The Innkeeper

Cwenhild, her assistants, the professor who opened the portal and Nora all immediately picked up on Lex's oddity when he suddenly stopped. Over the past few weeks, the actual accumulated time they'd spent with Lex was probably less than a day, but he'd made an impression on them nonetheless.

Just the simple fact that he, alone, could claim a Minor realm, while others usually went in massive teams and still often failed, was already enough to crown all the legends floating around about Lex already. The fact that he did it more than once was even more ridiculous. But, it was more than that. Every time they saw Lex, it was after a long, extensive period where he would be trying to claim a Minor realm. As such, the changes brought about in Lex were always loud and pronounced.

Everything from the way he stood, sat, walked and talked seemed to change each time. Instead of becoming more coarse, as one would expect after spending an extended time in the wild, he became more refined. In the beginning, after capturing his first Minor realm, Lex began to radiate confidence befitting a warrior of his skill and standing.

Yet, with each successive trip, instead of that overwhelming, blatant confidence that would cause others to feel inferior or insecure about themselves, he began to carry himself with charm and charisma. His smile was deeper, his eyes brighter, his each move a flourishing dance. Instead of feeling inferior in the presence of his success, others would feel uplifted by his warmth.

Of course, the foundation of all that growth was built on a basis of self-confidence. During this period, not only had Lex overcome unimaginable trials, he'd washed his entire body in the water from the green pebble until it no longer affected him. His strength now was devastating. While it wasn't as ridiculous as his defense, he was definitely living up to the usual standards of body cultivators now. All that remained now was to drink as much of that water as his body could absorb.

Moreover, Lex knew his limits well, and knew exactly how and when to push them to further his growth. Once he said he would do something, he would do it without hesitation or reluctance, and with an excited smile on his face. It could be said that if earlier on, he was filled with potential, then his numerous experiences and challenges in the realms allowed him to truly bring out that potential.

Yet now, suddenly, he froze. Not only that, the expression on his face, for the briefest moment, flashed with concern. It was only a single moment, after which he quickly collected himself, his usual carefree expression returning to his face.

"You know what?" Lex said, as he turned back towards Cwenhild. "I change my mind. Instead of pushing my luck endlessly, I should take a step back, and enjoy my success so far. How long do you think it'll take you to sell the last realm?"

"A few days, a week, max. We still need to complete an analysis of the realms worth before taking bids," Cwenhild answered, reserving her curiosity. The amount of money they'd made so far was truly phenomenal, so she did not feel disappointed. Being too greedy could cause problems, so it was best to know when to stop. Still, she would ask Lex what happened when there were fewer people around.

"Haha, I would expect nothing less. I have a few things I need to take care of, so I'm going to head out." Then, casually, as if nothing unusual happened, Lex left her apartment. During this time, he'd become a lot more familiar with Cwenhild, so he didn't mind using some of her things, which is why he got in one of the many self-driving vehicles she had and entered his destination.

When he finally left her apartment, his expression changed to a frown. He was getting very… unusual feedback from his instincts. He was not being warned of danger in the typical sense. Instead, he felt like his time was running out. It was a very suffocating feeling, since he could not tell exactly what he was being warned from. All he knew was that with each passing second, something… unfavorable to him was coming closer.

He sent Cwenhild a message, telling her to speed up the sale as much as possible. It was fine to suffer a loss in profits if needed, but she should conclude the sale today.

Since he had asked for payment in the form of energy in the densest available forms, whether it was spirit stones or water or anything else, she had been holding his payment for him in a bank vault. He also asked her to have everything prepared as he would visit the vault with her as soon as the sale was concluded.

He knew they had noticed something in his behavior, but since Lex did not know the origin of whatever was coming his way, he decided not to share too much. There were a couple of things Lex wanted to do in the meantime.

First, he wanted to visit the library and quickly jot down a few more techniques he'd thought of. His system was really pathetic in the ways of helping him out with his cultivation journey, so kept having to anticipate anything he would need.

Secondly, he wanted to say goodbye to Amelia. She was the only friend he had at the academy, besides Cwenhild. He felt bad not being able to spend time with her the past couple of months, but he had been extremely busy and he had to prioritize.

At the library, among other techniques, the one Lex really needed was called Tranquil Mind. He had often been using his 'thinking cap' and excessive use would often cause him to suffer from extreme mental exhaustion. Sometimes, even a long sleep would not help him recover, and it would take days before he was back in peak form. Tranquil Mind was a meditation technique focused on not only strengthening his mind, regulating his emotions and calming his thoughts, but also replenishing his mental energy.

He spent a few more hours here, trying to learn any random technique he thought might come in handy. He didn't need to worry about not remembering them, for with the help of his thinking cap, his memories became extremely sharp and this was a non-issue.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Amelia. He found her exactly as she was the first time he bumped into her, eating with her other friends. He did not elaborate on what he would be doing, but only apologized about being so busy, and said that there was a decent chance they might not have the opportunity to meet again in a long time. He saw a lot of complicated emotions in her eyes but, ultimately, she only called him silly for apologizing, as there was no need, and wished him well.

He would have liked to have said more, but his instincts were beginning to send tingles down his spine now. He messaged Cwenhild asking about the bank's details, and directly set off towards it.

When he arrived, she was waiting for him with her mother beside her. She was no longer hiding her curiosity, as a hint of concern showed on her face.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, unsure if she should be intruding.

"Haha everything is great," Lex replied with genuine excitement in his eyes. "Let's go see how much money I've made."

The procedure for entering the bank's vault was extremely complicated, and Lex just found out that if it weren't for Cwenhilds mother accompanying them, it would take a couple of weeks before Lex's verification process was complete, which would allow him to enter the vault. As for the fact that it was his own wealth that had been stored there, it was inconsequential. Cwenhild was the one who put it in the bank, so as far as they were concerned, Lex was just there to accompany her.

Lex rubbed his hands as he let his thoughts run wild, his imagination going to a cartoon he used to watch as a child of a cat and mouse called Timothy and Jeremy, in which their eyes used to turn into dollar signs when they were about to receive money. He could imagine what that felt like.

But it was not a mountain of coins waiting for him, nor a pile of spirit stones. Instead, 10 neatly stacked crystals were the only things waiting for him when he entered.

"Underwhelmed?" Nora asked, as she saw him observing them.

"I'm assuming they're the densest form of energy available," he guessed as he tried to sense something from the crystals. They were so clear, they would have been invisible had there not been a thin, blue ribbon tied to each one.

"Not the densest, but it's up there," she said, looking at them. "Since it'll be hard for you to understand, I'll put it like this. These are used by the Crystal race to cultivate. They're extremely precious resources that the Hum nation exports, since the energy is too violent for humans to absorb. But if humans could, this is what immortals would be using."

"Not bad," Lex said with an approving nod. "Can I have a moment alone?"

Nora raised an eyebrow, but quietly left so that Lex could be alone. The whole reason she had come along, other than to sate her curiosity, was for Lex's security should he want to take them out of the bank, as a favor to her daughter. Most likely, he still did not understand how valuable they were. But it was none of her business. She just wondered what he needed it for.

Inside the bank vault, Lex placed his hand on the crystals and, after a moment, they vanished. To Lex's immense surprise, his energy accumulation actually increased by a whole 8%!

He now had a total of 20%.

Without any hesitation, he paid 10 million MP and 5% energy needed to establish the Midnight tavern, and heard the familiar ting of a system notification.

*****

Lex's professor sat nervously in the palace as he waited his turn to see the King. Honestly, he never thought he'd get an opportunity to see the King upclose, let alone have an audience with him. This was, of course, because he never expected to have a reason good enough to request an audience. But now, soon, he would have his chance.

His attention was attracted to the sound of a door opening, and an escort of guards came in. It was time to meet the King.