Lex's second worker for the tavern had to be good at repair work, carpentry, have modicum expertise at gardening and should have some knowledge of various fields. He entered all the relevant information and summoned his latest worker.
Soon, a man walked out of the kitchen door and presented himself before Lex. Lex immediately compared him to Roan, who had a mature and suave air about him, with the dress and demeanor somewhat similar to that of a gentleman - as strange as a sight that was in a tavern. The new man, Rick, as he introduced himself, instead was dressed very casually, with a shirt much too large for him, and had somewhat of a belly. His hands and face were covered in dirt, and it looked like he had just come from hard labor.
pAnD a(-)n0ve1.com Despite his languid appearance, as an employee of the tavern, he would fulfill his duties perfectly.
"Clean up the front of the building," Lex said to Rick. "The weeds need to be removed, the tiles need to be uncovered from the dirt and cleaned, and the porch probably needs some repair work as well. You can judge what needs to be done with that on your own."
Rick only grunted in reply before he headed out. Lex glanced at the three guests who were chatting loudly, before he turned his attention back to the backyard. He needed to spruce the place up, add the facilities he was planning, as well as finally create his own living space. After that, he planned on exploring Babylon a bit to spread the word about the tavern. Furthermore, he needed to hire a few locals as well. A couple of barmaids, a few people to man the kitchen, a few more to maintain the rooms and complete minor chores such as laundry, room service and such, and finally, he needed one or two bouncers.
While Lex had very lax requirements for the other positions, who the bouncer would be would reflect on the authority and security of the tavern. The bouncer would need to develop or have an existing reputation, and he could not be easily replaced. As such, Lex's initial plan was to make whomever he chose as a bouncer a permanent employee of the system, rather than just a temporary one.
𝓁𝘪𝒷𝘳ℯ𝘢𝑑.𝒸𝘰𝑚
For all of that, first he would need to get acquainted with the locals and then hold interviews for any interested applicants. But for now, the backyard.
He checked the new building options that had been unlocked in the system due to the tavern, and one by one, read through their introductions.
First was the Wine cellar. Despite its name, the cellar wasn't dedicated only for wines. Instead, all spirit drinks could be stored there, as the room had a special function. It would age, develop, and even enhance all drinks placed in the room. Some drinks, for example, served medical purposes, but needed time to mature into the appropriate properties, and leaving such a drink here would speed up that process.
Second was the Secret room. Its entrance could be as inconspicuous as Lex wanted, and led to a room equipped with a makeshift bed, a bathroom and, most importantly, isolating properties that would prevent tracking from common forms of tracing. Of course, it wasn't as effective as the Destiny protection the Inn afforded, but that wasn't something Lex could casually buy, either.
The third room was a peculiar one called the Rumor room. Any rumors circulating in the vicinity of the tavern that were repeated with great frequency would automatically be listed there. There was no indication of the veracity of the rumors, or how they originated. Lex felt that one was for him, mostly. After all, in many novels he'd read, people came to the barkeep to hear the latest news.
Lastly, there was the Hot tub room. The hot tub was not massive, as he could have expected, and instead could at most comfortably accommodate 6 people. It did, however, come with various benefits. The hot tub served as a disinfectant, but it was not just germs or disease it was ridding you of, but any unnatural entity latched onto your body. This included but was not limited to minor curses, minor to mediocre poisons, most tracking techniques, artificially inflicted bad luck, etc. It also served to relax the users mental state in case they were inordinately stressed and helped the body recover in case of unusual exertion.
Without hesitation, Lex added all these rooms to the backyard, except the Security room which he created an entrance for right behind the bar.
Moreover, he also added a meditation room, recovery room, recovery pod, and a training room. Each room was separate, and unlike the wooden exterior of the tavern, were built from the most exquisite marble.
He created one more room, of a similar design to the Hot tub room, but changed the size of the hot tub to only accommodate one person. Then, in a small cage at the bottom of the hot tub, inserted the green pebble that produced the magical water.
He still did not fully understand the pebble, and so currently did not plan on letting this room become open to the public. For the time being, only Lex would use the room. After all, he did not know if the water produced by the pebble was limited.
Next, he turned his attention to the Wine cellar. Much in the way that the Gift shop had its selection of items Lex could buy, the Wine cellar had a selection of drinks on its own. But, unlike the Gift shop, the selection for the Wine cellar was massive. He suspected it had to do with his increased authority.
The drinks started all the way from 1 MP, and went well into tens of millions of MP. He strongly suspected that the most expensive drinks were meant only for immortals. He would study the list in detail at a later date, but for now, he bought a dozen drinks in the 100 - 10,000 MP range. Each drink, other than just its name, gave a small description of their effects. These dozen drinks that Lex bought all helped solidify and speed up the cultivation for those in the Foundation realm.
Heh, he was biased to his needs. Who could fault him?
In the spirit of celebrating his new tavern, and the satisfaction of being able to use his system again, he bought a single bottle of wine for 1 million MP. Although he could afford to splurge, there were other things he had in mind for that.
"Hey Mary, now that I have a tavern, as well as a private space, can I just use a spirit energy formation to gather the energy the system requires?"
"Yes, it's completely possible. But to have any significant effect on your energy accumulation, you would need a formation designed for immortals. To purchase such a formation, you would need to spend 20% energy as well as 5 billion MP."
Lex paused, as looked towards his MP. Currently he had 2.2 billion MP! In fact, considering how long Lady Cosmos had been going on, he should have had a lot more!
But despite his best efforts, he ran out of spiritual food to serve his guests. While his increased authority allowed him to directly buy spiritual food, it was expensive, which meant he was selling it at a loss, since he didn't want to randomly increase the food price.
All he could do was increase the size of his greenhouse by another 3000 acres, and give the turtle all kinds of new seeds to plant. He didn't want to expand too much, since he fully expected demand to go back down after Lady Cosmos ended, and he wanted sustainable growth.
Speaking of Lady Cosmos, it was actually in its final stages. There were only 100 contestants left, last time he checked. One of these days, he would take some time out to actually watch the show.
"Another thing," Mary said, interrupting Lex's thoughts. "Since you now have a tavern as well as an Inn, the system's energy consumption has increased. This means, every 3 months, your accumulated energy will drop by 1%. If it reaches 0%, the system will have to shut down some essential functions of both places to continue operating. I highly recommend you don't let that happen."
"Got it," Lex said, suddenly feeling the urge to jump into that hot tub and let his stress melt away!
But his situation was not as bad as it seemed. He had already turned his attention from seeking random pockets of accumulated energy towards those crystals he absorbed in the bank. Moreover, he had not selected the location of the tavern randomly.
It might not seem like much, since at a glance the technological level of the town was vastly below that of the academy, but what did technology have to do with resources? When he was selecting a place on the map, his current location was bathed in gold - the color he decided for treasures and resources. He was literally in one of the richest places in the whole realm!
Lex's thoughts wandered back to the map of the Crystal realm. He'd seen it for less than a minute, but even so, it had revealed a lot of information to Lex. Of the many things he learned, the most unbelievable was that the Crystal realm was flat!
It consisted of hundreds, possibly thousands of continents, and how deep the ground went was not revealed on the map, but the borders where the realm ended were clearly marked. About 1000 miles (1609 km) from the edge, on all sides, was an absolute dead zone, where no living thing could enter. The edge of the realm did not open into nothingness, leaving the realm as if floating in space, but was tightly blocked. On this, there was too little information, but a preliminary guess Lex made on his own was that there was a solid wall of space blocking off the edge. Of course, Lex's understanding of space was entirely based on fiction novels, so there was likely a better explanation for it.
He had a few other theories, and at another time it would make a good subject for research, but currently he had other priorities, so he left it as something unbelievable.
Something much more pressing, and relevant to him, was the information he gathered on the Kraven. Unlike the rest of the races, which were spread out across the entire realm, the Kraven were inside a bubble. Slowly they were expanding their borders, and reaching the rest of the realm, but nonetheless, it was a fact that they were concentrated in a certain region of the realm. Lex had too little information regarding the matter, but based on what he knew, he could venture a bold guess that they either originated in, or adjacent to, the Poliod territory - the first race to encounter, and then be defeated by the Kravens.
This meant that if he wanted to discover their origin, he would have to venture into that territory. It was a quest he had from the system, but not one he was actively trying to fulfill. His first priority now was to develop the tavern as his base, and start collecting those energy filled crystals.
The first step to that was spreading the tavern's popularity. He opened the event management panel, created a one-day event called 'Opening Celebrations' and printed out a few hundred fliers for the tavern. He didn't need anything else from the panel, and wasn't planning on doing any mystical or magical advertising, so these fliers would suffice.
Lex took a few and walked over to the three guests, who were laughing amongst themselves. Even though they hadn't had a single drink after Jade Heart, they seemed intoxicated already.
"Lads, you seem to be having a good time," Lex said, putting down some fliers. "But what's a good time if you're having it alone? Take a few and spread them out, invite a few friends over. Remember, drinks are free only today."
"Hahaha if you think you'll have any drinks left for tomorrow after offering them free today, then you're dreaming! Don't worry, I'll spread the word. Just after one more drink."
The way the man insisted on 'just one more drink' Lex gave up any hope of the man getting anywhere. Lex returned to Roan and instructed him to make sure no more incidents like 'Big Ben' happened, before stepping out of the tavern, fliers in hand.
Bakers street, where the tavern was located, was an extremely busy street. Buildings lined both sides, filled with various shops and offices, and the wide road was filled with bustling crowds.
The crowds were not just limited to humans either, as just from his doorstep Lex could see some Sentinels, with bodies seemingly made of metallic skeletal frames held together not by joints, but some strange visible gas. Once or twice he saw some kind of plant walking around, and rightfully assumed that they were the bodies some Trelops were using. To this day, Lex still did not know what their actual bodies looked like.
There were a few other, less common races as well, such as fairies, but the most common other than humans were the Varn. The Varn had two forms, their common form in which they walked on all four legs, their scales covered their body with a smooth flow and other than their relatively sharp claws and fangs, they did not look too scary. In their combat form, their bodies would expand, they would stand up on their hind legs, their scales would shift and form spikes all over their bodies, and they became the stuff of nightmares.
𝓁𝘪𝑏𝑟ℯ𝒶𝑑.𝑐ℴ𝘮
Lex took in the sight, and then started walking down the street. He familiarized himself with the shops beside his tavern, as they would be neighbors, and made a mental note to visit them on his way back. His current objective was the docks, where he imagined most of his upcoming clientele would be. At the same time, he wanted to learn more about the town.
After all, it would be strange for him to open up a new business without knowing anything about the town itself.
Babylon was far beyond the borders of the Hum nation, or any of the other nations for that matter. These were neutral lands, considered property of powerful families or organizations. The rules in these lands were a lot more lax, and besides the basics, such as paying tax, and avoiding arson and murder, there was limited enforcement of various laws here. Well, at least, that was the case for normal neutral lands. Considering the supposed wealth surrounding this region, Lex imagined that security was somewhat better.
The town itself was surprisingly beautiful, and well planned out. The streets were wide, the buildings beautiful, and there was greenery everywhere. Most importantly, it was clean. It was a bit backwards, though. All around Lex were beast pulled carriages, people carrying swords and spears, people dressed in either simple cotton tunics or leather armor. It was as if he had stepped into a fantasy themed renaissance fair.
In a corner, he spotted a few children selling newspapers, or rather, news crystals. With a smile, Lex walked towards them, fliers still in hand.
"Hey there, mister," called out one of the children, dressed in blue overalls. "Want to buy the latest news? The Babylon killer, the Green reef pirates, Lord Bori's latest divorce, we have all the news right here, just 6 copper pieces." The kid held out a green quartz crystal.
"Nah kid, I'm here about a job. I opened up a new tavern on Bakers street. If you hand out all these fliers and spread the word that drinks are free, today only, then you and your friends can come to my tavern and eat for free for a week."
"Hey I'm not a kid!" the kid protested fiercely. "I'm 13 years old now, and I'm the man of the house! And as a man, a job with no cash payment sounds like a scam. No deal."
Lex laughed despite his best efforts not to. The kid was attempting to look serious, but his chubby cheeks and tiny brown eyes just made him look like a teddy bear.
"Alright fine, spread the fliers and I'll pay you. You can find me at the Midnight tavern when you're done. "What's your name?"
"Roland," the kid replied, as he pulled the stack of fliers with a grin. He picked one up and looked at it from all angles, extremely fascinated by the material. It seemed these kinds of fliers were not common here.
"Well, remember Roland, drinks are free, but only for today. Spread the word."
Outsourcing his task to Roland, Lex put his hands in his pockets and continued to explore. He was not too concerned about money as with his newfound authority, he could convert MP into local currency, though the exchange rate put him at a loss. For example, if a customer spent 1 gold coin making it equivalent to 1 MP, Lex would have to spend 10 MP to get 1 gold coin back.
Furthermore, for the foreseeable future, he expected the tavern to run at a loss, or at most, give him very little income. This was because, unlike the Midnight Inn, where compared to the common man, the prices were very high, the tavern's prices were very low. Well, they weren't very low, just that he only expected to sell the low priced drinks.
It would be a while before he could start earning a decent income from here. But, as a new MP billionaire, Lex didn't care about these minor expenses. Much.
As Lex continued to explore the town, most things were within his expectations. When he reached the docks, however, Lex had to pause. It wasn't the massive wooden ships, warehouses, shipyards, fishmongers or anything else that caused this. No, it was because the moment he stepped here, he felt his instincts act up. This place... was dangerous.
After a few moments, Lex realized that it wasn't that he was in danger, but that the people in this area were mostly at a higher cultivation level. At the academy he learned that for humans, on average, reaching the Foundation realm in your early life was considered normal, and reaching the Golden core realm before you die fell in the realm of moderately talented. This was keeping in mind that, for a Foundation cultivator with a life span of 150 years, even up to the age of 50 was considered early in his or her life.
But these people would only be very average cultivators and carry no or limited danger to someone like Lex. That was why he walked comfortably through the town without feeling much danger. Yes, there were other races as well, but not all races carried the overwhelming advantages that the Crystal race or Kraven boasted.
The docks, however, were filled with cultivators who were vastly superior to Lex in cultivation, most likely near the peak of the Golden core, or even in the Nascent realm. Moreover, they were not 'average' cultivators.
Lex relaxed a bit, and continued to explore the docks. It made sense that there was more security in such an important location, not to mention news of that serial killer was everywhere. He even had a witness to a murder sleeping at his tavern right at this moment.
Putting such thoughts away, Lex continued his tour. He couldn't approach the ships, for that area had been sealed off, but he could see from afar that the activity was unceasing. That was good - it meant that there was a lot of trading going on.
He dropped off another batch of fliers with some kids here as well, before asking directions and going towards the biggest market in Babylon. The market, found on Edmonton square, once again exceeded Lex's expectations. In a town he expected that there would only be a limited number of citizens of the upper class, and that most would be lower or lower-middle class. Yet this seemed to be untrue.
The contrast was massive, as people went from simple tunic and garbs, to multilayered dresses, extravagant gowns and exquisite suits. There was more than one tailoring shop in Edmonton square, several apothecaries, weaponsmiths, jewelers, furniture shops, fabulous cafes and restaurants.
After taking in the scenery, Lex decided to return. These were not the kind of people he expected would visit the tavern. The Inn would more likely be to their liking. Instead, he would introduce himself to his neighbors, and invite them to visit once they closed their shops.
*****
Cornellius was sitting in his throne room continuously tapping his finger on the armrest. Opposite to him sat Nora, her expression one of extreme boredom. She couldn't decide if she appreciated Lex for his guts, or hated him for getting her into this mess. After all, it was difficult to escape suspicion when she had met him only minutes prior to his disappearance.
"I don't understand. Why would he run?" he finally said, giving up.
"Well, if you listen to the rumors, the boy is not too fond of you," Nora replied casually.
"You can't trust rumors. I had someone do a background check on him. There's no record of him prior to entering the academy. As for the rumor that he's the son of a fallen lover of mine, I've had it investigated as well. All of my lovers, past and present, are accounted for, and none of them gave birth to a mystery kid. So we can't judge based on that."
"Maybe he just didn't want to share his technique, that's all."
"But why? All true path techniques are extremely stringent, so the chances anyone else would be able to cultivate them anyway is miniscule. All it would have done is provide us with a better repository to design new techniques on our own. And he would have been rewarded. He spent enough time at the academy to know he would be rewarded."
"He has his own goals. My - our daughter told me that when he found out about the core academy, he was not tempted at all."
Cornelius let out an exasperated sigh. Kids could be so frustrating. And he was just beginning to like Lex, too.
"Well, no matter. On to the next topic. I heard you're getting the crystal race to design Cwenhild a new cultivation technique."
"Yeah. She made it really easy. I don't know if you've heard, but she found a sleeping bunker in her realm. That helped with negotiations." Cornelius squinted his eyes and stared at Nora, trying to decipher her thoughts.
"If a true path technique were that cheap, or if the Crystal race were so amenable, I'd be swimming in cultivation techniques. You must have paid them something else as well."
"Oh hush now, let's not get into these trivialities. Let Cwenhild believe she earned it, it's good for her self-confidence."
"If you insist, then I'll let it go. But if the technique works, you must give me a copy."
"Oh? And how exactly do you expect to pay me for it? I assure you, whatever you would have given Lex is of no interest to me."
Cornelius was silent as he stared at Nora, his thoughts unknown. She hid it very well, but deep down, she was actually nervous. An immortal though she may be, she knew her place. Even in her dreams, she could not compete with her husband in strength, and he was not truly as mild-mannered as he appeared to be.
Eventually, though, Cornelius let out a sigh. He held out his empty hand to Nora, and a black, metallic card suddenly appeared in it. Engraved in the middle was a single word - Ventura. Nora smiled, but otherwise hid her relief well. She grabbed the card and left.
After she left, Cornelius disappeared from the throne room and reappeared in what looked like a lounge. There were a few people in the room who had been drinking, but at the appearance of the king, they all froze in horror.
"Out," was all he said, but everyone in the room scrambled to exit as fast as possible. Only one person remained in the room beside Cornelius: a man who was sleeping upside down on a table, a mug of ale held firmly in his hand.
Unable to hold back his frustration, Cornelius kicked his son on his ass, waking him up.
"What? Who? Al-Algard I to-told you, I could out drink you!" said the drunk, but suddenly he noticed the room was empty, except for his very angry father.
"You brat, one of my daughters is about to embark on the true path, and I've found a student cultivating it as well. You better clean up your act, or your title as the crown prince will be stripped!"