Upon hearing Odis's question, the chestnut-haired Bernadette gave him a cold glance and said nothing. Once again, illusory feathers enveloped them.
When they reappeared, they were on the rooftop across from «Gale's Herbal Shop» on Henry Street.
Odis sat on the ground for over ten minutes before the motion-sickness-like sensation finally faded...
Bernadette who had been standing nearby the whole time suddenly spoke, "Get up and see for yourself."
Only then did Odis notice that the space around him and Bernadette had grown hazy again, as though they were about to vanish from this world.
Standing up, he saw two masked figures dressed in black swiftly approaching the herbal shop, where faint light seeped through the windows.
After confirming no one was around, they forcefully pushed the door open. Finding the shop empty, they froze for a second or two before immediately turning to leave.
At that moment, Bernadette produced two pea seeds in her hand. With a casual toss, the peas fell onto the street and immediately sprouted vines that coiled around the two black-clad figures who were clearly not ordinary thieves.
Bernadette didn't kill them. Instead, she pointed a finger at the ground and a pair of red high heels materialized on their feet.
Bound by the vines, the two began to dance, their faces twisted in terror. Yet they seemed unable to scream, only able to express their horror silently.
This reminded Odis of the fairy tale 'The Red Shoes'...
Though he had only read it once, the image of the cursed shoes forcing their wearer to dance endlessly was unforgettable.
After dancing for over half a minute, the terror on their faces and the red shoes vanished together. The vines loosened, and the two men tipped their hats in Bernadette's direction before quickly disappearing into the night.
Odis was stunned at whole spectacle. He guessed that wherever these two went or whom they met in the coming days, Bernadette would know every detail.
Then, he finally processed their earlier actions, "I don't remember making any enemies recently..."
Since arriving in this world, Odis had kept a low profile. While expanding his gray-market operations, he had even used his abilities and connections to take over a small gang, using them as a shield whenever necessary.
"You didn't make enemies," Bernadette said, once again producing the small wooden box containing the extraordinary weapon, "But you do have something they desire."
Only one such weapon existed, and those who had seen it had already been reduced to ashes...
After a moment of silence, Odis came to a realization, "Pete is dead..."
"Yes," Bernadette confirmed, "He died at the hands of a maddened Beyonder. The weapon you invented couldn't save him..."
"...Coincidentally, a member of a certain secret organization passed by, witnessed the weapon in Pete's possession, and took it after his death..."
"...Upon learning the weapon originated from you, a few local members of this organization planned to abduct you for further interrogation regarding its origins."
The so-called "secret organization" was actually the local faction of the 'Hermits of Fate' in Backlund.
Bernadette had been tracking the member of said organization who took the weapon. Just as she was about to close in, she encountered the weapon Pete had carried, which prompted her to seek out Odis first for answers.
As for witnessing Klein stealing the bookmarks, that had been an urgent and unexpected coincidence.
Odis put on an earnest expression, "That weapon really did come from the Church of Steam and Machinery..."
Suddenly, he felt the weight on his face increase. His nose began visibly elongating.
Beside him, Bernadette smiled beautifully, "And deception is how you repay your savior?"
Remembering how the Queen Mystic had manipulated him like a puppet earlier, Odis had an epiphany, "If I lie, my nose grows longer?"
Bernadette didn't answer directly. Instead, she said, "Let's see if your nose can stretch all the way across the Tussock River."
Odis sighed, "Let's talk inside the shop. I'll tell you the truth about the weapon."
With that, his nose returned to its normal length. Odis knew all too well that in the world of mysticism, hiding the truth from such a powerful figure would only make things worse. He was prepared to explain the weapon's origins...
The Queen Mystic nodded in satisfaction, "Good."
The two returned to Gale's Herbal Shop. Odis closed the door behind them and offered, "Would you like a drink?"
"No."
So he poured himself a glass of alcohol, took a sip, and then stepped behind the counter.
They resumed their earlier positions; one inside the counter, the other outside.
"I assume you're familiar with the function of magic arrays," Odis began as he pulled out a sheet of paper.
With a compass, he drew a large circle, then inscribed two overlapping isosceles triangles (one upright, one inverted) inside it. Finally, he added a smaller circle at the center.
This was a classic hexagram array. By filling the gaps with different symbols, one could create arrays with varying effects; such as increasing the success rate of low-level spells, temporarily enhancing or stabilizing Spirituality, or even serving as decorative motifs.
They were common auxiliary tools in the mystical world, even used by some occult enthusiasts. However, due to their limited utility, they were primarily employed by Low-Sequence Beyonders, especially those unsuited for direct combat.
Higher-tier arrays could serve sealing or defensive purposes, but these required the support of High-Sequence entities or Beyonder characteristics...
For most Beyonders, arrays were largely impractical.
As Odis deftly filled the array with mystical symbols, he continued, "In recent years, my research has revealed that the true value of arrays lies not in their direct effects, but in their ability to provide a channel for Spirituality to extend outward within a certain range..."
"...For example, if I inject Spirituality here, the output will transfer flawlessly to the center of the hexagram array... "
"...If I place a 'Fire Salamander's Gland' at the center, the array will inevitably ignite, with a chance of producing a fireball. But if I use a fire salamander's blood instead..."
Odis retrieved a small glass vial which contained half a bottle of bright red liquid from the cabinet, the liquid was 'fire salamanderʼs blood', an extremely valuable high-tier Spiritual material at Sequence 7.
He dripped a few drops into the center of the array while continuously channeling Spirituality into it.
*Whoosh*
A small, steady flame ignited at the array's core.
Odis explained further, "This is a high-tier fire-attribute Spiritual material, so it naturally combusts under Spiritual influence."
Bernadette grasped his intent. She then pointed at the wooden box, "So this weapon has a precisely crafted array inside?"
"Correct." Odis affirmed.
Bernadette pressed further, "Do you realize what this weapon implies?"
Odis blinked, "What does it imply?"
Bernadette said gravely, "Every Sequence 9 Beyonder could wield 'Fireball'..."
Even if it was a low-tier version, the Queen Mystic could already see the groundbreaking implications of this research...
...
{T/N: A Fire Salamander's Gland is one of the materials required for the 'Pyromaniac' Potion...}