Chapter 256 Odyssey
Ptolemy didn't show any visible reaction to Lex's goading, but he was internally surprised by Lex's comments. Information about the Trelops was not exactly roadside knowledge, and to a certain degree, it was even kept hidden. This was because Trelops more often than not played a significant role in food production.
The human population was not small, with it being quite common for counties to have several billion humans. Even as organized as the Hum nation was, arranging for food at such a scale was a massive undertaking.
In the scenario they were facing, there were a few neighboring Trelops, with Karom being one of the weakest, and hence the most cooperative. Unfortunately, right after Karom's territory was that of another, extremely hostile and very aggressive Trelop.
That Trelop alone was the reason why humans stop expanding in this direction. Of course, that didn't mean that this Trelop was so strong that humans couldn't fight it at all, but that high leveled cultivators didn't usually take care of things like these.
Not only did they have their own duties, the Hum nation felt strongly against the idea of becoming used to having others take care of all your problems. While it was true that higher leveled cultivators could take care of everything, first of all, they were not omnipotent and couldn't be everywhere all the time. Secondly, if they did everything, then what would the lower leveled cultivators contribution be?
They were not living in some utopia. Humans needed to become used to the habit of facing trials and dangers to achieve what they want, instead of having someone hand it to them.
Ptolemy was going through various thoughts in his head, but the few moments of silence that created gave Lex the impression that he was ignoring him. In that case, some more goading would be required.
"Or is it possible you hadn't thought so far ahead? If you need help, I don't mind giving you some advice. After all, I wouldn't want to affect the safety of those in the expedition over a little spat."
"The situation is handled," Ptolemy replied, his voice full of vinegar. "If you must know, the guards of the expedition have been fully informed of all the upcoming threats and have made ample preparations. Dealing with a Trelop is not too hard, for at the end of the day, they are just plants. As hostile as they may be, the threat of a forest fire will put them in their place."
After that, Ptolemy did not bother explaining further and went inside his tent. He honestly didn't even want to explain this much to Lex, but he couldn't have him going around telling the expedition that they were heading to certain death. As the leader, he needed to provide some assurances, even to the members of the expedition he didn't like - such was the burden of a leader.
Lex didn't push him any further. The answer was fairly simple, but he doubted that Ptolemy's preparation was lacking. Still, it was interesting to know that sometimes he did not need to search for complicated solutions to everything.
Lex returned to his tent and packed up his stuff. Since this was their first camp, and was built even before they arrived, it would stay here even after they left. Ptolemy had hired a small group of guards to maintain this camp for their return journey, but that was for later.
For now, everyone got on their Delaim lizards and started wading through the snow that had accumulated on their newly built road. Since the Frio birds still seemed to be nearby, the weather had not changed at all, and the endless snow storm raged on. One might wonder how the expedition was able to see and navigate during such a relentless storm.
The answer was that the fresh, falling snow produced in this storm gave off an ethereal, silverish light that made the whole world look like it was in a fairytale. Its beauty was like moonlight but on steroids. As long as one had a sleeping mask for the hours they were resting, no one would complain about it.
So, while they made their way through the forest on the relatively straight-and-level road, Lex finally had the time to divert his attention to the Inn.
Things at the Inn were… well, they were great, considering the circumstances. The invasion had naturally affected the Inn's reputation a bit, and some of the guests had stopped visiting as the Inn no longer seemed as safe as before - at least until the Innkeeper returned. However, that number was still low.
Furthermore, despite the invasion ending over a day ago, another one had not happened. Considering that they still did not know the identity of the attacker and their true motives, this was a grand sign. Last, but not least, after having been abruptly exposed to a life-and-death situation, Fenrir's growth had undergone an explosion. Currently, he was the same size as the Galactic Sovereign turtle, meaning he was much bigger than Lex.
Moreover, while his cultivation growth was the same, he had unlocked various abilities from his bloodline. One of them was the ability to change his appearance - though size was still not an option. This had helped him tremendously, as, by sheer coincidence, one of the slimes Fenrir had befriended back on X-142 was teleported to the Inn through a Golden door.
Fortunately, Fenrir was not alone at the time, and as soon as he recognized the slime and was about to greet it, he was stopped. Then Mary explained to Fenrir that it could not expose its identity and, unexpectedly, the dog understood and complied.
Lex wiped some metaphorical sweat off his brow, as he completely forgot about the whole identity issue when he summoned Fenrir to X-142 with him. He would have to be more careful in the future.
His giant training dummy had assumed the role of a statue beside Midnight Mountain, since there really wasn't any energy to control it. Fortunately, people were used to the Inn changing all the time, so no one questioned it.
His staff was recovering nicely, and surprisingly, none of them seemed to have any mental trauma about going through such an incident. In fact, many of them seemed to consider it normal. That made Lex realize that he had seriously underestimated his workers, and especially the ones that had unlocked their bloodlines.
The fact that Gerard was able to hold his own against a Nascent level Raskal while in the Qi realm… he did not think such an ability could be easily replicated, even in the vast universe. He decided to emphasize their cultivation and training some more. If all of them became powerhouses similar to Gerard, would he need to be worried?
He further reduced their work hours and added mandatory training and cultivation time to their routines. Furthermore, despite Gerards reluctance, Lex upgraded him to head of security. If there was any consolation, it was that Lex allowed him to keep the golf cart. Furthermore, he told Mary to approach the Drake that had upgraded the cart, and see if it was willing to work for the Inn. Of course, actual hiring would have to wait for now, but there was no harm in testing the water.
Which finally led to their newest hire, Anita the Lich. While due to her amazing cultivation prowess, she was an important member of the Inn, Lex's real purpose in hiring her was actually very different.
Once Lex's tumor was removed, he finally became aware of the real weight of what it meant to be a cultivator, as well as the Innkeeper. He had no intentions of being mundane whatsoever, which meant that he had the expectation of reaching a very high cultivation realm. Along with such a cultivation came a long lifespan. He had already seen many of his guests who had lived for thousands of years, let alone Anita herself, who had lived for a ridiculously long time.
Currently, his experience made it impossible for Lex to imagine what living for so long would be like, but he understood the importance of history and recording it. So, among the many other things Lex had planned, Anita's first and most important role was to record the history of the Inn.
He told Mary to have her interview all the workers and start recording a detailed account of all the events that happened within the Inn itself. This history would be highly classified, for now, and Lex had an idea for he would make it accessible in the future, but that would have to wait till he had spare energy to use.
Once she was done with recording the history of the Inn, he told Mary to have her start recording the histories of the planets that were connected to the Inn, one by one. This seemed like a tedious and endless task, one with no seeming purpose or reward, but not only did Lex have a plan on how to use all this, Anita herself, as a person who had once created history, had a strong interest in learning and recording history.
As someone who had firsthand experienced how the events of her time were changed from memories to stories, to legends, to myths, she was endlessly intrigued by learning other myths, and trying to figure out the stories that had inspired them.
It seemed that coming to the Inn was the correct decision, at least for her. And so, it was with this giddy enthusiasm that Antia began recording what would one day be known as the odyssey of the Innkeeper.
Chapter 257 Sinister intentions
The ride from the camp to Deadfall cliff was long and monotonous. It was difficult to talk to those around you unless you were in a carriage or sharing the lizard with another person, for you would end up having to yell over the blowing wind.
For most, this was a boring part of the trip that was necessary, but for Lex it gave him much needed time to catch up on what was happening at the Inn. After he was done distributing tasks and making important decisions, he spent some time just catching up. Unfortunately, Mary could not spy on guests' conversations the way Lex could when he was at the Inn, so he had no idea how Earth was doing these days.
Had the political instability finally calmed down or were there new issues now? Had the Jotun Empire finally reclaimed all of the Vegus planets or was the war still ongoing? How was the harvest back on X-142 doing? How was Nibiru progressing?
Lex quite enjoyed knowing about his guests, but it seemed all of that would have to wait till later.
Eventually, when he ran out of things to check up on even at the Inn, Lex decided to use the time to continue reading the book in his ring on arrays. He would have preferred to cultivate, but that wasn't something you could easily do while riding a traveling lizard.
They traveled continuously much longer than a day, but fortunately, the physique of everyone on the trip could handle such exertion without issue.
When they finally arrived at their destination, it was abruptly made clear by the drastic change in scenery. A steep and sudden cliff appeared, marking the end of the forest, as well as the border of human exploration. Hundreds of feet down below was a forest of orangish yellow maple trees, the leaves moving gently in the wind as if welcoming everyone down below.
Even the weather across the cliff was different, as there seemed to be an invisible dividing line that prevented the snowstorm from extending past the cliff, instead replaced by the warm breeze of early summer.
Yet, as welcoming and picturesque as it seemed, no one was fooled. There was a reason this was called Deadfall cliff. As cheesy as the name was, the name was naturally picked up when few, if any, ever returned after venturing past the invisible border. It was the exact place they were going, and was the place where Lex's true trial would finally begin.
Ptolemy did not waste time on any needless ceremony. After ensuring everyone was arranged into proper formation, with the 30 student-soldiers making up the outermost layer of their expedition while the rest formed a close circle within. Then, after ensuring everyone was seated securely on their lizards, they ventured forth into the warm abyss, their lizards climbing down the cliffside as easily as they walked through Karom forest.
Despite the confident demeanor of Ptolemy and their protectors, Lex could not help but tighten his grip on his lizard's leash as he felt a silent tension fill the air. As the temperature around him changed, going from cold to suddenly warm, the array character on his right hand stopped glowing though it did not disappear.
Karom forest had been frigid cold, yet safe and secure. Goli forest was warm and inviting, but his instincts warned him of a sinister evil. It was not fear that filled him, but wariness. None in this expedition were untested and unaware, for beneath their casual banter and smiling faces, each and every person here was born in times of chaos. It was not just the external threat of an unbeatable enemy that tempered them, but the knowledge that they would be abandoned by their own race if they did not prove to be useful. It wasn't that there were none in this realm that procrastinated, or were lazy. It was that those who did were already dead.
Still, while they had skill and strength, making light of the danger ahead was a mistake none made. It was their experienced caution that created a mood Lex mistook for tension. Instead, what he would soon come to realize was, it was their anticipation for whoever dared to bar their way.
After all that build up, their descent was uneventful. As soon as they reached the bottom, Ptolemy sent out scouts to check for nearby threats, as well as to locate a place to establish their new camp. Before wading into danger, they needed to create a secure base of operations.
In a way, staying beside the cliff was both very dangerous and the most secure. This was because, if they built their camp in the forest, they would have to deal with a hostile Trelop. Lex did not fully understand how dangerous Trelops were, but he was not looking forward to fighting a forest. But, if they stayed by the cliff, then they would literally have their backs against a wall should they come under attack.
The situation was bad either way, so it depended more on how they responded.
A short, tension filled wait later, the scouts returned, stating that there were no signs of any dangerous predators nearby. But, at the same time, there was no source of running water in the vicinity either.
Even though they were cultivators, a source of fresh water would be important for any long term base, not only for their consumption but for other uses as well. Of course, they could use water affinity spiritual techniques to artificially create water for themselves, but this was not a good solution as it would exhaust their cultivators energy.
So, as much as Ptolemy wanted to build a base near the cliff, the party eventually moved into the forest. Their speed was much slower now since the trees had not cleared a path for them and the carriages with their luggage needed to maneuver around them.
Initially, everything seemed to be going fine. But, after a certain amount of time, unknowingly, Lex started to feel a certain anxiety growing in his chest. Moving the carriages was taking too long. The expedition party, while trying to stay close, somehow still ended up being divided into clumps. The weather had gone from warm to hot, humid and sticky. The sound of the lizards walking through the grass was too loud.
Suddenly, it struck Lex. The sound of the walking lizards was too loud. The forest, as warm and welcoming as it seemed, was instead too quiet. The bright orange leaves were too prominent.
Immediately, without even realizing what he was doing, Lex lifted his hand from the Heavy Harley attached to his waist and put it on his sword, before prompting his lizard to move up to Ptolemy.
The man was not happy to see him, but the seriousness in Lex's eyes caused him to hesitate from insulting him. But, at the end of the day, no matter how strong Lex's instincts were and how accurate his premonition, his level was just too low. By the time his instincts had warned him, it was already too late.
Before Lex could even speak, chaos erupted.
Chapter 258 A will to challenge the heavens
On a battlefield of giants, every step they take would be like an earthquake to the mortals living down below. Their battlecry would be the sonic boom that threatened to tear the eardrums of lesser beings, each of their clashes a biblical armageddon for those suffering the misfortune of being nearby.
So when Lex, a mere Qi training cultivator, was caught in the middle of an ambush, with flaming, razor sharp leaves slicing through the air threatening to cut the world in half, and batons of tree branches beat down on them to crush their backs, it was a testament to Regal Embrace that he remained unharmed.
One moment he was looking Ptolemy in the eyes, about to warn him about danger, the next moment his pupils constricted when he saw the canopy alight with flames. The array character for ice on his hand shone with a silverish blue light, and an armor made of ice suddenly covered not only Lex, but his lizard as well.
The raining bullets made of leaves could not melt his armor, for unbeknownst even to Lex himself, the ice was that of the Frio birds themselves. But, while he was saved from the temperature, he doubted he would be safe from the branches that came crashing down on him.
After such a long time of riding Fenrir, Lex was long accustomed to controlling his mount effortlessly and so it was with finesse undeserving of its race that the lizard dodged all attacks.
He had been saved from the rising temperature, and avoided the direct clashes, but there was nothing that could protect him from the shockwaves that traveled through the air. The weakest of these attacks was in the Golden core realm, while most were in the Nascent realm. How could Lex expect to survive such shockwaves traveling through his body?
The answer was with a straight back, eyes full of unyielding determination and a will to challenge the heavens! Also, he still had the talisman to protect him from Nascent level attacks that automatically turned on when he was threatened.
So, when death rained down on the expedition and the forest tried to beat them like drums, the weakest of the expedition, Lex, was the most unhurt. But though they had been taken by surprise, if a simple, extremely lethal ambush was all it took to eliminate the students of the academy, then as the holy land of the human race, its reputation was undeserved.
The moment Lex's armor had appeared, Ptolemy already reacted and launched a counterattack! Unlike the orange flames produced by the forest, Ptolemy produced green flames that spread around as if he was someone who vaped, competing with a smoke machine! The green flames consumed the orange ones, and clashed as if the two were solid entities.
Around them, while the other students did not respond as fast, many of them were able to quickly retaliate. Especially the 30 students trained as soldiers. Lex could not understand exactly what they had done, because he was busy trying not to die, but they all looked very cool whenever he saw them.
The fight was not short, but for Lex it only involved controlling his lizard to stay out of everyone's way. An hour later, or maybe it was several hours later, the fight ended just as abruptly as it had begun. While initially they had been surrounded by a dense forest, they now appeared to be in a burnt down clearing.
As Lex saw green flames spreading in the distance, eating at the trees, Lex suddenly understood what Ptolemy meant when he said he threatened a forest fire. Maybe Goli would not be afraid of normal flames, as it appeared Goli himself was adept at controlling fire, but the green, malevolent flames produced by Ptolemy was anything but normal.
Suddenly, the armor around Lex receded, and the character on his right hand reformed, although much dimmer now. While Lex was analyzing their situation, suddenly it occurred to him that the whole expedition was staring at him.
Over a 100 soot-covered, bruised and beaten students looked at the neat and clean Lex, seated comfortably upon his uninjured noble lizard. It was like a scene out of a story and, unbeknownst to Lex, the few members of the expedition who had heard rumors about him, suddenly recalled the latest one.
It was said that even immortal Kravens could not injure a hair from his head, and though he had been born from 'that' family, he had forsaken his family name so that any prestige he built, it would be of his own design.
Reverence flashed in a few eyes, before it quickly disappeared. They were still in danger, and now was not the time to dwell on such things.
Ptolemy did a quick check, and though there were a dozen injured, no one had died. No longer bothering to be gentle, the expedition bulldozed through the forest to the camp site one of the scouts had picked for them and immediately began laying down defense.
For the first time, Lex saw formation masters at work as they erected protective formations around their new campsite. Others chopped down all nearby trees, while others still used their techniques to level the ground.
In a few hours, the expedition managed to monopolize a sizable pond with fresh running water from multiple small streams, put up formation reinforced, wooden fences and built watch towers. The efficiency with which they worked was only matched by the nonchalance of the students. None of them were at all bothered by the ambush, and even the injured had conveniently taken sedatives and gone to sleep so as to accelerate their healing process.
Lex was only just beginning to comprehend the mentality of humans who had been raised knowing they would die at war when one of the watchtowers sounded an alarm.
Their camp, which they had not even finished setting up, was facing its first attack already. As if that wasn't enough the enemy this time even managed to scare Lex. It was snakes. Tens of thousands of snakes.
Chapter 259 The expedition begins
The battle that followed left Lex unusually flustered. Their camp's defenses, despite only having just been built, seemed impenetrable, which meant there was no actual threat to Lex. But at the same time, he couldn't just relax or focus on something else, because if the defenses fell short, he would need to protect himself.
He couldn't participate in repelling the attack because, frankly, he was too weak to make a meaningful contribution. He couldn't even watch the fight because if he came too close, he would make himself vulnerable to shockwaves from the battle, and might even get in the way of his allies.
In the end, he spent multiple hours just… waiting for something to happen. In the end, the battle ended with their camp managing to defend successfully. Ptolemy, afterwards, went into the forest with a few guards, and though he did not say what he did, assured the camp there would be no of such more attacks once he returned.
With his assurance began the true purpose of the expedition. This entire region was unmapped, with little to no knowledge of anything. Cartographers built themselves their own watch tower, from where they used telescopes and other devices to map out the surrounding terrain, as well as try to figure out the best direction for their expedition to proceed.
Others started studying the snakes physiology, as they were the first living things they had encountered other than the trees. Speaking of which, from mingling with the various small groups, Lex learnt that these were not actually maple trees, but an as of yet unknown species of trees, the bark of which was extremely resistant to flame while the leaves themselves were very flammable.
They had already begun studying the sap and the roots of the trees they had cut down, and were proposing new uses for them. Others were studying the soil and mineral composition while other groups still were studying the currents of spiritual energy in the area.
The camp had truly come alive, which brought a lot of emphasis on the fact that Lex had nothing to do. Well, officially he had nothing to do, since Ptolemy could not be bothered with him. Unofficially, though, Lex had a lot to do.
This expedition had only just begun, and would likely continue for months if not years, but Lex only had a limited time with them as he was just undergoing a trial. That meant, in the next few weeks, Lex had to get access to at least one of the buried spirit stone mines without alerting anyone.
The trouble was, Karom had not given him a map of their location, rather, he had only told Lex key or identifying features of the area nearby. To help Karom fulfill his own agenda as well, he had provided Lex a way of escaping Goli's supervision as well, but that did nothing for hiding Lex from the beasts.
Over the next few days, small hunting and exploration parties would venture out from the camp several times a day, and Lex would accompany at least one such party everyday. He had proven capable of ensuring his own security, so no one really minded, not to mention that everyone more or less knew that Lex was supposed to have a say in their defenses, so just accepted this as a part of his duty.
Furthermore, even on the trips that Lex did not venture out on, he made sure to interview the scouts or guards that went out so he could develop a deeper understanding of the terrain, as well as the habits of the fauna of the region.
He corroborated all of his analysis with the zoologists in the expedition so that he could be sure instead of forming baseless speculations.
What Lex was actually doing was creating his own map, and formulating his own plan for how he would get the spirit stones. To the people of the expedition, however, it seemed like Lex was taking his job very seriously, and was working hard to ensure they suffered no more unexpected attacks. Some people had noticed how, even before their first ambush, Lex seemed to have sensed some danger and tried to warn Ptolemy about it. The extra attention, of course, was due to the rumors about him. Cut off from society, the only thing the people from the expedition had to do during their free time was gossip. Of course, there were many more people being gossiped about as well, with Ptolemy being a key figure. However, it was exactly because rumors of Lex were mixed in with so many other stories that people actually forgot that they were supposed to be just rumors, instead of facts.
Of course, none of that had anything to do with Lex. After a week of scouting and research, he was prepared to venture out of the camp alone to properly begin looking for the mines. There was just one problem.
"Why are you going out alone?" asked the student who was watching the gate. It wasn't an interrogation, since they all somewhat knew one another now, but he still had to ask.
"To do some personal reconnaissance. There are some places it's much easier to scout alone."
"Are you sure? Not that I mean to doubt you or anything, but, if you run into trouble… you might have a hard time surviving on your own."
"Not to worry, I have taken adequate precautions."
"Still… I think I need to let Ptolemy know about this, just to be safe."
"Sure," Lex replied, letting out an exhausted sigh. Considering that they were living in such close quarters, Lex did not expect to be able to hide the fact that he was going out alone from anyone. He was just hoping for more of an 'apology instead of permission' approach. He didn't relish having to explain his actions to Ptolemy.
Ptolemy, likewise, was not happy about the fact that Lex had been so active. If Lex had just been a lazy, entitled brat, it would have better fit his internal narrative about him just being someone who was handed everything instead of earning it. Even though he knew he should have looked into how Lex was able to detect the ambush before him, his existing bias had prevented him from doing so. His strategy for dealing with Lex had been out of sight, out of mind. But when the latter was literally taking the initiative to contribute by scouting on his own, it was entirely impossible to ignore him.
"You're not a scout, and we have no scouting missions that require going alone. What exactly do you want to do? We don't have the manpower to waste on a rescue mission if you get yourself in trouble."
"Then don't," Lex replied, rolling his eyes. "I thought you didn't care what I did as long as I didn't get in your way. And I'm literally getting out of your way, so why do you even care?"
"Do whatever," Ptolemy replied. "Just remember, I'm not going to waste any manpower on saving you if you disappear."
Lex was relieved that Ptolemy wasn't going to try to stop him from leaving, but it also increased the pressure on him as well knowing there would be no fall back or rescue should things go wrong.
Chapter 260 Druk
The crunch of stepping on dead leaves on the ground was unusually audible as Lex stepped out of the camp alone for the first time. While normally he would have admired the satisfaction of such a crisp sound, this time Lex could only worry about the fact that he was not trained to move silently through a forest, or without leaving a trail.
But there was no room for self doubt on this journey through a sentient forest, stuck in a realm that was not his own, without so much as a GPS or even a compass for that matter. No, there was no kind of hand holding going on. The only way Lex would ever get back was if he took the steps and risks necessary.
Anyway, who needed a GPS when he had the Fancy Monocle? Fitting the monocle in front of his left eye, Lex quickly departed. Since Lex did not have the skill to hide his trail, he had decided to actually submit a scouting report when he returned, to make his venture more credible. With the monocle feeding him information, he was bound to learn more than the expedition members, anyway.
Lex moved at a light jog for fifteen minutes until he was on the border of the camp's radius of influence. He didn't know what Ptolemy had done, but Goli hadn't attacked the camp after the first day, and most animals had vacated the area. That did not mean the danger was eliminated, but at least they weren't being targeted in the same way.
Lex took out an acorn from his backpack and crushed it in his fist before covering himself with acorn dust. This acorn provided by Karom would allow Lex to hide from Goli's senses and eliminate much of the danger for him.
But, moving forward, he would still need to be more careful. The best he could do to stay hidden was move close to trees and crouch between the tall grass or behind random bushes. That would in no way hide his figure, nor would it prevent the sound of his footsteps on crunchy leaves.
Fortunately, things were not as bad as he made them seem, as he had gotten somewhat used to moving through the forest while he accompanied previous scouting parties.
He was currently following a stream of water, hoping to find its source. One of the mines nearest to him was deep underneath a lake, Karom had told him, but no one had as of yet found one.
It was hard to tell how much time passed in the forest, as there was no concept of the sun rising or declining in this realm. Instead, the leaves seemed to always emit a warm, candescent yellow light that made it seem like the forest was stuck in perpetually at noon.
At least that made it easier for Lex to identify any creatures in his path. Up ahead, he saw a small scaly creature that looked somewhat like a grasshopper, only about 3 feet wide, drinking water from the stream.
Not wanting to take any chances, Lex moved around the creature, as he had done so many times before, when the monocle showed him something interesting. It identified gold!
Hidden behind a few bushes was a naturally formed tunnel that seemed to descend underground at a 30-degree angle. Right at the mouth of the tunnel, however, was a small rock with bits of gold in it.
Having worked with the weaponsmith for so long, Lex learned an interesting tidbit that he suspected fed the actual reason for the value of gold back on Earth. It was a great conductor for spiritual energy, and when mixed with other metals in the manufacturing of weapons, or any item really, it served to enhance its capabilities greatly.
Could this be a gold mine? Lex put the gold infused rock in his backpack and decided to carefully explore the tunnel.
The immediately dark tunnel was a sharp contrast to the ever bright forest, but while it troubled Lex, the monocle was in no way impeded from functioning. As Lex slowly descended, the monocle started to detect other valuable ores and minerals.
Lex was congratulating himself on making a huge discovery when the monocle flashed a familiar red sign stating danger. Thankfully, the danger was not in the usual bold letters that meant Lex was about to be attacked.
Up ahead in the cave, hidden in the darkness, was some kind of creature, asleep thankfully, that the monocle did not have any information on in its repository. But, while it could not identify the creature, it gave Lex plenty of information on it. It was massive, with the length of its body at 20 feet (6.1 meters), nearly a dozen short and fat legs, two scythe-like claws and a face that seemed to exist directly on its torso.
Its body was not scaly or lethargy, but instead consisted of an unusual blend of metals and minerals.
Whatever it was, it weighed a few tonnes and Lex thought that the metals that made up its body were extremely valuable. Deciding not to take any more risks, Lex silently exited the cave and grabbed a few more rocks on the way out.
Lex spent another few hours searching for any identifying landmark that could help him locate one of the mines he was looking for, but when he could not, he decided it was safe to share the story about the tunnel with the camp. With this, if the tunnel proved to be valuable, their attention would be focused here, making it easier for Lex to explore other places in the forest.
Once he returned to the camp, much to the relief of the student on gate duty, Lex first went to someone called Barry and told him about the tunnel and showed him the rocks he had brought out. Barry was a sort of jack of all trades kind of guy, and had deep knowledge of geology, metallurgy, energetics, thermodynamics and a bunch of other fields Lex did not know the meaning of.
Initially, Barry was listening with interest, but as soon as Lx began to describe the creature he jumped off his seat and yelled, "Druk! You found a Druk lair? Rich! We're going to be rich! Quick, someone called Ptolemy! Tell him we're going to be rich!"
Lex was startled and confused at Barry, who was laughing like a maniac.
"Barry, what the hell is a Druk and why are we going to be rich?"
"Druks are creatures that live in Spirit Well, Lex! If we can confirm the presence of a Spirit Well, then the academy itself will reward us for this discovery!"
Suddenly, Lex felt like cursing Karom from the bottom of his heart.
Chapter 261 Spirit well
In the dead of night, which was to say, during the well lit, and fairly active portion of the day that Lex usually slept – since it was never dark in this forest – Lex stood alone in front of the Deadfall cliff.
It had been 3 days since he visited the tunnel, and this was the first opportunity he had gotten for some privacy – mainly because everyone was focusing on the tunnel so much, Ptolemy included. Of course, because of all the hubbub created due to his discovery, Lex had learnt a great deal about Spirit wells, which is what caused him the most frustration!
Some people at the camp had started calling him their lucky charm, but he didn't feel lucky at all!
After ensuring that he really was alone, and that there were no animals or beasts around, Lex withdrew one of the many acorns in his bag and crushed it against the cliff side. A short while later, a thin and weak looking root emerged from the cliff.
"Everything alright bro? You contacted me a lot sooner than I was expecting. Don't tell me Goli discovered you?"
"No, Goli did not find me. But why didn't you tell me about the Spirit well? That would have helped even more than a mine! Because I didn't know what it was, I ended up telling the camp about it, and now neither I nor you will be able to benefit from it!"
The root froze for a moment as it tried to process what it had heard. Spiritual energy tended to flow from one area to another and had currents much in the way there were ocean or air currents. Of course, the flow was not based on going from regions of high to low concentration, as this energy had its own sets of behaviors, but that was besides the point.
Sometimes these currents faced an obstruction, and instead of flowing, spiritual energy started to gather in spots with increasing concentration. At this point, there were many ways in which spirit stones could be formed, and the way in which they would be formed would dictate their purity and concentration.
What was more important to Lex, however, was the fact that, even after the spirit mine was created, the concentration of energy did not drop but continued to increase, there were chances of a well being formed.
If scientists from Earth studied this phenomenon, their attention would be most attracted to the fact that, following this logic, spiritual energy being contained in a liquid state of spirit water had a higher concentration than in the solid state of a spirit stone. The truth behind such an occurrence was that spiritual energy was a lot more complicated than it seemed at a glance, and many more matters were at play here, but at Lex's level there was no need for him to know of them.
All that mattered was, a single spirit well was better than several spirit mines put together. If he had known this matter beforehand, he would have directly used the method Karom gave him to dig underground and bypass the Druk.
Eventually, Karom spoke hesitantly, "I was there when Goli moved in. I swept the whole area myself, there was no Spirit well anywhere that I recall."
"Well, how long ago was that?" Lex asked the question that really had him feeling frustrated. It occurred to him that an oversight on his part was treating a Trelop similar to humans when he clearly recalled that due to their different physiology, they treat the world differently. Trelops especially…
"It was some 60,000 years ago, I think," Karom said, as it was counting the years in his mind.
Lex let out a defeated sigh, as his suspicion had proven true. Trelops had a very different sense of time, since their lifespans were infinitely longer than humans. The amount of time Karom was talking about was more than enough for a spirit mine to turn into a spirit well, not to mention all the landmarks he knew to change that could be used to identify the location of the mines.
There was no point in explaining to Karom how it had messed up, Lex would rather move on to the next issue.
"Alright listen up Karom, the situation has changed. There's no way of knowing if the spirit mines you knew about still even exist, let alone being able to find them. On top of that, if they end up really discovering a spirit well, then it'll only be a matter of time before the academy takes over. When that happens, I won't be able to get any spirit mines and you won't be able to absorb any of your cousins' forestland. So, if you want to go ahead with your plan, we need to come up with a solution and act on it within the next few days or at most a week."
Karom was once again silent for a while, before he answered.
"I understand bro. I will think of something, come back in a short while."
"Make sure you confirm with me before doing anything," Lex told him, not at all trusting the sensibility of the Trelop. In the end, although Karom agreed with him, Lex ultimately decided not to rely only on him.
"Hey Lotus, if there was a Spirit well there, why weren't you able to sense it?" Lex asked, after tapping his back.
"Mr. Innkeeper, I can only detect spiritual energy if I physically feel it. With mines and wells, their energy is completely shielded and blocked from escaping, which is what causes a mine to develop in the first place. Otherwise, not only me, but everyone would easily be able to detect mines."
"Figures," Lex muttered as he made his way back to the camp. His trip to the cliff had not been so simple, and he had to hide and run from some predators a few times, but even when he came back to camp with his clothes clearly having suffered damage, no one batted an eye.
Instead, whoever saw Lex let out an excited cheer. He was the man of the hour, the good luck charm, and some even called him the noble prince. Lex naturally maintained the banter with everyone, but did not stay for long as he needed to get back to his tent and rest up. The backup plan he had made was fairly simple.
He had already shown everyone where the tunnel was, but they had not proceeded to exploring it yet as a Druk was not an easy foe to face, even assuming there was the only one Lex saw instead of a whole family of them.
Lex had decided, despite his better judgment, to join them on their exploration of the tunnel, for even if they did discover a spirit well, no one would notice if he ended up absorbing some energy from that as well. Right?
He figured, as long as the well wasn't completely drained, he would be alright.
Ptolemy, on the other hand, took Lex's insistence on accompanying them as a form of mistrust, as if he would deny Lex's role in finding the well if he didn't accompany them.
He felt so frustrated, in fact, that a part of him even wished that there was no well to begin with.
While all of this was going on, back in his own domain, a small humanoid clump of leaves that sort of looked like Lex walked back and forth trying to figure something out. Karom had spent too long as an adolescent, and unless he could find a way of expanding his territory, he would be stuck like that.
"Broooooooooooooooooo I got it!" he suddenly yelled, as an idea came to him. If the humans were too preoccupied to determine the existence of the well, that would give Lex more time to find spirit mines and lay down his seeds.
Why was he stressing out over such a minor issue? All he had to do was distract the humans, maybe even trap them for a few years – that would give Lex plenty of time to search.
He was so enthused by his new idea that he completely forgot about Lex's warning not to do anything without consulting him.
'Dear aunty Jeena,' he started to write down on a rock, preparing to send it as a letter. 'You will never guess what I just saw. Goli has been meeting with humans…'
Karom wrote down his own version of the 'latest gossip' of how Goli had decided to embrace the humans. The fastest way for Trelops to grow stronger was to absorb parts of other Trelops. This was why there were so few of them, not to mention the fact that so few of them ever remained close to one another.
Karom did not specifically lay down any allegations, but the fact that he was so nonchalant about Goli deciding to work with humans would obviously insinuate that Karom was not the target of Goli's and the humans' cooperation.
How this beloved aunty would take this news, he did not bother speculating. Soon, a massive boulder could be seen being pulled by hundreds of roots through the forest, its body entirely covered in writing.
262 Heartbeat
Instead of sleeping, Lex chose to cultivate to recover. He needed to be in top shape to protect himself while the rest of his cohorts fought the Druks or any other enemies that might crop up.
A benefit of all the exertion he was experiencing was that his cultivation was progressing quickly. While the concentration of spiritual energy mattered little for Qi training, since he was absorbing individual strands of Qi, the indirect benefits he was receiving of being in an energy rich environment, such as eating healthier food or recovering from fatigue quicker, were speeding up his cultivation nonetheless.
The whole process of forcing a higher number of Qi into your body, and then having your body get accustomed to it, was apparently greatly facilitated by being beaten up and then recovering quickly. Considering Lex's defense, this was not how should have been cultivating, but just based on the fact that he was always surrounded by higher realm enemies made it so that the effect of his defense was always mitigated.
Lex firmly entered the 6th level of Qi training, and was already on his way to the peak of it. The good news was, if he continued to get hassled the way he was, it would speed up his cultivation. The bad news was, the protection talisman he had to protect him from Nascent realm attacks had limited energy. While it had sustained itself so far, it was because he had not yet taken any direct hits and mostly suffered shockwave damage. Even so, eventually it would run out. While it was not a concern yet, it was something Lex had to keep in mind.
Finally, it was time to explore the tunnel. The group going would be the largest group that ventured out into the forest yet, since the camp was founded.
Other than Ptolemy himself, 20 of the 30 guards would be joining as well as another 10 students that would serve auxiliary purposes to help in the combat of Druks. Lex and Barry were the only purely noncombatants joining in - Lex because he insisted on going and Barry because, should the tunnel end prematurely, or instead form an underground maze, he would be the one to guide them and carve out a new path should it be needed.
Their party set out, once again mounted on their lizards since there was no hope of being discreet with such a large group. Many animals would run away as soon as they saw the size of their party, but some of the stronger beasts still fought with them. However, no matter how much they fought or how much noise they made, the forest no longer made any moves on them. Lex genuinely wondered what Ptolemy had done to achieve such a result.
A few hours later, they finally reached the mouth of the tunnel. At the sight of the descending path, a new mood overtook the group. It was not anxiety, or fear, this time, but that of excitement.
One of the group members ventured ahead while the rest stayed back and secured the area. A small concealing formation was set up so that no other beast would accidentally discover it and attack them from behind.
A short while later, the group member that ventured into the tunnel came back out, a grim look on his face.
"According to the probe, there's three Druks down there."
The group members had various reactions with most grimacing as well, but a few jumped up with ecstatic faces.
"What happened?" Lex asked his fellow noncombatant, Barry.
"Three Druks means the size of the Spirit well is large enough to support three of them. But, at the same time, each Druk is ridiculously difficult to defeat. They eat various metals and absorb them into their body, augmenting their defense. Adolescent Druks, like the one you saw, get their tough body as a result of the metals, but adult Druks form a unique alloy that is even more difficult to penetrate. Three Druks signifies that two are probably parents while one is probably a child. Facing two adult Druks... it's not an exciting concept. But, at the same time, the reward will be all the greater."
Lex silently watched as Ptolemy discussed the plan with the rest of the combatants. He silently wondered, should he use the distraction from the fight to reach the well? If someone found out, it would be highly suspicious.
Once they were done with their plans, the group continued into the tunnel. Their primary plan was to try to capture the younger Druk, if possible, to use against the older ones. However, if capture seemed impossible, they would find ways to fight the beasts one at a time. They held no illusion that fighting all three together would be their demise.
It did not take long, barely a few minutes, before they once again ran into the Druk that Lex had encountered, still asleep.
The built up anticipation mixed with anxiety as the group quietly assumed their positions. Barry and Lex were farthest back, while a few went ahead to ensure the two adults weren't nearby.
The longer they took, the greater the tension that built up. Lex suddenly became very aware of his heartbeat. It was not beating fast, and maintained an even pace, but suddenly he felt like each beat was like a hammer trying to break through his chest.
Ba-dump. One of the guards, a female, moved close to the Druk, holding a rope made of bark. Ba-dump. Three others surrounded the group, trying to set up a suppression array. Ba-dump. Everyone drew their weapons, the sheen of their blades cutting through the darkness of the tunnel. Ba-dump. A drop of sweat rolled down Ptolemy's brow. Ba-dump.
A nod, so subtle one could have missed it if they weren't watching for it, from one of the group members was all the confirmation they needed. The adults were far away. Ba-dump.
Just as they had been ambushed so suddenly a short while ago, the group ambushed the Druk this time. Any kind of metal was useless against Druks, so the weapons they used were made of special synthesized materials and should have been harder and sharper than steel. Despite the surprise, though, their attacks failed to pierce the beast all the way through.
The Druk did not roar angrily when it opened its eyes. No, the tunnel itself released a sharp wail at their blasphemy. The walls shivered under the weight of the beast picking itself up, and then shivered again as all the metal ores were pulled straight out of them and fell to the ground like melting ice.
The sight of a massive, angry beast glaring them down with murder in its eyes would have intimidated a lesser group, but not this one. So far, things were going according to plan. As soon as the beast stood up, various members of the group swung their ropes through the beast's legs.
Their intention wasn't to tie it up, but rather, flip it. With inhuman strength, members of the group used the ropes to pull the beast in the air, while others attacked it once again, flipping it over. Its two front claws, its primary weapons, were pushed deep into the tunnel walls so that the Druk wouldn't be able to pull it out easily.
Upside down, and immobile, the beast was unable to retaliate as the group started to suppress it with their arrays. The beast was definitely a young one, and was too used to its foes being intimidated by its display of power. What it didn't know was that to these academy students, threats meant nothing except time gained to counter attack.
So far, things were going according to plan. But when the Druk finally awoke from the shock of what was happening to it, it finally roared in anger!
Stalactites shattered from the power of its voice alone, and Lex was pushed back, having to take Barrys support, but not much else happened. It's claws were already stuck in the wall, and it had been manipulated in such a way that it wasn't able to exert its full strength to pull them out. An unusual stalemate was formed where the Druk wasn't able to attack, but none of the humans attacks hurt the Druk. But the stalemate wouldn't last long. If the humans weren't able to do something, the other two would eventually notice something wrong. Time was against them.
"Try taming or subduing techniques," Lex suddenly suggested. It's physical defense was astounding, but that did not necessarily mean the same for its mind.
Ptolemy gave Lex a dirty look before turning to someone else and giving them the nod. They were already going to do that, but with Lex's suggestion, it now seemed like it was his idea. Over all, it didn't matter, but Ptolemy was irked by the fact that Lex seemed to be getting the credit.
Suddenly, Lex's heart started beating faster. Something was wrong.