Velma led the two teenagers into the manor and after providing a quick summary of everything they offered, she quickly took them to the Gift shop. Since Velma was giving the tour, Gerard was behind the counter awaiting his customers patiently. The gift shop was small, and with only 11 items on display the shop looked almost empty but each of the items was very eye-catching.
Ayesha and Haris looked at the items with interest, and were amazed when a description of each item appeared directly in their minds when they focused on them. The Babys candy and Zombie cores were dismissed by them directly. The Golden Key, however, attracted their attention immediately. A key that let them enter the Inn as they pleased, from anywhere in the universe, was exactly what the duo needed to organize their secret reunions at the Inn. Without any hesitation Ayesha bought two keys and gave one to Haris. Instead of paying with a credit card, as the guests before her had been doing, she opened up her purse and took out a jade bottle. She opened the top and with a dripper took out a single drop of a clear liquid from the bottle. Before she could explain what the liquid was, the single drop mysteriously disappeared from the dripper.
Gerard smiled and said, "Your payment has been accepted, but you have a remaining credit balance of around 10,000MP. Would you like to keep the credit for further purchases or would you like your change?"
"You can keep it for now," Ayesha said, putting the jade bottle along with her Golden Key back..
"Hey Ayesha look at this," Haris said with excitement in his eyes. He was looking at a pair of prosthetic wings. In the display case their size had been reduced so they didn't attract too much attention, but once Haris learned what they did he was enamored. Ayesha looked not at the wings but at the silly, excited boy – her gaze soft and loving.
"We'll take two of those as well," she said, pointing at the wings. Once she received the wings in card form the two lovers looked at everything else the Gift Shop had to offer. Botlam Dew, one of the most popular items and Lex's personal favorite, was dismissed by the kids as none of them were hurt and didn't really have a need for it. The Serene whistle, the item that helps with taming beasts, aroused some interest but not enough to purchase. The Whistle of Bathelona, however, attracted Ayesha's interest and she bought it for herself.
The Whistle of Bathelona was a one of a kind item that summoned a wisp named Bathelona, which was a popular pet for children in the Jotun system – at least that's what the description said. Haris bought the Saturn Cake, but with his credit card instead of using Ayesha's tab, and put the cake that had been turned into a card for convenience into his pocket.
With that they had seen everything in the Gift shop and left the manor excitedly.
"Can we explore the rest on our own?" Haris asked Velma.
"Of course, please enjoy yourselves. If you need me at any time, you only need to call out my name and I will appear by your side."
"Thanks, we will," Haris said politely. He turned to Ayesha who handed him a pair of Icarus' wings and he quickly attached them on his back. Putting them on was easy, all he had to do was touch his back to them and they would automatically attach themselves. They linked themselves to his mind so he could control them seamlessly, and before you knew it the pair was ready to take flight.
The pair looked at each other and smiled. They were feeling slightly nervous but also extremely excited. They were gonna take each other's hand before taking off, but Velma suggested they get a hang of flying before trying something like that. It would be embarrassing if they crashed into each other right at take off. Ayesha stuck her tongue out and then took off. The speed of her ascent was phenomenal, and it was as if she had spent her entire life flying. Haris took off as well, chasing after her as if they were playing a game of tag. The two young lovers soared through the sky, grinning and smiling as they chased after one another. The two were quickly joined by a pandemonium of parrots who flew around them gazing curiously at the two new giant birds.
Ayesha laughed as she saw the parrots flying around her, and she started leading them around. They did barrel rolls and nose dives, experimenting as their skill in flight grew. The sounds of laughter filled the Inn and Helen, who was sitting in a lawn chair with a rabbit in her lap, looked up to see what looked like two humans with wings flying around, playing in the air. Her jaw dropped in shock as she tried to absorb what she was seeing. The two kids were too far away for her to see properly, so she could not tell that what was on their backs were prosthetics. She imagined that these were visitors from somewhere else in the universe who looked like angels.
Hugo, who was still with Will, heard the sound of laughter as well and came out to investigate. He was taken aback when he saw two kids flying in the air, but not as much as Helen. He already accepted that the Inn was a magical place, so he would not be surprised even if he saw stranger things. Right now what he wanted to do was to continue cultivating, but it was important he be there when Will recovered so returned to the RP room.
When the two kids were done playing in the air, they started flying over the Inn grounds, admiring the scenery, hand in hand. Holding hands in the air was MUCH harder than they had imagined as their wings kept colliding, but ultimately they got the timing and rhythm required to do so.
From the air the Inn looked very simple, yet beautiful. There were only two significant landmarks that attracted their interest. The hills, covered in a field of flowers which gave off a feeling of seclusion and serenity. The Meditation room on top of the hill looked interesting as well. The second landmark was the forest. The two flew towards the forest and were interested when they saw a clearing in the center, but for some reason as they started to fly towards the clearing they would always diverge. It was strange, all they had to do was fly straight, but somehow whenever they got close to the middle they would turn away without realizing and somehow wind up at the exit. After trying a couple of times, the kids gave up and started looking for a nice spot for a picnic.
They chose a spot underneath the shade of a tree and the two kids, exhausted from their adventure, sat down side by side. Haris took out a card from his pocket and summoned the cake. Ayesha called Velma, who brought them a blanket, some plates, utensils and drinks. The two kids had never tasted such freedom before, and would remember this relatively simple day for the rest of their lives. Velma, who left the two kids to enjoy each other's company, kept looking out towards them – hoping that the kids would call her so she could hear more of their cheesy lines.
*****
Lex sighed as he stepped out the skyscraper, feeling tired. As one could imagine, his interview did not go too well. He was unable to answer why he was covered in blood, why he registered so many weapons under his name, why he bought so much tactical gear or what his relationship with Marlo was. To be honest, even he started to think of himself as a suspicious character after realizing how much information they had on him. He thought he was being sneaky, but there was a very clear trail of all his activities. Of course, there was no proof he had done anything wrong or unlawful otherwise Bluebird would have called him in for questioning the way they had taken in Matilda, but Lex did not know that.
The interviewers did not reject him outright, but only said that they would contact him after reviewing his profile, but he was under no delusion that he would be able to get in. If he had been paying attention, he would have been clued in on how his interview was going to go right at the beginning. After all, his three interviewers had introduced themselves as Irrelevant Character A, Irrelevant Character B and Irrelevant Character C. For some reason he had casually accepted their names, as if there was no obvious fourth wall being broken right there.
"So what are you going to do now?" asked Mary, with a concerned look.
"Well, I'm a little disappointed, but there's an even easier solution than looking for someone else. I'll just live at the Inn. Who says I need a home on Earth? I can just come back whenever I need to do something. This way, no one will ever be able to track me."
Mary nodded, as if she liked his answer. Lex grinned to himself, and then disappeared.
Haris and Ayesha were both lying down on their picnic blanket, looking up at the parrots in the trees above them. All the parrots in the Inn had gathered on the tree above the teenagers, as if acknowledging the pair as their leaders. After flying around everywhere they were already exhausted, and once they had their little picnic the duo felt sleepy. They didn't actually go to sleep, but they lay there, enjoying each other's company silently. As compared to their earlier enthusiastic and cheesy selves, they were a lot more sombre.
"We should head back," Haris said eventually, his voice reluctant.
"When will your family head out?"
"Tonight, probably."
"Do you know where you'll be going?".
"They'll probably send me to some academy. I'll probably be under supervision until that's done."
Ayesha didn't reply, but only nodded. Haris spent a few more minutes struggling – he had something he wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself up to say it. Despite all his earlier bravado, he was still just a teenager and his experiences in life were limited – he could not help but be afraid of certain things.
Even without looking at him Ayesha could tell there was something on his mind. She waited a few minutes to see if he spoke on his own, but when he continued to hesitate she said, "Don't keep your thoughts hidden. Secrets are not good for your soul, say whatever you want to say."
Haris turned to look at his beloved, and she turned to look back at him. The two kids stared in each other's eyes in silence until Haris finally spoke.
"Ayesha do you think we're making a mistake? I mean you… I'm just….just…"
Ayesha chuckled. "Who put these doubts in your mind? Was it your parents? Or was it mine? Are you trying to say I could have anyone, so why should I be with you?"
Haris didn't reply, but the worried look on his face said it all.
"If I can be with anyone, then why can't I be with you? What's the point of being rich, of being powerful, if you still can't do what you want? If you're forced to do things you don't want to do just to keep your status or power, then aren't you just a slave to those things? My parents think I don't know better because I'm young, but just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm wrong. Or are your concerns different? Is there something else on your mind?"
Haris shook his head and said, "I'm not afraid of anything else, not my parents, not hardship or struggle…but I'm afraid…I'm afraid that one day I will be your regret."
Ayesha smiled as she caressed the young man's face with her hand. "As long as you love me the way that you do, I will never regret being with you."
The two kids smiled as they finished pouring their hearts out to each other. It would be a while before they got to spend time with one another again. Eventually the two left, and both received a key additional to the one they had bought because they both had made purchases in the Gift shop.
Mere moments after the duo left, Lex arrived back at the Inn. He took in a deep breath, and after holding it in for a few seconds, let out a relieved sigh.
"The air is so much better here," Lex commented to the flying hologram around him.
"Living at the Inn is fine, but what will you do about your family?"
"The only reason there is any focus on me at all is because of Marlo. I'll wait till he returns and have him clear everything up. Once the focus is off of me, I'll think of something. I don't want to introduce them to cultivation till I'm strong enough to protect them."
"Makes sense," Mary said, nodding.
"I see my MP has gone up again. What did I miss while I was gone?"
Mary summoned Velma, who gave Lex a detailed report of Haris and Ayesha. She did not get any additional information about them because only Lex could see his guests statuses, but Lex was sure that there was more than met the eye with the teenagers, especially considering that Ayesha left a tab of 10,855MP! Lex would not have access to that MP till she actually used it up, but her balance would be saved and she could use it at any time.
When he learned about their flying adventures he was slightly surprised, and then relieved to hear about the fact that they could not enter the Greenhouse even while flying. It would take someone who had a deep understanding of arrays to manoeuvre through the forest.
Lex also had some ideas when he thought of his guests flying around the Inn. Using the design interface he added a few permanent clouds in the sky, and introduced a looping air current. If his guests ever flew, they could ride the aircurrent and it would be like a ride. Having a few clouds in the air would also add a little more variety. He also decided to introduce a few more animals and birds.
Love birds, pigeons and peacocks appeared magically throughout the Inn. But he wasn't done yet, he created a small, crystal clear lake near the Recovery room and introduced some cute looking fish. He didn't know many fish except for Goldfish, and would need to research about which would be a good addition to his lake. For now the lake was small and shallow, as he didn't have much space, but in the future he planned on expanding it. He placed a row boat in the lake, and then smiled to himself. If the two teenagers came back for another date, at least they would have a few more things to do. All the upgrades cost him 1500MP, but it was totally worth it. Lex could not help but imagine himself bringing a girl to the Inn for a date in the future, unaware that he wore a silly grin on his face. Everyone who saw him could guess exactly what the Innkeeper was thinking, and resisted the urge to facepalm.
Once Lex was satisfied with his changes in regards to making a dating spot, he turned his attention back to the Inn. Currently of his rooms, two were still booked under Bastet and Falaks name, one was booked by Hugo and one was booked by Alexander. That left only one regular room free which he was planning on booking for himself in the short term, but he didn't want to leave the Inn with no free rooms available. He spent 1000MP to buy two regular rooms, but instead of the first floor with the rest of the rooms, he placed them alone in separate parts of the Inn. He got this idea when he thought about Helen, who seemed to want to stay away from everyone. A secluded room would award her and anyone else who wanted it with their privacy. Lex asked Velma to ask Helen if she'd like to shift her room to one of the secluded ones.
Once that was done, he booked the room for himself for a week. Like regular guests he had to pay 50MP per day for the room, but since the profit from each room was also 50MP he basically suffered no loss. It was a strange loophole which would allow him to have a room for himself at the Inn forever, but the downside was he would have one less room for his guests. He teleported to the room directly and lay down on the bed.
He was exhausted, more mentally than physically. He went through all the things that he needed to do in his head. Bastets' and Falaks' rooms only had a few more days until their reservation was over, which would free up two of his rooms. It was disappointing, Lex was hoping to get closer to them, but probably for the best as well since his cultivation was too low.
Speaking of cultivation…Lex let out a sigh and picked himself off the bed. Reluctantly he spent another 1500MP and bought the Training room, leaving him with a total of 6016MP left. He thought about where to place it, he didn't want to put it close to the Meditation room or cultivation room as he wanted to keep traffic in those places at a minimum. After thinking for a short while, he created a walkway near the manor that led towards the main gate. When he was satisfied with the distance, he put the Training room at the end of the path. He decided that all future additions to the Inn would be close together. In the future he would eventually form a street with all his main attractions on both ends. Maybe if the Inn grew big enough, he would redesign it to the shape of a town..
The Training room was a plain looking, square building. On the inside it was well lit despite the lack of any windows, and had a wooden floor. There were five wooden dummies in the shape of humans standing on the far end, five wooden dummies in the shape of wolves on his right and five wooden dummies in the shape of giant birds on his left. He set the price for the training room at 200MP with a profit of 100MP, and became his own first customer. He needed to exhaust himself continuously for his body to adapt to his cultivation, and could no longer afford to laze around.
He started his combat training fighting against one human dummy for now. He could select the strength of the attacking dummy all the way to the peak of Qi training, but for now settled for the dummy being slightly stronger than himself. He also had the option to use wooden weapons, but settled for hand-to-hand combat. Even now he was not actually combat trained, but this training dummy would automatically train him.
*****
Somewhere on Vegus Minima, two men stood with arms folded in front of a small team of soldiers. The soldiers all had their guns pointed towards the two men, yet it was the team of soldiers who were more anxious. The soldiers were all on various levels of Qi training, while the two men were in the Foundation realm. The soldiers had no way of knowing how strong the two men really were, but it was fair to say that the soldiers basically stood no chance of winning a fight. At most, they would be able to injure or wound the two men.
"I'm going to ask you one last time," said one of the two men, his voice full of suppressed rage, "where did you get that ring?"
One of the soldiers was wearing a gold ring on his hand, with a ruby carved in the shape of a dragon on it. The man speaking was Brother Chen, and the reason he had his arms folded was to keep himself from attacking the soldiers and ripping them limb from limb. The ring used to belong to Brother Chen's father, but after his father passed away his sister took it and started wearing it on a chain around her neck.
The two soldiers had been searching for their lost caravan since they had returned from the Inn, with no luck. Their tracks had been destroyed and there was no sign of them anywhere. Despite searching for days the two had no luck, right up until they ran into these soldiers while scavenging in the ruins of an old town.
Meeting unfamiliar survivors was always a risky business on vegus Minima, as humans were just as dangerous as zombies, if not more. These soldiers however attracted the two mens attention because of their unusually neat gear as well as advanced weapons. They even handled themselves with a coordination that spoke of military training. Such things were so rare that Brother Chen and Blane had never encountered them their entire lives. This was because there was no actual military to speak of, each settlement only had a ragtag bunch of people who had somehow managed to raise their cultivation. When they approached to make inquiries, both of them immediately recognized the ring. That's when the confrontation started.
"I'm telling you, I bought it at the reclamation outpost," the man spoke, hiding the nervousness in his voice. Despite the fear he felt, his training prevented him from backing down. "This land is being reclaimed by the Jotun Empire, and all settlements and survivors are being relocated. Since you have not encountered the…"
"Bullsh*t!" Brother Chen roared. "Lily would never sell her ring, and I've never heard of this Jotun Empire! This is your last warning, tell me how you got the ring or I won't bother being polite with you anymore!"
The soldiers tightened their position and kept their aim, ready for combat at any moment. "I'm telling you, follow us to the reclamation outpost and you can see for yourself. A new country is being founded on this land, reclamation work has begun. In the future you will be citizens of the Jotum Empire, but if you dare to attack soldiers of the Empire then despite your cultivation you will not be spared."
Blane and Brother Chen shared a look, as if unsure whether to believe the soldier or not. A country being formed? That was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard, no one had the strength to fight off the zombie hordes that would be attracted to such a massive gathering of people. Under normal circumstances they would have already labeled these soldiers as liars and attacked them, yet these circumstances were anything but normal. The two had just returned from a mystical land that could transport guests from all over the universe, and met the most ridiculously powerful people. If that were possible…a country being formed didn't seem so farfetched.
The question now was, should they follow the soldiers to confirm their stories? If they were lying, the two would no doubt be led to a trap that would spell their doom. But the two had Golden keys that would allow them to escape any trap, so they were considering it.
Eventually Blane was the one who spoke, "Alright then, take us to the reclamation outpost you're talking of. But know this, if you're lying then even if we're unable to escape, we have more than enough ways to kill you!"
The soldiers finally relaxed a little at hearing the news. The captain of this squad, who had been speaking with Brother Chen earlier, took out a transponder and said, "Home base this team reclamation team 6, we have found two Foundation realm survivors. Requesting immediate extraction, over."
"Copy that reclamation team, a Slingshot is on the way, over."
The soldier put the communication device away and looked back at the two angry men.
"There will be some paperwork when you enter the outpost, and you'll need to fill in your data. If the person you're looking for…this 'Lily' has been to the reclamation outpost then her data should also be in the database. You'll be able to contact her from there."
The two nodded, but still kept their guard up. The story these soldiers were telling was too fantastical. They had spent their entire lives, fighting and running, with only very little time spent in settlements because of how rare they were. Now they were being told that an entire country was being established. Despite their recent experiences, they found it a little hard to believe.
Lex continued to fight with the training dummy for hours. After his initial burst of energy, he stopped trying to learn combat from it and simply just focused on survival. Every now and again he'd take a break due to exhaustion, but after lying down for around twenty minutes in the Training room he'd get back up again. By evening he was so physically drained that he decided to end it for the day. He teleported to his room and drew himself a bath, falling asleep almost the instant he lay down in the tub. Only a few moments later, he disappeared from the bathtub and reappeared in the white room where he first cultivated.
Even though he was already asleep, a sedative was injected into his arm to ensure he did not wake up during the process. Instead of tubes connecting to his body like last time, a metallic helmet was attached to his head which began softly vibrating. The first procedure he underwent affected his body, while the second one would affect his spirit. The third would affect his soul, and the final procedure would merge his body, soul and spirit into one entity that had the characteristics of all three. After the fourth procedure was complete, Lex would finally gain control of his cultivation and would have to consciously cultivate to grow his strength. That, however, was a matter for a later time.
*****
William Benthan, for the first time in many many years, woke up without the sensation of pain in his body. It was so surreal that initially he did not even realize he was awake and that this was not a dream. When he finally did realize what was happening, he raised his arm and looked at it in disbelief. He pinched himself, just to ensure this was real and when he felt the sharp sensation of pain run through his body he did not wince but instead laughed. He felt light as a feather, and in better health than even when he was young. His cultivation had regressed, yes, but with his resources it would take him no time at all to restart.
He exited the Recovery Pod(RP) and found Hugo patiently waiting for him on the side..
"How do you feel?" the man asked.
"Like a young man," Will replied, jumping onto the ground. Then, so amused by the sensation, he jumped a few more times to test his body. His back wasn't jolted by the shock of the movement, his knees didn't hurt and his muscles didn't ache. This truly was much better than he even hoped for.
"Come, show me around this place." Will said, as he exited the room. A part of the soul contract for Hugo was to explore whatever the golden key led to, but afterwards he would become Will's body guard. Hugo's temperament and experience didn't really make him suitable as a bodyguard, but he was strong enough for the job and that's all that really mattered.
"This place has changed somewhat," Hugo commented, looking at the small lake outside the Recovery Room (RR). "I think it would be better if we let the staff show us around." With that, he called for Gerard to give him and the old man a tour. Gerard showed up driving the golf cart, secretly quite satisfied with the opportunity to drive this vehicle around.
"This lake is for resting, and for fishing," Gerard commented as he began his tour. "The Innkeeper is usually busy, off visiting other worlds, but every time he returns he improves the Inn to better cater to his guests. This lake is one of his newer additions to the Inn's environment, but he has not fallen behind in adding new services for his guests as well."
Gerard drove them around to the Training room, the meditation room, the forest and finally the Mystery trial. Along the way they encountered Helen as well, who was surrounded by peacocks. Will asked about her but Gerard commented that he is not at liberty to discuss other guests. Gerard did let him know that if he was interested he could go and talk to her, but Will put it off for later. He was curious about the Mystery trial and decided that he would enter, but decided to wait till he saw the Gift Shop.
As expected, he was very interested in the items he saw there. He had no use for the Zombie Cores as he was not a body cultivator, but he knew their value. Besides that, Botlam Dew attracted his attention and he directly bought ten bottles. He also bought seven Golden keys and a Saturn cake. With that he was quite satisfied.
"Would you happen to have any water affinity cultivation techniques?" he asked Gerard. The fact that they were not shown in the Gift shop did not mean they weren't available, however he was destined to be disappointed.
"Unfortunately, at the moment we do not have any. Perhaps I can forward your request to the Innkeeper the next time he returns."
"No, no need to trouble the Innkeeper," Will said cheerily. He would have been happy if he could find a cultivation technique here – he expected it to be better than whatever he could find on Earth – yet he was not disappointed by the lack of one. It would not be troublesome for him to find one on his own.
Once he was done seeing everything, Will retired to Hugo's room where he set the cake and invited the bodyguard to have some as well. The two ate in silence. For Hugo, it was simply a delicious cake, but as Will had dropped his cultivation and was no longer even in Qi Training, he lost himself in euphoria. It was not a physical sensation, as if it was like a drug giving him pleasure, but it brought his mental state to a peak, and slowly he went through all his pleasant memories. At some point, the man dozed off and took a short nap. He woke up completely refreshed and feeling good.
"Hugo return back to Earth and summon all my children. Tell them they need to be physically present when I return. Also, summon Hera as well. It is time I let her know the worth of her gamble. Also, contact Bluebird. I want to view their collection of cultivation techniques, but also tell my Butler to invite a few private dealers so that I can have a wider pool to choose from."
"What will you do?"
"Me? I'm very curious about the Mystery trial. Gerard said that there is a reward if I'm able to pass. Since my first visit is free, and it's not dangerous, I see no reason why I can't visit it."
Hugo nodded, and left the Inn. This time, he didn't get a Golden key since he himself didn't actually purchase anything or avail any services.
Once Hugo left, Will walked towards the trial. A large metal door awaited him, giving off an ancient feel. It was as if the door had existed since the beginning of time, and had trapped behind it an ancient power. As if the door knew his intention, it slowly opened, revealing a dark hall behind it.
Will mustered up his courage and stepped through, and was taken aback by the sudden change. The moment he stepped through the threshold of the door, his environment changed. He found himself dressed formally, surrounded by various dignitaries and noblemen at a ball. He did not recognize anyone there, and yet he knew everyone. To be clear, he had never met anyone here before in his life, but somehow he knew the name and details of everyone here. He also found that he knew that he was not here as William Benthan, but under the guise of another strange identity. The ball was being hosted by the King of whichever country this was, and everyone was speculating as to the reason for the ball. Somehow, Will knew that his trial was to befriend as many people as possible, and learn the truth of what was happening behind the scenes.
This was a strange trial, and completely different from what Will had been expecting. Yet on some level, it made sense. If Will had to define his strongest ability, he would say that it was networking. Despite his feeble cultivation and illness, he boasted a large financial empire and strong contacts in both the mortal and cultivation world. He knew how to win hearts, and how to influence people when he wanted something.
Since Will knew the details of his trial he saw no reason to delay. He approached a middle aged old man who was sporting a rather handsome handlebar mustache, and said, "Bernie! It's good to see you here! I was rather worried you wouldn't be able to make it due to the whole smuggler business." The man Bernie recognized Will, and laughed as he reached out for a hug. Will thought everything was going well, until he saw a red colored '+1' appearing above Bernie's head. When Will focused on it, he learnt that Will had negatively impacted Bernie's mood by reminding him of something unpleasant.
Although the middle aged man didn't let it show, he did not appreciate Will's comment. A smuggling ring had been caught by the local authorities in the area under his charge, and was now under investigation to see if he had any connections to the smuggling ring. While such a small incident would not affect their relationship, nurturing positive feelings was the most basic rule of networking. It seems Will had made a very basic mistake.
Will continued to talk to the man, and realized that his attention would somehow be naturally attracted to small gestures the man made, or minor details about his behavior. When he associated those gestures or behaviors with the blue numbers that would represent positive feelings or red that would represent negative, Will found himself learning a bit about how to anticipate the others reaction. Soon, he found himself experimenting with the others as well as he tried to charm them. He was already good at socializing and grasping at people's hearts, but now he found his skill improving. Soon, he forgot all about the purpose of his trial, and was more absorbed in improving his networking and reading people as much as possible.