Odis was quite surprised that this messenger shared the same surname as the "God of Steam and Machinery," Stiano.
But it was too late to back out now. The pale green flames enveloped the parchment, and the contract turned to ashes in the next second. In other words, this contract, witnessed by the underworld, had already taken effect.
Odis took a deep breath, trying to hide his surprise, and took out a letter that he had prepared beforehand: "Please send this letter to Hugh Deercha's mailbox at 134 Morning Street, Joewood, Backlund."
"No problem." The skeleton messenger, Elebella, reached out, and the letter instantly moved from Odis's hand to her gloved hand.
Then she asked, "I can only deliver the letters or packages to you to a specific location because I just discovered that you are under the protection of 'Darkness' and cannot be located."
Odis thought to himself, "The blessing of the goddess of night is indeed a good deterrent."
He thought for a moment before saying, "Send them all to the Emerald Palace on Lacha Island, um, to the room on the left in the backyard."
That was the place Bernadette had arranged for him to stay.
Elle Bella nodded: "Okay."
After saying this, the skeleton dressed in hunting attire disappeared, and the candle flame returned to its original orange-red color.
Odis paused for a second or two before blowing out the candle: What on earth did I summon?
But then he thought that the other party was rational and had no malicious intent at the moment, so there should be no danger for the time being.
Upon recalling the messenger's surname, Odis began to wonder if the messenger was in league with the "God of Steam and Machinery."
But then he remembered that with the help of the "Goddess of Night," the messenger couldn't locate him and couldn't guide the "God of Steam and Machinery" to his destination, so he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Back at the Emerald Palace, Odis rested for a while. In the afternoon, he went to teach the scholars as usual. The class ended early today, so Odis went to Bayam ahead of time in the afternoon.
This time, he appeared at the apartment he had just rented yesterday, located at 17 Hambo Road in the Bayam North district.
Upon arriving at the apartment, Odis noticed that the weather was not very good. Dark clouds covered the sky, as if a torrential downpour was about to begin at any moment.
The wind picked up considerably throughout Bayam, and people on the streets were holding their hats down tightly.
Such weather gave Odis a considerable sense of oppression.
He took a deep breath, knowing that "Sea God" had only one breath left.
Standing by the window, Odis watched the tall trees on both sides of the road swaying in the wind. In this kind of weather, the best thing to do was to sit in an armchair at home, read a book, and drink tea.
Just as he was thinking this, he saw a group of Rune soldiers shouting loudly, clearing the crowd from the street and blocking it off.
This made Odis even less willing to go out. He moved a chair, looked at the dark clouds in the sky, and recalled similar scenes from many movies he had seen before.
At this moment, Odis didn't want to think about anything, and let herself empty her mind until about six o'clock.
Because of the heavy clouds, it was already quite dark outside. Only then did Odis use the "Travel Ring" to leave Bayam and return to the Emerald Palace.
During dinner with Bernadette, Odis said, "I have investigated the matter of 'Silver Coin Serpent'."
As he sipped his soup with a spoon, he said, "He is a subordinate of the 'Blood General,' impersonating your subordinate just to hide his true identity and purpose."
Moreover, at the right time, they can shift the blame for some of their own actions onto the "mysterious queen."
Of course, he certainly wouldn't go too far, after all, Bernadette was the queen of the sea, and if he angered such a being, he would die a terrible death.
Bernadette smiled and said, "To admit to being my subordinate, is that really a form of concealment?"
Then she pondered for a moment and said, "It seems that 'Blood General' will be taking action in Bayam."
The "Silver Coin Viper's" disguise was unlikely to last long, and they certainly knew that "Element Dawn" would conduct some investigation after learning that a strange colleague had suddenly appeared.
Therefore, "Silver Coin Viper" must have done something for "Blood General" before being exposed.
Bernadette took a sip of red wine and said to Odis, "I didn't expect you to complete the task I gave you so quickly."
Odis didn't hide anything: "Do you remember Rupert I told you about before? Yes, the adventurer who told me about Bazel's exploits, I met him yesterday at the 'Seaweed Bar'..."
He briefly recounted how he met Rupert yesterday, learned about Old Quinn from him, and then happened to discover Old Quinn while scouting the area.
Bernadette smiled and nodded slowly: "It's not just your good luck, but also the charm of your personality that attracts some people."
Odis asked the maid to clear the soup aside, then paused for a moment and asked, "Do I have personal charm?"
Bernadette didn't answer the question, but instead asked, "I heard that someone is going to hold an intelligence exchange meeting in Bayam, and the convener has an official position in the Church of the Goddess of Night. Is that you?"
"It's me," Odis readily admitted.
Bernadette remarked, "You've made the most of the resources you have."
Bernadette knew about the return of the ashes and attributes of the demigod of the Church of the Night, but she did not expect that Odis would establish a close relationship with the Church of the Goddess of the Night by returning the ashes and attributes.
After all, although Odis is no longer a wanted criminal, he is being searched for by "Mechanical Heart" and "MI9". If the Church of the Night wants to protect him, they will definitely have to think about it seriously.
Of course, a demigod's characteristics are indeed a very precious thing, but for the Church of the Night, such a "return" does not incur much of a favor.
Because anyone who dares to use that special ability to advance will likely be quickly discovered and hunted down by the Church of the Night.
Therefore, in Bernadette's view, returning the characteristics and ashes was merely a "good deed" for the Church of the Night, and it did not warrant the risk of offending other official Extraordinary organizations by explicitly supporting Odis.
At most, it will provide Odis with some convenience and protection.
To Bernadette's surprise, Odis had established contact with the Church of the Night not long after leaving Backlund, and the Church of the Night was even willing to openly support him.
As Odis cut her steak, she remarked, "I don't have many cards in my hand, so I have to make good use of every single one."
The "mysterious queen" did not continue the topic, but said: "I have received some news that the wild god Kavituwa seems to have become very manic for unknown reasons."
"Followers of Kavituwa also claim that the 'sea god' will unleash a tsunami to submerge the entire Bayam."
She put down her wine glass and said, "I'm giving you a second task: help me investigate why Kavituwa has suddenly become so strange."
Bernadette, who had a large fleet at sea, was very concerned about the unusual behavior of the "Sea God".
Bernadette was also well aware of the intelligence gathering capabilities of her own personnel and did not place too much hope in them.
Since Odis was planning to establish an intelligence network in Bayam, she simply entrusted the matter to Odis.
Odis thought to himself: I can give you the answer to this question right now.
But of course, I can't say it now, because then I won't get paid.
Bernadette then said, "I know this mission is quite dangerous, so I will send you an assistant to help you make contact with some devout believers of the Church of the Sea God. Bertha will give you detailed information later."
"As for the reward, if you can investigate the reason why Kavituwa has become abnormal, it will be equivalent to repaying two-thirds of the merit of the potion formula."
Bertha was Bernadette's personal maid.
Odis immediately nodded and said, "Okay."
He thought to himself, "The debts owed to the 'Mysterious Queen' don't seem so difficult to pay off."
Of course, Odis also knew that this was thanks to the visit of "the Fool's Favorite" to Bayam, which immediately made "Sea God" abnormal and gave him the opportunity to repay such a large debt all at once.
After the meal, Odis and Bernadette chatted for a while over tea before heading back to their respective homes.
Odis pretended to be very dedicated and went to Bayam again, but in reality he went to the rented room to organize the scrolls he had in his possession.
They also went to the "knowledge wilderness" to study methods of "extracting knowledge" and made considerable progress.
The streets of Bayam were still under martial law, so Odis certainly wouldn't choose to go out to "investigate" at this time.
Odis did not return to the Emerald Palace until after nine o'clock in the evening.
Odis sat at his desk with a somewhat guilty conscience, glanced out the window, and suddenly had the feeling that telling his family he was working overtime was actually a lie.
The next day, Odis moved the occult course to the morning. He planned to stay in Bayam for the next few days, partly to investigate the task Bernadette had just assigned him. Since he had been given an assistant, he would definitely have to pretend to investigate.
Secondly, he was seriously preparing for the first intelligence exchange meeting. Odis valued this gathering highly, as it was crucial for laying the foundation for his success at sea.
Intelligence was of paramount importance to pirates.
After the class ended, Odis assigned a lot of homework and announced that the next class would be on Sunday afternoon.
The scholars had mixed feelings. They were happy that they wouldn't have to go to class tomorrow, but they were also frustrated by the amount of homework they had to do, and the next two days hadn't been easy either.
Seeing the scholars' sour faces, Odis smiled, because he predicted that by next week at the latest, the research on "extracting knowledge" would reach the stage of practical application.
Then we can use the "knowledge transmission" method to teach, which can greatly reduce the learning pressure on scholars.
Odis could also collect data on "knowledge indoctrination" techniques by observing the reactions of scholars.
However, this news cannot be told to the scholars yet, lest they become complacent.
Odis arrived in Bayam without even having lunch. The sky was still overcast, as if a storm was about to break.
The curfew on the streets has been lifted, but soldiers are still patrolling; people are free to move around.
Odis thought back and realized that the "Book of Calamities" had been found by the official extraordinary beings, which was the cause of the instability of the "Sea God" Kavituwa.
He was dressed in a Ruhnn-style suit and top hat, got into a taxi, and arrived at Bailin Avenue in the Bayam West district. He got off the taxi in front of the "Old Oro Leather Shop".
This is a very famous leather goods store in Bayam. The store is very large, with two floors. Many craftsmen and apprentices work in the room behind the shop window on the first floor.
The way they work so diligently is the best kind of guy.
This is one of the industries of "Element Dawn," which not only produces various leather products, but also secretly takes orders to make "magical items."
Generally, orders are received here, and the "artisans" on Lacha Island are responsible for the actual production. This is a key factor in Bernadette's ability to support so many artisans.
Otherwise, relying solely on orders within "Elemental Dawn," at most two "craftsmen" would be enough.
At the same time, this place is also an important intelligence base for "Elemental Dawn". Bernadette's intelligence officer in the Raging Sea is the owner of this leather goods shop.
Odis entered the leather goods shop, and a well-dressed waiter approached him: "Sir, what can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for Mr. Primo," Odis said, referring to the information Bertha had provided.
Do you have an appointment?
"No, please tell Mr. Primo that the captain of the pleasure boat introduced me," Odis said calmly.
"Captain of the Flower Boat" is a code word, implying that he was sent by the Jade Palace.
Odis thought to himself: It's a bit like an imperial envoy from ancient times.
The waiter went upstairs to report to the boss, and soon Primo, a middle-aged man who was somewhat balding, came down quickly from the second floor: "You must be Mr. Julius? I've been waiting for you all day, please come up quickly."
"Julius" is also a code word, indicating that everything is normal and it is okay to go upstairs to talk. It also conceals Odis's real name.
Upon reaching the second floor, Primo rubbed his hands together and smiled, "Mr. Odis, I've long admired your name. You're not just a famous figure in Backlund's intelligence community."
This intelligence officer, who looked like a seasoned politician, had clearly done his homework beforehand.
"That was just good luck," Odis said politely with a smile.
The two shook hands, and after Pritz locked the door from the inside, he invited Odis to sit down on the sofa.
As Primo made coffee for Odis, he said, "I received the telegram last night and will fully cooperate with you."
"Thank you." Odis smiled and said, "The investigation in Bayam relies entirely on your assistance, and I will report that truthfully."
First, make a grand promise and give away some credit; this way, the other party will be more willing to help.
Whether they help or not doesn't really matter, because Odis already knows the answer to the question. This investigation is just a formality, but they still need to make the necessary statements.
Primo thought to himself: This young man is no ordinary person. No wonder he has gained the Queen's favor at such a young age.
After exchanging a few more polite words, he got down to business: "There's something I don't know if you're aware of. We have some connections with the Church of the Sea God and the resistance, but mainly we sell stolen goods to them, since they all need a lot of supplies."
"After interacting with him more, I also got to know some devout believers of the 'Sea God'."
"When we discovered that the 'Sea God' had undergone some changes, we visited the believers."
"Most of the devout believers were emotionally distraught. Some said that the sea god was angry, but they didn't know why."
"Some people say that the 'sea god' will drown Bayam and raze the place to the ground."
"Some people say that in Bayam, someone has angered the 'Sea God,' and that killing those people will appease the god's anger."
Primo handed Odis a coffee and shook his head, saying, "Many believers are already preparing to throw their entire families into the sea to commit suicide, saying they want to return to the embrace of the 'Sea God'."
The intelligence officer concluded later, "Believing in an evil god is truly terrifying."
Odis pondered for a moment and said, "I hope to meet those devout believers of Kavituwa; perhaps I can discover something."
"No problem, I'll arrange for someone to take you there right away."
Odis politely took a few sips of coffee: "Let's set off now."
Priss immediately got up and went to arrange the staff and carriages.
Odis's guide was a local young man named Phil, who wasn't very talkative, so Odis asked him, "Do you know anything about the 'Sea God'?"
"I know quite a bit about it," Phil, who often dealt with people from the Church of the Sea God, replied. "It's an evil god that requires sacrifices of living beings."
Then, somewhat uneasy, he asked, "Sir, is He really going to drown Bayam?"
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
"It's 'him'," Odis corrected with a smile, then replied, "Don't worry, he won't succeed, because there are many followers of the 'Lord of Storms' in Bayam."
"No matter how powerful the 'Sea God' is, it is as weak as a newly hatched chick in front of the 'Lord of Storms'."
Phil paused for a moment, feeling that the gentleman's analogy was quite vivid.
Then, as if belatedly realizing something, he thought: "Yes, the 'Lord of Storms' is the greatest deity on the sea."
Soon, they arrived at the edge of Bayam's city, at the home of a "sea god" believer. As soon as Odis entered, he saw the whole family kneeling on the ground in devout prayer.
This family is an ordinary local family, not very wealthy, and several family members have many patches on their clothes.
They were shivering and praying earnestly. Phil went up to greet them, but no one paid any attention to him.
Phil then tried to communicate with them, but they showed no sign of stopping their prayers.
Phil shook his head at Odis, indicating that he was powerless to help.
So they went to the house of the next believer, but the family was nowhere to be found; however, it was certain they hadn't gone on a picnic.
The third believer's residence is already in the suburbs of Bayam.
"This is an important believer," Phil explained. "When we sell supplies, we usually negotiate prices with him, and he can determine the price of the supplies."
"Mr. Primo guessed that this must be a very important member of the Church of Poseidon."
As they talked, the two got off the carriage and came to a local house with a courtyard.
Phil knocked on the door: "Mr. Payne, Mr. Payne?"
He knocked on the door several times, but there was no answer.
"That's strange," Phil said. "Even if Mr. Payne isn't home, his servants…"
"Who...is...knocking...on the door?" a very hoarse voice asked, drawing out the words in a strange, drawn-out tone.
Phil hesitated for a moment before saying, "I...I'm looking for Mr. Payne."
The other party replied, "Mr. Payne...it's...inconvenient...to see you."
Just as Phil was about to ask for another audience, Odis stepped forward and said, "He is dead."
"Huh?" To Phil's surprise, Odis suddenly pushed open the door, and inside stood a person who looked like a dried corpse, as if the dead person had been weathered for a long time and had no flesh or blood.
Odis dared to push open the door because he knew very well the true face of the "sea god" Cavituwa. At this moment, the "sea god" was already struggling to survive and could not care about his followers, so the danger inside was completely under control.
Upon seeing Odis, the mummified corpse seemed to realize it was dead and collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Odis saw two more corpses in the courtyard, completely dehydrated, and it seemed there were no living people left there.
Phil, belatedly realizing what was happening, asked in a trembling voice, "Who...who was speaking just now?"
Odis did not answer the question, but said, "Take me to see Payne… well, or rather, take me to the room where you met Payne before."
Phil seemed to snap out of his daze, swallowed hard, and boldly led Odis the way.
Upon entering the hall, there were two more mummified corpses dressed as servants on the floor.
In the room to the left of the hall, there is a mummified corpse kneeling on the ground, as if it had been praying earnestly in life.
Upon entering, Odis saw a blue jade dagger in the hand of the mummified corpse.
Suddenly, a monstrous roar echoed in Odis's mind. In that instant, his eyes flashed with an illusory light, and the "Eye of Secrets" opened uncontrollably at this critical moment.
Odis saw the jade dagger rapidly enlarge, shimmering with a blue light like the sea.
Whoosh~
Odis felt as if he were suddenly in the middle of the sea, and in the water in front of him was a majestic and magnificent palace.
Inside the main hall, in the very center, stands a colossal object.
It was a majestic figure that sometimes had a human face and a snake's body, and sometimes had a snake's face and a human body.
Kavituwa!
Odis immediately realized that this was the "God of the Sea," Kavituwa, and a Kavituwa that had been beautified!
Because his true form is a blue sea serpent the size of a small mountain, he doesn't look like a god at all, but rather like a monster.
As if noticing Odis, Cavituwa opened his blood-red maw and let out a howl only a wild beast could utter.
The cry initially sounded majestic, causing Odis to tremble involuntarily, but the latter half of the howl became extremely painful, making Odis's head throb and causing him to feel nauseous several times.
Just as Kavituwa was about to charge at Odis, the "Eye of Secrets" shut down on its own, and Odis's vision returned to normal. The sea god, the sea, and the palace had all disappeared, leaving only a desiccated corpse in front of him, holding a blue jade dagger in its hand.
Odis took a few deep breaths and sat down on a chair nearby before the dizziness and nausea gradually subsided.
Phil, standing nearby, asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"
Odis waved his hand: "It's nothing, everything's fine now."
After advancing to Sequence 6, the "Eye of Secrets" would sometimes open on its own uncontrollably, which Odis had originally intended to seal away.
However, he received corresponding enlightenment in the "wilderness of knowledge." When the "eye of mystery" opens on its own, it is often when the spirit realizes that there is key information in front of it, which is difficult for ordinary eyes to notice.
So Odis did not actively seal it, but today he tasted the bitter fruit of seeing something he shouldn't have seen for the first time, forcing him to reconsider the issue.
Because if there are enemies in front of him, his current state would put him in a very passive position.
However, now was not the time to think about that. After recovering her composure, Odis looked at the blue jade dagger again.
He guessed that the dagger must have a close connection with "Sea God" Kavituwa, and might even be something that Mr. Payne used to receive "divine messages" more clearly.
This confirms that Mr. Payne was indeed an important member of the Church of the Sea God.
Odis pondered for a moment, then went to the courtyard and found two thin wooden sticks, intending to use them to pry out the jade dagger.
Phil, standing nearby, exclaimed, "Your fingers are so nimble!"
Odis paused for a moment, then realized that he had unintentionally used the gesture of holding chopsticks. He thought to himself: Luckily, this young man doesn't know what this gesture means.
Just as he gripped the dagger and pulled it out, the mummified corpse suddenly raised its head and said in an extremely hoarse voice: "...The sinner is dead...but the wrath of the gods has not been extinguished...disaster is about to befall...no one can escape...no one can escape..."
This startled Phil, who jumped back a step.
Odis, however, spoke calmly and unhurriedly, as if he were an old friend of the mummified corpse: "Go in peace. Disaster will not befall you, and the 'Sea God' will be reborn."
"He will no longer demand bloody human sacrifices, he will no longer create storms to frighten believers, he will become rational and merciful..."
While speaking, he didn't stop using his hands, employing two large chopsticks to try and wrest the jade dagger from the other party.
The mummified corpse slowly turned its head, glanced at Odis, and its withered face finally showed no more worry, but instead turned to joy: "That's wonderful..."
He finally released the dagger from his hand and died completely.
Odis finally picked up the dagger and placed it in the large bowl that Phil handed him, while he noticed that Mr. Payne's extraordinary properties began to emerge.
Among the high-ranking members of the Church of the Sea God, there are also some extraordinary individuals.
Odis took out a scroll and said in the unified incantation, "Open!"
The scroll shattered, emitting a ghostly green light and a ball of will-o'-the-wisp appeared, instantly chilling the entire room. Phil immediately felt his muscles and joints stiffen.
This is a scroll used to attack spirits, but because this ability belongs to the undead category, it can also accelerate the extraction speed of extraordinary traits.
Phil didn't understand what Odis was doing, but since the man didn't explain, he didn't ask.
While waiting, Odis examined the dagger in the bowl and guessed that it was made of something like the scales of Kavituwa...
Wow~
Just then, the dagger moved on its own in the bowl, its tip pointing in another direction.
Odis paused for a moment, then turned the bowl again.
Wow~
The dagger spun around on its own again, still pointing in the same direction.
Odis immediately understood that it pointed to the location of the "Sea God"!
But then he realized a problem: if the dagger was pointed at "Poseidon", wouldn't Kavituwa's hiding place have been discovered long ago?
The Church of Poseidon has existed for so many years, the Church of Storms must have killed many of its high-ranking members and must have seized items like daggers.
But then Odis thought: Perhaps it was because Cavituwa was in a special state that the dagger was pointed at him; it wasn't like this under normal circumstances.
Or perhaps after Mr. Payne prayed to the "Sea God" and established a connection, Kavituwa used this connection to drain the blood and moisture from those around him, turning everyone in the courtyard into mummies.
Because "Sea God" has lost all reason, the established connection has not been severed, which explains why "The Eye of the Secret" saw Kavituwa's roar after seeing the dagger.
Normally, after Kavituwa issues an "oracle," he would immediately disconnect, which would make it impossible to find the sea god using the dagger.
Odis ultimately concluded that by using this dagger, they could find the elven ruins where Kavituwa was hiding.
At this point, the extraordinary properties had already been revealed. Odis did not continue to think about the problem, but instead put away the properties and left immediately.
Once aboard the carriage, Odis said to Phil, "Let's go back."
Phil, who was somewhat frightened today, quickly nodded: "Okay."
Although Phil knew some occult knowledge, he was not a combatant, so he had never seen a situation like today.
Back at "Old Oro Leather Goods Shop", Odis chatted briefly with Primo before returning to her apartment at 17 Rue Hamborgh.
He placed the large bowl containing the dagger on the coffee table and put the Sequence 7 level, the "Navigator" characteristic, into the "Wilderness of Knowledge".
Then Odis paced back and forth in the room, considering whether to explore Cavitu's lair.
He remembered receiving a page from Roselle's diary before, which mentioned a broken magic circle from the Elven race. This intrigued Odis, who wondered if magic circle structures were used in the Elven ruins.
However, there will definitely be some dangers if we go to explore, and we must choose the right time. For example, the time has come when Kavituwa is dead, but the Church of Storms has not yet found the place.
Otherwise, the dying Cavitus could have easily killed Odis with a single lash of his tail.
If he arrived late, the church would certainly arrest him and might even demand the extraordinary characteristics of the "Sea God".
Therefore, the timing must be just right.
Odis thought about it carefully: it might not be as dangerous as he imagined. If the weather clears up outside, it would prove that Kavituwa is dead. At that time, while the "Sea God's" properties are still present and the dagger is still useful, he should hurry to find him. That would be a relatively safe time.
With this in mind, Odis finally made up his mind to go to that elven ruin.
The "Scepter of the Sea God" will not compete with the "Fool" for it, because Odis cannot, like the "Fool," simply be an enhanced spirit to reach the ruins of the Elven race.
The "Scepter of Neptune" has significant negative effects; touching it with one's own body is extremely dangerous.
After making the decision, Odis began to make some preparations and then waited quietly in Bayam. In the middle of the night, the sky suddenly cleared up.