Bernadette had the illusion that what Odis was talking about was a sophisticated "profession".
The self-destruct system of the new ship is controlled by an inconspicuous person, which sounds crazy, but it makes perfect sense.
The captain is an easy target for the enemy, and if the enemy is too strong, he will be killed in the early stages of the battle.
But if it's an insignificant person, there might still be time to make a judgment and complete the corresponding action.
Bernadette laughed and said, "It seems you were prepared for today's situation all along."
"I suppose so," Odis said somewhat guiltily.
He remembered that there seemed to be such a person on a nuclear submarine during the Common Era.
Then, Bernadette changed the subject: "What are your views on the future situation at sea?"
"The countries are being too naive," Odis said, glancing at the boundless sea. "They think that having ironclad warships will end the current chaotic maritime era."
"But they overlooked an important issue: the power system of this world is composed of extraordinary elements."
"No matter how powerful their ironclad ships are, without a demigod in charge, they pose no threat to the 'Four Kings,' and it seems that the 'Seven Generals' could not even find it difficult to attack an ironclad ship."
"Therefore, I believe that the current situation will remain for a long time to come."
Bernadette nodded; this was similar to her opinion.
Odis added, "However, the lower-level pirates will definitely be affected."
"Ironclad ships can't attack the 'Four Kings and Seven Generals,' but attacking ordinary pirates is relatively easy."
"Then these ordinary pirates will definitely seek the protection of more powerful pirate groups, which will lead to the emergence of more 'great pirates' in this sea area in the future, and the strength of the 'Four Kings and Seven Generals' will also be strengthened."
Bernadette paused slightly, this differed from her view of the future: "Won't the appearance of ironclad warships reduce the number of ordinary pirates? Will it deter those who want to plunder from going to sea?"
She once speculated that with the emergence of increasingly advanced ships, in the coming decades, countries and secretive organizations would gradually divide up spheres of influence at sea.
By then, there will only be powerful figures like the "Four Kings and Seven Generals" at sea, and those big pirates will no longer have room to survive unless they are backed by a secret organization.
"No," Odis said firmly. "The reason there are so many pirates on the sea is entirely due to the intense internal conflicts in various countries, or rather, the huge gap between the rich and the poor."
"People had no choice but to take risks and seek opportunities at sea."
"When there are no more vagrants on the streets of Backlund and the people of the colony live a prosperous life, then the profession of piracy will come to an end."
Bernadette pondered for a moment before saying, "It's probably impossible to reach that point."
"That's how it is under the current economic system." Odis loosened his tie, feeling a bit hot after drinking too much.
Bernadette stepped forward quietly, convinced by Odis's reasoning that piracy was still a promising profession.
Ordinary pirates are the most important cornerstone of the piracy industry. Only when there are more ordinary pirates can the big pirates recruit more excellent subordinates, and only then can countries and secret organizations devote more resources to the sea and make more extraordinary investments.
Her silence stemmed from the realization that Odis was not only a genius in the study of mysticism, but also possessed a profound understanding of the current world situation.
This made Bernadette take another look at Odis. Today, Odis was wearing a suit, which was rare for him. He looked much better and more energetic and handsome.
Previously, Odis's appearance seemed average, mainly because his clothing was too casual, which seriously affected people's first impression of him.
Now that I've dressed up properly, I look pretty good.
However, Odis seemed to hate wearing formal attire, so she simply took off her bow tie and unbuttoned two buttons.
Although it was very ungentlemanly, Bernadette thought it was alright, as it gave off a dashing and unrestrained vibe.
After a long silence, Bernadette suddenly said, "From now on, you must wear formal attire every day."
Odis was taken aback: "Huh? What... what kind of request is this?"
"A chief architect should act like a chief architect," Bernadette said seriously. "Otherwise, my subordinates will think I brought back a vagrant from Backlund."
Odis smiled: "My talent has long since won them over, even if I wear beggar's clothes every day..."
Bernadette immediately changed her approach: "If I find you not wearing formal attire, the price of the ship you're building will increase by £1,000 every time!"
Odis was initially puzzled, then smiled wryly and said, "I love wearing formal attire the most."
...
Saturday morning, Backlund, 199 Hairun Avenue.
The damage caused to the building by the explosion has been largely invisible after more than half a month of repairs.
In fact, this building was already considered a dangerous building, after all, a single "fire bomb" would cause huge damage to the load-bearing walls.
The "Mechanical Heart" used some extraordinary power to ensure that there was no danger here.
Today, we are holding our first annual meeting of the Mysticism Research Society.
The first thing members who came to the gathering saw outside was a carriage with a "mechanical emblem".
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, because they had all heard, to varying degrees, that a violent explosion had occurred here.
They were all very worried that something might have happened to the Mysticism Research Society or its "leader".
Upon seeing the carriage bearing the "Mechanical Holy Emblem," they all breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of any changes that had occurred to the Mysticism Research Society or the "Leader," the "Mechanical Heart" had pledged to ensure the gathering proceeded as scheduled.
By nine o'clock in the morning, most of the members had arrived.
Those who didn't come were not in Backlund for various reasons.
Just as everyone was quietly waiting for the basement door to open, Hugh Deercha, a member who wasn't very tall, suddenly got up and went to the "leader's" chair.
Everyone was stunned, not quite understanding what she was going to do.
"Gentlemen," Hugh took a deep breath and said in a loud voice, "I have been entrusted by the 'Leader' to preside over the future occult research association."
"The 'Leader's' suggestion has been approved by the 'Mechanical Heart'."
For a moment, no one reacted. The "hound," who knew some of the inside story, asked, "Is the 'leader'... alright?"
"He's fine," Hugh replied, "but he's not suited to be in Backlund."
The "hound" nodded slightly and then said, "I support you."
Only then did everyone realize what was happening, and they were engulfed in chaotic discussion, with many even trying to figure out how to escape.
The sense of security that the "leader" had once shown vanished in an instant.
Someone asked, "Where is the 'leader'? Where is the 'leader' now?"
Some people asked, "Why did the 'leader' ask you to host the meeting for him?"
Following the "leader's" instructions, Hugh first reassured the members attending the meeting: "Please rest assured, you are safe here with me and 'Mechanical Heart' protecting you."
"No matter what organization you belong to, as long as you want to trade intelligence, you will not be harmed."
She paused for a moment before answering, "As for why the 'leader' chose me, it's mainly because I've been saved by the leader more than once, and I will faithfully carry out some of the 'leader's' ideas."
"For example, today, the 'leader' asked me to bring the extraordinary materials that 'Vulture,' 'Seagull,' and 'Cheetah' needed at their last gathering."
"Furthermore, if anyone needs these materials in the future, they can buy them from the 'leader,' but the transaction will only take place at the next gathering."
"In addition, if you need other extraordinary materials at the 'low sequence' level, you can also try your luck here."
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
This made many members realize that the "leader" had access to an extraordinary source of materials.
Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. Just as the "leader" had expected, his words had indeed calmed everyone down.
Only then did she sit in the "leader's" seat and calmly say, "Let's begin."
The first deal she made was with members of "Vulture" and others to trade for extraordinary materials. The "leader" promised her £10 for each of the three extraordinary materials.
After the materials transaction was completed, member "Peacock" asked Hugh: "I would like to know where the 'Chief' is now? Why did he leave Backlund? Name your price."
"I can't answer your first question," Hugh replied calmly, wearing a mask. "Because I don't know where the 'leader' is right now."
The reason she remained so calm was that the "leader" had guessed the answer to this question and had prepared accordingly.
Xiu cleared his throat and said, "As for your second question, I can tell you for free, and also tell everyone else to put their minds at ease."
Everyone looked at "Owl" and felt that this little guy was alright. He was very calm and was a confidant of the "leader," so it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to host the gathering.
"Before this, the 'leader' told me to put this certificate up." As he spoke, Hugh pasted the certificate, which had obvious burn marks, in a conspicuous position.
That was the "Good Citizen Award" given to the "leader" by Darnessy of MI9 after the "leader" escorted Hugh to MI9.
At the time, Odis posted it in a prominent position, but most members didn't pay much attention to the certificate. After all, the "leader" had an official background, so it wasn't strange for him to receive such a certificate.
At the time, only "Hound" was somewhat angry and helpless. He was angry because he didn't expect that Darness would be able to fool people with such a thing.
Unfortunately, Danesi was a grade above him, so he couldn't say anything.
After the New Year, Odis wrote to Hugh asking him to look for the certificate and, if he could, to put it back on the wall.
At this moment, everyone noticed that the certificate was issued by the "Military Special Intelligence Service," which many people present knew was the official name of "MI9."
Many people then looked at the "hound," but the "hound" remained calm and continued to listen to the "owl's" story.
"During an operation, the 'leader' accidentally killed the brother of MI9 captain Corraymond," Hugh recounted. "So Corraymond took revenge and framed the 'leader,' leading MI9 to carry out an operation to arrest him."
"That's the main reason. Another reason is that the 'leader''s' actions in Backlund thwarted the plots of the 'Aurora Society' and the 'Witch Church,' so he had to leave Backlund to avoid the limelight."
At this moment, several other members turned their attention to "Peacock" and "Wolverine," both of whom appeared calm and composed.
"The Hound" spoke first: "Cremond died in the previous operation."
Not only him, but also Chief Selt of MI9, according to divination, died.
This news is very gratifying!
Then someone asked, "What conspiracy did the 'Aurora Society' and the 'Witch Cult' have, and how was it thwarted by the 'leader'?"
Hugh replied, "'The Witch Cult' wants to create a plague."
Then she shrugged: "I don't know the specifics either."
To be precise, the "leader" did not provide details in the letter.
"I know that," said "The Hound." "The 'Witch Cult' has a witch who wants to use the great smog of Backlund to spread disease."
"But the 'leader' used a strange method to blow away the smog."
"Peacock" quickly asked, "What peculiar method is it?"
The higher-ups of the "Witch Cult" never understood how the "leader" had received the news in advance, or how he had managed to conjure up such a strong wind.
The hound replied, "This needs to be kept secret, and there is no trading involved."
The peacock crossed its legs, expressing some dissatisfaction.
Next, the intelligence transactions began one by one.
This also means that the gathering will continue, because they have experienced the convenience of it, and as long as there is no danger, it is barely acceptable to have someone else host it.
After the gathering, Hugh first went to the "Backlund Mechanical Research Society," where he shed his disguise and reported the gains of the gathering to the "Heart of Machinery."
However, because she is not as experienced as Odis, she is unsure of the accuracy of some intelligence, and because she is currently under the protection of the "Mechanical Heart," she will not receive the bounty from the "Mechanical Heart" for the time being.
Only after she can make accurate judgments will "Mechanical Heart" give her large sums of money.
After exiting through another door of the "Mechanical Research Society," Hugh arrived at 66 Rose Street, where he wrote a briefing on the gathering and placed the extraordinary materials obtained from the transactions at the gathering on the coffee table in the living room.
This was what the "leader" instructed Hugh to do in the letter. Odis had previously paid six months' rent for this townhouse in one go, so why not take advantage of it?
There are definitely MI9 agents here, but even if there aren't, Hugh's height would give away that she is "Owl," the new host of the party.
With the protection of his "mechanical heart" and being an informant for "MI9," Hugh is not afraid of being monitored.
But they will certainly take it seriously, thinking that the "leader" has returned here to collect his reward and briefing.