Dinner with Queen Mystic

Nightfall, West Borough, 75 Hailin Avenue.

Even after sitting in the living room of Odys's residence, Bernadette still found it hard to believe that she had accepted Odys's invitation to sample Mutated Flamingo meat.

She had already forgotten the last time she had been as spontaneous as she was today.

Perhaps it was because their afternoon discussion had been so profound that she had taken an interest in Odys's invitation, Bernadette thought.

Since she was already here, she stopped dwelling on it. She got up and examined several artworks in the living room, only to discover that they were all high-quality replicas.

Bernadette smiled knowingly. This was quite in line with what she knew of Odys. Based on her recent observations using an Invisible Servant, nearly all of Odys's income had been spent on mysticism research.

With his income, he could easily afford a carriage, yet he was still taking public carriages!

The many exquisite handicrafts displayed on the shelf against the wall were probably the most valuable things in the room.

Bernadette saw a model of an ironclad warship, a figurine clad in strange armor with an industrial aesthetic, and models of trains, flying castles, and the like.

On the top shelf were two photographs.

One was a portrait of Odys. He wore a top hat and formal attire, gazing toward the front left as though he had seen his future, or perhaps as though he were looking into the distance.

The one on the right showed Odys standing in front of a herbal shop.

At that moment, Odys called from the dining room, "Dinner's ready."

"All right." Bernadette entered the dining room, where the table was already covered with food.

There was roast meat, meat soup, fried meat, and stir-fried meat with peppers. All of it was Mutated Flamingo meat.

Since carving the Magic Formation on the Arrow of Flames required forty-five Mutated Flamingo leg bones, twenty-three Mutated Flamingos had been hunted.

The long, slender legs, livers, blood, and seven long tail feathers of these spiritual creatures were Spiritual Materials with fire properties.

The rest, however, was merely food rich in spirituality.

Odys naturally had no intention of wasting something so good. Aside from the two he had left for old Anlier, he had given two to his clerk Kainer, kept five for himself, and sent another five to Max.

The remaining nine had been delivered to the Nanmu Ballroom, where they could be used as gifts for courtesans visiting nobles.

Those nobles knew quality when they saw it and naturally recognized that these were good things.

Of the five Odys had brought back, he had used four to prepare tonight's dinner.

He had also made a vegetable salad, arranged a fruit platter, bought some desserts and bread, and purchased a bottle of red wine.

That was how this lavish dinner had come to be.

Bernadette looked over the dishes. "It looks pretty good."

At the very least, it smelled delicious. She cut off a piece of meat and put it into her mouth. The texture was somewhat dry, but the flavor was exceptionally fresh.

Odys also picked up his knife and fork. "I've always been curious. Do high-ranking Beyonders like you still eat like ordinary people?"

"Not necessarily every meal," Bernadette replied. "Most of the time, eating is more like psychological comfort."

She said, "You seem to like photography?"

Even in Backlund, photography was a rather extravagant expense.

Odys smiled. "Cameras are pretty fun."

In truth, he mainly wanted to experience what photography was like in this era. Box cameras already existed. Though they looked rather bulky, taking refined-looking black-and-white photographs was no problem.

"When you continue advancing, you'll discover even more interesting things." Bernadette smiled, set down her dinner knife, and snapped her fingers at the air.

Odys immediately saw a sketchbook and paintbrush appear beside the dining table. Both hovered in midair, while an invisible force controlled the brush, making it rapidly draw and paint across the paper.

After barely more than ten seconds, the brush stopped. The drawing board turned, facing Odys and Bernadette.

Odys saw a realistic painting depicting the two of them having dinner.

Although there had only ever been one paintbrush from beginning to end, the painting was in color and remarkably lifelike, almost like a color photograph.

Odys could not help but sigh. "Being a Beyonder really is convenient."

Hearing Odys's somewhat astonished remark, Bernadette smiled and snapped her fingers again. An invisible hand removed the painting and handed it to Odys.

"Thank you." Odys accepted the painting. "I'll buy a frame and keep it as a collection."

Bernadette said indifferently, "It's only a painting."

Then, as they ate and chatted, Bernadette asked, "I've always found it strange. Why did you put so much effort into building your own intelligence network?"

The Mysticism Research Society had established an intelligence network within Backlund's Beyonder circles. Though it had no information on the major figures of the Beyonder world, Odys could learn of any developments there at the first possible moment.

Meanwhile, the Nanmu Ballroom served as an intelligence network among Backlund's nobility. Odys knew many of the nobles' secrets, and whenever he needed to, he could use that information to create enormous profits.

"The reason is simple." Odys raised his glass and took a small sip before saying, "Information is a very valuable yet relatively safe 'commodity.'"

"Let me give you an example. If you needed some information about Backlund, you'd most likely come to me to buy it rather than seize me and torture it out of me, wouldn't you?"

Bernadette also raised her glass. "What if you encounter Lunatics like those from the Aurora Order? They might kill you, then use Spirit Channeling to obtain the information."

"That's why I cooperate with the Orthodox Churches." Odys smiled. "The Aurora Order is an exception. No matter what I do, running into Lunatics from the Aurora Order is dangerous."

Only then did Bernadette reveal her true purpose. "I learned that members of the Aurora Order also attend the gatherings you organize."

"They really are dangerous, but as long as you grasp their needs, you can still make some use of them." Odys said, "Of course I know this is dangerous, so I've always made sure they can't find me."

As for methods such as divination, Knowledge Moor naturally helped block them. There was no need to worry about those Lunatics finding him.

Odys smiled. "But I can find them."

Bernadette slowly nodded. As long as he did not have overly deep ties with the Aurora Order, it was fine.

After that, their conversation became more relaxed. They mostly discussed plays, operas, interesting stories from Backlund, and so on.

After nine in the evening, once they had eaten and drunk their fill and had tea by the fireplace for a while, Bernadette took her leave.

Odys had originally intended to see her to the door, but Bernadette vanished right in front of the fireplace.

He stretched, but did not rest immediately. Instead, he began preparing for tomorrow's Mysticism Research Society gathering.

Tomorrow, Xio Derecha would attend as a new member.