After some thought, Odis guessed that the woman with a sense of vicissitude in her eyes was probably one of the "Ten Pillars" of the "Morse Ascetic Order".
It is clear that in the late Quaternary period, or perhaps in the Fifth Period, a "Gus Staff" was taken by the Church of the God of Steam and Machines.
In this way, the whereabouts of the remaining nine "Gus Staffs" are basically clear.
Four of them are suspected to be on an alien planet, two are in the "Forsaken Land", one is in a rainy meadow, and the last two are in the hands of the demigods of the Steam Church and the "Morse Penitentiary Order".
If we're going to recycle it, the staff in the grass during the rain seems to be the easiest to retrieve.
Odis then noticed that there were ten "Gush Staffs" in total, and the "Ten Pillars" of the "Ascetic Order of Moss". Was this a coincidence? Could it be that in the beginning, each "Pillar" had a "Gush Staff" in their hand?
Thinking of this, Odis recalled the "sage's" description of the "pillar" during her conversation with Teresa.
He was moved because he felt that those were words that no one from this mysterious world could say, and he could even preliminarily determine that the "sage" was also a time traveler.
Odis thus speculated that the "Knowledge Wilderness" should also have a structure similar to the "Source Castle" for "storing transmigrators," which would periodically send a transmigrator directly into reality.
But what Odis couldn't understand was, who would want to use the "wilderness of knowledge" to revive?
First of all, it can't be "God" or "Celestial Venerable," so who could it be? Who else could use "Source Matter" to achieve their own goals?
Odis slapped his forehead, realizing that he too had too few clues and didn't even know which direction to take in his thinking.
Finally, Odis recalled Teresa's description of the "barrier" and the Outer Gods. He had not expected that the Outer Gods would be so rampant during the Second and Fourth Ages.
However, upon reflection, it seemed to be true that the "Fallen Mother Goddess" had some influence on Lilith, the "Progenitor of the Vampires," during the Second Era, and even corrupted this ancient goddess to some extent.
During the Fourth Age, it is certain that both the "Black Emperor" Solomon and the "Night Emperor" Trensost seemed to have made some kind of connection with the "Uncertain Fog".
This is what Odis knew, but there may be other things he didn't know.
In the Tertiary period, with the "Ancient Sun God" present, the outer gods certainly wouldn't dare to reach into the "barrier," otherwise they would likely get a beating.
By the fifth age, it seems that apart from the arrival of the "god-evil" Sea, there was basically no trace of the Outer Gods.
Moreover, the arrival of Sear did not seem to have produced any serious consequences, so it can be said that since the Fifth Epoch, the real world has been relatively safe.
This situation was largely thanks to the Seven Gods moving their divine kingdom to the Astral Plane to "plug the hole."
Recalling Teresa's description, Odis couldn't help but wonder if this was the "Sage's" plan.
After all, in Odis's view, the holes in the "barrier" were no ordinary "holes".
The specific methods for blocking it should be a coordinated process, and the "methods" should be carefully considered, since the "Seven Gods" also have to confront the external gods directly.
They are at a lower level, half a sequence, and could easily be contaminated if they are not careful.
Thinking of this, Odis suddenly smiled, because this question also lacked enough clues. He couldn't very well pray to the "Goddess of Night" and ask her if she had been hung up by the "Sage."
If you ask him that, the most likely response he'll get is two big arguments!
No, it could also be eight.
Taking a deep breath, Odis decided to put those issues aside for the time being.
He took the "Gus Staff" and touched the "Central Processing Unit" again with his other hand to see if he could analyze the staff.
Only by using the "Knowledge Wilderness" level can one realize that the crystal on this staff is of a very high level, even reaching the level of spiritual materials at the level of gods.
This material makes it impossible to mass-produce this staff.
Odis pondered for a moment, then conjured a crystal ball and used the power of the "Wilderness of Knowledge" to perform "astrology".
He silently recited in his mind: "The process of making the Staff of Gus".
"The process of making the Gus Staff."
"..."
After silently reciting it seven times, Odis looked at the crystal ball that had displayed a constellation. The constellation was very complex, and it took him a long time to understand what it meant.
"Astrology" is different from "divination". In "astrology", you can't see the images directly. You can only see different celestial phenomena and interpret the divination results by analyzing the celestial phenomena.
There's no need to worry too much about interpretation issues; the astrologer's spirituality is generally sufficient to arrive at a correct understanding.
Even so, one cannot ask overly complex questions. If they were outside, Odis would conduct the "astrology" in several parts. For example, the first question would be whether the "Guth Staff" was made by the elves. The second question would be whether the "Guth Staff" was related to the "Sage".
However, in the "Wilderness of Knowledge," you can ask complex questions such as "the process of making the Staff of Gus," and the resulting celestial phenomena will also be quite complex.
According to astrological observations, the crystal at the head of the Gus Staff came from the Outer Gods. It seems to be a substance that the "Sage" tore off from the Outer Gods and, after being processed by the "Sage," commissioned the Elven race to make ten staffs.
This interpretation surprised Odis as well, who hadn't expected the "Staff of Gus" to be of such a high level!
However, he did understand why the Gus Staff would appear on an alien planet.
It turns out that the main materials used in its creation came from Outer Gods.
Then Odis used the crystal ball to "divine the stars" again, this time silently asking himself: "Why is there a staff of Gus on another planet?"
After reciting it seven times, a complex constellation appeared in the crystal ball.
Odis deciphered the story and understood that the "Ten Pillars" of the "Morse Ascetic" often fought against the angels of the "Outer Gods." The "Gus Staff" on the outer planet was taken away from Earth by the angels of the "Outer Gods" after the members of the "Ten Pillars" had fallen and could not be retrieved in time.
This result filled Odis with awe, because it proved from another perspective that the "Morse Penitentiary" had indeed risked their lives against the Outer Gods.
In response, Odis felt that if given the opportunity, they should try to recover those "Gus Staffs".
After resolving all her doubts in the "Wilderness of Knowledge," Odis returned to the real world, bringing the "Staff of Guth" with her.
He plans to make a leather case when he gets back, to hang it on his waist, specifically to store and protect the "Guz Staff".
Then he began to consider his plans after returning. Although he had obtained one main material, it didn't seem too difficult to obtain the other one.
However, the promotion ceremony seems a bit difficult; Odis remembers that it requires a drop of blood from a "mythical creature."
If we're waiting for the umbilical cord blood from the "Serpent of Destiny," it seems we'll have to wait several more months.
Another issue is the digestion of the potions. So far, the "astrologer" has not digested even a quarter of the potions. At this rate, it will take at least another six months to complete the digestion.
Odis believed that once they returned, they should actively seek opportunities to digest the potion whenever they had time.
Just as Klein would volunteer at the hospital to find an opportunity to digest the potion, he also planned to go to an unfamiliar island to become a charlatan, to see if the potion could be digested as a result.
There are many other things to do, such as searching for demigod-level characteristics with "Iceberg General", the "Pirate Conference", the assassination of Duke Negan, and so on.
At that moment, the voice of Second Officer Rupert rang out from the "sound transmission array": "Captain, we have spotted the 'Future'."
Odis was taken aback, not expecting to meet again so soon.
He took out the crystal ball and contacted the "Star General." Looking at Cattleya's figure in the crystal ball, Odis asked, "Have you achieved your goal?"
"It's done," said Gadriya.
"My objective has been achieved," Odis said. "How about we form a fleet and return together?"
"no problem."
Odis then contacted Edwina again, informed her of the re-formation of the fleet, and relayed the order to the cockpit.
With nothing much to do today, Odis poured herself a glass of red wine to celebrate the successful completion of her previous mission.
"It seems your hunt was very successful." Bernadette appeared beside Odis with a smile.
As Odis stood up to pour Bernadette a drink, he said, "I also want to thank you for the clue that made it easier for me to find the 'Psychedelic Red Coral'."
Bernadette took the glass: "Congratulations."
"Thanks."
The two clinked their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.
Bernadette looked around: "I think this is my first time in your studio."
Odis nodded: "It is indeed the first time."
How are you feeling?
Bernadette sat in the chair: "It's a bit like a 'craftsman's workshop, but much neater than their workshop."
Odis sat at the workbench, chatting with Bernadette across from her: "That's for sure, the biggest characteristic of the 'Secret Seeker' is composure."
This is quite similar to a "magician"—only by being fully prepared can one be relatively composed.
Odis asked, "After returning to the real world, do you still plan to go back to Backlund?"
"Hmm," Bernadette took a deep breath, "I foresaw something big happening there, and perhaps I'll find a promotion…"
Having said that, Bernadette, who was well aware of the difficulties she faced in getting promoted, let out a sigh of relief and didn't continue.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself," Odis comforted her. "You're already at Sequence 3, which is quite impressive."
Bernadette shook her head and said, "It's only capable of protecting itself."
Moreover, it only has the ability to protect itself when it has a level 0 sealed artifact.
This sequence is actually in a rather awkward position; it's already considered a "high sequence," but it's only just beginning to come into contact with things that are "high sequences."
It was only when I understood what a "high sequence" was that I realized how weak I was.
"It's mainly because your power has developed too well," Odis said with a smile, offering advice from another angle. "If you were on your own, Sequence 3 would be enough."
"However, when a power grows to a certain level, it needs a certain strength to protect its subordinates."
Bernadette paused slightly, then said, "I suddenly feel that what you said makes a lot of sense."
"That makes perfect sense." Odis stepped down from the workbench and poured two more glasses of wine. "Relax, don't push yourself too hard."
The two clinked their glasses again and each took a sip.
Bernadette smiled and said, "That makes sense, but we still need to get promoted as soon as possible."
"This will also provide you with more protection, and some of your inventions can be released earlier."
She paused for a moment, then suddenly stood up and said, "I have something to do, I'll be going now."
"Oh, right, I came here to tell you something." Bernadette stopped and said, "The other main ingredient is in the Misty Sea. My suggestion is that I take you there after you've had a good digestion of your 'Astrologer' potion."
Odis nodded: "No problem."
The next second, Bernadette disappeared from the studio.
Looking at the empty studio, Odis paused for a few seconds before scratching his head and sitting down again, his feelings a mix of emotions.
Clearly, the "mysterious queen" felt that her words had been a bit too blunt, which is why she immediately took her leave.
Odis had not expected that Bernadette's desire for a quick promotion would include him as one of her reasons.
Since it was always noon outside, Odis didn't know whether it was night or day.
As night fell during a formal meal at the restaurant, Odis hurried back to her room, only to find Bernadette already reclining in her armchair, pointing towards the bed and indicating that Odis should get into it.
This made him pause slightly, wondering if Bernadette had disappeared and ended up in the armchair next to him, separated by a wall.
But now is not the time to think about this. Odis lay down on the bed and drifted into a dream.
Odis appeared in the courtyard of the Black Monastery, with Bernadette beside him and the crew of the other three ships a little further away.
The "mysterious queen" said, "I'll show you a good show in a moment."
Odis chuckled: "You're not going to blow up this monastery, are you?"
Suddenly, Third Officer Bivis, who was not far away, exclaimed, "No, we can't blow it up!"
"Very dangerous!"
Odis was taken aback, initially thinking that the other party also had the ability to maintain consciousness in a dream.
But he soon realized that the other person's eyes were still blank, and the answer just now seemed to come from a subconscious source.
This struck Odis as somewhat odd, since Bivis should be visiting the "Ruins of the War of the Gods" for the first time and shouldn't know much about the place.
So Odis asked, "Why do you think this place shouldn't be blown up?"
"Very dangerous!" Bivis said, still somewhat bewildered. "Very dangerous!"
Odis pressed further, "What specific dangers are there?"
"We will all die." Bevis suddenly pinched his temple and said, "Ever since I was a child, there has been a voice in my head that keeps telling me to go to the end of the Sunia Sea."
"Now that I'm here, the voice has disappeared again."
"The voice told me that he was being held in a black monastery here and that I must come and find him."
"But we can't destroy the monastery, because if we do, everyone will die!"
Bernadette was also intrigued by Bevis's answer, and she asked Odis, "What's so special about your third mate? Why are you drawn to the sounds here?"
"I don't know," Odis said. "He never mentioned it."
However, he quickly recalled: "Before joining my pirate crew, he had said more than once that he wanted to go to the end of the Sunia Sea one day."
"At the time, I thought he wanted to come to this 'ruins of the war of gods' to do some research."
Bernadette cautioned, "Hearing strange noises is not a good thing; you should take it seriously."
Odis hummed in agreement: "I'll talk to the Third Officer about this when I get back."
At that moment, the door to the main hall of the monastery, the hall where Odis, Klein, and Anderson had met, was suddenly pushed open, and a man dressed in a linen robe rushed out.
Bernadette explained simply: "This is a saint from the Aurora Society named Leomaster."
Odis suddenly recalled that in the dark monastery, there seemed to be a demigod of the "Aurora Society" who had developed "split personality," with his kind side and evil side hiding and chasing each other.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
The one that just came out should be the kind side of Leomaster.
The other party seemed not to have seen Odis and Bernadette, and quickly ran towards the gate.
Then, a tall figure dressed in full black armor, carrying a huge straight sword, came out in pursuit.
Judging from the other party's fierce appearance, this was the evil side of Leomaster.
One fled in front, the other chased behind, until they left the black monastery and reached the mountain peak outside the monastery.
Bernadette and Oedis followed closely behind. Oedis also noticed that Klein had come out of the hall earlier, presumably to see what Leomaster was planning to do.
Soon, they arrived at the edge of the cliff on the mountain peak. Leomaster, who was running in front, with his kind side facing the projection of the "Giant's Court" on the other side of the cliff, prayed in ancient Hermes: "O Creator of all things; you are all-knowing and all-powerful."
"You are the source of all greatness, you are the beginning and the end."
"You are the God of Gods, you are the ruler of the vast starry sky."
As this revered title ended, the valley separating the two mountains suddenly trembled, and a path rose up, seemingly leading directly to the "Giant's Court."
At that moment, Bernadette suddenly raised her hand, and the two Leomasters vanished.
She simply explained, "I sent them back to the monastery."
Odis pretended to understand: "You want to use that saint of the 'Aurora Society' to find a way into the 'Giant's Court'?"
Bernadette responded with an "Mmm".
At this moment, Klein was also standing not far away, looking at the passage in front of him, lost in thought.
"This passage is wrong." Bernadette stared at the passage for a while and suddenly said, "It can't lead to the 'Giant's Court' or the 'Forsaken Land'; it will only lead to a very dangerous dream."
Odis asked, "Do you want to go to the 'Forsaken Land'?"
"No," Bernadette laughed. "I just want to find a way to get there."
Klein, who was not far away, looked over and noticed that something seemed off about the way the two were talking.
After thinking about it for a moment, he realized that when he was talking to me, the "mysterious queen" had a tense expression, but when she was talking to Mr. Gar, she seemed to be very relaxed and at ease.
Thinking of this, Klein glanced at the two people chatting again: "Your Majesty, your cabbage is really going to be eaten by a pig."
Neither Bernadette nor Odis felt anything was wrong; they were already used to their current way of chatting.
Odis pondered for a moment before saying, "Legend has it that the 'shared dream' we are in is a dream of the 'omniscient and omnipotent lord' of the Third Age, who is also known as the 'ancient sun god'."
Bernadette frowned and said, "Just as I suspected, this 'War of the Gods' witnessed the 'Cataclysm'."
Klein, standing to the side, was taken aback and couldn't help but guess: "The Great Cataclysm" was a consequence of a war of gods?
Then, light appeared above them, and the night was over.
Back in the real world, Odis sat up and looked at the armchair where the "Mysterious Queen" was still lying.
The discussion between the two continued, and Odis said, "The correct path to the projection of the 'Giant's Court' must be found in a specific location in the real world."
Bernadette looked out the window: "I think so too."
"One thing is certain now: the projection of the 'Giant's Court' should have some connection with the real 'Giant's Court'."
Odis suddenly realized that the "Dark Angel" must be in the "Giant's Court," which is why it has some connection with the projection of the "Giant's Court" in the "Ancient Sun God's" dream.
Only then can a corresponding channel be established to connect the real world with the "forsaken land".
Bernadette noticed Odis's dazed expression and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"It suddenly occurred to me that the formation of the 'Forsaken Land' is closely related to the 'Ancient Sun God.' If this dream truly belongs to the 'Ancient Sun God,' then this dream must be the link between the outside world and the 'Forsaken Land.'" Of course, Odis couldn't voice what he had just been thinking.
Because very few people know that the "Dark Angel" is sleeping in the "Giant's Court," or more likely only the members of "Redemption Rose," as well as Amon and Adam, know this.
These guys are either angel kings or gods; it's ridiculous that a Sequence 5 would know such things.
Bernadette nodded slowly: "Your idea is very good."
Then she asked, "What do you think of 'the followers of the fool'?"
"On the surface, he went to sea because of the 'Great Smog of Backlund' incident," Odis said. "But actually, he must have received some orders from the 'Fool'."
"You see, the places he goes to are often accompanied by some major events."
Bernadette thought for a moment and said, "That's true."
Then she laughed and said, "Speaking of which, the fake identity he used after going to sea was actually provided by me."
Odis nodded, thinking to himself: Actually, I already told him this before.
He continued, "At least neither he nor 'The Fool' have shown much malice toward the world so far. I think we can maintain contact with them and continue to observe."
Bernadette nodded slowly; she had the same idea.
Odis got out of bed: "I'm going to talk to the Third Officer."
Bernadette remained in her armchair, showing no intention of getting up, only humming in response.
As Odis emerged from the studio, he saw three Bivis standing in a daze in the restaurant.
Odis took two glasses of beer, handed one to the third mate, and sat down opposite the third mate with the other glass in his hand.
Bivis took the beer, paused for a moment, and then said to the captain, "Thank you."
Odis volunteered, "I have a way to stay awake in the dream world."
Bivis took a sip of beer, a slight look of surprise on his face, but he quickly realized it wasn't so unexpected: "I...I think I mentioned something to you in my dream just now?"
"That's right," Odis said. "You said you've heard a voice since you were a child, telling you to come to the 'Ruins of the Gods' War' to rescue someone imprisoned in the Black Monastery!"
"Looks like I've told you everything." Bivis smiled wryly. "Actually, I don't know what's going on either. Many times I wonder if it's just a hallucination?"
"You should have told me about this sooner," Odis said, taking a sip of beer. "Perhaps I could have made some preparations in advance and helped you find out what was going on?"
"Moreover, there must be some danger involved. Fortunately, it didn't cause any serious consequences. If it had triggered some strange power, we might have died without knowing why."
Bivis's expression also turned serious: "I'm sorry, Captain, it was my oversight."
Odis waved his hand and said, "Now let's talk about this properly."
"When exactly did you first start hearing that voice?"
Bivis thought for a moment before saying, "It seems that when I was young, after being baptized, I became a believer of the 'God of Knowledge and Wisdom'."
Odis was taken aback: "Isn't your faith in the 'Lord of Storms'?"
"My father was from Masai," Bevis smiled and "when I was young, I worshipped the 'god of knowledge and wisdom' for a period of time."
"After I went to sea, I gradually converted to Christianity and am now a believer of the 'Lord of Storms'."
Odis slowly nodded, but thought to himself: Fortunately, you don't believe in the "god of steam and machinery".
Then he couldn't help but frown: "What you heard, could it be related to the 'god of knowledge and wisdom'?"
Bivis gave a wry smile: "I'm just an ordinary person, how could I possibly have any connection with gods?"
Odis pondered for a moment and then asked, "How often do you hear it? Or is it only under specific circumstances?"
"I can hear it about once a month," Bivis replied. "There's no specific situation; I can just hear it occasionally."
"Moreover, the voice was very indistinct and always intermittent. Over the years, all I knew was that the voice was asking me for help and roughly told me that he was imprisoned in a black monastery, and also described some details of the black monastery."
Odis stroked his chin: "But why did that voice disappear when you arrived at the 'Forsaken Land'? And your appearance didn't elicit any reaction from the other party at all."
Bivis said, "I'm also a little confused. These past few days I've increasingly felt that it's just my imagination."
Odis shook his head, however. Auditory hallucinations couldn't last that long, and there would be connections between the continuous hallucinations.
His first thought was: Could it be that some force here severed the connection between Bivis and that voice? Or had Bivis been affected or corrupted in some way, but no one had noticed?
Odis took a deep breath before saying, "Keep a close eye on this matter. If you hear that voice again, come find me immediately."
"Okay," Bivis readily agreed.
Odis returned to his room, where Bernadette was still reclining in her armchair. Just as he was about to tell the "Mysterious Queen" what they had just talked about, the "Mysterious Queen" raised her hand and said, "I heard your conversation."
Odis laughed, "The abilities of demigods are truly convenient."
Then he asked, "What are your thoughts?"
"My opinion is that your third mate is too weak," Bernadette said. "Assuming that someone was indeed imprisoned in that monastery and did indeed appeal to Bivis for help."
"But when he 'sees' how weak Bevis is, he may decide to temporarily stop contacting him."
"After all, it was not easy to find someone who could save me. If the rescuer is too weak, not only will the rescue operation not be completed, but it will also expose us. So, it is best not to make contact."
Odis nodded slowly: "That is a very reasonable guess."
He continued to speculate, "If that's the case, then after Bivis leaves here, he will definitely hear that voice again."
Bernadette smiled slightly; she thought so too.
Odis wiped his face with his hand and said, "Now there's only one question left: why did Bivis only hear that voice after he had been baptized and began to believe in the 'God of Knowledge and Wisdom'?"
Bernadette looked out the window: "You'll have to ask the 'god of knowledge and wisdom' about that."
Odis twitched his lips. It would be ridiculous if, after praying to the "god of knowledge" and asking him this question, the other party retorted, "How should I know?"
This issue can only be temporarily shelved until an opportunity arises, or when the level of investigation is reached, before conducting a full investigation.
The rest of the journey was uneventful. The Future, carrying the Argo and the Golden Dream, bypassed the dangerous ruins and rubble, avoided the hidden dangers in the safe passage, and finally returned to the vicinity of the exit of the "Gods' War Ruins".
Odis looked through the window again at the ruins that were mostly submerged by the sea when he first entered the place; he was finally about to leave.
Just then, the crystal ball on Odis's body suddenly showed signs of spiritual activity.
Odis took it out and glanced at it, then said to Bernadette in the room, "It's Cattleya."
On the return journey, Odis chatted with Bernadette about a wide range of topics, from childhood anecdotes to occult knowledge and Odis's inventions.
The two of them hadn't had such a pleasant conversation in a long time.
Bernadette said, "She can't see me."
Odis said "Oh" and established contact with the crystal ball on Cattleya's side.
Cattleya's figure appeared in the crystal ball: "We have found a clue that may be the 'Fountain of Youth'."