Lord of the Mysteries: I Married the Queen Mystic

Upon hearing Bernadette's words, Odis's internal alarms blared...

He forced a relaxed expression and asked, "Is there something wrong with those two bookmarks?"

"You should know that one of those two bookmarks isn't an ordinary bookmark, right?" Bernadette's voice remained disembodied, her presence still hidden.

"I don't know," Odis replied.

The moment the words left his mouth, his nose grew longer.

A soft chuckle echoed in the air, "Heh."

Cold sweat nearly broke out on Odis's back. If this conversation continued, there was a risk of dragging 'The Fool' into it, which would be troublesome.

Just then, a realization struck him... Bernadette was asking about the nature of the bookmarks, not their whereabouts.

He quickly replayed their earlier conversation about the 'Cards of Blasphemy' in his mind and confirmed that Bernadette had indeed not inquired about the bookmarks' location.

'Damn... That scared me.' Odis sighed inwardly.

His own guilt over knowing too many secrets had made him jump to conclusions about 'The Fool'.

In reality, with the protection of the gray fog, Bernadette had no way to pinpoint the exact location of the Cards of Blasphemy through Mystical means.

Taking a deep breath, Odis admitted, "Alright, the 'Machinery Hivemind' did discover that one of those two bookmarks was unusual. According to Archbishop Horamick Haydn, the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery was deceived by Emperor Roselle for over 150 years..."

After sharing this verified piece of intelligence, his nose returned to its normal length.

Silence followed for more than ten seconds before Odis tentatively asked, "Uh… are you still there?"

"I… I just didn't expect the matter to be…" Bernadette seemed to steady her emotions before continuing, "If you can help me uncover what that special bookmark truly is, I will reward you handsomely."

"That's a bit difficult," Odis answered truthfully, "It's not easy for me to meet Archbishop Haydn, and even if I did, extracting useful information from him would be nearly impossible... But I'll keep an ear out. Others who were present at the time might also know the truth."

It wasn't that he didn't want to investigate. It was that he couldn't.

If 'The Fool' decided to curse him, he'd spend the rest of his life in poverty...

Bernadette hummed in acknowledgment, "Very well, delivering the message to you is enough for now. Now, go back and start crafting those ten Flamebolts! I hear you haven't even begun?"

Odis stiffened, "You… you've been spying on me?"

"Not spying. Just occasionally checking your progress."

Odis opened his mouth, realizing it was likely Bernadette's invisible messenger that frequently appeared near his herbal shop, "What if I went to visit a streetwalker? Would you need to know that too?"

"Heh, why? Are you embarrassed?" Bernadette's voice grew increasingly ethereal, "Let me remind you... you need to act quickly. If you fail to deliver on time, don't expect the final payment."

She intended to have Aelia observe Odis's process of crafting mystical weapons through her messenger, all in hopes to master the technique so that 'Element Dawn' could produce Flamebolts themselves.

At the same time, Bernadette had a premonition that closely monitoring Odis's actions might yield unexpected gains.

"Understood," Odis grumbled, his mood souring, "And I warn you... no peeking when I'm bathing!"

"Tch. My messenger has no such interests," Bernadette's voice faded further.

The moment her words ended, the weightless sensation around Odis vanished, and he found himself back in the real world.

He sighed helplessly, feeling like he wouldn't even dare to undress for sleep anymore.

Since the client was pressing, the next morning, which was a Friday, Odis sent Kain to the foundry to place an order for fifteen sets of Flamebolt components. Bulk ordering reduced the cost per set to just 1 pound.

Just as Kain was about to leave, a rented carriage delivered a letter from the 'Backlund Institute for Mechanical Research'...

Odis opened the envelope and skimmed the contents... it was an investigative report on Xio Derecha. He then instructed Kain to place a newspaper ad and send a letter to Xio, preparing a gathering for the next day.

Truth be told, when Odis had calculated the costs with Bernadette earlier, he had slightly inflated the prices of the mystical materials, even if they were still lower than market rates.

The reason? He could cultivate and breed some of those materials himself!

Once Kain returned from his errands, Odis left him in charge of the shop and headed to the basement, then to his suburban laboratory to gather the necessary ingredients...

....

~Unit 22 Tuteva Street, South of the Backlund Bridge~

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

"Who is it?" grumbled Fors, still lounging in bed past ten o'clock.

"A letter for Xio Derecha!"

"Got it. Leave it in the mailbox." Fors picked up a magazine and continued reading in bed.

'The fog is thick today… It's too cold. No harm sleeping in a little longer…'

Suddenly, her eyes widened.

She quickly changed clothes, opened the door, and glanced around. The fog was indeed heavy, but the streets showed no suspicious figures.

Hurrying to the mailbox, she retrieved a letter marked 'Mysticism Research Society'...

"Just as I thought!"

Fors scanned the surroundings once more, but still found no sign of watchers.

'Maybe it's time to move again.' she thought.

An hour later, Xio returned, having no work for the afternoon, "Oh, Goddess above! You're actually up at this time!"

As she spoke, she warmed herself by the fireplace, "Two days without sunlight… If the Eternal Blazing Sun Church came to Backlund, they'd gain a flood of converts."

Fors who was busy in the kitchen wiped her hands and handed Xio the letter, saying, "It's from the Mysticism Research Society!"

Xio froze momentarily before accepting it. Fors had already opened the envelope.

Inside was a note that read:

<...Dear Miss Derecha

We are pleased to inform you that your application to join the Mysticism Research Society has been approved...>

<...The gathering schedule will be posted in the third-page advertisement section of the Backlund Post. Please watch for bulk herb sales ads.

The third digit (+ 3) indicates the meeting date. If the result is 32 or 33, it means the 2nd or 3rd of the next month. The fourth digit (+ 2) is the meeting hour. The last digit (ignoring any zeros) is the meeting minute...>

<...As this is your first gathering, a carriage will arrive to pick you up two hours prior. Please be ready.

Additionally, prepare 5 soli to cover the cost of the standard-issue mask and hooded cloak provided during the ride.

Sincerely,

The Leader...>

Xio frowned, "What a strange gathering."

No ordinary Beyonder gathering would send such a formal notice, unless the organizer was insane.

"This confirms your earlier intel!" Fors analyzed. "This 'Leader' has official backing, so they're not afraid of exposure."

She paused, then added with a smirk, "Besides, it's mysterious. Pretty cool, don't you think?"