On Monday morning, Odis, along with Mandy and two other ladies, took the earliest train to "Gal Estate," which they had purchased in the central part of Blue Mountains.
The name of this estate is the one used "according to convention".
People usually name a manor after the surname of the actual owner of the manor.
Bayam's language, environment, and so on were similar to Backlund. It was only when the train left the city that Mandy and the others experienced the "exotic atmosphere".
You rarely see such a large forest and such vast farmland in Backlund.
Odis also told them about the local situation: "The biggest destabilizing factor in the railway's transportation business is the resistance, but recently the resistance has stopped attacking trains as much, and at most they will plunder some supplies."
"We don't need to worry too much about that, because most of the time they are robbing cloth and daily necessities, and rarely building materials."
If Odis were robbed, he would have to consider whether to go to the Fool to demand his money back.
Looking at the dense forest, Mandy asked, "Will they attack the manor on their own initiative?"
"No, generally not," Odis said. "Because the estate only has grain, not the industrial goods they need."
He paused and then said, "One advantage of living in the tropics is that you rarely die of starvation."
"Of course, you shouldn't think of this place as a good place either. The number of people who die from disease here every day is definitely more than the number of people who die from hunger in Backlund."
"It's possible to be bitten by a mosquito in the morning and die from it by night."
Mandy paused for a moment: "So that's why you're planning to go into the pharmaceutical business?"
"Those medicines weren't meant for the locals," Odis said. "It's not that I'm unwilling to help them, but they don't trust the Rune people and don't want our help."
"Of course, it's hard to say what the future holds. Perhaps we will start some cooperation with them."
The "they" that Odis refers to are the rebels and the Church of the Sea God.
He continued, "However, right now we need a lot of funds, so the first batch of drugs will mainly be sold to the Rune people or the people of the North Continent who live in the tropics."
"Many diseases may not be fatal to the locals, but they are rare in the Northern Continent, so they can be fatal to the people of the Northern Continent."
The most common of these is malaria. Without antibiotics, there are almost no effective drugs for this disease, and whether one can survive depends entirely on luck.
Mandy nodded. Yesterday, the hotel staff had specifically reminded her not to eat or drink anything outside, otherwise she might easily contract malaria.
During their conversation, the four of them arrived at the Nati Town station, where they were accompanied by Odis and the others, along with two whole carriages of cargo.
In order not to affect the operation of the train, the two carriages were left on the spare track at the station so that the consignee could unload the goods slowly.
Bazel had prepared seven wagons in advance and hired enough laborers and tenant farmers. It only took him a little over an hour to fill all the wagons, but only half of the goods in the two wagons were unloaded. He would have to come back to load another batch in a little while.
Odis and the others sat next to the coachman and rode in a carriage to Garland.
Mandy and the other two did not notice that the people driving the carriage were actually "extraordinary puppets".
The puppets that were just finished yesterday, after being put on hats and glasses designed by Odis, look no different from normal people.
If you observe closely, you'll notice that his movements are a bit stiff and his tone of voice is somewhat strange.
However, they are unlikely to be exposed because no one pays attention to the driver's actions and tone of voice.
Upon arriving at the warehouse, Bazel opened the door and, after confirming that there were no tenant farmers or ordinary people around, directed the convoy into the warehouse and activated the magic circle.
When Mandy and the others saw the layers of doors appear, they were still somewhat surprised and nervous.
Driven by the "Extraordinary Puppet," the carriages filed in and arrived at Cruz Island in the blink of an eye.
The reason for preparing seven carriages is that the "teleportation array" at this time can only allow a maximum of seven carriages to pass through at once.
Rupert was there to meet them on Cruz Island. He first directed the "Extraordinary Puppet" to unload the cargo before coming to Odis's side.
Odis introduced Mandy and Rupert to each other, and Rupert smiled and said, "If every one of my colleagues were as beautiful as Ms. Mandy, I wouldn't want to go back to the Argo."
Unlike Barzel, Rupert was more talkative.
Mandy smiled and said, "I'm also very happy to have such an excellent colleague as you."
"I hope you like it here." Rupert then turned to Odis and said, "Captain, another stranger came to the tavern today, saying he's your friend, named Tim."
Odis paused for a moment: "It seems he's planning to work here."
He said, "You stay here and direct the unloading. I'll go take a look. Mandy, you three come along too. I'll show you around the area."
After leaving the dock, Odis saw that the merchant ships they had previously captured had just left the port, and Donald and his men were embarking on their first voyage.
This voyage was entirely funded by Odis, and its main purpose was to purchase tools and daily necessities on the islands of Chacker and Nicard.
In Odis's view, even with the "teleportation array," the merchant ships still needed to be operated.
The main purpose is to train a group of crew members.
In the future, Odis will have more and more ships. While those ships can use a large number of "extraordinary puppets" as crew members, there will still need to be a few human crew members to make judgments and review various instructions, etc.
While crew members can acquire relevant knowledge through "smart helmets," going to sea requires more than just theoretical knowledge.
So, taking advantage of the relatively low demand, Odis planned ahead and used the merchant ship as a "training ship".
The Ghost Ship remained quietly docked in the harbor, as if waiting to set sail.
Odis stood there watching the dock for a while before leading Mandy and the others onward.
Many people in the town looked over. Even though Mandy and her friends were dressed simply, their makeup and clothing were still quite striking for a colony.
And on remote islands like Cruises Island, the concepts of "makeup" and "bare face" are practically nonexistent.
Upon arriving at the tavern, Odis saw Tim chatting with the owner, Hunter. After Odis entered, Tim raised his glass: "Want a drink? The beer here is pretty good."
"No, let's come back for lunch," Odis said. "This is Mandy, the future acting mayor. This is our partner, Tim."
After giving a brief introduction to both sides, he said to Tim, "We were just about to take a look at this island, would you like to come along?"
"Of course." Tim finished his beer and smiled at the tavern owner. "Let's talk again sometime."
After leaving the tavern, they took a short stroll around the town before walking to the nearby Lighthouse Hill.
It wasn't that they wanted to slowly observe the surrounding terrain before walking; rather, they had no choice but to walk because there were only two horses on the entire island.
The road between Gangkou Town and Pingyuan Town was a dirt road, which was very muddy because of frequent rain. Soon, the shoes and trouser legs of the five people were dirty.
However, Odis seemed completely unconcerned. He said to Tim, "I know what you're planning to do. You're planning to reveal to the island's inhabitants that you're a member of the Rune Navy and secretly tell everyone that this place is protected by the Rune Navy, right?"
Before Tim could answer, Odis continued, "But I must tell you that I'm prepared to make the Fenneport Navy suffer a loss, so don't ruin my plans."
"And don't try to be clever and interfere in the affairs of the island, because I can kick you out at any time."
Mandy and the other two exchanged glances, surprised that Mr. Garr's "partner" was a member of the Navy.
Tim was taken aback. He looked around to make sure they were in the wilderness before asking, "What are you planning to do?"
He asked how he planned to rip off Fenneport's navy.
"This is an internal matter for us, and you have no right to interfere," Odis said bluntly.
Tim was somewhat disappointed, but also somewhat helpless, since he had already paid the money and now could only trust Odis's promise.
Whatever Odis does, as long as the Fenneport navy doesn't take the "Ghost" away.
Odis said seriously to Tim, "I won't interfere with your drinking and eating at the port as long as you pay me, because your temperament is more like a pirate and won't attract people's attention."
"But if you disrupt my next plans, the Navy must make compensation."
Tim grinned. "Okay, I'll be careful not to let people discover my true identity."
After warning Tim, Odis pointed to Lighthouse Hill and said to Mandy and the others, "I plan to build the new town on the inside of that hill."
"The detailed construction drawings are still being drawn up, but I think the road should be repaired before that."
"Once we cross that valley, we'll reach the plains."
Odis felt that walking was too slow, so he used two "flying scrolls" and the group flew together to the Lighthouse Mountain.
After experiencing "travel" and "teleportation array," Mandy and the others were not surprised to be flying; they simply found it very novel, as this was an extraordinary world they had never encountered before.
Odis first pointed to the opposite side and said, "Those workers you see logging are the three small construction teams I 'invited'."
"They are currently building dormitories, and their work efficiency will increase as the first batch of tools arrives."
"After the dormitories were built, one team went to build Pingyuan Town, one team paved the roads, and one team built a new town."
Tim paused for a moment before asking, "Are there any ships docking today?"
Odis ignored his question and continued to say to Mandy and the others, "This is a huge project and requires a large number of people."
Mandy nodded and said, "One problem now is that the local indigenous people generally don't speak the Ruen language, so we may have to use force to tie them up to the construction site."
"I've already come up with a plan for this," Odis smiled. "The first building in Plain Town will be a small shop where various daily necessities from Bayam will be sold."
"Because of the influence of the Rune people in the port town, those things have a huge appeal to the natives here."
"Then I will provide them with some job opportunities so that they can earn gold pounds to buy goods. At that time, you won't need to mobilize them; they will come to the construction site on their own."
Mandy nodded: "That's a good idea, but we need to take precautions against theft."
Tim, however, was puzzled: "You're planning to pay the local indigenous people a salary?"
Odis glanced at the other person before saying, "I will tell them that the money was paid to me by the navy."
Tim twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing an ugly smile.
At the same time, he realized that Odis was not just talking; no matter what opinions he expressed about the island, Odis would not give him a friendly look.
"I plan to build the town of Plains on that spot," Odis said, pointing into the distance.
After looking at the open space, he noticed that there seemed to be quite a few people working there: "It seems that the new mayor is mobilizing the villagers to carry out construction. Let's go and take a look."
So the group flew to the open space where the town was to be built, and sure enough, Odis saw Mayor Wells and Deputy Mayor Glenn directing dozens of villagers to build wooden houses.
They were already used to Odis flying around, and when they saw Odis and the others land, Wells quickly came forward to greet them.
Odis inquired and found that, just as he had guessed, Wells and Glenn, after becoming mayors, went to Rupert to inquire about the situation in Plainstown and where the town government should be built.
Upon learning that a new town was to be built on this vacant land, they first brought people over to build the town government building.
The two of them were already quite respected young men in the village. Now that they had become town mayors and were in charge of managing other villages, the villagers were very supportive and came to help.
Odis smiled and said, "From today onwards, everyone who works here will receive 8 pence per day."
The villagers didn't understand, but Wells and Glenn did, and they quickly thanked Mayor Gar.
Although they were both "town mayors," they knew very well that Mayor Gar had more power than they did.
"Just build three or four houses, and leave one empty so I can open a shop," Odis added. "After a while, I will build a brick house here."
Then he ordered, "Your first task is to bring all the previous team leaders here after the house is built."
"I found them grammar and math teachers so they can learn grammar and math. You two should also study hard; it will be very useful in the future."
"I pay everyone who comes to learn, 5 pence a day, and the learning time is about one or two weeks."
"Occasionally I will also have Mandy send people to give you lectures, help you build the framework of the town government, and teach you how to do management work."
Tim didn't comment this time, but he sensed that Odis seemed very eager to spend the money. Besides, he really couldn't understand what could be learned in two weeks. They probably wouldn't even be able to learn the pronunciation of the alphabet.
Odis's goal was clear: as long as the locals had money and the desire to buy goods and improve their lives, he could motivate them.
The use of gold pounds didn't need to be popularized by Odis, because before that, the residents of the northern continent of the port town also used gold pounds as a currency for transactions, in addition to bartering.
Locals know that gold pounds can buy useful and novel items.
Tim couldn't understand it simply because he was a Navy officer, not a government employee.
In fact, government officials of this era were unlikely to understand these things, or what seemed like common sense to Odis would be seen as new thinking by people of this era.
After wandering around the island all morning, Odis took Mandy and the others to the port town for lunch. After lunch, the group rested in the shade of a tree.
Odis instructed Rupert to start by opening a small shop on the island. Wells had already set up the premises and delivered the goods; all that was needed was a competent salesperson.
Mandy sighed, "Everything here is great, except it's so hot."
Odis smiled to himself and thought: I might consider designing an extraordinary air conditioner.
Then Mandy asked, "Mr. Garr, can we also come into contact with more magical things?"
"That's called extraordinary," Odis explained. "A person with extraordinary power is called an extraordinary one."
"If you want to become extraordinary, you can apply to me, because becoming extraordinary will enhance your mental and physical abilities."
"But I must remind you that becoming an extraordinary person also carries great risks, because the greater your abilities, the easier it is to lose control."
"However, if it's just about becoming a low-sequence extraordinary being, the risk is still barely acceptable."
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Mandy nodded, looking at Odis, waiting for him to continue.
Odis laughed and said, "Let Rupert explain it to you. I have something to do and need to return to the sea."
"Later, Rupert will take you back to 'Garr Manor'. There are some of Bazel's men there. Have him protect you on the train back."
Mandy stood up and said, "Okay."
Odis did not linger and returned to the captain's workshop under the guise of a "journey".
This morning, he assigned the crew the task of assembling ten "extraordinary machine guns," ten "extraordinary mortars," and three "portable spirit wave cannons."
These parts were all made by Odis in the "Wilderness of Knowledge" using the "Alchemy Glasses". This sealed artifact not only has magical effects, but also makes Odis's work efficiency faster. He can complete the work that used to take five hours in just half an hour.
However, with increased efficiency comes increased spending. The batch of special metals with good ductility that we ordered from Lacha Island last time has almost run out and needs to be reordered.
In the workshop, the task Odis had requested was now half completed, and the crew members were generally quite tired, having worked from noon yesterday until noon today, only getting a few hours of rest at night.
Odis simply gave them a half-day off. There was no sign of the battle with Fennepot starting yet, so they could wait until they had more time.
Amid Salina's cheers, they left the studio to go back for a nap or a drink.
Odis sat down at his workbench for a short rest, as Bazel had said, he had been getting busier and busier since he set sail.
Fortunately, Mandy has already started to take over management, so Odis can entrust her with managing the affairs of Bayam and Cruz Island.
Once this transition period is over, things will be much more relaxed.
While making these plans, Odis actually fell asleep. It was only a spiritual reminder that woke him up. He looked at his pocket watch; it was already 2:58.
So Odis quickly went into the bedroom and lay down in the armchair.
As soon as I lay down, my vision was covered by gray mist, and in the blink of an eye I was in the giant's hall, sitting on one side of the bronze table.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool." Odis felt fully awake from his afternoon nap when he heard "Justice" Audrey's greeting.
He resisted the urge to stretch, tried to adjust his emotions, and got into the mindset of participating in a tarot session.
"The Magician" Fors handed over two pages of Russell's diary, which "The Fool" Klein read for a few minutes before saying, "You may begin."
Audrey immediately said, "'Fool', I would like to speak with 'Hermit' alone."
Odis paused for a moment before replying, "Yes."
The other members seemed to be taken aback for a moment as well. "Miss Justice" sounded like she had something urgent to discuss with "The Hermit".
After establishing a private conversation, Audrey, who had been trying hard to suppress her emotions, finally said with delight, "'The Hermit' Mr., I saw in the newspaper that you took down another large pirate crew!"
Klein, sitting at the head of the table, was stunned for a moment: Another large pirate crew had been wiped out? Then "Mr. Gal" must have made a lot of money again!
He's been looking for acting opportunities lately, so he hasn't been paying much attention to the news in the newspapers.
"Yes," Odis said casually, "The inhabitants of Cruz Island asked me to protect them from pirate raids."
"So I went and wiped out all the pirates who were planning to raid the island."
Klein thought to himself: So, you robbed the pirates?
Audrey said, "'The Hermit', could you elaborate? The newspaper only published a brief message."
The main reason was that the Ross Daily News also did not have accurate information, so it only published a brief report.
Although Odis sent several pirates to Bayam, no one dared to believe the news they spoke.
Odis thought for a moment and then suddenly laughed, "Come to think of it, I'm actually quite good at commanding these small-scale battles."
He then briefly explained how to deal with the enemy's first offensive and how to completely annihilate the "Deep Blue" pirate crew.
Audrey listened with great interest, and when she heard that the pirates had attacked from two directions but were successfully repelled by the "Hermits" organization, she marveled at the tactical wisdom of the "Hermits".
When she heard that the pirates were deliberately brought ashore and then wiped out with new weapons, Audrey wished she were the one who fired the cannon.
Finally, she exclaimed, "I really wish I could go aboard your pirate ship and experience some battles with pirates."
Klein also remarked, "The Hermit" is a competent junior commander; at least those thousand-plus people were fully utilized by him.
He then recalled some articles he had read when he was a keyboard warrior, one of which left a deep impression on him: some people are born to fight.
Klein felt that "Mr. Garr" was just that kind of person; he seemed very experienced even in his first small-scale operation.
At this moment, Odis said to "Justice": "I probably won't be having a direct war with the pirates anytime soon."
Audrey asked curiously, "Why?"
"Of course it's because of the report you saw," Odis laughed. "Other pirate crews might think that being able to defeat a large pirate crew was just a matter of luck."
"But defeating two large pirate groups in succession is enough to demonstrate my strength."
"Pirates go to sea in search of wealth, not to fight, so they will run away as soon as they see my flag."
Audrey nodded. "I see."
Then she asked, "'The Hermit', if... well, I mean if I went to sea, what level of strength would I have among the pirates?"
Odis analyzed, "You are now Sequence 7, which theoretically gives you the strength of a 'Great Pirate,' but if you go to sea alone, it will be difficult for you to become the 'Great Pirate' recognized by the pirates."
"Why?"
Klein thought to himself: Because your current sequence is too weak in aggression.
"You lack the ability to strike a fatal blow," Odis analyzed. "The abilities of a 'psychologist' tend to be more about influencing the target than attacking it."
"If you can't kill the other 'great pirates,' you can only become a recognized 'great pirate' by slaughtering ordinary people or attacking the navy, but I guess you don't like either of those methods."
Audrey placed her hands on the table in front of her and hummed in agreement. Then she smiled and said, "I was just asking casually. I probably will never... at least not for the next few years, have the opportunity to be an adventurer."
Odis smiled but said nothing.
Audrey then asked, "'The Hermit,' do you intend to remain a pirate on the high seas forever?"
"No, I am now the de facto ruler of Cruz Island," Odis smiled. "I intend to build a base there and develop the island."
This news surprised both Klein and Audrey. Klein thought to himself: Are you serious? For pirates to have a base is to have a weakness.
Audrey exclaimed happily, "That's wonderful, Mr. 'Hermit'! May I visit that island sometime? Where is it located?"
"You are welcome anytime you have time," Odis said with a smile. "As for the location of the island, it is in the northwest of Chacker Island, in a rather remote place. You may not have heard of it."
Audrey smiled and said, "I'm not very familiar with the location of the island."
She planned to look for it on the nautical chart when she returned.
Klein thought for a moment. He had heard of Chacker Island, but never Cruise Island.
But at the same time, he also knew that the Roside Islands were very large, and the Raging Sea was also quite extensive, so it was perfectly normal that he had never heard of some of the islands.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Odis and Audrey ended their private conversation, and the Tarot session continued.
At this moment, "Magician" Fors said to everyone, "Gentlemen, I need 'Lava Octopus Ink'."
That was an auxiliary material for advancing to the rank of "astrologer". She tried to buy it at several gatherings of extraordinary people last week, but failed to trade for it.
This made Fors realize that at the Sequence 7 level, even auxiliary materials were sometimes difficult to trade.
The priestess, Cattleya, waited a second or two before asking, "How much do you need?"
20 grams.
"30 pounds."
Fors smiled and said, "Deal."
Next, Odis made a deal with "The Moon" Emlyn: "I would like to trade with you for some herbal recipes."
Emlyn paused for a moment before saying, "'Hermit', you should know that the reason why the herbs prepared by the 'Pharmacist' are effective is because they have been 'processed' by the 'Pharmacist's' extraordinary abilities."
"If it's just a herbal formula, it's not very effective."
"I know," Odis smiled. "I recently obtained an extraordinary trait for 'Pharmacist' and I hope to train a 'Pharmacist'. This is already underway."
"I've heard that while the spirituality of 'pharmacists' allows them to know which herbs to combine to treat which ailments, this process is also greatly influenced by the 'pharmacist's' experience."
"I think the vampires must be very experienced in this area, so I want to buy some herbal formulas for the 'pharmacist'."
"Of course!" Emlyn raised his chin upon hearing Odis's words, and then readily agreed, "I can compile a list of formulas that I have, totaling more than a hundred, which can treat the vast majority of diseases."
"As for the payment, 100...60 pounds! Yes, 60 pounds will do."
Odis smiled and said, "Thank you."
He could almost see his pharmaceutical company thriving.
After that, everyone fell into a brief silence, because they didn't have any major needs at the moment.
With the main materials and rituals for Odis's ascension complete, Klein and Alger the Hanged Man, along with other members, were mostly focused on digesting the potion.
Gadriya has also begun preparing for her ascension to demigodhood, but she does not currently plan to purchase what she needs from the Tarot Club.
After a brief silence, "Justice" Audrey said, "'The Hermit', I wish to trade information about the Fourth Age, about the last emperor."
Odis nodded and smiled, "No problem, this intelligence will also cost 4,000 pounds!"
The intelligence fee was quickly divided among everyone. Just like at the last gathering, "Justice" Audrey and "Priestess" Cattleya each contributed 1,000 pounds, while the other members each contributed 400 pounds.
The intelligence fee for "The Sun" Derrick was still paid with extraordinary main materials.
After determining how the payment would be made, Odis took a deep breath and said, "In the blink of an eye, we have traded for intelligence on the last period of the Fourth Age."
"With this final transaction, everyone will basically understand how the current situation in the Northern Continent came about."
The other members looked at the "Hermit" with some anticipation.
After all, during the Fourth Era, the Northern Continent had gone through the first half of the "War of the Four Emperors," and the "Night Emperor" had reunified the continent.
Currently, the Northern Continent has four countries, but it's unclear how it has split again.
Odis continued, "To talk about the 'Emperor of the Underworld,' we must go back to the Second Age. He was once a subordinate god of the 'Destroyer Wolf.'"