Recently, Backlund has been thrown into turmoil by the serial killings...
In response to this, the official Beyonders have tightened control over the entire city, leaving rogue Beyonders too afraid to act...
Odis stopped Kain just as he was about to leave. He first jotted down a few words on paper, then handed over a 5 Pound note, "Go to the 'Backlund News Post' again and place this ad in the third section, same as usual."
This expense could be reimbursed by the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, so his gesture appeared quite generous.
In Backlund, the most popular newspapers were the 'Backlund Morning News' and the 'Loen Evening News'... It only cost 5 Pounds to publish a small advertisement in an inconspicuous place in a newspaper like the Backlund News, which did not sell very well.
Of course, in Odis's memory, 5 Pounds could sometimes buy you an ambassador.
Last year, through Max's introduction, Odis met the deacon of the 'Machinery Hivemind' in the Backlund region, Ikanser Bernard.
After several rounds of negotiations, Odis established a gathering called the 'Mysticism Research Society' with the support of the Church of Steam... Its purpose was to procure Mystical and Spiritual materials for the Church from the public while also disposing of items the Church no longer needed...
Theoretically, given his limited abilities, maintaining such a gathering would be difficult. But with the Church of Steam as his 'Hidden hand', no one dared voice any objections...
After over a year of operation, the gathering had attracted over a dozen Low-Sequence Beyonders.
Additionally, Odis had carefully selected more than a dozen seasoned Mysticism enthusiasts, each with their own channels and methods of confirming the existence of Beyonders, and all eager to join their ranks...
This gathering served as an excellent hub for intelligence gathering and information propagation. Gradually, Odis had become the eyes and ears of the Church of Steam in Backlund.
Placing ads in the Backlund News was a coded way of announcing gathering times.
This method was originally used by the 'Eye of Wisdom' to schedule their meetings. Odis found it effective and unapologetically adopted it.
After Kain left, Odis took his place behind the counter. Typically, from dusk onward, Mysticism enthusiasts would begin visiting the herbal shop, with business continuing late into the night.
Across all of Backlund, Gale's Herbal Shop boasted the most comprehensive inventory. Every Mysticism enthusiast in the city knew that if an herb couldn't be found elsewhere, it would surely be available here.
After a long night's work, Odis rested in his armchair as usual...
*Ding-a-ling~*
He looked up with slight exasperation. That sound now felt as intrusive as a ringing telephone in his past life.
The visitor was a woman in her thirties... She was not strikingly beautiful, but exuded an air of sophistication. Her hairstyle was fashionable, and her attire resembled the "modern woman" depicted in magazines.
Odis stood, "How may I assist you?"
The woman scrutinized the shop before settling her gaze on him, "Are you Odis Gale?"
"I am."
"I'm here to deliver a deposit and learn how to maintain weapons." Her expression remained stern as she handed him a paper package.
Truthfully, she was baffled by this assignment. What could this casually dressed young man possibly teach her?
But as it was the "Queen's" order, she had rushed over immediately... though her tone couldn't help but carry a hint of condescension.
Odis paid no mind to her attitude. Based on his observations, this woman was at least Sequence 7, possibly even Sequence 6.
Facing a mere Sequence 9, she had every right to be haughty.
Odis opened the package and counted the money... It was exactly 1 000 Pounds.
He set it aside casually and spoke, "Return tomorrow at 2 PM. I'll explain the enchantments in the weapons and their maintenance."
The woman frowned slightly, "Could it be in the morning?"
"No. I have business tomorrow morning." Since it had been a while since the last gathering, Odis had scheduled it for the next day.
The Backlund News was published in the evening, so timing wasn't an issue.
The woman studied Odis briefly before suddenly smiling, "Then afternoon it is."
With that, she turned and left without even a basic introduction...
.....
~8 AM~
Dressed in a dark overcoat and a low-brimmed hat, Odis arrived at 77 Hilton Avenue, south of Green Park.
It was a modest residence... clean but lacking any lived-in warmth.
After glancing out the window, he opened the door to the basement. Channeling Spirituality into the correct spot, he deactivated the Mystical traps along the descending passage.
The basement was sparse, containing only a table and a coat rack. On one wall was an enormous "Octagram" magic array.
Each node of the array was embedded with gemstones carved with Mystical symbols. At its center was a layered 'Door' emblem, inlaid with a piece of 'Ahornak Crystal'...
'Ahornak Crystal' was one of the primary materials for advancing to 'Traveler', making its value self-evident. The tiny fragment sewn into Odis's coat was worth 1 200 Pounds, while the one embedded in the wall was valued at 3 300 pounds...
However, Odis later reimbursed this sum from the Church of Steam in over a dozen installments...
Here, he donned an iron mask engraved with Mystical symbols. He removed his overcoat and draped himself in a hooded cloak, concealing all identifying features.
Approaching the Octagram-adorned wall, he channeled Spirituality into one of the gemstones. Under the influence of the Mystical materials, the Octagram opened an illusory passage.
Odis stepped into the void, emerging in a basement three streets away.
This magic array operated on the same principle as the one in his coat, except this was a fixed passage, making it far more stable. So, there was no risk of being blown into the sky by a storm.
The drawback was that it could only transport one person to a single predetermined location. After each use, it required an hour's cooldown and couldn't be carried around.
Arriving in the other basement, Odis felt no discomfort. Moving through the darkness, he ascended to the ground-floor parlor.
Several gathering attendees were already present. By now, they were accustomed to him materializing from the basement.
The spacious parlor had rows of chairs, with Odis seated opposite them on a small raised platform.
Members trickled in until 8:30 AM (the scheduled start time), though only about two-thirds of the usual attendees had arrived.
Odis declared, "We won't wait any longer."
A masked, burly participant remarked, "Let's hope the others are still alive."
Odis chuckled, "Don't be so grim." He paused, then announced, "The gathering begins!"
A participant in the back row spoke first, his voice gruff, "I'd like to recommend a new member! She's a bounty hunter active in the East Borough. I've worked with her a few times... She's very reliable..."
"...Also, she seems to be an 'Arbiter', though... well, she's a bit short..."
Odis froze... 'Could he be recommending... Xio?'