Upon receiving the distress call from the first mate of the "Golden Dream," Odis paused for a moment: "Tell me the details."
"Two days ago, our captain said she was going to do some research in her study and asked us not to disturb her," Blue said immediately. "Because the captain often does this kind of research, we didn't think much of it."
"We only realized something was wrong yesterday, but without the captain's orders, it would be difficult for us to break into the study, which has many extraordinary furnishings."
"The captain still hasn't shown up today. We just managed to open the door to the captain's study and discovered that he's missing."
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"We've searched several times, but she's not anywhere on the ship."
Odis understood what was going on halfway through the conversation: it must have gone into the "book".
He said, "Wait a moment, I'll be right there."
After the connection was severed, Odis did not rush to set off. Instead, he waited for his spirituality to return while pondering how to handle the situation.
He certainly remembered the incident; it was Danitz who asked Gehrman Sparrow for help, and that's how the matter was resolved.
Now it's Blue who's asking himself for help.
Odis was confident that he could hunt the demigod-level ice dragon with Edwina and the others, but this would trigger many butterfly effects.
For example, the book Edwina was originally going to give to Klein, Grosseus, will instead be given to him as Odysseus.
Danitz, who had originally become a follower of "The Fool," also lost this opportunity.
Odis was well aware of the history of the ancient era and was not interested in Grosser's Travels. On the contrary, he was very reluctant to obtain the book because it would increase the probability of being targeted by Adam.
Moreover, this travelogue, along with the great key that can open the "Giant King's Palace," were prepared for Klein by the god of knowledge and wisdom, and Odis had no intention of getting involved in those matters.
Thinking of this, Odis realized that he could ask Klein to participate in the rescue. If Edwina wanted "The Travels of Grossell" as payment, he could give it to Klein.
Odis could also take the opportunity to ask "General Iceberg" for a promise to introduce her to the bishop of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom to discuss cooperation.
If possible, it would be best to become a follower of the "god of knowledge and wisdom".
After becoming a follower, Odis's many plans could be fully implemented, saving him a lot of trouble, and he no longer needed to worry about the Church of the God of Steam and Machines and the "Morse Penitentiary".
Thinking about this, he believed the plan was feasible, so he rested for a while and waited until his spirituality had recovered before using the "Travel Ring" to arrive at the "Golden Dream".
At this time, the "Golden Dream" and the "Argo" were still sailing together, heading towards the waters off Norhaus Island.
First Mate Blue and the others repeatedly told themselves that "saving the captain is the most important thing," before they smiled sincerely, exchanged a few polite words with Odis, and immediately invited him to the captain's study.
The room was surrounded by bookshelves, filled with all sorts of books.
Odis went to the desk in front of the window. The desk was cluttered with a lot of things, including white papers, a round-bellied fountain pen, an ink bottle, and some books that were not neatly stacked.
In the center of the desk was a parchment-bound book with the words "The Travels of Grosser" written in Old Fussac on its dark brown surface.
Odis smiled slightly, "That's it."
First Mate Blue, seeing the "Mysterious Admiral" looking at the ancient book, said, "There's nothing wrong with it; we've already checked it."
Odis casually said "Oh," and asked, "Have you read this 'Travels of Grosser'?"
Blue Walls shook his head, and Orpheus, Danitz, and the others who followed him in also shook their heads.
Odis was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "How did you conduct the examination?"
Yodson, the third mate of the "Golden Dream," gave a wry smile and said, "We're already exhausted from studying every day, and we don't want to read any more books. However, we did have a check-up on mysticism."
Odis smiled to himself, thinking: At your level, it would be a miracle if you could find anything out.
I picked up "The Travels of Grosser" and flipped through it. The story is about the giant Grosser and his party preparing to fight a frost dragon known as the "King of the North".
The last two pages tell the story of a lost pirate lady who encounters the "King of the North" in a blizzard, is nearly killed, and manages to escape with all her might, only to meet the protagonist's party who have come to challenge the Frost Dragon.
Seeing this, Odis glanced at the exquisite Western swords displayed on the weapon rack in the corner of the study.
It's clear that Edwina didn't have time to bring her magical items when she entered the book, which is why she looked rather disheveled.
Odis then took out his crystal ball and performed divination in front of everyone. Because he knew the details of the whole matter, the divination he silently recited in his mind was actually: What should we eat tonight?
After receiving a celestial sign, Odis casually remarked, "I need an assistant."
Just as several crew members of the "Golden Dream" were about to volunteer to help, Odis said, "Sequence 5."
With helpless smiles, the crew members slowly lowered their raised hands.
Odis said, "Wait a moment, I have someone in mind."
Before Blue and the others could say anything, Odis had already summoned the "Gate of Illusion" again and entered the spirit world.
Guided by a spiritual prompting, Odis arrived at a hotel on the island of Olavi, at the door of a room.
Odis knocked on the door in front of him, and after a few seconds, Anderson opened the door with some confusion: "What are you doing here?"
Just now, when his spirit sensed that the "Mysterious General" was outside, he thought his spirit was mistaken.
Odis glanced inside, where a stern-faced Gehrman Sparrow was sitting in a chair: "Find him."
As he spoke, Odis pointed into the room.
Klein and Anderson, who had just resolved the problem of misfortune, were talking when Odis suddenly appeared, catching them both off guard.
"I hope I haven't disturbed you," Odis said with a smile as she entered. "I need your help with something."
Klein stood up and asked, "What reward will I receive?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm sure I'll get a good reward," Odis replied.
Klein then asked, "How dangerous is it?"
Odis laughed and said, "We're going to have to take on a dragon along with a few other people."
Klein's lips twitched slightly: "Sorry, I don't have time."
"Don't be so quick to refuse," Odis said with a smile. "That dragon isn't very strong; we won't be in any danger."
Klein frowned: "What kind of request is this?"
"You'll see when you get there," Odis said. "Don't worry, I'll be involved in the operation too. Don't you trust my judgment?"
Klein trusted Odis's judgment more, so he said, "Alright, shall we set off now?"
Anderson quickly said, "How about taking me with you? If you don't need me to help, I don't need any reward; I just want to watch the show."
Odis replied, "I won't take you this time. We can do it another time."
Anderson had no choice but to say, "Alright then, I'll wait here for two days. If you still haven't arrived by the day after tomorrow..."
Before he could finish speaking, Klein interrupted, "Shut up!"
Anderson chuckled and said, "That's a very likely scenario."
At this moment, he saw that the "Mysterious General" also had a murderous look in his eyes, so he quickly chose to shut up.
If it were just Gehrman Sparrow alone, he might be able to escape, but with the addition of "Admiral Mystery," it's hard to say.
Odis, supporting Klein's shoulder, entered the spirit world and appeared on the "Golden Dream" about half a minute later.
When Danitz and the others discovered that the helper the "Mysterious Admiral" had brought was actually Gehrman Sparrow, alarm bells immediately went off in their heads.
Odis laughed, "What's with those expressions? Are you afraid of being killed by Gehrman Sparrow?"
Klein, standing nearby, thought to himself: Have you forgotten what you saw in the 'shared dream'? That's not what they're afraid of.
"Make way, make way." Odis walked in front, making way for the crew of the "Golden Dream".
They had no choice but to continue to mentally prepare themselves: the most important thing now is to rescue the captain!
After some mental preparation, they all stepped aside.
Returning to the desk by the window, Odis picked up the copy of "The Travels of Grosser" and handed it to Klein: "I divined that 'Lieutenant General Iceberg' has entered this book."
Klein frowned. He remembered this book; when he boarded the "Golden Dream" before, "Admiral Iceberg" had displayed this collectible.
This travelogue made a deep impression on Klein, and he even planned to persuade Miss "Justice" to buy it so that he could take the opportunity to study it.
The crew members of the "Golden Dream" immediately started discussing among themselves. The second mate, Orvers, asked, "Why didn't we notice anything unusual when we were checking just now?"
"Because this travelogue is on a very high level," Odis explained simply.
Klein, after briefly glancing at the last two pages, said, "The story has indeed increased by two pages compared to when I last saw it, and there's also a new character called 'Lady Pirate'."
Everyone was taken aback, and they immediately realized that the "Mysterious General's" divination must have been correct.
Klein said in a cold voice, "The problem now is, how do we save them?"
Odis flipped through the pages: "There aren't many pages left, it's almost time to get to the end of the story."
Klein paused for a moment: "We're going to get inside this travelogue too?"
"That's right," Odis said. "If we kill that frost dragon, we should be able to come back."
Klein frowned: "Then why didn't you call Anderson?"
With the help of this "strongest hunter below demigod", it should be easier to defeat that dragon.
"I don't trust him," Odis said, offering a random excuse.
Actually, he was very confident that he could kill that frost dragon.
Or rather, ever since obtaining the "Gus Staff" and creating a batch of scrolls with special abilities, Odis has been eager to challenge his limits.
Of course, challenging a normal demigod alone would be suicide.
What he wants is for several Sequence 5s to team up and challenge a target that is slightly weaker than a demigod.
This way, he can fully devote himself to the battle, and if the battle doesn't go well, he can have other Sequence 5 units to back him up.
If Anderson were to be called upon as well, although it would only add one more Sequence 5, things would become much easier, and there would be no challenge for Odis.
Klein did not continue the conversation regarding the reasons given by Odis, but instead asked, "What do you need me to do?"
Odis smiled and said, "I can't be sure about my divination and guesses. After all, I myself have to enter the book. If my guesses are wrong and I can't get out of the book, that would be interesting."
Klein nodded, understanding Odis's meaning: "I need a quiet environment to do another serious divination."
He plans to take this book "above the fog" and try to solve problems without relying on the fog.
Odis replied, "No problem."
Then he led Blue and the other crew members out to the outer corridor.
Third Mate Jodson asked somewhat uneasily, "Captain Garr, is Gehrman Sparrow reliable?"
Odis smiled and said, "I dare not speak of anything else, but among those below the demigod level, no one's divination is more accurate than his."
To be precise, in certain specific situations, such as when there is time to enter the "Source Castle" for divination, it is even more accurate than a demigod.
"That's not what I meant," Jodson said. "I meant, is he a reliable person?"
Odis said "Oh," and then added, "Let me put it this way, he currently has no intention of being in a relationship."
Although no one said anything, smiles appeared on everyone's faces, and a joyful atmosphere filled the corridor.
Immediately, everyone realized something was wrong, feeling an awkwardness as if their secret had been exposed, and the corridor fell silent.
After waiting a few minutes, Klein opened the door and said to Danitz, "I need a helper."
"Okay!" Danitz quickly followed him inside, and the study door was closed again.
Odis smiled slightly: That's more like it.
A few minutes later, Klein opened the door again and said to Odis, "I have confirmed that your divination and guesses are correct."
Odis nodded: "Then let's go rescue them."
As he spoke, he looked inside and, sure enough, Danitz was nowhere to be found. The other crew members noticed this as well and realized that their captain was safe, so they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wait a minute." Klein looked at the crew of the "Golden Dream".
Odis immediately understood what he meant: "Your concerns are valid."
After all, he was about to enter the "Travelogue" with Klein, and if one of them suddenly offered the "Travelogue" to the evil god, they would never be able to get out.
Of course, the probability of that is not high, but these people are pirates after all, and their composition is very complicated. No one knows what they might do.
He then turned to Blue and the other two and said, "What's next concerns whether your captain can return and her safety. I need the three of you first mates to guard the door and not let anyone in."
"And they also need to monitor each other and prevent anyone from entering."
Blue Walls immediately replied, "Leave it to us."
Then Odis turned to Klein: "I trust them more."
His implication was that even if it weren't for the two of us, they wouldn't act recklessly if it were for their captain's sake.
However, the way Odis said it warmed the hearts of Blue and the other crew members.
Klein thought to himself: This guy is more suited to be a leader than I am. He has already made people supervise each other, which means he has similar concerns.
But that last sentence immediately dispelled everyone's dissatisfaction.
After explaining the matters outside, Odis went into the room and locked the study door from the inside.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Odis glanced at the Travelogue on the table: "I'll go in first, then you can come in later."
Klein's ability makes it relatively easy for him to find people, including himself.
After saying this, Odis took the sword of "General Iceberg" and hung it at his waist. He then drew his dagger, cut his finger, and smeared the smear on the cover of "Travels".
Almost instantly, Odis's vision was suddenly covered by the raging blizzard.
The howling wind, carrying ice shards and snowflakes, slapped Odis repeatedly, making him momentarily think of using a "defense scroll".
Although at the Sequence 5 level, one is basically no longer afraid of normal cold, Odis's body involuntarily tensed up upon seeing the scene before him, and he trembled a few times as if by conditioned reflex.
Looking at the vast expanse of white snow, Odis decided to find a place to shelter from the wind first, and then go find "Iceberg General" together after meeting up with Klein.
Because Klein's divination abilities are better suited for finding people.
As he walked toward a sheltered spot, he thought to himself: The fortune teller's abilities are really useful when it comes to finding people.
Odis could also use astrology to find Edwina's location, but in a place without any reference points, he would have to keep using the crystal ball to confirm the direction, which was very troublesome.
Klein, on the other hand, only needs a cane to easily determine his location.
Upon reaching a sheltered spot, Odis infused the "Star Sand" into the "Gus Staff," instantly creating a dazzling starlight that formed a pillar of light, carving out a cave in the rocky outcrop.
Odis turned a corner in the cave and even carved out a stone bench inside.
After doing all this, Odis retrieved the "Star Sand" and went into the cave to wait.
Because it's on the leeward side and has a corner, there's no wind at all inside.
Odis took out his pipe, filled it with tobacco, and just as he was taking a pleasant puff, he suddenly felt the oppressive aura emanating from a higher being.
The aura seemed to swirl overhead as it approached from afar.
Odis knew that the "King of the North" was in the sky, so he quickly extinguished his pipe, restrained his spirituality, and avoided being discovered.
But that immense sense of oppression not only didn't leave, it seemed to have landed not far away outside.
Odis was taken aback, but quickly realized that he had been discovered.
But he was a little puzzled as to why the dragon had spotted him so quickly.
Although he came in intending to challenge the dragon, Odis was certainly not going to be foolish enough to face it head-on. He was about to pull out the "Gus Staff" and use "Star Sand" to continue drilling through the hole to escape.
But then they heard the "King of the North" utter a word in the language of ancient dragons: "Gus".
Odis twitched his lips and thought to himself: No wonder they were able to find me; they found this staff.
Theoretically speaking, it is impossible to discover Odis unless one sees him directly.
In fact, even the "King of the North" couldn't pinpoint Odis's exact location at this point. He had only come here because he sensed someone using the "Staff of Gus."
With that thought in mind, Odis quietly put the "Staff of Gus" back, and then used the "Scroll of Imitation" to make the air in front of him "imitate" the rocks.
This scroll was designed by Odis after studying the fruit with the ability to "imitate" that she obtained from the "Ruins of the War of the Gods".
That is spiritual material from the demigod level of the "Reader" pathway, which can also be used to create some special scrolls.
For example, this kind of "imitation scroll" can not only "imitate" one of the target's abilities, but also "imitate" other things, or make other things "imitate" other things.
Just like now, let the air "imitate" the rock, and a layer of rock will appear in front of Odis, separating the cave and forming a sealed space at the bottom that protects Odis.
Meanwhile, the "King of the North" outside sensed the spiritual fluctuations and immediately sprayed blue ice crystals into the cave, filling and freezing the entire cave with ice.
However, because of the rocks blocking Odis's way, the ice stopped there and remained unaffected in the enclosed space at the deepest part of the cave.
Odis hid there, quietly waiting for the "King of the North" to leave.
Dragons are generally quite intelligent, but as long as Odis is out of their sight, they cannot find her.
Four or five minutes passed before the air that had "mimicked" the rocks returned to normal, and the oppressive feeling that seemed to come from a higher being finally disappeared.
However, Odis did not go out immediately. He waited for another ten minutes or so before releasing his spiritual senses to confirm that the "King of the North" had left.
Odis then summoned "Star Sand," which he condensed into a pillar of light. This pillar of light forced the ice spewed out by the "King of the North's" dragon breath through the opening, quickly establishing a connection to the outside world.
Without the "Gus Staff" to enhance it, "Star Sand's" "drilling" speed was much slower, and it took about twice as long to get out of the cave.
Odis cautiously went outside and saw many tall and large ice crystals left behind, like giant pillars of ice and snow.
Odis estimated that those were some of the abilities the "King of the North" had used in his search for the "Staff of Guth".
Recalling her previous encounter with the "Elf King's" divine blood, Odis realized that the "Gus Staff" was indeed very useful, but she also had to be careful not to expose herself because of it.
Especially when encountering these "old guys," many of them have seen the "Gus Staff" before, which easily attracts their attention.
At this moment, Odis seemed to sense something and looked up, seeing two figures walking quickly towards her in the distance.
The figure in front of him had a cold expression and strode forward; it was none other than Gehrman Sparrow.
Behind him, Danitz hunched his shoulders, looking much like Klein's servant. Clearly, the cold here was still unbearable for a Sequence 7, even though he was an "arsonist."
Odis quickly went to meet them, and soon the three of them met in the snow.
Klein and Danitz both saw ice crystals that looked like giant pillars. Danitz asked, "What are those?"
"Left behind by the 'King of the North'," Odis said casually, then asked Klein, "Can you divine the location of 'General Iceberg'?"
"Okay." Klein looked away and answered simply.
Danitz's attention was still on the giant pillar-like ice crystals: "Why would it be here, leaving something like this?"
"I don't know either," Odis said. "It came looking for me just now, so I quickly hid in the cave. When I came out, it was like this."
Hearing Odis say that, Klein sensed something was wrong: "It found you?"
"Almost." Odis said honestly, "I guess these icicles appeared because the 'King of the North' was using some kind of power to search for my trail."
Danitz laughed, "This stupid dragon has clearly wasted all its efforts."
Klein glanced at the ice crystals again, but he didn't think it was a "dumb dragon," especially since monsters with the appearance of wild beasts are particularly sensitive.
Odis must have used some kind of ability to evade their search.
However, he didn't explain to Danis, but instead said, "Let's go."
After searching for more than two hours, the three of them finally found a female guard holding an ancient bow and arrow in a dark cave hidden behind a huge rock.
The woman had soft, shiny black hair tied in a simple ponytail. Her features were very gentle, unlike those of people from any other country in the Northern Continent.
Those who have read Grosser's Travels and know that Odis and Klein, combined with each other's pointed ears and brown ancient coats, know that this is the first female elf who met Grosser.
Klein concluded in his mind: Compared to Earth, the people of the Northern Continent are closer to the Western style, while these elves have a distinct Eastern flavor.
Danitz exclaimed in surprise, "Legendary elves! And... and the kind of elves from ancient murals!"
The "Golden Dream" had encountered villages of elves and had also seen descriptions of elves in some ancient murals.
However, real-life elves differ somewhat from those in murals, for example, in hair and eye color.
At this moment, the female elf also looked over warily.
Odis did not immediately step forward, but instead shouted, "We're here to find someone!"
The female elf seemed not to hear Odis's words, and drew an arrow, nocked it on her longbow, and the arrowhead immediately flowed with silvery-white lightning.
Odis said with some helplessness, "Madam, please calm down..."
At that moment, he felt a blur before his eyes and saw a burly, gray-blue figure leap out from behind the rocks, holding an exaggeratedly large sword in his hand.
The female elf from before was only a little above the giant's knees.
Danitz swallowed hard: "A giant!"
This giant was over four meters tall, with thick animal fur covering his chest, abdomen, and hips, while the rest of his body was exposed, as if he were not afraid of the cold at all.
He leaned on his greatsword, wider than a human door panel, and looked down at Odis, Klein, and the others with his signature vertical eyes, asking in a deep, booming voice, "Who are you? Why have you come to Groselle's camp?"
Odis noticed that only the previous "King of the North" spoke "Ancient Dragon Language," while afterwards, whether it was elves or giants, they all spoke Rune.
Or rather, this travelogue achieved simultaneous translation, and the Rune language spoken by Odis sounded like the language of giants and elves to them.
Just as Odis was about to answer, a familiar figure suddenly emerged from the cave, which was blocked by rocks, and Danitz's eyes were immediately filled with ecstatic joy.
Wearing a shirt and dark trousers, "Iceberg General" Edwina glanced at the three of them, a noticeable surprise appearing in her usual indifferent expression.
However, she quickly composed herself and looked up at the giant, saying, "Grossell, this is my companion."
Grosser grinned widely and asked excitedly, "Are you here to deal with Julian too?"
After a moment's thought, Odis recalled the relevant information: Julian was the "King of the North".
So he replied, "Yes."
Grosser laughed and said, "Then we're friends."
Only then did the elven woman put down her bow and arrow.
Edwina waved to Odis and the other two, signaling them to come over.
The three approached, and Edwina introduced them to each other: Grosser was the leader of the camp, and the female elf was named Shatas.
After giving the basic introduction, Grosser laughed and said, "Let's go into the camp. We're about to go to war with the evil dragon, Julian."
Odis thought to himself: "So warm and kind."
With that thought in mind, he took the rapier from his waist and handed it to "Lieutenant General Iceberg".
Edwina took the sword and led the way, whispering, "Their history is a bit strange, and so is their language. No matter what language they speak, they can understand each other."
Odis whispered a reminder: "After all, this is a book, and many common-sense things may have been rewritten. Or we could be set up to understand the language of the ancient giants and the ancient elves."
Klein nodded, agreeing that this explanation made a lot of sense.
Danitz was taken aback: "Set...settings."
The book had this setting, so they understood?
They then entered the cave, where three people were sitting by the campfire.
One of them, a middle-aged man dressed in an extremely simple white robe, was facing away from the flames and towards the stone wall.
Beside him was a young man wearing black armor, sleeping with his head on a stone, and opposite him was a man in his thirties wearing asymmetrical and mismatched clothes.
Edwina first introduced the middle-aged man facing the stone wall: "That is Mr. Snowman, the ascetic, who believes in 'the Creator of all things, the all-knowing and all-powerful God'."
Odis walked over and asked, "Master ascetic, have you ever heard of the 'sage'?"