Odis, whose spiritual energy was somewhat depleted, sat on the beach, waiting for the properties of the "psychedelic red coral" to be released. He said to Salina, "Go and retrieve that clump of red coral that fell into the sea earlier."
That was part of the "psychedelic red coral," a spiritual material at the demigod level, which Odis certainly couldn't afford to waste.
A few minutes later, the properties of the "psychedelic red coral" formed a crimson bead surrounded by some misty aura, which was mesmerizing at first glance and impossible to look away from.
Odis quickly put it away, waiting for Salina's return.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, Salina, who had four clumps of coral hanging on her body, emerged from the water and smiled, "Captain, we've struck it rich! There are several clumps of red coral around there!"
Red coral is inherently valuable, so a cluster of red coral could easily sell for one or two thousand pounds.
Odis smiled and said, "When we get back and sell the red coral, I'll give you a big bonus."
Salina immediately beamed with joy: "Thank you, Captain!"
Odis only put away the spiritual materials, leaving the other three clusters of red coral as spoils for Salina to carry. The group then used their extraordinary abilities to fly back to the ship that was moored on the other side.
Odis had achieved his goal of coming to the "Ruins of the War of the Gods," and he immediately ordered a return journey.
After sitting in the cockpit for a while, Odis brought up Barnett's matter. If it weren't for his reminder, no one seemed to have noticed that there had been an extra crew member, and now that crew member had disappeared.
Odis then recalled Roselle's warning: Beware of the "audience"!
Those extraordinary individuals through this route are truly difficult to deal with!
After chatting for a while, Odis still felt very tired, so he returned to the captain's cabin and prepared to lie down on the armchair and take a nap.
Just then, the light outside suddenly dimmed, and darkness returned.
Odis was momentarily dazed, and then reappeared in the library that was once filled with books, supposedly the "Ascetic Order of Morse".
Edwina also appeared there, and the two of them looked towards the window together.
The windows here are tightly closed, and outside the windows is a courtyard within the Black Monastery. In front of the window, there is a row of tables and chairs for reading.
At this moment, Theresa was sitting on one side of the table, deep in thought.
Seemingly sensing the arrival of Odis and Edwina, Teresa looked at the two of them and smiled, "Come and sit down."
Odis and Edwina walked over and sat down opposite Teresa.
The Quaternary "Morse Ascetic" member carefully examined the two of them before saying, "It seems that you saw through the 'intruder's' disguise while you were outside."
Odis truthfully replied, "With the help of a demigod."
"Hmm." Theresa then asked, "Could you tell me, what kind of deity is the 'Hidden Sage'?"
Odis thought for a moment before saying, "People generally believe that he was an evil god."
Teresa was somewhat surprised; the answer seemed unbelievable to her: "An evil god?"
She then asked, "What about the 'Morse Ascetic'?"
Odis answered truthfully again: "It is a secret organization that still advocates asceticism, but the direction of their asceticism seems to be to make themselves better able to accept the knowledge instilled by the 'Hidden Sages'."
"Furthermore, according to some intelligence I have obtained, some members of the 'Morse Ascetic Order' seem to have been corrupted by Outer God and have begun to believe in Outer God."
Edwina glanced at Odis; she hadn't heard of this news.
Theresa was stunned for three or four seconds. She simply couldn't accept that the organization that had once fought against the Outer Gods had now become their followers.
After more than ten seconds, she asked Odis, "You were lying to me when you said you were going to join the 'Morse Ascetic Order,' weren't you?"
"No," Odis said. "I do want to join this organization, but not because of admiration or love."
Teresa looked at Odis: "You want to destroy them."
"To be precise, it's about reshaping the 'Morse Ascetic Order'," Odis said. "I originally thought that many members of this organization became members of the secret society because they were influenced by something."
"And coincidentally, I also need my own power, so I can try to win them over and make them my subordinates."
"Of course, if they don't listen to advice, they can also support my cause in a way that demonstrates extraordinary qualities."
Edwina, who was standing nearby, was taken aback when she heard this, and then she felt that this was indeed something that the "Mysterious Admiral" could do.
Odis had always struck her as a cautious person who wasn't very rule-abiding.
Teresa, however, stared intently into Odis's eyes, listening very carefully.
Odis continued, "However, after hearing your description of the 'Morse Penitentiary,' I suddenly changed my mind."
"The 'Morse Ascetic' wasn't like this at the beginning. Someone led them astray. It's not the fault of the 'Morse Ascetic' or its members."
Edwina thought to herself: Could it be the fault of the "Hidden Sage"?
Then she looked at Theresa with some unease, afraid that the other might get angry because she was secretly criticizing the "Hidden Sage".
To her surprise, Theresa smiled with satisfaction: "So you're planning to rebuild the 'Morse Ascetic'?"
"Yes," Odis said earnestly, "Although it might sound like I have such arrogant thoughts because I don't understand my own power, that's really what I think."
Edwina, however, was thinking: No one knows whether the "Mysterious Queen" is an angel or a demigod, but one thing is generally accepted: the "Hidden Sage" is the deity of this path. Although she doesn't seem to be at the level of a "true god," she seems to be close to it.
She couldn't understand why the "Mysterious General" would have such thoughts. Wasn't he afraid of the "Hidden Sage's" revenge? Even the "Mysterious Queen" probably wouldn't be able to protect him then.
Theresa sighed with some emotion, then asked, "How did you become an extraordinary one of the 'Secret Seeker' pathway?"
"I was influenced and corrupted by something during an extraordinary case, and became a 'voyeur'," Odis replied.
Through their previous conversation, he realized that the original "Morse Ascetic Order" was indeed different from the one now.
People like Theresa, who are willing to give their lives for a library, are the kind of pure-hearted people who can produce such pure-hearted individuals. And an organization that can produce such pure-hearted people cannot have a bad atmosphere.
Therefore, he chose to treat him with sincerity during this conversation.
"This is the choice fate has made for you." Theresa smiled and then asked, "And where did you get the potion recipes from later on?"
"Some of the potion recipes came from the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, and some came from 'Elemental Dawn'."
Just as Odis had expected, Teresa then asked, "The god of steam and machinery? 'Dawn of Elements'?"
"The 'Elemental Dawn' is an organization that has only emerged in the last few hundred years, and its leader is a high-sequence extraordinary individual through the 'Secret Seeker' pathway," Odis replied.
"I also learned through other channels that the predecessor of the Steam Church was the Stiano family."
Edwina sat up straighter immediately; she seemed to have heard of this family somewhere before.
Theresa nodded as if she understood something: "So, is this god of steam and machinery Elebella, or Yggs?"
Odis was taken aback: "You know those two?"
Teresa glanced at Odis and asked, "You know too?"
Odis smiled and said, "Elebella was severely injured in the Fourth Epoch and hid in the spirit world. By chance, she became my messenger."
Edwina recalled Odis's messenger: No wonder I felt that the messenger was of a very high level; she must have been an angel in her previous life.
"Your choice, Lady Elbera, is not wrong." Theresa then explained, "In the Third Age, Elbera and Yugos were two of the ten pillars of the 'Morse Penitentiary'."
"Later, the 'wise man' sent the siblings to the 'sun god' as a liaison between the two gods, and also as the 'sun god's' advisors."
At this point, Theresa smiled and said, "Back then, only angels could become the 'Ten Pillars' of the 'Morse Penitentiary,' and it wasn't until the Fourth Age that 'Saints' had the opportunity to become the 'Ten Pillars.'"
Odis was taken aback: So, the "Ascetic Order of Morse" had at least ten angels back then! They were quite powerful!
This reminded him of "Redemption Rose." The "first edition" of "Redemption Rose" is completely different from the current "Redemption Rose." The situation of the "Morse Penitentiary" sounds quite similar to "Redemption Rose."
Odis then asked, "Why are the main members called 'pillars'?"
He remembered that it seemed to be a very important title, but he could only recall what it specifically represented in the "wilderness of knowledge." He only remembered that he had felt more than once that daring to use such a title was a bit presumptuous.
Teresa gave Odis a deep look before saying, "'The Sage' once said that the true pillars of this world are those who have awakened, not those one or two Frankenstein's monsters."
Odis paused for a moment, instinctively feeling deeply moved by the words, but lacking sufficient memory, she didn't know exactly what had touched her.
Teresa picked up her staff, looked at it with loving eyes, and said to Odis, "This was a gift from the 'Sage' after I made a constructive suggestion at an important meeting of the 'Ascetic Order of Morse'."
"I don't have any use for it now, so I'm giving it to you in the hope that it will be of help to you."
Although Odis didn't know what the "Staff of Gus" was, he knew very well that it was important to Teresa, so he declined, saying, "It's too precious."
"Giving it to you comes with conditions," Theresa said. "From what I heard you just said, I suspect that many members of the 'Morse Penitentiary' have been influenced by the gods through this channel."
"In the process of rebuilding the 'Morse Ascetic Order,' please try to save as many members of the 'Morse Ascetic Order' as possible."
Odis took a deep breath: "Okay, I promise you."
As he spoke, he became less polite and accepted the staff, immediately feeling a rich spiritual energy flowing through his palm.
Theresa added, "This staff is not just a weapon; it is also my token as one of the 'Ten Pillars.' You can use it to enter the 'Temple of Knowledge.'"
She paused and then said, "If one day the 'Morse Ascetic' becomes a respected organization again, remember to let me know."
"If the 'sage' awakens, tell the great 'sage' that I have not failed His expectations and have found the lost library."
Odis opened his mouth, thinking that the "sage" should have already perished, but perhaps some spiritual remnants remained with the "hidden sage".
After a slight hesitation, he agreed: "Okay."
Then he wondered, "Where is the 'Temple of Knowledge'? I've never heard of it."
Theresa looked up and said, "The night is almost over. Goodbye, both of you."
Odis was momentarily dazed, then opened her eyes and realized she had returned to the real world.
Suddenly, he felt something in his palm. He lifted it up and saw it was the "Gus Staff".
This staff is about the length of a forearm, and its main body is made of rough wood. A round, pure crystal, like a glass ball, is fixed at the head of the staff. From the outside, it doesn't look particularly special.
But Odis sensed its surging spirituality. Odis took a deep breath, and the spirituality had learned how to use it from the staff.
Odis gripped her staff and summoned "Star Sand".
The "stardust" he summoned was instantly absorbed by the crystal at the top of the staff. The crystal, which had been perfectly pure just moments before, suddenly became dazzling and colorful, as if it contained a sea of stars.
Odiston suddenly realized that his various abilities as an "astrologer" had suddenly doubled!
With the enhancement from the "Wilderness of Knowledge," Odis was essentially taking two doses of the "Astrologer's" potion, making her more than twice as strong, with some of her power approaching that of a demigod.
However, this level of skill only allows Odis to escape in battles against demigods. Fighting demigods is out of the question, since even if his spirituality reaches the level of a demigod, he does not possess the extraordinary abilities of one!
Odis's spirituality also realized that the "Staff of Gus" would not only enhance the power of the "astrologer" and help him become a demigod, but would also bring corresponding enhancements at the demigod level.
He re-examined the staff in his hand, somewhat doubtful: Was this really a product of the elves? It seemed to be designed entirely for "secret seekers".
Thinking of this, Odis withdrew the "Star Sand," and the "Gus Staff" became ordinary again.
He pondered for a moment, then got up to greet the crew, went to the deck, and used his 'flying spell' to reach the deck of the 'Golden Dream' at the back.
Upon meeting Edwina, the two went to the study. Edwina heard from Odis that she had come to ask about the "Staff of Gus," so she got up and went to the bookshelf. After browsing the rows of books for a while, she took out a book and opened it.
"Found it." Edwina handed the book to Odis.
Odis took the book, its pages slightly yellowed, and saw that the section on Gufsak that Edwina had opened contained a description of the "Gus Staff."
He quickly skimmed through it and, using his experience in discerning the authenticity of intelligence, discovered that this chapter was basically composed of hearsay.
The only two pieces of information that can be confirmed are: first, this staff did indeed come from the Elven race; and second, it is said that there were once ten of them, but most of them were later lost.
After closing the book, Odis talked to Edwina about the function of the staff, and finally exclaimed, "I never imagined that ancient craftsmanship could produce such a wonderful thing."
"I really want to take it apart to see what the structure is, but I'm afraid I'll break it and won't be able to put it back together."
Edwina smiled and said, "Can I borrow it to take a look?"
Odis handed her the staff, and Edwina's expression quickly turned to shock: "This... I, I can use it too! I feel my abilities have been greatly enhanced."
"Hmm... the ability to 'imitate' has probably doubled."
As she spoke, the tip of the staff underwent a slight change, emitting a rainbow-like seven-colored radiance.
If it can really be doubled, the abilities she "imitates" through other means will be almost the same as the "original" ones, and may even be more powerful than the abilities used by some Sequence 5 abilities.
Odis was taken aback: "I thought this was designed specifically for 'secret seekers'."
Then he felt he should conduct an experiment, so he said to Edwina, "Could you please ask your first mate, second mate, and third mate to come over?"
Edwina immediately understood what Odis was up to, so she used her "secret technique" to broadcast the message to the entire ship, summoning her three first mates to her study.
The three first mates, eager to know what the two captains were talking about, arrived at the study within ten seconds of each other.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Odis smiled and said, "I just got a staff. This staff is a bit special. I want to test whether it enhances all the ways."
"So please give it a try."
Before the three first mates could speak, Odis continued, "Don't worry, this staff has no negative effects or any pollution. At least neither your captain nor I have noticed any negative effects."
He paused and then said, "If I'm not mistaken, First Mate Blue should be an Extraordinary of the 'Generalist' pathway, Second Mate Orvers should be an Extraordinary of the 'Singer' pathway, and Third Mate Jodson should be an Extraordinary of the 'Thief' pathway."
The three first mates were taken aback for a moment, but then, remembering that they had fought together before, it shouldn't be too difficult to tell which path they belonged to, so they nodded one after another.
Odis smiled and said, "Then let's begin with Mr. Blue."
Edwina handed the staff to First Mate Blue. After Blue took the staff, the crystal ball at the top of the staff underwent a slight change, and some dazzling light flowed out.
Blue was stunned for a moment before saying, "I... I can actually use some of the abilities of the 'Astronomer' ahead of time."
The Sequence 5 of the "Generalist" is "Astronomer", while Blue is currently only a Sequence 6.
Odis nodded: "There is also a noticeable improvement."
"Please, Mr. Orpheus, take the staff and feel it."
Bru reluctantly handed the staff to the second adjutant, Orpheus. The blond-haired Orpheus took the staff, but the crystal at the top of the staff remained unchanged.
Orpheus said, "I feel my spirituality has been enhanced."
Odis hummed in agreement: "Please give it a try, Mr. Jodson."
Jodson, who wasn't particularly handsome, took the staff and sensed it with his spiritual power, saying, "I also feel that my spiritual power has been enhanced."
Odis took back his staff and smiled as he thanked them, saying, "Thank you all for your cooperation."
Edwina frowned and said, "'Guth's Staff' isn't helpful for all avenues."
She then said, "It's not surprising that Blue's abilities have been enhanced, after all, he is an adjacent pathway to the 'Secret Seeker'."
"But why has my strength increased?"
Odis pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps the 'reader' approach also represents 'knowledge' to some extent."
Edwina nodded, finding this to be an explanation, and then said to the three first mates, "You can go back now."
The study door closed again, and the two discussed the "Gus Staff" again before talking about their plans after returning.
Odis said, "I've thought about this issue seriously recently. Since other organizations are also eyeing that feature, and we don't know how much intelligence they currently possess, we can test them with some actions."
Edwina was taken aback: "How do we test them?"
Odis said, "Let's have the 'Argo' and the 'Golden Dream' operate together and see if they follow."
Edwina paused for a moment, then understood what Odis meant: "If they come along, it proves they don't know much and are hoping to gain some intelligence from our actions?"
"That's right," Odis said, "provided that they actually know about that extraordinary characteristic of the demigod level."
"I can confirm the accuracy of this intelligence," Edwina said. "It was intelligence we just received before we met up in the Sunia Sea."
Odis sat down again, leaning back in his chair: "Both of our ships completed their final resupply in the Gargas Islands. This operation has been going on for about three days now."
"Including the return trip, it should have taken about five days in total, which is enough time for them to make some arrangements."
Edwina brushed a strand of hair behind her ear: "So, does that mean we might be followed as soon as we get back?"
Odis smiled slightly: "Very likely."
Edwina pondered for a moment and felt that Odis's plan was quite good, so she asked, "Where do the two ships need to sail together?"
Odis thought for a moment: "I do have a good place, but I'll have to confirm it when I get back."
Edwina hummed in agreement: "I'll wait for your notification."
By saying this, she meant that she fully supported Odis's plan.
After finishing their business, the starving Odis had a proper meal on the "Golden Dream" before returning to the "Argo".
Back in her studio, Odis took out the "Staff of Gus" again, and the more she looked at it, the more she loved it.
Suddenly, he thought of using the "Wilderness of Knowledge" rank to investigate the staff, so he first put the "Guth Staff" into the "Wilderness of Knowledge" and then entered it through "meditation".
Upon arriving at the tower composed of spheres of light, Odis immediately saw that the "Gus Staff" was floating in mid-air within this space.
Above the "central processing unit" appeared ten bright stars, one of which was emitting a dazzling light.
Odis was taken aback, not expecting that the "Gus Staff" could cause the "Wilderland of Knowledge" to react.
He then realized that each star represented a "Gus Staff," and the shining star represented the staff in the "Wilderness of Knowledge."
Odis scratched his head, unsure how to verify his conjecture.
He pondered for a moment, looked at the "Central Processing Unit," reached out and touched it, and immediately understood that he needed to use the "Central Processing Unit" to establish a connection with those stars.
Odis first connected with the star that was emitting a dazzling light. The scene inside the towering sphere of light appeared in his mind, and he could even see himself touching the "central processing unit" inside.
The feeling was like seeing yourself on a surveillance camera.
Odis disconnected and connected to another star, where he immediately saw a woman dressed in Intis-style clothing.
She was probably around thirty years old, with fair skin, delicate features, and a look in her eyes that seemed to have seen a lot of life.
At her waist, Odis found another "Guth's Staff".
Odis's field of vision is not in the same position as the "Staff of Gus", but looking down. He can also use the "Central Processing Unit" to adjust the perspective and see the surrounding situation.
The woman was deep in thought, completely unaware that Odis was watching her.
At the same time, Odis's spirituality also detected that not only could she see the holder of the "Gus Staff," but she could also use it as a medium to send power and influence the other party.
Looking away, Odis realized that the "Staff of Gus" was more advanced than he had imagined, and clearly had a close connection with the "Wilderness of Knowledge".
This is somewhat similar to the antiques that Audrey and Alger obtained before "Source Castle". These two initial members of the Tarot Club entered "Source Castle" by relying on a special antique.
It was through this antique that "The Fool" noticed Cattleya and saved "Admiral Star," who was showing signs of losing control.
Odis took a deep breath. Before learning the woman's true identity, Odis did not intend to use the "Staff of Gus" to influence the real world.
But first, we can take a look at where these staffs are.
So Odis used the "central processing unit" to connect to the third star.
As a result, all that could be seen was darkness. Odis adjusted his perspective and then saw the continuous lightning in the sky.
By the faint light of the lightning, Odis could see clearly the scene in the distance: a desolate land, and in the distance, some strange creatures seemed to be moving.
A land forsaken by God!
Odis immediately realized that the "Staff of the Ancients" was in the "Land Forsaken by the Gods"!
Clearly, it was difficult to retrieve the staff, so Odis turned her gaze to the fourth star.
This time, Odis saw another figure, a middle-aged man around fifty years old with a square face and a clean-shaven beard. He was wearing the bishop's robe of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery and was whispering to another bishop.
Odis immediately realized that this was a demigod of the Steam Church!
The other person was speaking Intis, so this scene was obviously taking place in a church in the Republic of Intis.
Odis listened for a while, and when he realized they were discussing a personnel appointment, he stopped listening, turned his gaze to the fifth star.
Odis saw that the scene in this star was a meadow, the sky was gray, and it was drizzling.
There seemed to be some skeletons hidden in the grass around, and in the distance were some shadowy figures that looked like monsters, wandering aimlessly.
Odis felt a sense of familiarity with this place at first glance. After thinking about it carefully, he felt that this place seemed to be the same place that a sealed artifact he had obtained before had teleported him to.
It was a sealed artifact with the ability of the "Apprentice" pathway, comparable to the "Traveler" at Sequence 5 level.
But the only ability of that sealed artifact is to teleport others to an unfamiliar place, which is an endless grassland that is constantly raining.
At that time, Odis and Klein were both teleported there, and it took them a great deal of effort to return to the real world.
Afterwards, this trophy belonged to Odis, but because its abilities were so useless, Odis never used it.
A few days ago, Odis had even thought about simply shattering this sealed artifact and using its properties to build another teleportation array.
At this point, Odis felt that they should explore the area first.
Thinking of this, Odis looked at the location of the sixth "Gus Staff" and found it in the hand of a monster that looked like a phantom.
Odis adjusted his perspective and was immediately stunned. There were three suns in the sky there!
He looked around for a while longer. Apart from the rocks and water, which seemed somewhat familiar to Odysse, everything else was completely unfamiliar!
The final conclusion is that this is very likely a scene from another planet!
This puzzled Odis. Did the "Staff of Gus" have clients from other planets?
He thought for a while, then looked at the other stars. Of the remaining four "Gus Staffs," one was clearly in the "Forsaken Land," and the other three seemed to be on another planet.
This reminded Odis of Teresa's earlier description, in which she said that the "Guth Staff" in her hand was one of only three remaining staffs.
So, during the Quaternary period, only three "Gush Staffs" were still in the hands of the "Morse Ascetic Order".
Two more staffs were clearly lost in the Land of the Forsaken during the Cataclysm, and another was lost in the place where it always rains.
Odis felt that it was not on an alien planet, but rather in a rather peculiar space.
He still couldn't understand why there were four "Gus Staffs" on an alien planet.
In the realm of mysticism, there is the concept of the "starry sky" and the concept of extraterrestrials, but this does not mean that you can actually "deliver goods" to extraterrestrials.
Odis shook his head; there were too few clues, and he didn't continue thinking about the problem.
It is now certain that a "Gus Staff" is in the hands of a demigod of the Steam Church, but who is that woman with a sense of vicissitude in her eyes?