Mystery: I Married the Queen of Mystery

At this moment, inside the "Source Castle," in the magnificent hall conjured by Klein.

The other members, including "The Fool," were absent, making Audris feel a bit unaccustomed.

Only then did Klein, sitting at the lowest seat, say, "Thank you for your help today."

Audris spread his hands and smiled, "We are merely cooperating; after all, you didn't ask for any spoils of war."

"Those spoils of war are not worth mentioning compared to the help you provided today," Klein said.

Then, he changed the subject, "I am very curious to know, what kind of being is it that helped me today?"

"It is a being with profound knowledge," Audris said, "But you can rest assured, I have not told anyone about the Tarot Club."

Klein asked respectfully, "What is His honorific title?"

Audris paused slightly before saying, "Lord of Mysteries."

Klein slowly nodded: No wonder Mr. Gehrman Sparrow calls himself "Admiral of Mysteries"; it turns out he is actually loyal to the "Lord of Mysteries."

Klein never dreamed that it wasn't because of loyalty to the "Lord of Mysteries" that he was called "Admiral of Mysteries," but rather because he was called "Admiral of Mysteries" that Audris, in a moment of desperation, addressed the Great Existence as the "Lord of Mysteries."

Then, Klein asked again, "Why haven't I heard of the deeds of this deity before?"

Audris vaguely replied, "Because He is 'Mystery'."

Originally, he thought Klein would inquire whether this deity was the "Hidden Sage"? He didn't expect Klein to ask in this direction, so he wasn't prepared for a moment.

At this moment, Klein thought to himself: How wonderful, the "Lord of Mysteries" even gives his subordinates such high-level staffs, while "The Fool"... alas, "The Fool" has nothing to bestow upon his followers, and even if he did, it would be for other followers, not for me, because I am "The Fool."

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Klein, seeing Audris's hesitant answers, began to inquire about the spoils of war today.

After learning about the losses of the "Rose School," Klein was once again filled with envy.

After chatting for a while, Audris bid farewell and returned to the real world. Klein sat in the magnificent hall, silent for a few seconds: Why can't I divine any information about the "Lord of Mysteries"? Why, when I divined the "Gus Staff," did that newsboy from Backlund appear before me?

Previously, in Backlund, some members of the "Moses Ascetic Order" conducted a ritual to bring about the descent of an Outer God.

While the ritual was being conducted, many extraordinary cases occurred in Backlund. Klein encountered one in which a newsboy selling newspapers followed him persistently and strangely, and he had to keep buying his newspapers to stabilize the other party.

At that time, Mr. Gehrman Sparrow helped him solve the problem.

Just now, when Klein was divining the origin of the "Gus Staff" "above the gray fog," the appearance of that boy strangely appeared, which made Klein puzzled.

...

After returning to the real world, Audris wandered around Crusoe Island. After the crew returned, he held a short meeting for everyone, telling them about his recent plans and asking them to prepare to support Lenburg at any time.

On Wednesday morning, Audris came to the "Golden Dream" and met Edwina in the captain's study.

Edwina had already changed into a Lenburg-style outfit. The biggest feature of this country's clothing is the preference for wearing red and white interspersed clothes, or blue and white interspersed.

Ladies' clothing is often a white top with a red skirt, or a white dress with an eye-catching sky blue belt.

Although the style is not very distinctive, it is still very recognizable because the color scheme is relatively unique.

Edwina glanced at Audris: "In Lenburg, unless you are attending a very formal banquet, or are a noble, you usually don't wear a tailcoat. Your outfit is likely to attract the attention of the locals."

As she spoke, she threw a cloth bag to Audris: "I have prepared a set of clothes for you. Go to the washroom and change."

Audris smiled, "Thank you."

He took the cloth bag, went out to the washroom to change. Lenburg men's clothing is also mainly red and white, usually a red coat and a white undershirt, with black pants.

In addition, Lenburg men like to wear bowler hats, and not many people usually wear top hats.

Edwina looked at Audris, who was still sunny and cheerful after changing his clothes: "This outfit suits you very well."

Audris smiled, "Thank you.

Are we ready to leave?"

"Wait a moment." Edwina took out a yellow talisman: "This is one of Lenburg's official languages, which may be useful.

The incantation is Ancient Hermes, 'Knowledge'."

Audris took it: "Thank you."

After using the brass-colored talisman, he suddenly felt a new pronunciation and a new writing in his mind.

Only then did the two set off, and after a few minutes of "travel," they left the spirit world and came to a city with a long history and a unique style.

This city has many old-fashioned and monochromatic old buildings, as well as many modern buildings with colors that tend to be bright.

However, Audris's attention was on the streets. There were many benches or small tables on the roadside, and many people were sitting on the benches reading, and some were sitting at the small tables reading and writing something.

Audris sighed: "What a city that loves to learn."

At this time, his gaze froze, because he actually saw Bernadette on a bench!

With a little disbelief, Audris came to that bench: "'Queen', it really is you.

You... why are you here?"

"Why can't I be here?" Bernadette closed the book in her hand and smiled: "I got a new 'prophecy', and the opportunity I've been waiting for is in Eisengard."

...

The Forsaken Land of the Gods, in the southern mountains of Silver City.

Colin, the "Chief" with flower-white hair, led a team of five, including Derrick, in a search of the mountains.

Their goal was the "Gus Staff" that had previously emitted light.

However, only Derrick is currently clear about what the shape of that luminous object is.

This place is not too far from Silver City, and everyone is relatively clear about the terrain here, and the residents of Silver City are also relatively clear about the types of monsters here, so this search operation is proceeding very quickly.

Suddenly, Colin, the "Chief" walking in the front, raised his hand, and the team members, including Derrick, immediately maintained a high degree of vigilance.

At this time, Colin suddenly said: "It's too quiet."

Being reminded by the "Chief," everyone realized that this was indeed the case. There were no traces of any monster activity around.

The patrol team outside Silver City simply cannot patrol here, so the monsters here will not be cleaned up regularly.

However, the exploration team has hardly encountered any monsters since entering the mountain, which is very abnormal.

Derrick pondered for a moment before saying in a speculative tone: "Could it be that the light attracted all the monsters around?"

Colin glanced at Derrick, then looked at the high mountain in front: "This guess makes a lot of sense."

Then he ordered: "Rest for a while and then continue exploring."

...

Meeting the "Mysterious Queen" Bernadette in Eisengard, the capital of Lenburg, surprised Audris somewhat.

At this time, Bernadette was wearing local Lenburg clothing, a white dress with a brightly colored belt.

In Audris's eyes, he always felt that Bernadette, who was holding a book, seemed to be glowing, perhaps because the sunlight was too bright.

Edwina was very vigilant. This is not only the capital of Lenburg, but also the headquarters of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.

Although the headquarters is not in the city, as the leader of the secret organization "Dawn of the Elements," the "Mysterious Queen" is so openly reading a book on the street with a leisurely look, which is too arrogant.

Bernadette glanced at Edwina, then said again: "You guys go ahead and get busy. After you're done, find me on Academy Avenue."

After speaking, the "Mysterious Queen" continued reading, as if enjoying a leisurely reading time.

Audris had many questions he wanted to ask Bernadette, but because Edwina was present, the two were not suitable for discussing too private topics.

So he continued forward with Edwina. After leaving this street, Edwina whispered, "What is the purpose of the 'Mysterious Queen'?"

"I don't know either." Audris smiled helplessly: "Even if she has any plans, she won't discuss them with me."

Edwina thought it was also true. After all, that was a big figure in the extraordinary world, and she certainly wouldn't report her thoughts to Audris.

Just as the "Iceberg Admiral" was wondering how to report this matter to the church, Audris said as if he had seen through her mind: "In my opinion, Bernadette's appearance in front of you proves that she is not here to cause destruction, so you don't have to worry.

Moreover, even if you report it to the church, it won't make much sense. Even if angels are dispatched, they may not be able to find her, but instead make you very nervous."

Edwina was stunned for a moment and said nothing more. She still planned to report to the church and explain Audris's views on the matter. As for what the church would do, that was the church's business.

Audris looked at the readers on the street: "Do people in Lenburg like to read so much?"

Edwina introduced: "In this country, many opportunities can only be obtained through exams, so everyone has a habit of studying hard."

“For example, if two people are competing for a management position, the local bishop and professors who are proficient in management will generally be asked to create a test based on the actual situation. Whoever gets the higher score will get the position.”

Odyssey was stunned; he didn't expect the Knowledge Church to turn the entire society into a large university!

So he asked, "What about the civil servants in this society? Do they also get their positions through examinations?"

“Previously, civil servant positions, like in other countries, were inherited from their fathers.” Edwina explained, “And each official had a group of corresponding staff, who were the grassroots civil servants in each department.”

“But after the implementation of civil servant examinations in Loen, Lenburg immediately realized the benefits of this approach, so they quickly introduced this method of civil servant selection.”

“Although the examination was first initiated by Loen, Lenburg has already completed the corresponding examination process before them, and the first batch of civil servants produced by the examination has already taken office.”

Odyssey smiled and said, "Each country has its own strengths."

Obviously, the people of Lenburg are very good at taking exams, and they don't feel any resistance to the process of obtaining civil servant positions through examinations.

“As for officials, they are basically all nobles.” Edwina said, “During the civil servant examination, some departments also implemented the method of officials taking exams to take office, but in the end, they found that nobles are more suitable for the position of officials.”

“Therefore, the upper-level officials in Lenburg still use the inheritance system, conducting examinations among all members of a certain family, and whoever scores well gets the position.”

“For example, since ancient times, the Condes family has managed Lenburg's agriculture. After the reform of government departments, the successive ministers of agriculture have all been members of the Condes family.”

“The middle and lower levels are open to commoners, merchants, and other classes, selecting civil servants through examinations.”

“But this is only limited to Eisara and the eastern region; it will take some time to promote it in the western region.”

Odyssey nodded. Overall, it was similar to other countries. The officials in various departments of Loen were also basically members of the nobility.

Their family's corresponding channels, as well as the education they received from an early age, did indeed make the nobles more competent officials.

Although the Intis parliament has great power and a sound electoral system, what Rosell may not have expected is that the parliamentarians have become new nobles.

The process of electing the president has gradually become a game of money and politics.

Although the Feneport and Fusac empires have also carried out corresponding government reforms, claiming that they no longer use the inheritance system, in essence, the corresponding government positions have never been separated from the control of the corresponding families.

Since we're on the subject, Odyssey asked, "Lenburg's supreme ruler is the king. Is there a parliament?"

“No.” Edwina said, “But there is a Senate, whose function is similar to that of a parliament. The members of the Senate are basically professors from various industries.”

Odyssey nodded, roughly understanding that the development of this country in a general direction is determined by the Knowledge Church!

Although he hadn't learned about Lenburg's Senate before, he was sure that those professors must have a background with the Church.

Otherwise, the members of the Senate would not be professors, but the best people from all walks of life; professors only account for a very small proportion.

As they talked, the two arrived at their destination, the Saint Chester Cathedral. It was a huge Gothic cathedral that looked very old. Although it was a weekday, people were constantly entering and leaving the cathedral to pray.

The position of Saint Chester Cathedral is equivalent to the position of Saint Samuel Cathedral in Backlund for the Church of the Night, and it is the second headquarters of the Knowledge Church.

The two did not go through the main entrance. Edwina led Odyssey to the back door and told the guards there that she wanted to see her mentor, Douglas.

Douglas is the Cardinal Archbishop of Eisara and the main person in charge of the eastern diocese of Lenburg.

The guards didn't dare to neglect and quickly went to report.

A few minutes later, a bishop wearing the robes of the Knowledge Church came out to greet them: "I am Payne, assistant to Archbishop Douglas. Please come with me."

He led Odyssey and Edwina into the backyard of Saint Chester Cathedral. The huge courtyard was composed of houses built of dark bricks, and the ground in the courtyard was paved with stone slabs. Many cloisters connected the surrounding buildings.

Payne first took the two to a reception room, and then smiled and said, "The Archbishop will have to wait a little while before he can meet you. Before that, let's wait here for a while."

After the three sat down, he looked at Odyssey: "I heard from Edwina that your research in the field of mysticism is very advanced, and you hope to start some cooperation with the Knowledge Church."

Odyssey was stunned for a moment before nodding and saying, "Yes."

He realized that Archbishop Douglas might not be too busy to meet them immediately, but rather wanted his assistant to talk to him first.

Payne asked, "Then are you interested in entering the Knowledge Academy?"

Edwina, who was next to Odyssey, took a deep breath, because the Knowledge Academy is a sacred place for every believer of the 'God of Knowledge and Wisdom'.

The dean of the Knowledge Academy has the same status as the Pope within the Church.

Odyssey recalled the relevant information he had learned. Every righteous god church has such an institution. For example, the Church of the Night has the Night Monastery.

Odyssey's understanding is that it gathers church members who are not very good at management work but are very talented in extraordinary aspects.

The other party's invitation made Odyssey feel the sincerity of the Knowledge Church. This is equivalent to directly entering their core institution.

However, Odyssey pondered for a moment before saying, "I actually don't want to do full-time research work."

Edwina really wanted to remind Odyssey, "What does the 'Knowledge Academy' represent?"

It's just that she couldn't interrupt in this conversation and could only worry about Odyssey from the side.

Payne asked with a smile, "Then what kind of work do you want to do?"

“Management work.” Odyssey said, “Preferably government management.”

“That’s easy to arrange.” Payne said very readily, “The Church has the power to recommend officials to the royal family. We can communicate with the royal family and arrange for you to participate in the governor’s examination.”

Odyssey was stunned. He didn't expect his request to be fulfilled so easily.

In fact, the main purpose of his visit this time was only to hope that the Knowledge Church could guarantee his interests in Lenburg in the future and provide sufficient extraordinary protection.

In other words, Odyssey gave the "Gahl Rune" to the Knowledge Church in exchange for the Knowledge Church allowing him to develop his own power in Lenburg.

What he never expected was that the other party would so readily let him compete for the position of governor.

Of course, the value of the "Gahl Rune" is higher than the value of a governor, but in such negotiations, the righteous god church has an absolute advantage, so Odyssey did not have too high hopes for the negotiation process.

However, the result greatly exceeded Odyssey's expectations.

This made Odyssey couldn't help but smile and said, "That would be my honor."

Payne said, "Don't be too happy too soon, because you have to pass the exam to see if you have the ability to serve as a governing official.

“If the exam score is not up to par, we will arrange corresponding studies. You can only take office after you pass the exam.”

Odyssey nodded and said, "I respect Lenburg's way of selecting talents."

Payne "hmm"ed, took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, then said, "I'll go see if the Archbishop has time now."

After the Archbishop's assistant left the reception room, Edwina whispered, "The examination for officials is very difficult. Even nobles who have received corresponding education since childhood, the vast majority of them cannot pass the examination.

“Also, don’t think that the Church will help you cheat. After learning about your situation, they may even increase the difficulty of the examination.”

This was to remind Odyssey that his choice might get him stuck in the examination phase.

Odyssey smiled slightly and said, "Then I will study in Eisara for a while."

Anyway, a cooperative intention has been established. It wouldn't be too much for him to bring a few of his subordinates to Eisara, right? It wouldn't be too much for his subordinates to open a few stores here, right?

At that time, he can study while arranging his own forces in Eisara. Odyssey himself also plans to return to his old business, open a store about astrologers, be a swindler, and digest potions.

Edwina didn't say anything more and began to tell Odyssey about the general process of the official examination. When there is a vacancy for a local official, the royal family and corresponding scholars will generally set the questions.

Competitors first pass a written test, and then an interview.

An important step in the interview is to express loyalty to the king and swear not to engage in any separatist actions or any acts of treason.

After chatting for a few minutes, Payne came back quickly and said that Archbishop Douglas now had time to meet Odyssey.

So the three came to Douglas's office. He was a man around forty years old, wearing glasses, with a gentle smile, and very scholarly.

If he wasn't wearing a bishop's robe, Odyssey would have thought he was a professor at a university.

Douglas stood up and shook hands with Odyssey, and said with a gentle smile: "People in later generations will definitely remember your contribution to mysticism."

Odyssey politely said, "You flatter me."

Then Douglas invited Odyssey to sit down on the sofa in the reception area, and his assistant Payne poured tea for them.

Douglas said to Odyssey: "I heard from Payne that you want to enter politics?"

“Yes.” Audis said, “I built an island on the sea. Under my management, that island is flourishing.”

In fact, the main reason for such vigorous development is that the money is sufficient.

Douglas slowly nodded: “You've come at the right time. There is currently a governor's position open in the eastern region, but you must be mentally prepared. You may have more than a dozen competitors.

“There is no competition for the two governor positions in the west, but the conditions there are too treacherous, and no one wants to go.

“And one thing you need to be clear about is that the Church only has the power to nominate candidates, but not the authority to help you pass the exam. I can only use my personal influence to not increase the difficulty of the exam questions.”

Audis smiled and said, “Thank you for your help.”

As he spoke, he took out a booklet he had prepared in advance, containing explanations and a comparison table of the meaning of the "Gale Runes", as well as the algorithms for their use, the rules of characters and geometries, and other knowledge.

Audis sincerely said: “The moment I invented the 'Gale Runes', I was the one who most hoped that they could be popularized in the Extraordinary world, but there has never been a suitable opportunity before.”

Speaking of this, he took a deep breath: “The Knowledge Church is its best choice.”

Douglas took the booklet with both hands: “Don’t worry, we will treat it with caution.”

Watching the Archbishop solemnly put away the booklet, Audis said, “You just said that there is no competition for the governor's positions in two states in the west?”

“Yes.” Douglas said, “You… are you interested in that place?”

Before Audis could answer, he then asked: “Are you clear about the national conditions and geography of Lunburg?”

“I have done some research.” Audis said, “Lunburg has two powerful neighbors, the Intis Republic in the north and the Feneport Kingdom in the south. They surround the entire western part of Lunburg.”

“In addition, there are two small countries in the northwest, each with a population of only a few hundred thousand.

“There are two neighboring countries in the east, the Loen Kingdom and Masik.

“There are also two small countries in the southeast with small areas and small populations.

“Lunburg's basic foreign policy is to ally with the Loen Kingdom, maintain normal diplomatic relations with the Intis Republic, and be hostile to the Feneport Kingdom.”

Douglas smiled and nodded: “It seems you have indeed done some research.”

In fact, when he learned that Audis wanted to enter politics, he was worried that a pirate would not understand anything and would fail the exam for several years, which would be troublesome.

Audis continued: “From a geographical and population perspective, western Lunburg is part of the Central Highlands of the Northern Continent. It is said to be an area where bandits gather.

“Many bandits from the Intis Republic and the Feneport Kingdom have also been driven to western Lunburg.

“I can even think that this is the infiltration of Lunburg by the two countries.”

Douglas said “Hmm” and commented in his heart: High political sensitivity.

“So the west has always been an area where Lunburg and the other two countries are secretly competing, and the situation is very complicated.” Audis continued: “Perhaps this is why no one is competing for the governor there.”

Douglas sighed and said: “The situation is worse than you think.

“The local customs are sturdy, and the bandits use the terrain of the mountains to constantly carry out guerrilla warfare against the government army.

“At the same time, they are funded by Intis and Feneport, and the weapons in their hands are better than those of the state guards. In many places, they are actually ruled by bandits, and the government army can only be stationed in a few major cities.

“Moreover, the military supplies there should be frequently robbed, and the loyalty of the government army is not very high.

“In addition, the governor is often assassinated, and the key is that they have succeeded several times, so no one dares to be the governor.”

The situation was indeed more serious than Audis had imagined: “That is to say, many places there are already in a state of anarchy?”

Then he asked: “When did this situation start?”

“It started a few years ago, when the relations between the countries of the Northern Continent gradually became tense.” Douglas patiently explained: “Now many people in the royal family and the Senate advocate changing several very chaotic states in the west into autonomous states.”

Audis considered for a few seconds and smiled: “I still hope to go to a state in the west.”

The more chaotic the situation, the easier it is for him to establish his own power. In this case, he can just fire his cannons directly at those who don't listen.

In a more stable state like the east, Audis has no way to use tough methods at will.

However, this kind of chaotic state requires a lot of investment in the early stage, mainly in money and armed forces.

Douglas carefully examined Audis and, seeing that the other party was not joking, said: “I respect your choice.”

He paused and then said: “You can come to take the exam tomorrow. If all goes well, you may be able to have an interview the day after tomorrow.”

Because there are no competitors, the exam and interview can be arranged specifically for Audis.

Audis breathed a sigh of relief: “Okay.”

At this point, the content of the conversation was basically over. Audis got up to say goodbye, and Douglas escorted him to the door.

After that, Edwina had to report on her duties, so she planned to find a priest to arrange for Audis to stay in Eisara.

Audis refused, saying that he wanted to take a walk by himself. "Iceberg Zhong Jiang" knew that Audis was going to find the "Mysterious Queen", so he just made an appointment to meet again in the afternoon.

Coming to the street and seeing the exotic buildings and pedestrians, Audis was stunned for a moment before realizing that he had come to a foreign country.

He smiled and sighed: “Sometimes it’s not very interesting to ‘travel’ to a new place.”

If he had come to Lunburg by train, he would have been mentally prepared, but coming directly to the capital of Lunburg made Audis feel a sense of separation: he had breakfast on the ship, and as a result, he appeared in a strange country at nine o'clock in the morning.

Audis waved his hand, and a rental carriage stopped.

The rental carriages in Lunburg are a little smaller than the carriages in Backlund. The lines of the carriages are softer, and there is a luggage rack at the back.

Getting into the carriage, Audis said in the official language he had just learned: “Academy Avenue!”

When the carriage started to move, Audis remembered that there were only gold pounds in his wallet, and no local currency.

So Audis asked the coachman to go to the bank first. After learning that Audis was going to the bank to exchange currency, the coachman said that he could also accept gold pounds.

Audis was stunned for a moment and didn't ask the reason in detail. He paid the gold pounds when he got out of the car.

Academy Avenue is the location of Lunburg University. There are many students in groups of three or five on the street, and occasionally students give impromptu speeches, which makes people immediately feel the atmosphere of the campus.

After Audis got out of the car, he didn't know where to find Bernadette, so he walked forward aimlessly on the avenue.

After walking a few steps, Audis's spirituality felt something. He saw the "Mysterious Queen" appearing next to him, and the surrounding pedestrians didn't seem to realize that a person had suddenly appeared.

Then, many students' eyes were quickly attracted by Bernadette.

Compared to the students here, this is a mature, intellectual, and beautiful woman. The "Mysterious Queen" alone is enough to conquer this group of young people with her unique temperament.