Hearing Bernadette's question, Odis smiled somewhat helplessly, "Yesterday, I never once left your sight. You should be able to clearly judge that everything that happened to me was purely coincidental."
This response was rather slippery. It wasn't a direct 'I don't know' or 'I'm not sure', but instead framed as a description of the events from the previous day.
He was telling the truth, so of course, his nose didn't grow longer.
However, Odis deliberately avoided explicitly stating, 'I don't know who the Hero Bandit Black Emperor is'...
That's because not only did he know who the Hero Bandit was, he was also fully aware of details like the fact that the man had a sister who loved studying machinery.
Bernadette frowned slightly, her expression carrying a hint of sternness as she explained, "I can sense that this Hero Bandit is the same person who stole the bookmark at the Royal Museum. For you to encounter him twice in a single month... from a mystical perspective, that's highly unusual."
Odis paused momentarily, somewhat taken aback by this line of reasoning. But he quickly adapted, "Have you considered that maybe you are the one connected to him in some way?"
He removed his mask, revealing his rather handsome face, then continued, "Theoretically speaking, I'm just a Low-Sequence Beyonder. The connection between you and him should be stronger than between me and him, no?"
Bernadette nodded slowly, "That's true..."
Odis smoothly shifted the topic, feigning slight annoyance, "I was interrogated all night yesterday, and now the first thing you do when we meet is question me too. And here I was, risking my life yesterday to gather intel about that bookmark for you."
Bernadette snapped back to attention, offering a small smile, "My apologies, I just had some doubts in my mind." Then she asked, "What information did you find?"
"Treat me to lunch first."
"No problem," Bernadette immediately agreed.
"Rumor has it that it's a special item left behind by Emperor Roselle," Odis said carefully, "It has anti-divination properties and seems to require a specific activation incantation. Normally, it appears as an ordinary bookmark, but once activated, it supposedly contains highly important information."
"Activation incantation?" Bernadette immediately recalled the two strangely pronounced symbols her father had once taught her.
Odis removed the hooded cloak that he wore as 'Leader' and waited silently for over ten seconds before Bernadette finally snapped out of her thoughts...
"Sorry, I was just thinking about something else." She forced a faint smile, "Where would you like to have lunch?"
"The Rosewood Pavilion."
"Alright, see you at noon."
"See you at noon."
Once the time and place were set, Bernadette was once again enveloped by two massive wings before vanishing from the basement.
It was clear that their conversation had stirred memories of her father...
Odis took a deep breath, adjusted his clothes in front of the mirror, and left the basement, which was now the backroom of Unit 77 Hilton Avenue. He hailed a carriage and returned to the herbal shop.
Kain had long grown accustomed to Odis occasionally disappearing for days at a time. Under his management, the shop was running smoothly.
As he dusted the shelves, he reported, "Mr. Simon came by. He mentioned there's a match scheduled for Sunday night. He'll visit again tomorrow afternoon to brief you on the information he's gathered."
Odis nodded, "Hmm."
He picked up a newspaper and skimmed through it. When he reached the article about how the Hero Bandit had stolen all of Capim's wealth, he smirked. He had actually considered the issue of the safe earlier.
If he could have found it, he could have just tossed it into the 'Knowledge Moor' and made a fortune...
But the villa had already been engulfed in flames by then, making it impossible to search for the safe in places like the study. Moreover, the official Beyonders' demigods could have arrived at any moment, leaving no time for a thorough search.
'What a shame! All that money just ended up lining the pockets of the Backlund police...' he lamented inwardly.
With no other pressing matters for the day, Odis took a short rest before using the Teleportation Array to head to his suburban laboratory. There, he stored the Helmet of Wisdom in the 'Knowledge Moor', tidied up the lab, and by the time he was done, the one-hour cooldown period of the teleportation array had passed...
....
Back at the herbal shop, Odis paced in front of the desk in the lounge, contemplating the writing of the 'Outline of Combat'...
After much deliberation, he finally put pen to paper. He began with a description of combat and the overarching principles of the book.
Drawing inspiration from certain theories of Chinese Kung-fu, he emphasized that the essence of combat lay first in strengthening the body, protecting oneself and one's family, intervening to punish wrongdoing when necessary, and upholding the values of kindness.
He made it clear that the book did not advocate reckless brawling.
After writing over a thousand words in one go, Odis felt a loosening within him. His potion was finally beginning to digest.
He smiled slightly while mumbling, "My earlier reasoning was correct. No matter how a 'Melee Scholar' fights, they must ultimately summarize and research. If one can develop unique insights into combat, it will undoubtedly aid in digesting the potion."
He then proceeded to elaborate on the fundamental theories of combat, including descriptions of force application.
By the time he had only halfway finished this introductory section, Odis could already distinctly feel the potion's digestion progressing...
Just as he was feeling pleased with himself, a voice suddenly spoke from behind him: "It's been years since anyone dared to stand me up."
'Oh no!'
Odis hastily checked his pocket watch... it was already past one in the afternoon. He said, "My apologies! I got too absorbed in my writing just now."
"Bring what you were writing."
Odis hurriedly gathered the half-finished draft.
Suddenly, an illusory pumpkin-shaped carriage materialized before him. Two plump, rat-headed horses stood where the laboratory bench should have been, yet they made no physical contact with anything in the material world.
"Get in," Bernadette's voice sounded again.
Odis opened the carriage door and saw its pink upholstery and other decor clearly designed with a girlish aesthetic.
The moment he stepped inside and closed the door, the scenery outside distorted into a kaleidoscope of colors before dissolving into an indistinct blur, making it impossible to discern direction or time.
The carriage was traversing the Spirit World!
After about ten seconds, the chaotic view outside solidified back into swirling colors. The carriage halted, and Odis found himself inside a private room at the Rosewood Pavilion.
The phantom carriage vanished, and he fully returned to the real world.
Bernadette sat in one of the chairs, extending a hand toward him, "Let me see what had you so preoccupied just now."
Odis handed over his manuscript while asking, "Have you ordered yet?"
"You do the ordering." Bernadette replied, already scanning his writing.
Originally, Odis had intended to splurge at Bernadette's expense, but since he was the one who had been late, he felt too guilty to go overboard. He settled for two 1 pound 6 soli set meals and a bottle of wine priced at 2 pounds and 16 soli, totaling just over 5 pounds.
After finishing the manuscript, Bernadette looked up at Odis and asked, "You wrote this?"
"Yes."
"Your handwriting is atrocious," Bernadette remarked. Then she added, "But you should be digesting your potion very soon..."