The Innkeeper

Lex estimated how much time he had left and could roughly round it off to about another 20 minutes. This was more than the last few times combined, but at the same time, the Lotus also conveyed to it how waking Lex up was getting progressively harder.

Fortunately, according to the Lotus, Lex would need only two more treatments. The bad news was, for the last one the Lotus requested a special metal that it would need. The worse news was that, apparently, it was extremely rare.

Considering that Lex had just made 100,000MP off of the gamblers who bet against his victory, as well as another 43,000 MP during the time he was asleep, his income was going up but it might not be enough to purchase it in the Guild room.

Well it was lucky that Lex had to make a trip to the Emporium anyway, so he made a small detour before meeting Luthor.

The first batch of materials Lex had bought from the Emporium had arrived, though, unfortunately, Lex had arrived 1 day too early to receive the items necessary to heal Harry. Accepting everything in his new spatial bangle, Lex went right to business.

"I have a special request that might be slightly hard to find, I'm not entirely sure about its availability."

"If it's available in any market, we'll find it. Just tell me what you need," said Powell with his signature grin. He was practically in love with Lex by now. Lex alone had been responsible for more commissions than Powell had received in his entire career otherwise. If he had a daughter, he'd be trying to set them up.

"It's a metal called Entis Core. I need about 1 gram of it."

Powell's grin froze, and a difficult expression appeared on his face. He did not immediately reply, but checked his catalog. A few moments later he shook his head.

"This time… you've truly asked for something very difficult. In terms of ranking, it's only rank 6, you should easily have access to it. Yet in terms of demand and rarity, it is off the charts. You know, I've heard the energy cores for intergalactic ships are made out of that metal, and its rarity is one of the reasons why those ships are so rare."

"Powell," Lex said very calmly, and looked at the man directly in his eyes. "Price is not an issue right now. I need 1 gram, at the very least, and I'll take more if you can find it. But you should know, the Emporium is not the only place I'll be reaching out for this."

Lex's meaning was clear. They had a great relationship so far, and although Lex had been paid for everything, the Emporium had been the one gaining from their trades. Now it was time for them to step up.

Powell's expression turned solemn, and he nodded. That was enough for now. Lex quickly returned to the Inn, donned his Clark Kent glasses and set up a meeting with Luthor and Velma through Mary.

Both of them were surprised that they had been requested for, but it wasn't the Innkeeper who was requesting them. They could not imagine who else could have Mary act on their behalf, and they were even more surprised when they reached the private room Lex had gotten to see 'Leo'.

Velma knew who he was, but Luthor had never even heard of him. A hundred questions ran through his head, but 'Leo' was on a tight schedule so he didn't have time to let things play out slowly.

"Velma, it's great to see you! It's been a while. And you must be Luthor, I've heard things about you. Please have a seat."

"Leo, it's been a while indeed. Where have you been off to? Poor Z had to handle the Den all by himself."

"I just had a few tasks to take care of, life can be pretty busy sometimes," he replied vaguely with a smile, and turned to look towards Luthor.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you here, or even, who I am. Let me just quickly introduce myself. Officially, I'm Leo, owner of the Gamer's Den on Main street. But, on the side… I also run a few miscellaneous errands for the Innkeeper now and again."

His last statement startled the two, as Leo's tone and general mystique indicated a relationship with the Innkeeper that was hidden. Why would the Innkeeper require such a thing? They did not even entertain the thought that he was lying for a second, for the Innkeeper was not one that could casually be lied about.

"But, as I said, I've been very busy lately and I can't do all the necessary tasks myself. As I hear it, you two are greatly trusted by the Innkeeper, so I thought you could help me with a couple of small things."

"What is it?" asked Luthor, speaking for the first time. Requests of the Innkeeper he took very seriously. His only reservation was why the Innkeeper didn't ask him himself.

"There's two things, and the second one will require you to work closely with each other. The first thing, and this is the greatest priority, is that Luthor, I need you to contact the Jotun Empire. Preferably, you should contact General Ragnar, or someone as close to him as possible, for he has a great relationship with the Inn. We need 1 gram of a metal called Entis Core, more if possible. If they require payment, or some kind of terms, you can directly consult Mary. Remember, this is extremely important!"

Luthor only nodded, as he suddenly came up with an explanation in his mind. Luthor and Mary had proven themselves competent, so now the Innkeeper was testing them. By not passing the instructions himself, he made it so that the two of them would have to rely on themselves instead of the Inns resources. They had to prove their worth, before they were sufficiently rewarded.

Yes, things were falling into place.

"As for the second task…"