At this moment, inside the "Source Castle," in the magnificent hall manifested by Klein.
The absence of the other members, including "The Fool," left Odis feeling somewhat uneasy.
At this moment, Klein, who was sitting at the lowest seat, said, "Thank you for your help today."
Odis shrugged and smiled, "We're just cooperating; after all, you didn't want any spoils of war."
"Those spoils are nothing compared to the help you've provided today," Klein said.
Then he changed the subject: "I'm very curious to know, what kind of being helped me today?"
"That is a person with profound knowledge," Odis said. "But you can rest assured that I have not told anyone about the Tarot Society."
Klein then asked respectfully, "What is His honorific title?"
Odis paused for a moment before saying, "Lord of Mysteries."
Klein nodded slowly: No wonder Mr. Garr called himself "General of Mysteries"; it turns out that he was actually loyal to the "Lord of Mysteries".
Klein never dreamed that the title "General of Mysteries" wasn't because he was loyal to the "Lord of Mysteries." In fact, it was because of the title "General of Mysteries" that Odis, in a moment of desperation, adopted the title "Lord of Mysteries" as his formal name.
Then Klein asked, "Why haven't I heard of this deity's deeds before?"
Odis replied vaguely, "Because He is a 'mystery'."
He had originally thought that Klein would ask if the deity was the "Hidden Sage," but he hadn't expected Klein to ask in that direction, so he was caught off guard.
At this moment, Klein thought to himself: How wonderful, the "Lord of Mysteries" actually gave his subordinate such a high-level staff, while the "Fool"... sigh, the "Fool" doesn't have anything to reward his followers, and even if he did, he would give it to other followers, not to me, because I am the "Fool".
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Klein noticed that Odis's answer was hesitant, so he began to ask about the day's results.
Upon learning of the loss of the "Rose School," Klein felt a pang of envy once again.
After chatting for a while, Odis took his leave and returned to the real world. Klein sat in the magnificent hall, silent for a few seconds: Why can't I divine any information about the "Lord of Mysteries"? Why did the newsboy from Backlund appear before me when I divined the "Staff of Guth"?
Previously in Backlund, some members of the "Morse Penitentiary" performed a ritual to invoke the Outer Gods.
While the ceremony was taking place, many extraordinary cases occurred in Backlund. Klein encountered one of them: a newspaper boy who strangely followed him around, and he had to keep buying his newspapers to keep the boy at bay.
It was Mr. Gar who helped him solve the problem at that time.
Just now, when Klein was divining the origin of the "Guth Staff" above the "Gray Mist," the boy's appearance appeared strangely, which left Klein completely baffled.
...
After returning to the real world, Odis took a trip to Cruz Island. After the crew returned, he held a short meeting to tell them about his recent plans and to prepare them to provide support to Remburg at any time.
On Wednesday morning, Odis arrived at the "Golden Dream" and met Edwina in the captain's study.
Edwina has changed into a Remnant-style outfit. The most distinctive feature of the country's clothing is the preference for wearing clothes in red and white, or blue and white.
The women's attire often consists of a white top paired with a red skirt, or a white dress with a striking sky-blue belt.
Although the design isn't particularly unique, its distinctive color scheme makes it easily recognizable.
Edwina glanced at Odis: "In Remburg, unless you're attending a very formal banquet or are a nobleman, you don't usually wear a tailcoat. Your outfit is likely to attract the attention of the locals."
As she spoke, she tossed a cloth bag to Odis: "I've prepared a set of clothes for you. Go to the bathroom and change."
Odis smiled and said, "Thank you."
He took the cloth bag, went out to the washroom to change, and found that the men's clothing in Remberg was also mainly red and white, usually consisting of a red coat and a white undershirt, paired with black trousers.
Another point is that men in Rembrandt prefer to wear bowler hats, and not many people wear top hats normally.
Edwina looked at Odis, who was still sunny and cheerful after changing her clothes: "This outfit suits you very well."
Odis smiled and said, "Thank you."
"Can we set off now?"
"Wait a minute." Edwina took out a yellow talisman: "This is one of the official languages of Lenburg, and we might need it."
"The spell is the ancient Hermetic word for 'knowledge'."
Odis accepted it: "Thank you."
After using the brass-colored talisman, he immediately felt a new pronunciation and a new script appear in his mind.
The two then set off, and after a few minutes of "travel," they left the spirit world and arrived in a city with a long history and unique style.
The city has many old buildings with ancient styles and monochromatic colors, as well as many modern buildings with bright colors.
However, Odis's attention was on the street, where there were many benches or small tables. Many people were sitting on the benches reading, and some were sitting at the small tables reading and writing something.
Odis exclaimed, "What a city that loves learning!"
At that moment, his gaze froze, for he had spotted Bernadette on the bench!
With a hint of disbelief, Odis approached the bench: "'Queen,' it really is you."
"You... what are you doing here?"
"Why can't I be here?" Bernadette closed the book in her hand and smiled. "I have received a new 'prophecy,' and the opportunity I have been waiting for is in Azshara."
...
The Forsaken Land, in the mountains south of Silver City.
"Chief" Colin, with his graying hair, leads a five-person team, including Derrick, in a search in the mountains.
Their target was the "Guth Staff" that had previously emitted light.
However, only Derrick knows what the luminous object looks like.
The area isn't too far from Silver City, and everyone is quite familiar with the terrain. The residents of Silver City are also quite familiar with the types of monsters here, so the search operation proceeded quickly.
Suddenly, Colin, the "chief" walking at the front, raised his hand, and Derrick and the other team members immediately went on high alert.
At that moment, Colin suddenly said, "It's too quiet."
Only after being reminded by the "chief" did everyone realize that this was indeed the case, as there were no signs of any monster activity around.
The patrol teams outside Silver City don't even reach this area, so the monsters here aren't regularly cleared out.
However, the exploration team encountered almost no monsters after entering the mountains, which was very unusual.
Derrick pondered for a moment before speculating, "Could it be that the light attracted all the monsters around?"
Colin glanced at Derrick, then looked at the mountain ahead: "That guess makes a lot of sense."
Then he ordered, "Rest for a while before continuing the exploration."
...
Odis was somewhat surprised to encounter the "mysterious queen" Bernadette in Azshara, the capital of Remnantburg.
Bernadette was wearing local Rembrandt at the time, a white dress with a brightly colored belt.
In Odis's eyes, perhaps because the sunlight was too bright, he always felt that Bernadette, who was holding a book, seemed to be glowing.
Edwina, standing nearby, was very alert. This was not only the capital of Remnburg, but also the location of the headquarters of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
Although the headquarters is not in the city, it is too arrogant for the "Mysterious Queen," the leader of the secretive organization "Element Dawn," to be so openly reading a book on the street.
Bernadette glanced at Edwina, then said, "You guys go ahead and get busy. Come find me on Academy Avenue when you're done."
After speaking of the "mysterious queen," the queen continued reading, as if enjoying her leisure time.
Odis had many questions for Bernadette, but with Edwina present, it wasn't appropriate for the two to discuss anything too private.
So he and Edwina continued forward, and after leaving the street, Edwina whispered, "What is the 'mysterious queen's' purpose?"
"I don't know either." Odis smiled helplessly. "Even if she has a plan, she won't discuss it with me."
Edwina thought about it and agreed. After all, he was a big shot in the extraordinary world, and he certainly wouldn't report her thoughts to Odis.
As "Iceberg General" was pondering how to report this matter to the church, Odis seemed to read her mind and said, "In my opinion, the fact that Bernadette appeared before you proves that she did not come here to cause trouble, so you don't need to worry."
"Besides, it's pointless to report to the church. Even if we send angels, we might not be able to find her. It will only make you more nervous."
Edwina paused for a moment, then said nothing more. She still intended to report to the church and explain Odis's views on the matter. As for how the church would react, that was the church's business.
Odis looked at the people reading all over the streets: "Do the people in Remenberg really enjoy reading so much?"
Edwina explained, "In this country, many opportunities are obtained through exams, so everyone has a habit of studying hard."
"For example, if two people are competing for a management position, the local bishop and professors who are good at management will usually be asked to create a test based on the actual situation. The one who scores higher will get the position."
Odis was taken aback, never expecting that the Church of Knowledge had turned the entire society into a university!
So he asked, "What about civil servants in this society? Did they also obtain their positions through examinations?"
"In the past, civil servant positions were inherited from their fathers, just like in other countries," Edwina explained. "Moreover, each official had a group of staff members, who were essentially the lower-level civil servants in their departments."
"But after Rune implemented civil service examinations, Remburg immediately realized the benefits of this method and quickly introduced such a civil service selection method."
"Although this exam was initiated by Rune, Lunburg had already completed the corresponding exam process before them, and the first batch of civil servants who took the exam have already started their jobs."
Odis laughed and said, "Every country has its own strengths."
It is clear that the people of Remburg are very good at taking exams, and they seem to have no aversion to the process of obtaining civil service positions through exams.
"As for officials, they are mostly nobles," Edwina said. "Some departments have also implemented a system of requiring candidates to take civil service exams, but they have ultimately found that nobles are more suitable to serve as officials."
"Therefore, the upper-level officials in Remenberg still use the system of inheritance, where all members of a family take an exam, and whoever does well gets the position."
"For example, the Condis family has managed agriculture in Remenberg since ancient times, and after the reform of government departments, all the ministers of agriculture have been members of the Condis family."
"For the middle and lower levels, civil servants are selected through examinations, targeting ordinary people, businessmen, and other social classes."
"But this is only limited to Azshara and the eastern region; it will take some time before it can be rolled out in the western region."
Odis nodded. Generally speaking, it was similar to other countries, and the officials in various departments of Rune were mostly members of the nobility.
The connections within their families, and the education they received from childhood through oral instruction and personal example, certainly made nobles more competent officials.
Although the Intis parliament had great power and a well-established electoral system, what Rosell probably didn't expect was that the members of parliament had become a new aristocracy.
The process of electing a president has gradually degenerated into a game of money and politics.
Although both the Fenneport and the Fussac Empires underwent corresponding government reforms and declared that they would no longer use the hereditary system, in essence, the corresponding government positions never left the control of the respective families.
Since the topic had come up, Odis asked, "Is the supreme ruler of Remnantburg the king, or is there a council?"
"No," Edwina said. "But there is a Senate, which functions similarly to a parliament. The members of the Senate are mostly professors from various industries."
Odis nodded, roughly understanding that the direction of the country's development was determined by the Church of Knowledge!
Although he had no prior knowledge of the Remnburg Senate, he was certain that the professors had a church background.
Otherwise, the members of the Senate would not be professors, but rather top performers from all walks of life, with professors making up only a small percentage.
As the two chatted, they arrived at their destination, St. Chester Church, a huge Gothic church that looked very old. Although it was a weekday, people were constantly going in and out of the church to pray.
The status of St. Chester Church is equivalent to that of St. Samuel Church in Backlund to the Church of the Goddess of Night; it is the second headquarters of the Church of Knowledge.
Instead of going through the main entrance, Edwina led Odis to the back door and told the guard there that they wanted to see her mentor, Douglas.
Douglas was the Privy Councillor of Azshara and the principal head of the East Remnburg Diocese.
The guards dared not delay and immediately went to report.
A few minutes later, a bishop dressed in the robes of the Church of Knowledge came out to greet him: "I am Payne, assistant to Archbishop Douglas. Please follow me."
He led Odis and Edwina into the backyard of St. Chester Church, a vast courtyard comprised of houses built of dark brick and stone, with the ground paved with flagstones and numerous arcades connecting the surrounding buildings.
Payne led the two men to a reception room and then smiled and said, "The archbishop will have to wait a little while before he can see you. In the meantime, we'll wait here."
After the three of them sat down, he looked at Odis and said, "I've heard from Edwina that your research in mysticism is very advanced, and that you hope to cooperate with the Church of Knowledge."
Odis paused for a moment before nodding and saying, "Yes."
He realized that Archbishop Douglas might not be too busy to meet with them immediately, but rather wanted his assistant to speak with him first.
Payne asked, "Then are you interested in joining the Academy of Knowledge?"
Edwina, standing beside Odis, took a deep breath, for the Academy of Knowledge was a sacred place for every believer of the "God of Knowledge and Wisdom".
The dean of the Academy of Knowledge holds a position within the church similar to that of the Pope.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Odis recalled the information he had gathered: every orthodox church had such an institution, for example, the Church of the Goddess of Night had the Night Monastery.
Odis's understanding was that it was a gathering place for church members who were not very good at management but were very talented in extraordinary areas.
The invitation made Odis feel the sincerity of the Church of Knowledge, which was equivalent to directly entering their core organization.
However, Odis thought for a moment before saying, "I don't actually want to do full-time research work."
Edwina wanted to remind Odis what the "Academy of Knowledge" represented.
However, she couldn't really interrupt the conversation and could only watch anxiously for Odis from the sidelines.
Payne smiled and asked, "So what kind of job do you hope to do?"
"Management work," Odis said. "Preferably administrative management."
"That's easy to handle." Payne said readily, "The church has the right to recommend officials to the royal family. We can communicate with the royal family and arrange for you to take the governor's exam."
Odis was stunned; he hadn't expected his request to be met so easily.
In fact, his main purpose in coming here was simply to hope that the Church of Knowledge could protect his interests in Remnantburg in the future and provide him with sufficient extraordinary protection.
In other words, Odis gave the "Gal Rune" to the Church of Knowledge in exchange for their permission to develop his own power in Remnburg.
To his utter surprise, the other party would so readily allow him to compete for the governorship.
Of course, the value of the "Gal Rune" is greater than that of a governor, but in such negotiations, the Church of the True God has an absolute advantage, which is why Odis did not have high hopes for the negotiation process.
However, the result far exceeded Odis's expectations.
This made Odis smile and say, "That would be my honor."
Payne said, "Don't be too happy yet, because you have to pass the exam to see if you have the ability to serve as a government official."
"If you fail the exam, we will arrange for you to study. You can only take up your post after you pass the exam."
Odis nodded and said, "I respect Remenberg's way of selecting talent."
Payne grunted in agreement, took out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and then said, "I'll go see if the Archbishop has time now."
After the archbishop's assistant left the reception room, Edwina whispered, "The exams for officials are very difficult. Even nobles who have received the relevant education since childhood, the vast majority of them cannot pass the exams."
"Also, don't assume the church will help you cheat. After they find out about your situation, they might even make the exam more difficult."
This is a reminder to Odis that his choice might get him stuck at this stage of the exam.
Odis smiled slightly and said, "Then I will study in Azshara for a while."
Since a cooperation agreement has already been established, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to bring a few of his subordinates to Azshara, would it? It wouldn't be unreasonable for his subordinates to open a few shops here, would it?
At that time, he can study while building his own power in Azshara. Odis himself also plans to return to his old ways, open a shop about astrologers, become a charlatan, and digest potions.
Edwina didn't say anything more, and began to explain to Odis the general process of the official examination. When a vacancy for a local official position occurred, the royal family and relevant scholars would usually set the questions.
The competitors first pass a written test, and then go through an interview.
A crucial step in the interview was to pledge loyalty to the king and vow not to engage in any acts of separatism or treason.
After chatting for only a few minutes, Payne hurried back and said that Archbishop Douglas now had time to meet with Odis.
So the three of them went to Douglas's office, where he was a man in his forties, wearing glasses, with a gentle smile, and a very scholarly demeanor.
If he weren't wearing his bishop's robes, Odis would have thought he was a university professor.
Douglas rose and shook hands with Odis, smiling gently. "Future generations will remember your contributions to mysticism."
Odis politely replied, "You flatter me."
Douglas then invited Odis to sit on the sofa in the reception area, while his assistant Payne poured them tea.
Douglas said to Odis, "I heard from Payne that you wish to enter politics?"
"Yes," Odis said. "I have built an island in the sea, and under my management, that island is thriving."
The reason for such vigorous development is mainly because they were given enough money.
Douglas nodded slowly: "You've come at the right time. There's a governorship in the eastern region that's recently become available, but be prepared, you might have a dozen or so competitors."
"There is no competition for the two governorships in the West, but the conditions there are too harsh, and no one wants to go."
"And there's one thing you need to understand: the church only has the power to nominate candidates, but not the authority to help you pass the exam. I can only use my personal influence to prevent you from making the exam more difficult."
Odis smiled and said, "Thank you for your help."
As he spoke, he took out a booklet he had prepared in advance, which contained explanations and comparison tables of the meanings of "Garr runes," as well as algorithms for their use, rules for characters and geometric shapes, and other knowledge.
Odis said sincerely, "The moment I invented the 'Garr runes,' I was the one who most wanted them to spread throughout the Extraordinary Realms, but there just hadn't been a suitable opportunity until then."
At this point, he took a deep breath: "The Knowledge Church is its best choice."
Douglas accepted the booklet with both hands: "Don't worry, we will treat it with care."
Watching the archbishop solemnly put the booklet away, Odis said, "You just said that there are two governorships in the west with no one competing for them?"
"Yes," Douglas said. "You…you're interested in there?"
Before Odis could answer, he continued, "Are you familiar with the situation and geography of Remenberg?"
"I've done some research," Odis said. "Lombard has two powerful neighbors: the Republic of Intis to the north and the Kingdom of Fenneport to the south. They surround the entire western part of Lundburg."
"In addition, there are two small countries in the northwest, each with a population of only a few hundred thousand.
"There are two neighboring countries to the east, namely the Kingdom of Rune and Masi."
"In the southeast there are also two small countries with small areas and small populations."
"Lenberg's basic diplomatic policy is to ally with the Kingdom of Loen, maintain normal diplomatic relations with the Republic of Intis, and be hostile to the Kingdom of Feneport."
Douglas smiled and nodded: "It seems you have indeed done some research."
In fact, when he learned that Odis wanted to enter politics, he was worried about it. He was afraid that a pirate who knew nothing would fail the exams even after several years, which would be troublesome.
Odis continued, "Geographically and demographically, western Lunburg is part of the central plateau of the northern continent, which is said to be an area where bandits gather."
"Many bandits from the Republic of Intis and the Kingdom of Fennepot were also driven to the west of Lunburg."
"I would even argue that it was an infiltration of Remberg by two countries."
Douglas hummed in agreement, then mentally remarked: "Very politically astute."
"So the west has always been a region where Lenburg and two other countries have been secretly vying for power, and the situation is very complicated," Odis continued. "Perhaps this is why there is no competition for governorship there."
Douglas sighed and said, "It's worse than you think."
"The local people are known for their fierceness, and the bandits used the mountainous terrain to wage guerrilla warfare against the government forces."
"At the same time, they were funded by Intis and Fenneport, and had better weapons than the state guards. In many places, the bandits actually ruled, and the government forces could only be stationed in a few major cities."
"Moreover, military supplies there are frequently robbed, and the loyalty of the government forces is not very high."
"Another reason is that governors are frequently targeted for assassination, and the assassins have succeeded several times, so no one dares to become governor."
The situation was indeed more serious than Odis had imagined: "In other words, in many parts of that place, there was already a state of anarchy?"
Then he asked, "When did this situation begin?"
"It all started a few years ago when relations between the countries of the Northern Continent gradually became tense," Douglas patiently explained. "Now, many people in the royal family and the Senate are advocating for turning several very chaotic western states into autonomous states."
After a few seconds of consideration, Odis smiled and said, "I still hope to go to a state in the west."
The more chaotic the situation, the easier it is for him to establish his own power. In this situation, he can simply fire on those who disobey him.
In the more stable eastern states, Odis simply couldn't use forceful methods at will.
However, such chaotic states require significant investment in the early stages, primarily in terms of money and military force.
Douglas scrutinized Odis carefully, and seeing that the other was not joking, said, "I respect your choice."
He paused for a moment and then said, "You can come to take the exam tomorrow, and if all goes well, you might be able to have an interview the day after tomorrow."
Because there are no competitors, the exams and interviews can be arranged specifically for Odis.
Odis breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay."
With that, the conversation essentially came to an end. Odis rose to take his leave, and Douglas saw him to the door.
Afterwards, Edwina had to go to report for duty, so she planned to find a priest to arrange for Odis to stay in Azshara.
Odis declined, saying she wanted to wander around by herself. "Iceberg General" knew that Odis was going to find the "Mysterious Queen," so he simply arranged to meet her again in the afternoon.
Upon arriving on the street and seeing the exotic architecture and pedestrians, Odis paused for a moment before realizing that she had arrived in a foreign land.
He laughed and remarked, "Sometimes using 'travel' to go to a new place is quite meaningless."
If he had arrived in Rembrandt by train, he would have been mentally prepared, but arriving directly in Rembrandt's capital city like this gave Odis a sense of disorientation: he had breakfast on the ship, and now at nine o'clock in the morning he was already in a strange country.
Odis waved, and a horse-drawn carriage stopped.
The carriages in Rembrandt are smaller than those in Backlund, with softer lines and a luggage rack at the back.
Once aboard the carriage, Odis announced in his newly acquired official language, "Academy Avenue!"
Once the carriage started moving, Odis realized that he only had gold pounds in his wallet and no local currency.
So Odis asked the coachman to go to the bank first. After learning that Odis was going to the bank to exchange currency, the coachman said that he could also accept gold pounds.
Odis paused for a moment, but did not inquire further about the reason. He paid in gold pounds when he got off the carriage.
The College Avenue is where the University of Remburg is located. There are many groups of students on the street, and occasionally students will give impromptu speeches, which makes you feel the campus atmosphere immediately.
After getting off the carriage, Odis didn't know where to look for Bernadette, so he just wandered aimlessly along the avenue.
After walking only a few steps, Odis sensed something and saw the "mysterious queen" appear beside her, while the surrounding pedestrians seemed unaware that someone had suddenly appeared.
Soon, many students' attention was drawn to Bernadette.
Compared to the students here, she is a mature, intellectual, and beautiful woman. The "mysterious queen" is enough to conquer these young people with her unique temperament alone.