Lord of the Mysteries: I Married the Queen Mystic

Far away in the heart of Backlund's city center, Bernadette suddenly realized something... Odis Gale was not merely a research-oriented talent as she had initially assumed...

His ability to apply his research findings exceeded her expectations.

Through the invisible messenger accompanying Odis, she remarked, "If I'm not mistaken, the maintenance of this array can be performed by ordinary people..."

Odis, who sat on the rock with one leg crossed over the other, replied, "Yes. For the arrays scattered across these mountains, I only handled the initial setup. After that, the caretakers have managed all the upkeep."

Bernadette pressed further, "Why haven't you expanded this system across the entire Balchis Mountain Range, turning it all into cultivation and breeding grounds?"

"Because my abilities are still too weak," Odis admitted, puffing on his pipe, "And for the past few years, I had no opportunity for advancement."

Bernadette understood immediately... Odis was fully aware of the implications of his research. This wasn't just a major breakthrough in Mysticism, it was also a goldmine of wealth.

In a world where the supernatural was foundational, the demand for Spiritual materials was immense. Yet, due to the uneven distribution of Spirituality in the world, their production had always been severely limited.

But Odis's research allowed for the large-scale cultivation of Spiritual plants and breeding of Spiritual creatures at minimal cost.

It wasn't hard to imagine this evolving into a monopoly over the Spiritual materials market...

Odis knew all too well that if the powerful figures of the Beyonder world discovered his research, he would be reduced to nothing more than a tool. So, he deliberately kept operations small... just enough to supply his herbal shop without disrupting Backlund's Spiritual materials market.

As long as no significant profits were visible, the elites of the Extraordinary world wouldn't pay attention to this hidden mountain plantation.

At this point, Bernadette suddenly recalled the towering figure who had once aided Odis. She wondered if Odis had secretly pledged allegiance to a powerful entity in the Extraordinary world for protection.

But she quickly dismissed the thought and shifted focus, "This array has applications far beyond cultivation and breeding..."

Though she couldn't immediately pinpoint other uses, it was clear the potential was vast.

Before this, she had never considered the possibilities of such a low-tier array, so her imagination in this area was limited.

"It can indeed be applied in many ways," Odis chuckled, "The principle behind the array isn't complicated. It's just that before this, no scholars of Mysticism ever thought to optimize or restructure its design."

Bernadette naturally understood that Odis was holding back details, but she didn't press further.

Instead, she steered the conversation elsewhere, "I've heard you've pondered the 'essence of Spirituality'?"

Odis took a slow drag from his pipe, "Yes. It's an unavoidable question in my research... Only by understanding what Spirituality truly is can we conduct corresponding experiments and studies."

"Have you reached any conclusions?" Asked the Queen Mystic.

"I believe Spirituality is a unique form of energy, and much like magnetic fields or heat... It is pervasive throughout the world," Odis explained, "Leaving this energy untapped is a waste."

Bernadette remarked, "That's a novel perspective."

After a pause, she added, "I believe Spirituality exists in wave-like forms. High-Sequence Beyonders act like large-scale Spiritual transmitters, using their Beyonder Characteristics to influence Spirituality within a specific range and frequency."

"...If someone prays to such a High-Sequence Beyonder, it's akin to emitting a signal on the same frequency within the transmitter's range, allowing the Beyonder to receive and establish a connection. Of course, this also touches on the relationship between Beyonder Characteristics and Spirituality."

She didn't delve deeper.

Odis was momentarily stunned... Bernadette's theory aligned perfectly with his own. He suspected her thinking had been influenced by Roselle, given that modern physics' understanding of fundamental particles was still rudimentary.

This conversation revealed Bernadette's sincerity. She had even shared some of her higher-level insights.

Just the concepts of 'High-Sequence Beyonders' and 'Beyonder Characteristics' were advanced knowledge far beyond the grasp of ordinary practitioners.

Odis smiled, "The array before you serves as indirect proof of your theory. In essence, I've used the array to alter the propagation direction of Spirituality."

"...Imagine throwing a stone into a pond. Normally, ripples spread outward in concentric circles. But I've placed a wooden barrier along one direction, forcing the ripples to stop there."

This analogy drew from Odis's knowledge of physics, and was applied here to Spirituality.

The academic discussion flowed smoothly...

Bernadette mused, "But there's a problem. If Spirituality exists in wave-like forms, its distribution should be relatively uniform. Yet, from my observations, spiritual energy isn't evenly distributed across the world. Most places have similar levels, but some areas are far more concentrated."

"...Even consuming food or water from those regions can temporarily grant ordinary people the ability of Spirit Vision..."

Odis smiled, then said, "I believe this relates to the source of Spirituality... Suppose the origin lies at the planet's core, constantly shifting and active, radiating energy uniformly throughout the universe."

"...But since we're near the source, its fluctuations create noticeable disturbances, resulting in pockets of denser Spirituality. It's like throwing a stone into a pond at an angle. The ripples won't be perfectly symmetrical."

Bernadette sighed in admiration, "That's a vivid analogy."

"Just a thought," Odis replied, silently crediting Stephen Hawking in his mind.

A few seconds later, Bernadette conceded, "Your reasoning is sound."

Today's exchange had been immensely enlightening for her...

She knew that, given their current rapport, this was as far as the discussion could go. Delving deeper would risk touching upon their most guarded research secrets.

Just then, Odis heard old man Anil calling out: "Mr. Gale! Mr. Gale?"

"Over here!" Odis knew the caretaker had finished gathering the mutated flamingos. He turned to the empty air and offered, "Care to try some mutated flamingo meat?"

Bernadette was taken aback, "It's edible?"

"Of course," Odis said, "It's a great tonic."

"What are the effects?"

"It tends to… increase body heat."