Queen's Road, inside Earl Hall's luxurious villa.
Upon receiving Odis's package, Audrey immediately instructed her personal maid to open it.
She also received a "smart helmet" and instructions for use.
After understanding the purpose of this extraordinary item, Audrey was initially amazed, but then she realized that if the church introduced "wisdom helmets" in large quantities, the children in the East End could also learn knowledge quickly.
Or rather, knowledge will no longer be an obstacle for those children.
With that in mind, Audrey was already thinking about how to recommend this extraordinary item to her father so that it could be promoted as quickly as possible.
At this moment, the personal maid found an envelope in the package containing two pages of paper. The first page read: "The 'Wisdom Helmet' must not be widely used in Rune."
Audrey was taken aback, and was just about to write a letter to ask the "hermit" why.
Then she brought out the second sheet of paper, which read: "Because of the lack of a competent oversight structure, there may be some 'mental plagues.' Moreover, this will threaten the educational advantages of the upper class, which will be deliberately smeared and suppressed."
Audrey thought to herself: Am I the "psychologist" or are you the "psychologist"? How do you know so much about my thoughts?
But then she sighed and admitted that the "hermit's" concerns were valid.
It's hard to imagine the wave of opposition that would erupt when the nobles learned that their educational resources might be significantly reduced compared to those of the children in the East District, and that they would no longer have a clear advantage.
At that moment, she suddenly recalled that at yesterday's ball, when the topic of education was discussed, the "hermit" had hesitated to speak.
Because achieving educational equity would inevitably infringe upon the interests of the nobility and high society, and the entire Kingdom of Rune is currently run by the nobility and high society, they would never approve of such a change and would even try their best to obstruct and oppose it.
She was a member of the nobility, so there were some questions the "Hermit" didn't know how to ask.
Audrey took a deep breath and suddenly realized that the problem was more complicated than she had imagined.
...
A few days later, in the afternoon.
Bernadette has returned to Backlund, and Odis will be heading to Bayam tomorrow; the "Witch Cult's" operation is about to begin.
They plan to team up again and pull off another heist.
Odis even joked, "Why is our relationship developing more and more like that of 'extraordinary robbers'?"
"There's less time for romance, but more opportunities to join forces against other demigod organizations."
"Perhaps it's because we've built mutual trust and are now willing to take some actions," Bernadette analyzed seriously, then laughed, "It's definitely developing in a strange direction."
Odis said, "How about we give ourselves a bandit name, like 'Mr. and Mrs. Odis'?"
We are not husband and wife yet.
"Then let's call it 'Deadly Couple'."
"That sounds awful. It sounds like the name of one of those killer organizations you see everywhere on the street." Bernadette looked at the "useless and playful" Odis and said, "Don't waste your time on this. Let's talk about your plan again."
Odis leaned back on the sofa and smiled, "The plan, of course, is to use the power of the 'Church of the Goddess of Night' to acquire one or two more Level 1 sealed artifacts..."
Next, the two began to discuss the details of the plan.
That evening, Odis returned to the Church of St. Samuel and told the "Goddess of Night" that the "Witch Cult's" operation would begin the next day.
After receiving the goddess's reply, Odis returned to the embassy and went to Bernadette's room, intending to chat with her for a while before getting some rest to prepare for tomorrow's operation.
Just as the two had exchanged a few words, an unusual fluctuation suddenly occurred in the spiritual energy of the room. The moment the two became alert, a figure was quickly "printed" out in front of them, as if by a printer.
This is a woman with long, black hair, ordinary features, and wearing a simple long robe.
Odis paused for a moment before asking hesitantly, "You are...?"
Judging from her attire, she appears to be Ariana, the abbess of the Night Monastery under the Church of the Goddess of Night.
"You can call me Ariana." The other party briefly introduced herself, and then said, "The goddess has put me in charge of this operation. I'm here to have a brief discussion with you and get some details."
really!
It might be because it involves the "Spiritual Cult," the Church of the Goddess of Night... or perhaps the "Goddess of Night" takes this matter very seriously!
Odis took a deep breath: "Should I call you Dean, or Your Highness?"
In the church, people usually address the saints as His Holiness, the angels as His Highness, and the Pope as His Holiness.
Like the Church of Storms, there is no pope, only a monarch, who must be addressed as His Majesty.
Although Ariana said that, she couldn't really call an angel by his name, could she?
Ariana glanced at Bernadette before saying, "The Dean, perhaps."
"Okay, please have a seat," Odis said with a smile.
After the three of them sat down on the sofa again, they began to discuss the plan for this operation.
Basically, it proceeded according to Odis's plan, with him acting as an undercover agent to send a signal to the Church of the Goddess of Night when the time was right, so that both sides could work together to sabotage the secret organization's plans.
Now, command of this operation is in Ariana's hands. She will send a demigod to secretly follow Odis so that timely support can be provided.
Then He gave Odis a black crystal with starlight: "They will not notice this crystal, but I can sense its location at any time."
"When you quietly infuse spirituality into the crystal, I will sense the corresponding changes and use this as a signal to begin my actions."
Odis nodded: "Okay."
This thing is indeed very convenient and will greatly reduce the probability of exposure.
Ariana added, "After you ruined the 'Great Smog' that was going to appear in Backlund, the 'Witch Cult' seems to have been brewing something."
After saying this, He stood up and, without saying goodbye, His figure disappeared as if erased by an eraser.
Odis and Bernadette exchanged a glance before Odis said, "They failed to complete the sacrifice last time, and now they want to do it again? And to be on the safe side, they won't target Backlund anymore?"
It seems that George III still needs a large workforce!
Bernadette said, "I never imagined that one day I would be frequently disrupting the operations of some clandestine organizations?"
Then she couldn't help but glance at Odis. It was after getting to know this guy that "Element Dawn," an organization that was neither evil nor particularly benevolent, gradually became an organization that leaned towards justice.
Bernadette herself also felt that she was about to become a "semi-official" extraordinary person.
Odis smiled and said, "That's a good thing."
"After all, we may become official extraordinary beings in the future, so let's just consider this a transition period."
Now that they knew the Church of the Goddess of Night had dispatched angels, they were truly confident of victory. The two exchanged a few more words, mainly discussing how to divide the spoils with the church.
The next morning, Odis arrived at Bayam's Sea Lion Bar as promised. After buying a beer, she told the bartender that she had been introduced by the mermaid.
There weren't many customers at the moment, so the bartender led Odis to the backyard, stopped in front of a room, and gestured for her to enter.
Odis knocked on the door politely but cautiously, and a voice from inside said, "Come in."
Pushing open the door, one finds a somewhat frail-looking young man dressed in local Bayamian attire, who smiles and asks Odis, "Are you Mr. Gar?"
Odis answered simply, "Yes."
"Please follow me." The other person put on a hat, led Odis out of the Sea Lion Bar, and disappeared into the alley.
After walking for more than twenty minutes through the messy alley, I entered a room through a small door that was not well lit and was a bit damp.
The thick curtains inside were drawn, making the room very dark.
In the center of the room was a large, unadorned, ancient-looking standing mirror. The young man, somewhat nervous yet expectant, took out a clump of black hair and wiped it on the mirror.
Soon, the mirror surface rippled like water, revealing a graceful and beautiful figure—the "White Saintess," Katarina Pelle.
The young man stared at his reflection in the mirror, seemingly oblivious to Odysseus's presence behind him.
Katarina smiled and said, "This is your reward."
She glanced at the young man seemingly casually, and he immediately let out an extremely pleasurable cry, fainting in extreme pleasure.
Then Katarina gestured for Odis to come in: "Please come in."
Odis nodded slightly, as if passing through a thin film of water, and entered a dimly lit space that seemed vast but was actually quite small.
It appears vast because the edge of this space is not visible to the naked eye, but Odis's spirituality clearly knows that the space within is actually not very large.
"Follow me." Katarina led the way, walking through the "mirror world."
They passed through a series of passages, some narrow and some wide, each with a mirror-like surface like ripples on water.
These mirrors depict the reflections of the real world in each other, but Odis could not make out the specific appearance of those reflections.
Those outside couldn't even see the figure that flashed past in front of the mirror.
After walking through the "mirror world" for more than ten seconds, Odis arrived in front of a large mirror. Passing through the water-film-like mirror again, Odis found herself in a large room made of stone bricks.
For a moment, he was unsure of his current location.
"Lieutenant General of Disease" Tracy was already waiting in the room. Katarina smiled and said, "As we agreed, I'll take you to see your reward first."
"Once you receive your payment, Tracy must stay by your side at all times. If you deliberately leave her sight, it will be considered a breach of contract."
Odis smiled and nodded: "No problem."
Katarina continued to lead the way, with Odis and Tracy following behind.
The "ageless witch" casually said, "I heard from Tracy that you know an exceptionally beautiful lady?"
Odis laughed, not answering the other person's question, but said, "When I was in school, I met a classmate who really liked to brag."
"Many people like to boast, but they are quite reliable when it matters."
"My classmate, on the other hand, always liked to brag at crucial moments, which made me overlook some key information and always made things worse."
"After warning him repeatedly to no avail, I finally gave him a good beating and then cut all ties with him!"
Odis smiled and said, "I've always been like this. I never like to criticize other people's inappropriate ways of doing things, but if I repeatedly explain my bottom line to them and they still don't change their ways, I'll teach them a lesson."
Katarina and Tracy were both taken aback. They could tell, of course, that Tracy's way of communicating with him was somewhat inappropriate.
As Odis said, he had indeed warned Tracy many times before to be sincere and not to always use "seduction" on him.
But neither Katrina nor Tracy took Odis seriously at the time, so naturally they didn't take his words seriously either.
After learning that Odis had become a demigod, they changed their attitude towards Odis's words.
And so the topic ended there. The three of them walked quietly through a long corridor, which had no windows and was made entirely of stone bricks. They did not encounter anyone along the way.
Odis suspected that he might be somewhere underground now.
Finally, they stopped in front of a stone chamber. After opening the stone door, they found a stone table and a stone bed inside.
The only thing that wasn't made of stone was a mirror hanging on the wall.
Katarina stood in front of the mirror, and the "Katarina" in the mirror suddenly did something different from the real world; she turned her head and walked towards the stone table in the mirror.
In the real world, there is nothing on the stone table, but in the "mirror world," there is an iron box on the stone table.
At this moment, the "Katarina" in the mirror picked up the iron box, returned to the mirror, reached forward, and the iron box broke through the mirror, handing it to the Katarina in the real world.
Then, Katarina synchronized with the real world and the mirror world again. She placed the metal box on the table, opened the lid, and inside was a red metal boxing glove.
There were several ice crystals around the box, radiating a chill, which caused the temperature in the room to drop by several degrees.
Katarina said, "This is a magical item comparable to the 'Iron Knight.' Its main abilities include: the wielder can transform into multiple flames for rapid movement or to evade enemy attacks; the wielder's body can become as hard as steel during combat and has the ability to 'critically strike,' ignoring enemy defenses and having a very small chance of killing a demigod with a single blow; it can generate a large number of fireballs, bombarding an area with a diameter of five kilometers; and the wielder will be completely immune to the burning of flames."
"The negative effects are that if placed at a temperature above 10 degrees Celsius for 5 seconds, it will spontaneously combust and burn everything within a 5-meter radius; if worn continuously for 10 minutes, the wearer will spontaneously combust, lose their ability to withstand burns, and suffer severe burns, which could even be fatal if measures are not taken quickly. After resting for 10 minutes, it can be worn again."
The "ageless witch" smiled and said, "The negative effects are not too difficult to avoid. As long as you use an ice-type 'witchcraft' while using the sealing artifact, you can maintain the temperature around the gauntlets."
"Moreover, as long as it is stored in an iron box with a spiritual wall, it will be in a resting state."
Odis nodded: "Not bad."
He reached out and took the red gauntlets, infused them with his spiritual energy, and sensed them. He possessed all the abilities that Katarina had mentioned.
Then Odis took out a crystal ball and, in front of the two witches, used astrology to predict the negative effects of the sealed artifact.
After confirming that there were no issues with the negative effects, Odis asked, "May I put the sealed item into the spatial magic circle?"
Katarina glanced at the "Guth's Staff" and "Disaster Scepter" hidden in the leather sheath at Odis's waist, as if to say: If you break the agreement and we are unable to open that spatial magic circle, these two sealed items of yours will be our spoils of war.
Then she smiled and said, "Okay."
"That's good." Odis smiled and put the iron box into the "Wilderness of Knowledge." He had originally wanted to tease this "ageless witch" by putting the staff and scepter at his waist into the "Wilderness of Knowledge" as well, to see what she would do.
However, considering that important matters were more important, I didn't do something that could easily lead to misjudgment.
Katarina concluded, "Then, before the plan begins, you two will stay in this stone chamber. Someone will bring you food and water, and you can also drink alcohol if you wish."
"Once the plan begins, I will take you to where you are needed."
Odis plopped down on the stone bed: "I want grilled fish, and a barrel of beer too."
Katarina smiled and said, "No problem, I'll bring it to you at noon."
After saying that, she suddenly "jumped" into the mirror and disappeared from the room.
Odis looked at Tracy: "You're going to follow me to the toilet too?"
"Of course," Tracy said. "If you're under pressure and can't pee, I can become invisible."
Odis smiled and said, "It's not that bad."
Then he asked, "Isn't it amazing how it feels to become a woman?"
Tracy paused for a moment before answering, "It's alright."
But Odis then asked, "After you became a woman, in your erotic dreams, were you having sex with men or women?"
Tracy took a deep breath: "If you're bored, we have chess and cards here. We can play chess or cards."
Odis smiled and said, "Your heart is too weak."
As he spoke, he half-reclined on the stone bed, took out a small "Spirit Storage Crystal" from the "Knowledge Wilderness" to brighten the room, and then took out a book to read.
Upon hearing Odis's assessment, Tracy was taken aback. She didn't know why, but the other woman always managed to provoke her with just a few words.
Then, the stone chamber fell silent. At noon, a servant brought grilled fish and beer, which Odis ate alone, as if Tracy did not exist.
Afterwards, Odis lay down on the stone bed and took a nap, feeling as relaxed as if he were at home.
...
Felix, a demigod from the Night Monastery of the Church of the Goddess of Night, followed clues left by Odis and entered a huge ancient building.
The building is located in the center of Blue Mountain Island, where Bayam is located. Its exact date is unknown, but after seeing the occasional feathered serpent symbol, Felix guessed that it was built during the Fourth Age, at the height of the Byron Empire.
At that time, wars were constantly raging between the countries of the Northern Continent, and the territory of the Byron Empire once approached the coastal areas of the Northern Continent.
It is said that the Byron Empire built many military stations and logistics bases on what is now the raging sea in order to invade the northern continent.
This must be a product of that era.
Felix possesses a sealing artifact that allows him to conceal himself, and he is extremely cautious when being tracked.
When Odis entered the mirror, he almost lost track of it. Fortunately, he was prepared and carried a sealing artifact that allowed him to enter the mirror world. He searched the mirror world quietly for a while before finally finding this place.
He quietly walked through the underground world to get a basic understanding of its structure.
Just as Felix turned a corner, he saw the "ageless witch" Katarina standing in the corridor ahead, looking right at him, and saying in a very pleasant voice, "I knew it, there would definitely be a tail."
Felix felt as if he had suddenly fallen in love, but he was also somewhat surprised, wondering when he had been exposed.
He immediately stepped back, but in the corridor behind him, a woman with long, thick eyebrows, dressed in a blue hunting outfit, suddenly appeared.
Felix was taken aback. "The Blue Witch" Alena!
For this operation, the "Witch Cult" actually dispatched two "ageless witches"!
At the same time, almost instinctively, Felix caused a surge of darkness to flow around him, forming a realm composed of pure darkness.
At the same time, he brought misfortune upon the two "ageless witches".
Just as Felix was about to fight and retreat, an ancient mirror suddenly appeared in front of him. The mirror was completely dark and contained nothing!
The next instant, Felix was surprised to find himself in the underground corridor, with Katarina and Yarenna walking towards him step by step.
He was surprised to find himself inside the mirror!
Who are the people in the real world?
At this moment, the real-world "Felix" raised the corners of his mouth, revealing an evil smile.
He first ended his control over that dark area, then raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
Felix in the mirror mimicked the same action.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cold hand touch his wrist. It was "Katarina" in the mirror, her face full of malice.
In such an environment, if it were an evil spirit or a skeleton that touched him, Felix wouldn't think much of it.
But such a beautiful person with a sinister smile is truly chilling.
The next second, "Katarina's" hair flew up and surged like a tide, binding Felix and finally turning him into a "cocoon" with only his head showing.
In the real world, Katarina waved her hand, and Felix's gaze shifted, returning him to the real world.
And then, "Felix," with his wicked smile, appeared in the mirror.
It quickly disappeared into the antique mirror, and then the antique mirror itself disappeared as well.
Katarina used her hair to pull Felix forward at a leisurely pace. Felix tried to break free, but the hair was as hard as steel bars and tightened the more he struggled.
He tried to use his extraordinary abilities, only to find that the spiritual energy he generated was instantly absorbed by his hair, rendering him unable to use them.
Finally, Felix simply stopped struggling.
Katarina led him through a long corridor and into a huge underground space.
In the center of this space, there is a solemn altar with three levels. At this moment, on the top level of the altar, there is a withered old man walking around the altar while chanting incantations.
He was very thin, like a mummified corpse that could move on its own, but on his back grew clumps of white feathers with some yellow stains on them.
In the center of the altar, there are three things: a skeleton that looks like a giant spine, a black garment with the aura of the Southern Continent, and a scepter that looks like a leg bone.
As Felix was wondering what kind of ritual this was, a voice suddenly entered his ears: "Felix?"
Felix glanced in the direction of the sound and saw a man with a high nose, deep-set eyes, and distinctly Fusak facial features hanging in the corner of the vast space.
It was actually the demigod Yachikov from the Church of the God of War!
As long-time rivals, the Church of the Night and the Church of the God of War have demigods who, while not exactly familiar with each other, do know one another.
Like Felix, Yachikov was also entangled like a "cocoon," with a clump of hair hanging from the roof.
Felix had a bad feeling.
...
When Odis woke up, he took out his pocket watch and looked at it; it was already past four in the afternoon.
He asked Tracy, "When exactly does it start?"
"I don't know," Tracy replied simply.
Odis yawned: "The stone bed is too hard. If we want to spend the night here, we'll have to put down two mattresses."
Tracy asked, somewhat puzzled, "As a demigod, how can your physique be so fragile?"
"This is not a question of whether we are fragile or not," Odis said. "It is a question of our attitude toward life."
Just then, Katarina suddenly leaped out of the mirror, smiling at Odis, and said, "The ceremony has begun. Please follow me."
Odis stretched: "Luckily, I don't have to spend the night here."
Katarina then looked at Tracy: "You should leave here on your own."
Before Tracy could nod, Katarina added, "Be quick!"
Tracy paused for a moment, then quickly used the sealing artifact to leave.
Odis said, "I heard that's your child?"
Katarina led the way: "Yes."
"It looks like this place is going to be very dangerous in a little while."
"That's right," Katarina said. "But you don't need to worry too much. You should have plenty of time to leave here."
Odis hummed in agreement, then asked, "Our deal is that after I 'reappear' as 'Death,' you'll protect me and allow me to leave, right?"
Katarina nodded: "That's right."
Odis hummed in agreement again and said nothing more.
The two quietly passed through several long corridors and finally arrived at the huge underground space.
As the ceremony continued, an illusory underworld appeared on the front of the altar.
The silence of the underworld permeated the entire space, making everything here seem unreal.
Odis recognized the withered old man on the altar at a glance as Bradrick, the priest of death, and the scepter on the altar was the "Scepter of the Dead" that he had taken from the city covered in black stones.
At the same time, after seeing the feathers on the other person's back, Odis thought of another person.
About four or five months ago, Odis and Fors explored the ruins of an Abraham family, where a person was hidden among the puppets in the hall.
The specific situation seems to be that, for some unknown reason, the other party's physical body and spirit became incompatible, so he had no choice but to store his physical body there and exist as a spirit.
Although Bradrick on the altar bore little resemblance to that person, Odis's spiritual senses told her that it was indeed him.
At the time, the "Witch Cult" seemed to want to release the other party so that they could carry out a joint plan.
In the corner, there were two black "cocoons." Just a moment ago, their heads were sticking out, but now even their heads were entangled in hair. Odis didn't know who was inside.
"Those were two offerings," Katrina explained.
Then she said, "In a moment, the three offerings on the altar will fly toward you. You must step on the spine, wear that coat, hold the staff, and use the ability of 'Reappearance'."
"In that case, we will definitely be able to 'recreate' the 'Emperor of the Underworld'."
Odis thought to himself: This sounds very dangerous.
However, he still agreed, saying, "No problem."
At that moment, Bradrick on the altar suddenly glanced at Odis.
Oddess suddenly felt her whole body stiffen, as if she had turned into a zombie.
Katarina smiled and said, "It's the final moment. To be on the safe side, we need to restrict your movements."
"You shouldn't make any effort. Unless you become more powerful than the Underworld, you won't be able to end this state."
Odis was taken aback, suddenly realizing that even his spirituality was no longer usable.
However, he could still speak, so he shouted something to the underworld that Katarina couldn't hear, and some of the sounds sounded like birdsong.
Katarina scrutinized Odis, preparing to gag him as well.
Odis replied, "I can't even control my spirit anymore, so what's wrong with cursing a couple of times?"
Katarina smiled and said, "It's nothing, feel free to curse me."
She realized that if she couldn't use her spirituality, she wouldn't even be able to utter curses, but she could still hurl insults at will.
At that moment, Bradrick seemed to understand the meaning of Odis's words. His chanting suddenly became louder, and Katarina quickly moved aside.
The three items on the altar flew toward Odis one after another.
First, the massive spine hit the ground, like a small platform laid out on the ground.
Then the coat and the scepter flew over, and Odis's legs suddenly moved uncontrollably and stiffly, and he stood on the small platform. The coat was draped over his body, and the scepter appeared in his hand.
Odis realized that he was being manipulated by Bradrick on the altar like a puppet, and he couldn't even infuse the crystal given to him by Ariana with spirituality.
At this moment, Katarina, who was not far away, said, "Alright, you can use your ability now."
Odis suddenly smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I've changed my mind."
At the same time, a bronze gate suddenly appeared in the underworld, and someone was about to come out from there.