Backlund's Current Situation

Odys only sat down to rest in a wooden chair in the yard after confirming that both attackers were dead.

Only then did he realize that the gunshots earlier had not disturbed anyone nearby. Even the dog next door had not barked.

Aria had mostly recovered. She entered the yard and said, "Those two enemies came to kill you. I rushed over as soon as I received the news. Luckily, you were strong enough to defeat them both."

Her original plan had been to rescue Odys and make the herbal shop owner owe her a huge favor.

After all, she knew perfectly well how weak a Mystery Pryer was in combat. What she had not expected was that the Mystery Pryer before her did not need rescuing at all.

Odys felt that the dead Melee Scholar looked somewhat familiar, but he could not Recall where he had seen him before. He looked at Aria. "They attacked me because of you, didn't they?"

Aria's gaze flickered. "Possibly."

Odys rose to his feet, with no intention of pursuing the matter. As he headed toward the shop in front, he asked, "I don't want this to happen a second time."

"It won't. It absolutely won't happen again!" Aria immediately said. "That organization took a heavy blow today. They probably won't dare come to Backlund for some time."

When they entered the shop, they saw Bernadette sitting in a chair by the display window. She had chestnut-colored hair and wore a layered dress.

Aria immediately bowed. "Your Majesty!"

Bernadette had actually said many times that everyone only needed to call her "Your Highness," but her subordinates thought she was merely being polite and kept calling her "Your Majesty." Eventually, Bernadette could not be bothered to correct them anymore.

Inside the herbal shop, Aria was quietly surprised. It had been a long time since the queen had appeared in person.

Odys pointed at the Mystery Pryer by the entrance. "Sorry for the trouble, but when you're making plans in the future, could you avoid involving innocent, law-abiding citizens?"

Bernadette merely smiled. "Without me, you would have been captured by them long ago."

Odys did not continue that topic. Instead, he took out a bottle of medicine from a cabinet and placed it on the counter. "Which of you ladies would like to help?"

As he spoke, he lifted his shirt, revealing a large bruise on his back from the Melee Scholar's kick earlier.

Aria hurried forward. She could not possibly let the queen do that sort of thing.

But after she had taken only two steps, the bottle of medicine floated up on its own. Its cap opened, some of the liquid poured out, spread through the air, and was applied to the bruise on Odys's back.

That was Bernadette's Invisible Servant.

Odys grimaced. "Your hand is cold."

Bernadette, still seated, smiled. "At first, I thought you were merely an informant for the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery. I didn't expect you to be such a strange person.

"Only after further investigation did I learn that you were the hidden owner of the Nanwood Ballroom, the so-called Mr. Gal.

"I'm curious. If you truly want to help those women, why do you still let them work as streetwalkers instead of helping them earn a living in other ways?

"And if you don't want to help them, why are you willing to create an environment where they aren't tormented by extortion and disease?"

After the Invisible Servant finished applying the medicine, it vanished. Odys straightened his clothes. "Did someone tell you I was a good person?"

If he had transmigrated into ancient times back home, Odys definitely would not have done this kind of business. But this was a mysterious world he was relatively unfamiliar with. Faced with streetwalkers all over the streets, he no longer felt much psychological pressure about it.

Bernadette was slightly taken aback. "Not really."

She had thought that Odys would offer a few excuses for himself. She had not expected him to be so self-righteous.

Odys put away the medicine. "You don't think being a streetwalker is a filthy profession, do you? That they ended up where they are because they're lazy, because their minds have fallen into depravity?

"Heh. This world never gave them many chances to choose in the first place."

Odys sat behind the counter and continued, "I used to think selling one's body was shameful too. I thought that as long as I worked hard, I would surely be able to live the happy life I wanted.

"Only after moving from the outskirts into Backlund proper three years ago did I suddenly realize that this society only had three paths upward left: become a Beyonder, venture into the Southern Continent, or become some important man's mistress."

Bernadette slowly nodded. "I have time today. Tell me more."

"Unless they join an evil organization, becoming a Beyonder is beyond the reach of ordinary people." Odys held up three fingers. "Venturing into the Southern Continent is something only men can do, and more than half of them die there without anyone knowing why.

"That leaves women with only one path in this world. Don't talk to me about knowledge changing fate.

"In the East District, even if an entire family exhausts everything they have to send one child to a grammar school, most of those children still fall far behind middle-class children in terms of experience and exposure. They remain at a disadvantage when looking for work in the future.

"Often, their wages aren't even as high as what they could earn loading and unloading goods at the docks. But because they have received an education, they are unwilling to do physical labor anymore."

Odys took out his pipe but did not put any tobacco in it. "Knowledge has long been monopolized.

"The knowledge ordinary people learn only helps them become more competent ordinary people."

Aria was slightly stunned beside him. She had not expected the conversation to suddenly become so profound.

Bernadette gave Odys a new assessment in her heart: he was a clear-headed man.

Most people in this world did not know why they had to endure such suffering. It was because they were not clear-headed enough to observe this world calmly.

However, her expression remained unchanged. "What are your plans?"

Odys raised the pipe in his hand. "Do you ladies mind?"

Bernadette gave a slight wave of her hand, and Aria shook her head as well.

As Odys packed tobacco into the pipe, he asked, "What plans?"

"You've seen the flaws in this society. What are your plans?" Bernadette asked.

Under her father's guidance and influence, she had always believed that once someone discovered society's ills, they should take action. It seemed like an entirely natural way of thinking.

"What plans could I possibly have?" Odys lit his pipe with a match, took a puff, and repeated, "I'm only Sequence 9. What plans could I possibly have?

"What plans do powerful people like you have for the current social order?"

The foundation of this world was extraordinary power. That was the root cause of class solidification. Those who controlled extraordinary power would always be rulers, while ordinary people would always be ruled.

Neither knowledge nor hard work could break the shackles of this world, much less a Sequence 9.

Bernadette suddenly smiled. "You're right. I can't change this world however I please either."

Then she stood. "From now on, Aria will be the contact between you and us. If you have any ideas, you can contact me. Perhaps I can lend you a hand."

That had been her purpose in coming tonight. Since a hidden existence protected Odys and she could not force him to join Dawn of Elements, then she would maintain close contact with him.

At the same time, their conversation had made Bernadette decide to investigate Odys more thoroughly. He was a very interesting young man.

Thanks to [Book Friend 20191130195154094] for the reward.