Lord of the Mysteries: I Married the Queen Mystic

At Mr. World's reminder, Derrick froze momentarily...

From childhood, he had grown up eating food made from ground black-faced grass. To suddenly be told that black-faced grass was not a normal plant was as shocking as someone telling Miss Justice and the others that wheat was a poisonous weed.

Odis asked Derrick, "Where does black-faced grass grow?"

"On the city walls, rooftops, and the streets," Derrick answered.

'So it doesn't grow in fields…' Fors mused silently, 'Hmm… That really is a bit unusual.'

Odis continued, "Is there any outside the city?"

"No."

"Have you found similar plants in the areas around the city?"

"No."

"Then there's no problem. You can keep eating it without worry," Odis affirmed.

Audrey asked quicker than Derrick, "Mr. Hermit, how did you come to this conclusion?"

Odis explained, "The growth range of black-faced grass closely resembles the description of high-level Sealed Artifacts."

He paused, then smiled, "I've never seen high-level Sealed Artifacts myself, but I've heard about some. Certain artifacts have effects that permeate an entire city. From the sound of it, the presence of black-faced grass seems to be the effect of such an artifact."

Derrick's mouth opened slightly... This was something he had never considered.

Behind the gray fog, Klein marveled: 'The Hermit is quite knowledgeable...'

He then recalled that Sealed Artifacts always had negative effects and was about to manipulate The World to issue a warning. But after some thought, he refrained. After all, Little Sun had no other food options.

Also, since no mutations or deformities had occurred, even if there were some side effects, they seemed acceptable.

After hearing Mr. Hermit's explanation, Audrey felt a sense of relief: 'The new member has already integrated into the Tarot Club, even using his knowledge to help others solve problems.'

At this moment, Fors had only one thought: 'This sounds impressive...'

At the same time, a question occurred to her. She glanced at The Hermit and asked, "Mr. Hermit, why is the effective range of high-level Sealed Artifacts described as 'a city'?"

She felt her phrasing was imprecise, so she reworded it, "Backlund and the southern Pritz Harbor are both cities, but their sizes and populations are on completely different scales. Could a high-level Sealed Artifact's effect cover Pritz Harbor as easily as it covers Backlund?"

Odis smiled and said, "This question involves the concept of 'conceptualization'. It is said that high-level Sealed Artifacts possess certain conceptual definitions. Thus, their range of effect is also a concept, such as 'a city', 'a nation', and so on."

"...Mm, if you'd like more detailed information, I can look into it for you. However, that intelligence is quite high-level and would require a transaction."

"No need," Fors replied with a smile.

Although The Hermit's explanation had piqued her curiosity further, she was currently saving money for her advancement's main ingredients and had no spare gold pounds to indulge her curiosity.

Klein, however, was reminded of the concept of 'Uniqueness'... His experience with the 'Black Emperor' card had given him some understanding of this idea. While he was eager to know more, the matter wasn't urgent enough for him to spend gold pounds on.

Alger also realized that the 'conceptualization' The Hermit mentioned must be high-end esoteric knowledge, but he decided to wait until he had a specific need before pursuing a transaction.

Odis turned back to the reassure the Little Sun, saying, "I have channels to learn more about Amon. Would you like to continue trading with me?"

"Yes!" Derrick answered immediately, "But… what can I trade you? The potion formula for 'Light Suppliant'?"

"I need you to catch one of the swamp fish and collect a small bucket of swamp mud," Odis said, "Also, capture a few of those blood-sucking insects. Bring me one of those thorned poisonous vines along with a bucket of its soil. And, if possible, dig up a few black-faced grass plants."

The other members were taken aback... they hadn't expected The Hermit to request such things.

Derrick hesitated before saying, "Um, Mr. Hermit, these things have little value. They're not equivalent to the worth of your information."

"In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, they might not be considered valuable," Odis replied with a faint smile.

Audrey asked curiously, "Mr. Hermit, could you share why you need these things?"

Odis answered plainly, "For experiments."

Klein, controlling The World, asked, "You want to compare the species of the Forsaken Land of the Gods with those in our world to find differences?"

"Correct," Odis confirmed.

Alger also joined the discussion, "What's the significance of that?"

"This ties into a previous study of mine," Odis explained without concealment, "A few years ago, my research discovered that the Spirituality within normal humans undergoes a kind of self-circulating activity..."

Behind the gray fog, Klein thought: 'This sounds a bit like the theory of meridians in traditional Chinese medicine!'

Odis continued, "Normally, this cycle gradually weakens until the Spirituality dissipates entirely, corresponding to the aging or death of a person. But many external forces can disrupt this cycle... For example, some forms of Beyonder corruption can shatter the cycle, causing Spirituality to follow more chaotic trajectories, which, in turn, affect the spirit, mind, and body."

"...Thus, Beyonder corruption can lead to anything from minor ailments to outright madness, loss of control, and the complete breakdown of spiritual circulation, turning a person into a monster."

Everyone was stunned. This was the first time they had heard such a theory.

Klein recalled relevant content from the Book of Secrets: 'The Hermit's research into Spirituality seems even more profound than the Shaman King's...'

"The plants and animals in the Forsaken Land of the Gods have clearly undergone mutations," Odis went on, "For me, these are excellent research samples."

The members nodded in understanding, now grasping Odis's purpose.

Fors marveled: 'This is my first time meeting a scholar-type Beyonder. I've heard such Sequences exist within the orthodox Churches, but Mr. Hermit doesn't seem affiliated with any of them...'

Audrey was also curious, "Mr. Hermit, what is the focus of your research?"

"Applications of Spirituality and ritualistic arrays," Odis replied.

"Ritualistic arrays?" Alger was surprised, "You mean those pentagrams or hexagrams and the like?"

During his Mysticism training, he had despised those cumbersome arrays. They were troublesome and seemed practically useless.

Due to lacking systematic Mysticism training, the other members were equally baffled... Klein included. Theoretically, after reaching Sequence 8 in the Nighthawks, he should have had the chance to undergo advanced Mysticism studies in Backlund.

Unfortunately, he "died" before receiving the notice...

"Precisely those arrays," Odis confirmed, "They possess boundless power and a multitude of applications."

Alger fell into deep self-doubt, "Are we talking about the same thing?"