The governor of Solothu, a man in his thirties, was dressed in a suit and had a clean-shaven face; he was the same man Odis had met on the train before.
The two had been talking about policy issues the whole way, but when they got off the bus, they did not give each other their names or exchange contact information.
After they met, the two shook hands, and Odis smiled and said, "I didn't expect that we would meet so soon."
He guessed that the person he had been talking to the whole way was a political figure, but he never expected that it would be the governor of Solotour.
The first task Odis received for his newly established intelligence network in Azshara was to gather intelligence about the western province. By the time Odis set off, two relatively complete intelligence reports had already been delivered to him.
One is a comprehensive intelligence report compiled from government archives. The western province has a total of 7 states, which are relatively large in area compared to other states, but have a small population.
The Vote Canton borders the Kingdom of Feneport to the southwest, the small kingdom of Kana to the northwest, and the Cantons of Chator, Solothu, and Valais to the east from north to south.
The situation in these three states is not good either. Chadral has been without a governor for more than a year, similar to Vote, where it has almost become autonomous.
The situation in Solothu is slightly better. While the security in the city is relatively good, outside the city, most areas are basically out of the control of the Remnburg government.
The governor who invited Odis to dinner was named Celt. Officials had a good opinion of him, and the state guard he reorganized was quite effective in combat, repeatedly defeating attacks by local bandits.
Meanwhile, Celt's governance was also quite good. Production and commerce in Solothu quickly recovered, which gradually led to tax revenue and the recruitment of more soldiers.
In another intelligence report about the western provinces that Odis had, there was also a section about Celt. Merchants had commented that it was thanks to Celt's efforts over the past few years that the infiltration of other countries and the rampant bandits had been kept at bay in the two westernmost states.
Otherwise, the entire western province might already be in grave danger.
Another source claims that Selt is a member of the Navia family, an old noble family in Remenberg.
While recalling some of the information he had obtained, Odis exchanged pleasantries with Celt.
"From what you said earlier, I knew you were no ordinary person." Celt smiled and said, "This morning I heard from the police station that you are the Governor of Odis who just got a high score on the exam."
"A high score doesn't necessarily mean strong ability," Odis said politely. "We'll have to see how they perform after taking office."
As they talked, the two sat down in the reception area. Selt's smile faded, and he asked, "Are you mentally prepared?"
Odis knew, of course, that the other party was asking whether they were prepared to deal with the complex situation in Vote State.
He also put away his smile and said, "I'm prepared, but I'm afraid the situation will be more complicated than I imagined."
Selt then asked, "What strategy do you plan to take once you get to Wotai?"
Odis gave the other person a deep look before saying, "First, let's understand the local situation. Although I obtained some information about Wotai City in Azshara, it doesn't seem to be the latest information."
"Then, based on the characteristics of each party, we will formulate a plan to completely retake Wotai Prefecture."
He didn't go into too much detail, lest the news leak out.
Selt didn't pay attention to Odis's somewhat vague answer, and continued, "Currently, the autonomous association that spontaneously formed last year rules the state of Wotai."
"The members of the self-governing association are very diverse, including local nobles, merchants, military officers, and representatives of bandits."
"The bandits there were indeed very rampant, but after a period of rampant activity, and since Azshara did not adopt a very tough strategy, the various forces had basically completed the process of attacking and compromising with each other, which is why this autonomous association was established."
"Furthermore, the State Guard has become a completely independent armed force. Unless you offer them enough benefits, it will be very difficult to gain control of the State Guard."
Odis asked, "What level of nobility are the local nobles?"
"They were two barons who were appointed there a long time ago, and their mission was to defend against the infiltration of Fenneport," Selt explained. "Later, when the state of Vote was established, the families of the two barons became very prestigious families in the area."
"The current president of the self-governing association is Baron Darnell."
Odis then asked, "How many bandits are there, and how strong are they?"
"The bandit army has a population of 30,000, but it is mostly half civilian and half military," Celt explained patiently. "It is mainly composed of three forces, two of which are supported by Feneport, and the other is supported by Intis."
"Their elite troops are better equipped than the state guards, and they are now the de facto rulers outside of Wotai City."
"There are also some small bandit groups that are relatively weak because they do not have the support of foreign forces and can only rely on the three larger bandit groups."
Odis nodded slowly: "Thank you."
Selt suddenly smiled and said, "That's all I can do for you. The situation in Solothu State isn't good right now, so I can't offer you any real help."
"However, if you need any intelligence, you can go to the owner of Wotai Daily Necessities Store; he's the person I sent."
"If I need anything, I will go to him," Odis said.
"I have a feeling," Selt said seriously. "With your level of governance and your abilities, you will definitely be able to solve the problems in Wotai State. At that time, the pressure on me will be much less, and the entire Western Province will be saved."
He paused for a moment and then said, "If you still have the capacity by then, the two of us can try to work together to solve the problem in the Shattal region."
Odis looked the official in front of him over again before saying, "No problem."
He then said, "I will start building the railway from Vote State to Solothu State as soon as possible, and I will need your help then."
Selt was stunned for a moment before looking at Odis in disbelief: "You...you want to build a railway?"
Odis laughed and said, "Is there any need to be so surprised?"
"Back then, it took Remburg several years' worth of fiscal revenue to build the railway from the capital to Solothu," Selt tried to explain. "It would have been very difficult for a single state to accomplish this."
"Of course I know that," Odis said, "but it is very inconvenient without a railway."
"In fact, for a small country like Rembrandt, the railway should extend to every canton."
Selt said somewhat helplessly, "That's true, but..."
He sighed. "Let's talk about something else."
The straight-line distance between Wotai City and Solotu City is only over 90 kilometers. If a railway is built, it will only take two hours to reach Wotai City from Solotu City.
Even now, if you're lucky, it would take two days to travel by horse-drawn carriage.
If there is severe weather such as rain or snow, it may take several days to travel.
But this railway, which is less than 100 kilometers long, is a huge project that is almost impossible for a state to complete. First, it requires a lot of money, and second, it requires a lot of labor.
The total population of Watai State is less than 400,000, and it cannot rely on funding from Azshara; it will have to find its own way to solve the funding problem.
This will be a difficult goal for Selt.
As the conversation progressed, it was lunchtime, so the two went to a restaurant and chatted while eating.
However, they did not revisit the previous topic and instead began discussing the local customs and culture of the western provinces.
Around 1 p.m., Odis returned to the hotel, where Longzel had already purchased the carriage Odis needed, as requested.
However, today is Monday, and the Tarot meeting is about to begin, so Odis ordered that they rest for another night and set off tomorrow morning.
Upon hearing this order, Long Ze'er also planned to go out and see if he could buy the auxiliary materials needed for the "sheriff".
Materials for Sequence 8 are not hard to buy; you can find them at a reliable herbal shop.
Odis lied and said he was going to take a nap, then returned to his room to prepare for the Tarot meeting.
At exactly three o'clock, Odis's vision was covered by gray mist, and in the blink of an eye he entered the magnificent hall, to one side of the bronze table.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool." Audrey's clear greeting rang out, and the tarot session officially began.
After the members greeted each other, they sat down. The "Priestess" Cattleya did not disappoint Klein's expectations. She first addressed the person at the head of the bronze table, saying, "'Fool,' this time we have three pages of Emperor Roselle's diary."
"The Fool" Klein smiled and said, "Very well, you can consider making your request now."
Soon, Cattleya materialized three pages of a diary and handed them to Mr. Fool.
Klein read the diary seemingly casually. The information in these three pages was very advanced. First, the Emperor talked about the "Generalist" path to advance to Sequence 4 and the ritual of ascending to the Angel. This made him feel that the process of advancement seemed to be a very twisted and uncontrollable process of madness.
Next, we talked about the role of the "anchor" and discussed this with Mr. "Door".
Finally, Roselle had a strange dream in which he returned to a small island he had once explored.
Some of the people who were exploring with Russell at the time were infected with a strange contamination. He had always thought the problem had been solved, but now he was reminded of that contamination again, which made him wary.
After reading through all the diaries, Klein pondered for a moment before asking Cattleya, "What is your request?"
Cattleya immediately asked, "Respected 'Fool' Mr., was Emperor Roselle's life ever influenced by an ancient organization?"
The other members immediately thought of Rosell's past membership in the "Twilight Hermits" and made their own guesses along this line of thought. They basically all believed that Emperor Rosell must have been influenced by this organization.
After all, the initiator of that organization was the Angel King of the "Audience" pathway.
However, Alger, the "Hanged Man," noticed that the "priestess" was asking about "the life of Emperor Roselle" and whether he had been affected.
This refers not only to some of the major decisions Rosell made "during his lifetime," but also to the Emperor's temperament and some of his ideas.
Odis, however, realized that Bernadette's investigation of Roselle had revealed some connections between Roselle and the "Twilight Hermits." Her encounter with Adam the week before last had sparked many connections, which led her to ask that question.
Klein, on the other hand, thought that the "mysterious queen's" selection of diaries was vague, making it impossible to ask precise questions about the content provided.
As for the question about "priestess," it wasn't difficult for him to answer: "Yes."
Klein could tell from Roselle's diary that Roselle's joining the "Twilight Hermits" was more like an investment by Adam, which more or less influenced many of the decisions Roselle made in his life.
That's why Russell left a warning in his diary: "Beware of the audience."
After answering, Klein didn't add anything and simply said, "It's your turn."
Cattleya rose and bowed to the "Fool" in gratitude.
Alger, however, had begun to speculate: In the previous deal concerning Rosell, the "Hermit" had mentioned that Adam invested in Rosell because He had His own motives. It seemed that while Rosell received some benefits from that organization, he also suffered some negative consequences.
Audrey and "The Magician" Fors lamented that Russell's problems might be even more complex than the previous description of "The Hermit".
"The Sun" Derrick said to Odis first: "'The Hermit', I have already used my merits to exchange for the staff you requested. I can ask 'The Fool' to give it to you after the gathering."
Everyone was taken aback at first, and then they recalled that at the last tarot meeting, the "Hermit" gave the "Sun" a task, and at that time they were all guessing how the "Hermit" would influence the "Forsaken Land".
Upon hearing "Sun's" words, Klein, Alger, and the others were puzzled as to why the same style of staff worn by Odis could also be found in the "Forsaken Land."
Only Emlyn, the "Moon," had never had any contact with Odis in private and did not know what kind of staff it was.
Odis nodded and said, "I have also prepared the 100 extraordinary weapons you need, which I will give to you after the party."
"Okay." Derrick, the "Little Sun," agreed, then asked, "Mr. 'Hermit,' what kind of being killed that demigod-level demonic wolf that day?"
What?
And a demigod-level demon wolf also died?
Everyone immediately realized that in the process of searching for the staff, they must have also experienced a battle at the level of a demigod.
"The Fool" Klein immediately thought of "The Lord of Mysteries," but none of the other members had ever seen "this being" and had made the same connection.
However, they soon realized that during the demigod battle that day, an unknown being had intervened and helped Silver City obtain the staff.
Then they all began to speculate about who that great being was.
The priestess, Cattleya, first ruled out the "mysterious queen," showing that she was aware of her own limitations; the "queen" was not powerful enough to warrant that.
The other members speculated for a while, but came up with no clues.
"That is the 'Lord of Mysteries'," Odis replied.
The members, except for Klein, were all stunned, because they had never heard of such a deity.
However, Gadriya immediately realized that the "Hermit" was actually connected to an unknown entity.
Then it dawned on her: Could all those secrets of the extraordinary realm that he knew have been obtained from this unknown being? What price did he pay? Does the "Queen" know about this?
Alger and other members also had some guesses, and believed that the "Hermit" was truly loyal to the "Lord of Mysteries".
Emlyn, the "Moon," thought to himself: "The backgrounds of each member of the Tarot Club are indeed extraordinary. I felt a long time ago that since the 'Hermit' knows so much, he must come from some secret organization. Now it seems that my guess was correct."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but raise his chin.
Before Derrick could continue asking questions, Audrey asked first, "'The Hermit,' what kind of being is he?"
Odis pondered for a moment before saying, "That was a being who wished to spread the light of knowledge to the world."
Gadriya suddenly froze: "That...that's the 'Hidden Sage'?"
If that's really the case, then the "Queen" is in danger.
Klein also had this suspicion, wondering if "Lord of Mysteries" was just an alias of "Hidden Sage".
"No," Odis immediately said. "Please distinguish between them. He is the 'radiance that spreads knowledge,' not the indoctrination of knowledge."
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Cattleya was stunned for a moment before she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Then she recalled that during the previous trade for information about the Great Emperor, according to the information mentioned by the "Hermit," the "Hidden Sage" seemed to be only at the level of an Angel King. Could it be that the "Lord of Mysteries" is a new angel who appeared through the "Secret Seeker" pathway?
Although everyone had some guesses, no one asked any further questions because the "hermit" did not elaborate.
After a second or two of silence in the grand hall, Audrey broke the stillness: "Ladies and gentlemen, does anyone have any news about the 'Mystic Wind Chime Tree'?"
Alger hesitated for two seconds before saying, "I have a lead, but it will be at least a few weeks before I can obtain it."
The clue he mentioned came from the island where he had previously made a deal with "The World," where he had discovered a psychedelic wind chime tree, but he hadn't tried to get close due to his lack of strength.
Now, he plans to advance to Sequence 5 soon, at which point he will explore the "world" and obtain the extraordinary materials that "justice" needs.
"No problem!" Audrey exclaimed with delight, without even asking the price.
Then, Klein manipulated the "world" and said, "I have a magical item that I want to sell."
He had some savings at sea, but after arriving in Backlund, he discovered that the life of a rich man was too expensive, and he also owed the messenger lady several thousand gold coins, so he planned to sell the unused sealed artifact he had just acquired.
Everyone looked towards the lower part of the bronze table, waiting for the introduction of "the world".
"World" paused briefly before continuing, "That magical item is called 'Lucky Scales,' which is my own name."
"Its ability is to passively bring good luck to the wearer. For example, in daily life, the owner of the magical item will encounter good things from time to time and will be able to succeed in whatever they do."
"Second, we should deliberately bring misfortune upon the enemy and make the target unlucky."
"The negative effect is that good fortune is immediately followed by bad luck; the more lucky you are before, the more unlucky you will be afterward."
Finally, "The World" added a reminder: "This necklace is not recommended for extraordinary individuals who lack combat power. Although it can help people avoid fatal attacks, the subsequent explosive backlash is equally dangerous. Only those with sufficient combat power and keen reflexes can survive it relatively easily."
Audrey, who was initially very interested in the magical items sold by "The World," nodded with a slight sense of disappointment, indicating that Mr. "The World" was right.
The more the "priestess" Cattleya heard it, the more familiar it seemed. She felt she had seen the effect of the "Lucky Scales" somewhere before.
After thinking for a moment, she asked with slight surprise, "Señor?"
According to Cattleya's initial assessment, it should be the necklace of "Blood General" Señor.
Hearing this, even Alger, the "Hanged Man," couldn't help but wonder: Where did Gehrman Sparrow get that? What did he do last week?
Last week, he was on a deserted island not far from Cruz Island, keeping a close eye on the Argo's movements, and lacked knowledge of the outside world.
Klein hadn't expected that he would discover that the magical item came from the "Blood General" as soon as he mentioned its abilities and before he could even show its appearance.
After a moment's thought, he manipulated the "world" and laughed, "He is dead."
Cattleya frowned: "He's already dead?"
Although the bounty for "Blood Admiral" is higher than that for "Star Admiral," that's mainly because Señor has done too many bad things.
Previously, Gadriya and Señor had clashed several times, and she had the upper hand in each of them, but she was unable to seriously injure this "pirate general".
Unexpectedly, "Blood General" was killed by Gehrman Sparrow.
At Sequence 5, the strength difference between people is generally not too great. It is common to see a strength gap like that between Gadriya and Señor: one side is slightly stronger, but it is difficult for the other side to seriously injure the other.
Very few people can create enough distance to kill another Sequence 5.
Therefore, both Cattleya and Alger were somewhat surprised by the fact that "Blood General" was killed by Gehrman Sparrow, and they began to speculate about Gehrman Sparrow's true strength.
The other members then gradually recalled what the "Hanged Man" had told them about the sea.
Señor is the name of "Blood General," and unexpectedly, last week, a "Pirate General" was killed by "The World."
The members of "Justice" and others did not realize what this matter meant. Audrey suddenly thought: If I find out who killed "Blood General", I can find out the true identity of "World".
The Hermit Odis broke the silence in the room, asking, "How much are you planning to sell it for?"
He didn't need this magical item. The negative effects were too great for him. He could easily win a battle against an enemy because of the luck it granted, only to die in something that seemed ordinary.
Odis inquired about the price because he realized it was a magical item comparable to the "Monster" path, a Sequence 5 "Winner" item, which could be smashed for the Second Lieutenant's promotion.
"12,000 pounds," Klein said, manipulating the "world." "But if you buy it, it will only cost 9,000 pounds. Consider it repayment for my previous favor."
Everyone was taken aback, and soon Cattleya naturally guessed: Could it be that the Hermit provided a lot of help in the process of "The World" killing Senor?
If it's two against one, then it makes sense.
Odis thought about it and realized that 9,000 pounds was a reasonable price.
However, his current savings are around £10,000. He was originally planning to swindle "Admiral Deepsea"... he was thinking of trading arms with "Admiral Deepsea", but after meeting with Shatas, that guy left immediately without even having a chance to see "Extraordinary Machine Gun".
Odis is currently building a port town on Cruz Island. Although he plans to use mostly wooden structures for the buildings there, it will cost a lot of money to build a town that meets his requirements.
Even in Vatican City, money is needed, and the meager allocation from the high-ranking officials is barely enough to fill a gap in their teeth.
Odis has enough money now, but if he spends 9,000 pounds, he may immediately face another financial crisis.
After considering it for a moment, Odis shook his head and said, "Never mind, I don't have much spare money on hand right now."
Klein was taken aback, not expecting the "hermit" to be so candid.
If it were Emlyn the Moon, he would probably say: Let me think about it.
At this point, Cattleya said, "If it's a little cheaper, I might consider buying it."
Klein then manipulated the "world" and said, "If you can use some gold coins instead, it will only cost 11,000 pounds."
After a moment's thought, the "priestess" Cattleya said, "I can pay you 5,000 pounds of gold coins, plus 6,000 pounds of gold pounds."
"But the condition is that you must tell me why you're giving 'The Hermit' such a big discount, otherwise you have to reduce my offer by another 500 pounds."
For a "pirate general," he had acquired a considerable amount of gold coins during his previous robberies, but because they were not as easy to spend as gold pounds, they remained piled up in the ship's hold.
"The World" glanced at "The Hermit," and seeing that the other party had no objection, said, "No problem."
The deal, involving over ten thousand pounds, was thus finalized.
After the two agreed on the approximate time for the transaction, Klein manipulated the "world" and said, "Last week, I teamed up with 'The Hermit' to hunt down Sequence 5 of the 'Rose School'."
"I killed the 'Blood General', and the 'Hermit' also made considerable gains. The 'Rose School' should not appear in Bayam for some time to come."
Cattleya was taken aback. It sounded like the "Hermit's" gains were even greater than the "World's." Could it be that he also killed a Sequence 5?
"The World" continued, "During this process, the 'Hermit' helped to hold off the angels of the 'Rose School'."
"Although I didn't take any other spoils, I still feel indebted to the 'Hermit'."
Cattleya almost stood up: "The 'Rose School' has dispatched angels?"
This news made the other members look at the "Hermit" together. In everyone's mind, angels seemed to be very far away from them.
But what was unexpected was that last week, the Hermit and the World not only encountered the angels, but also clashed with them!
This news sounds absolutely surreal!
Klein didn't think this was confidential information worth hiding, so he manipulated "The World" to say, "Yes."
Audrey looked at the "Hermit" and asked, "How did you stop their angels?"
Gadria wasn't too surprised by this, as it was very likely that the "Queen" had helped to stop it. Gadria knew very well that the "Queen" had a level 0 sealed artifact, which could hold off ordinary angels for a while.
However, it could also be the "Lord of Mysteries" mentioned earlier.
Odis smiled and replied, "It wasn't me."
"It was a mysterious being I invited."
Cattleya became convinced of her belief that this "mysterious being" was the "Queen".
Audrey was slightly taken aback, and assumed that the "Hermit" had invited the mysterious "Lord of Mysteries".
At this moment, Alger was also a little puzzled. Logically speaking, "the world" was the benefactor of Mr. Fool, so why didn't Mr. Fool help?
Cattleya then asked "The World": "Did the 'Rose School' only send one angel and the 'Blood General'?"
His reminder made the other members realize that the "Hermit's" spoils were probably even richer than the "World's."
"They also dispatched a demigod," "The World" said, "as well as several Sequence 5s."
"There should be about eight or nine other 'middle sequence' extraordinary beings, and quite a few 'low sequence' extraordinary beings."
Alger thought to himself: With so many people mobilized, the "Rose School" is carrying out a major operation!
"One last question," Cattleya said, thinking, "I've already spent 500 pounds, might as well ask." "How did you escape? What were the results of the battle?"
This was the question Klein wanted answered, because only by answering it could he prove that "The Fool" hadn't stood idly by. So he answered:
"The helper I hired stopped that demigod, while another helper led me away from the gaze of 'God's Abomination' Seara and 'Sea King'."
Alger thought to himself: That makes sense. It seems that "The World" also used the identity of "The Fool's Favorite" to invite a demigod and an angel-level helper. But the reality may be more severe than imagined, which is why they had to join forces with "The Hermit" to block the angel-level attack.
Besides Klein and Odis, who were involved in the matter, the "Priestess" Cattleya was also aware of it.
However, the other members did not think of these things. They just felt that this battle seemed very complicated, with both sides deploying a large number of high-level extraordinary forces.
They are more interested in knowing the outcome of the battle.
The "world" did not answer immediately, but instead looked at the "hermit".
Odis smiled and said, "In addition to eliminating three Sequence 5 enemies, including the 'Blood General,' we also wiped out all the 'Mid-Sequence' enemies we discovered, including four 'Undead,' as well as 'Low-Sequence' enemies."
"In short, we didn't let any of the enemies we found escape."
Upon hearing this answer, Audrey, Fors, and the others, who had little concept of extraordinary combat, were simply pleased, believing that the joint action of the two members of the Tarot Society had once again dealt a blow to the evil extraordinary organization.
Meanwhile, Cattleya and Alger, two members with rich combat experience, realized a problem: whenever the "Hermits" planned an operation, the enemy's casualty rate was generally very high.
The same thing happened in the last operation in Port Olavi; this time, it was a complete annihilation!
They were well aware that in extraordinary battles, especially those involving Sequence 5, even with ambushes, if the enemy could not be eliminated quickly, there was a good chance that the enemy's Sequence 5 could escape, and there were not many cases of total annihilation.