara today, and after finding a few more clerks, they'll leave."
Bernadette didn't seem to take it too seriously: "Okay."
"How do you intend to accompany me?" Odis asked. "I mean, are you going to come with me openly and honestly, or do you plan to hide and follow me secretly?"
"Of course I'll go with you," Bernadette said. "Otherwise, there's no point in hiding."
Odis mustered her courage and asked, "Then, how about you pretend to be the governor's wife?"
Bernadette glanced at Odis: "Ha!"
Odis quickly said, "I was just joking."
"Then...how about you pretend to be my secretary? Or assistant? Adjutant?"
Odis suggested several roles, but seeing that he wasn't satisfied with the "Mysterious Queen," he said, "Then tell me, what role do you want to play?"
Bernadette frowned slightly: "So, I can only be your subordinate?"
"I won't play a subordinate, I won't play a wife…" Odis was taken aback: "Do you mean you want to play my mother?"
Without a second thought, Bernadette slapped Odis across the face, and Odis quickly dodged.
"Be more specific!" Odis protested.
"Can't we just be friends?" Bernadette asked.
Odis paused for a moment: "A friend is accompanying the governor to take office?"
Is there a problem?
"No problem, absolutely no problem!" Odis replied immediately.
Bernadette nodded in satisfaction, and the matter was settled.
Next, Odis continued his preparations. He first took Longzel to the outskirts of Azshara, and then, in front of him, pulled out 100 "extraordinary puppets" that had been prepared beforehand from the "spatial magic circle," and explained to Longzel how to use these "extraordinary puppets."
Then Odis and Longzel entered Azshara openly and booked an entire inn, making sure they both stayed in one room.
Then Odis took several "extraordinary puppets" and gave them 600 sets of military uniforms. He had the "extraordinary puppets" change into the uniforms, and the remaining 500 sets were put into the "space magic circle" by Odis for later use.
Afterwards, Odis had Longzel buy many wooden boxes with the "Extraordinary Puppet" as a backup, and the preparations here were completed.
Odis then went to the rented conference room in Cleveland to prepare for the interview for the clerk position.
But the whole day passed, and not a single person came to apply.
Odis planned to leave the following afternoon, and if no one came to apply by the next morning, he would not hire a clerk from here.
To Odis's surprise, three more people came to apply for the job the following morning.
They all wanted to leave Azshara and demanded a high salary from Odis.
Odis readily agreed and told them to get ready to depart on the 3 p.m. train.
None of the three applicants expected that time would be so tight, and they all said goodbye, saying they needed to hurry back and pack up.
Around 2 p.m., Odis and Bernadette arrived at the train station by carriage.
The moment Bernadette stepped off the carriage, she attracted the attention of many men. Today, Bernadette was wearing a red and white dress with a distinctive local style, paired with a black embroidered blouse.
They give off a very elegant and energetic vibe.
Odis was also dressed in the local style of clothing: black trousers, a white shirt, and a red vest.
After arriving in Rembrandt, Bernadette finally stopped requiring Odis to wear formal attire, or rather, Odis's current clothing was the country's more formal attire.
The three clerks that Odis had just hired reacted differently when they saw Bernadette, but they obviously did not recognize the "mysterious queen," so although their expressions and eyes showed some surprise, they were not astonished.
Long Ze'er then directed the hundred soldiers to lift dozens of large wooden crates onto the baggage car.
The large amount of luggage attracted a lot of attention.
Ugh~
At 3 o'clock sharp, the train to Solothu departed. Since the railway had not been built to Wotai, Odis's plan was to first take the train to Solothu and then take a carriage to Wotai.
The train hadn't been leaving Azshara long before it arrived in the fields.
This was Odis's first time traveling far by train, and when he saw the fields outside, he immediately felt that the difference between the city of Remnburg and the fields was enormous.
Odis and Bernadette, sitting in the first-class carriage, casually chatted about the crop yields of this era. Bernadette said, "The crop harvests of the Kingdom of Feneport are the best."
"In that country, with the help of the Church of Mother Earth, most parts of the country have had bountiful harvests almost every year."
Odis then asked, "Are there homeless people in that country? Is anyone worried about food?"
Bernadette took a deep breath before saying, "There are homeless people, and some people will starve to death."
"Sometimes I feel that hunger is not caused by natural disasters, but simply by human error," Odis said, looking out the window. "The world should have enough food for everyone to eat their fill."
Bernadette also looked out the window: "What are your thoughts?"
"This idea is currently being used by all the countries in the Northern Continent," Odis said. "When grain prices are low, they hoard large quantities of grain, and if grain prices start to rise, they immediately sell off the hoarded grain to stabilize prices."
Bernadette thought for a moment: "Obviously, this method isn't very effective."
"The method is a good method," Odis said. "But according to my observation, there are big problems with the people in charge of hoarding grain. They are officials, nobles, and some of them were originally grain merchants."
"They hoarded grain and used various means to seek personal gain, which instead became a destabilizing factor for grain prices."
"In addition, some interest groups are preventing the stockpiled grain from being sold at the right time, rendering the plan ineffective."
Before Bernadette could speak, the person sitting next to them suddenly asked, "Is there any solution?"
Every seat in the first-class carriage was spacious. Odice and Bernadette sat opposite each other, with an aisle in the middle and two more seats on the other side.
Or rather, the entire first-class carriage had only two rows of spacious seats.
The man sitting opposite was in his thirties, with a clean-shaven beard. He was dressed in a suit but not a top hat, and had clearly been listening to Odis and Bernadette's conversation.
Odis smiled and said, "Until there is a proper oversight, we can exchange food for labor."
The man paused, then asked, "What do you mean?"
"Give food to those who are starving, and let them participate in labor," Odis explained.
Seeing that Bernadette and the man still didn't quite understand, he explained further: "Merchants and any interest group know that organizing starving people, giving them food, and making them work can create more value."
"In this process, they will not be interested in the food. As long as we supervise them to prevent them from overusing labor, those who need food will have food to eat, the panic caused by food will be reduced, and food prices will tend to stabilize."
"This approach will benefit all parties: interest groups will profit greatly from the starving people; the hungry people will have food to eat; and those who have money to buy food will no longer have to worry about fluctuations in food prices."
Bernadette slowly nodded, realizing that she had previously lacked concrete thinking on governance.
The man opposite him stroked his chin, pondered for four or five seconds, and then smiled and said, "Although it seems to complicate things, it is indeed a good idea."
Then he took a deep breath and said, "Only by feeding those officials will they work obediently."
Odis smiled and said, "But this method can only solve the problem temporarily."
The man then asked, "Is there any solution that can completely solve the problem?"
"We need to cultivate a group of officials who prioritize national interests over private interests in their thinking, who can guarantee basic integrity, and who have good execution capabilities," Odis said. "We should also try to sever the chain of interests between officials and businessmen."
The man paused for a moment, then thought for a few seconds before shaking his head and saying, "Impossible, it's impossible to cultivate such an official."
Odis smiled slightly and said nothing more.
The reason this man spoke so resolutely was because people in this era had a misconception: that only the wealthy and powerful could make the world prosperous and ensure the most basic order.
Therefore, the officials in this world are basically the transformed aristocracy and the newly rich who have accumulated capital through the Industrial Revolution.
And each of the councilors is basically a very wealthy person.
Take the council of Ruen as an example. The upper house is a hereditary seat, and the members are nobles who have completed their transformation, just like the father of "Justice".
The members of the House of Commons are all millionaires with assets exceeding one million pounds.
Although the constitution of Ruen stipulates that members of parliament may not run businesses, and those who wish to become members of parliament must entrust their businesses to management companies.
This regulation is somewhat self-deceptive, because those who manage the companies are appointed by the wealthy man who became a member of parliament, and they will naturally follow the wealthy man's instructions.
Odis's real meaning was that those powerful and wealthy people should not be allowed to continue serving as officials.
However, he also knew that such an idea was somewhat out of step with the times, so he just thought about it and planned to conduct an experiment quietly in the future.
Afterwards, Odis talked with the man all the way, and the political issues that the man found very difficult were easily resolved by Odis.
Moreover, Odis's solution took into account the interests of all parties and was not just empty talk.
The way the other person looked at Odis gradually began to show a hint of admiration.
Around 7 p.m., the train arrived at its final destination, Solothu State.
Odis stood up and shook hands with the man, tacitly refraining from asking about his identity or name.
Only in this way can the conversation between the two people remain relatively pure, like a purely academic discussion. However, if names are asked, the nature of the conversation changes, and it takes on a certain political dimension.
After getting off the train, Long Ze'er directed the "Extraordinary Puppet" to move all the wooden crates to the train station's warehouse, leaving the "Puppet" on guard duty.
Odis, accompanied by the three clerks, traveled to the hotel in two separate carriages.
After the car door closed, Bernadette immediately said, "There's something wrong with those three clerks."
Odis laughed and said, "Of course there's a problem, otherwise why would I have summoned them?"
Bernadette smiled slightly: "It seems there will be a good show tonight."