From what Tracy had observed, someone even more mysterious and powerful stood behind the Admiral of Mysteries. He did not seem to be entirely Queen Mystic's subordinate.
Tracy had therefore changed her strategy. The terms she offered seemed rather hasty, since they did not know what Odys or the force behind him wanted.
That was why she was surprised when the two sides had just reached a tentative agreement to cooperate.
Afterward, she had intended to use Pleasure to obtain Odys's bodily fluids and gain greater control over the Admiral of Mysteries, lest word of their proposed deal leak out.
When Pleasure failed, Tracy played the card she had originally prepared for Queen Mystic. She hoped the queen's involvement would keep the Admiral of Mysteries interested long enough for her to return and discuss a more concrete proposal.
At the Admiral of Mysteries' question, Tracy smiled. "Ideally, we'd establish a partnership with both you and the queen."
Odys considered this before saying, "If the queen is involved, I need more details about your plan so I can report it to her."
"No problem," Tracy said readily. "We learned by chance that Queen Mystic has been searching for traces of her father.
"She only needs to do us one very simple favor, and she'll receive a clue about him."
Odys smiled. "Are you trying to pressure the queen?"
Tracy had offered no further explanation of their plan. Instead, she had emphasized how much they knew about Queen Mystic.
It was a form of pressure, meant to make Odys believe they understood Queen Mystic well.
But Odys was unmoved. "Let me guess what you're offering. I hear Trier was an important battlefield during the Pale Era. One of your Primordial's daughters even died there.
"I also hear its underground is extraordinarily complex,