Mario felt an interesting cocktail of emotions at being so bluntly accused. At first, he felt amused and that this tavern owner was very interesting. He'd been in Babylon for so long that he had pretty much established the list of people who he should not cross, and it had fewer people than one would assume.
Then, however, he felt caution and apprehension. Lex had used some strange method to trap all the troublemakers, and Mario had not been able to sense what it was. But then his experienced mind got to work, and he calmed down, and in fact, looked at Lex in an admiring light.
The very fact that Lex was coming to question him meant that he wasn't sure if Mario was involved in the first place. Otherwise, instead of asking, he would have directly acted. Moreover, if one carefully analyzed the situation, the timing of Mario's arrival was perfectly in time to watch this little performance and it did seem too coincidental. No matter how the situation would have been resolved, it would have given Mario a deeper understanding of this mysterious young man who appeared out of nowhere.
As for the matter of whether Mario really instigated the little situation that developed at the tavern or not, it didn't matter. What mattered was that Lex thought there was a possibility he did, and was now confronting him about it.
What this told Mario was that Lex was a man of means, but he did not let his capability turn him arrogant. It was more beneficial to everyone if he directly confronted Mario and reached a resolution. This could even create room for some kind of cooperation in the future.
"It does look suspicious, I'll admit," Mario said calmly, as if he was in no hurry to explain himself. "But I think, Lex, that you are both overestimating my deviousness, and the reputation of your tavern. I had not heard of this place until my son told me about it, which was this morning. I am only here for a drink, and maybe something to eat. After all, everyone knows, we have a lot of work to do once it gets dark. This town is full of people who require our... protection."
Lex did not respond immediately, and kept looking at Mario. He was trying to decide whether or not to believe this self proclaimed 'protector'. He scanned Mario for some extra information.
Name: Mario Ricci
Age: 283
Sex: Male
Cultivation Details: Nascent mid
Species: Human
Condition: His body has accumulated a lot of injuries over the years that have not fully healed. While it is not a solution, a dip in the hot tub will improve his health
Remarks: The most valuable item on his body is his wedding ring. Such a devoted husband. And a cheapskate - not a target customer.
After reading the remark, Lex took a look at Mario's ring in passing and, almost instantly, decided on his following line of action. His wedding ring was a simple silver band, with a single, small gem infused right in the middle. It did not, in fact, seem like much if one did not pay attention to it. Yet the small, incredibly clear gem was not a diamond. It was the same crystal from which Lex absorbed so much energy.
This was an important clue for Lex on the wealth of this region, for the result of his queries for the past few days told him that there were no valuable resources in the area, and the main lines of trade in the region focused around items and treasures made by the Noel family using some secret family technique.
This did not coincide with the information Lex got from the map. That, along with the fact that such a supposedly resource rich area was under human control, told Lex that there must be something going on in the region in secret.
When he came to that conclusion, he immediately stopped asking such questions openly, lest he attract any unnecessary attention. Now, finally, on Maio's ring he'd seen his first indication of the hidden wealth of this region. That meant that, regardless of whether Mario was involved in the current situation or not, Lex planned on letting him go. Moreover, he planned on improving relations with the man.
"You're right," Lex finally said, relaxing his stance. "The tavern probably isn't as popular yet as I imagine. So let me do something about that."
He got up from his seat and walked to the bar and, after having a short chat with Roan, came back with a round crystal glass filled with some kind of drink.
"Here, have a glass, on the house," said Lex after putting it on the table. "If you'll excuse me, I have some other matters to attend to."
With that he left, the glass on the table acting as the main attraction at this point. Mario and Elio exchanged a look. They didn't know what Lex had poured, but a thought entered both their minds. What if it was poisoned? Yet, after only a moment, Mario chuckled, and then chugged the glass.
The taste was fruity, and the drink did not have the kick that Mario usually enjoyed. It was not something he would have normally liked, but before he could even make a comment, he felt a cooling sensation spread in his body from his stomach. He couldn't tell what it was doing, but it felt pleasant.
He only nodded and signaled his son and his men to sit alongside him. Since they were already here, and had passed the hurdle of Lex's suspicion, there was no point in missing the upcoming show.
The proceeding wait ended up being much longer than expected, and it was only several hours later that a line of carriages arrived in front of the tavern. Hena and the rest remained frozen this entire time, but Lex had moved them to the middle of the hall to avoid blocking the door. After all, he had a business to run - despite what it seemed, with him constantly giving stuff away for free.
Five men dressed in the most uncomfortably formal suit Lex had ever seen walked into the room, followed closely by a mob of no doubt guards and goons. A quick scan revealed to Lex that the strongest of the group, despite the many followers, were the five men themselves, each in the Nascent realm.
When they saw the frozen Hena, as well as the rest, their expression worsened but they said nothing yet. The entire hall had fallen silent at their entrance, and all eyes had fallen on them. There was a distinct lack of fear in those gazes, which annoyed the five gentlemen, but that was a matter for later.
For now, they all focused on Lex who had been waiting for their arrival. They had their aura on full display, like wild cats raising their hair to warn their enemies. Yet Lex was not bothered in the least, for inside the tavern controlled by the system, he had the blind confidence of a billionaire.
He did not wear his usual amicable smile, and left his face with a neutral expression. Somehow, though, he looked more intimidating than the five men.
The silence continued until one of the men, a tall gentleman with a large and curly mustache, could wait no longer.
"Do you know the trouble you're inviting for yourself, young man?" he asked with a stern voice. "Do you think this is a simple matter that will just go away?"
"I definitely don't think this is a simple matter," Lex said, his voice extremely grave. He pointed at the mustached man and enveloped him in the same room that froze Hena. He then raised the finger, while at the same time controlling the room encasing the gentleman, lifting him up into the air. Then, ignoring the additional layer of shock and silence that had filled the room, he curled the finger towards himself, as if summoning the man. Naturally, he did not forget to control the room, and bring the man directly in front of himself.
𝓁𝑖𝒷𝑟𝘦𝒶𝑑.𝒸𝘰𝘮
The man was actually taller than Lex, but he lowered the man until they could look each other in the eyes.
"I am a simple tavern owner," Lex blatantly lied with an even tone. "We serve food and drink to the hungry and thirsty, and provide lodging to those who need a place to rest. Occasionally we provide entertainment and music, and more often than not we let our guests have a good time. A service we do not provide, however, is one where we let vermin harm the staff. Where I'm from, if a man comes into another man's home and assaults someone, it can be taken as a declaration of war. So that is why I have summoned you here today, to ask you. Shall I take this as an announcement of war?"
Even if the five men wanted to answer, at that moment, they could not, for much like the force strapping Hena, and the force holding the mustached man in front of Lex, there was a force wrapped around their necks, squeezing. In the silence that followed Lex's question, they could hear death approaching.
The question boomed like thunder in the five men's ears, especially because they had no idea why they were so helpless. They felt no pressure of a superior spiritual sense, and the usual resonance and disturbance created by formations was lacking.
𝓁𝑖𝒷𝑟𝘦𝒶𝑑.𝒸𝘰𝘮
How were they supposed to know that the formation provided by the system was vastly superior to anything they had ever encountered, therefore it created no disturbance in the ambient spiritual energy.
Half the spectators got goosebumps all over their bodies when they saw the confrontation, and the other half were giving each other dirty looks and continued drinking.
Lex wasn't paying attention to that, though. He was looking the five men in the eyes. He had raised the stakes now, but it was also up to him to lower them. If he really did end up killing these people, it would create more problems for him - problems that he wanted to avoid.
"Of course the possibility remains that these kids did not come with the intention of starting a war. Maybe they are just spoiled, entitled brats." Lex paused again, and this time, instead of the men, he paid attention to everyone else's reaction to what he was saying. For this next part, how much everyone believed his words were more important than the men he was threatening. Lex had some experience with wild, crazy rumors, and now it was time for him to create some on purpose.
"Maybe they're so used to not being punished for taking advantage of 'commoners' that they never even considered it was anything wrong. Or maybe they know that, no matter what they do, they can get away with it. Speaking of which, it kind of reminds me of the serial killer roaming about."
Suddenly, even the sailors who were laughing at the noble's misfortune, froze, and then turned to Lex to listen to what he had to say. The moment they docked in this town they heard about a crazy killer on the loose. This was not the kind of place they would want to stay, but considering the darkness, they did not have the opportunity to go elsewhere.
Mario especially paid attention, for the killer had seriously affected him - in more ways than most people realized.
"I heard that no one can catch the killer, and that no one even knows who it is. The killer, who had been killing nonstop everyday, and apparently stopped the last couple of days - maybe to honor the presence of the Noel brothers. The more I think about it, the more it sounds like a bunch of noble kids having fun killing the common folk, and then using their influence to derail before it can point to them."
Lex paused again to let his words settle in. This time he was no longer choking the 5 men, simply keeping them from speaking, but the dread they felt was the same. No matter what they did or how influential they became, they absolutely could not cross the Noel family. If word spread that they were using their authority to randomly kill people in the lands under the Noel family's protection, they would not survive!
The sailors who at this point were intoxicated, high or exhausted from work or just plain dumb, did not think for even a second deeper and accepted this new information as truth. Some were suddenly afraid of being silenced and started to leave, while others looked at the nobles with anger.
The five gentlemen never considered the common folk as a threat, for they themselves were nascent realm cultivators. While such a realm was far more common here than on a planet like Earth, it was still not something casually reached. In this entire town, besides the five of them, who were only living here temporarily due to the darkness, only the mayor and Mario were in the nascent realm.
"So which is it? Are you here for war or are you just so used to keeling over whenever you want that you never even considered that I might actually take issue with being your latest victim?"
At this point, he released the five gentlemen from his hold, allowing them the opportunity to respond. The mustached man nearly fell to his knees when the force holding him up disappeared, but he recovered quickly and took a few steps back, to join his cohorts.
The men were rubbing their neck, as if loosening their ties, and looked at Lex with newfound caution. This matter needed to be handled delicately.
*****
"God damnit" roared Anakin as he fell to his knees, cursing the very skies, and even the Gods if they existed. He returned to the Inn just in time to hear the latest rumor: because of suspicious behavior on the part of the husband of the woman running the Lady Cosmos competition, a certain Brandon Morrison, the bikini portion of the competition had been canceled.
Then he cried, along with many other men, and even women, yet their dream would remain a dream. Even the happiness of his newfound wealth could not console him as he walked listlessly around the Inn.
He knew not where he was going, nor where he was. He only knew the name of his enemy: surname Morrison, first name Brandon.
It was amidst his mindless wanderings that he ended up in an almost entirely remote area of the Inn, save a group of three boys who sat around a circle table silently, their expressions grave.
Suddenly he felt that they too knew his pain, and that if they shared with one another the stories of their idols, maybe the pain would be lessened.
"Fret not, those who have dared to love," he said dramatically as he approached the three men. "Though our dreams have been sabotaged this time, there is always hope next year."
He looked with gleaming eyes, expecting understanding and recognition amongst his fellow men. Instead, all he received were curious stares and silence, at least until one of them said, "He's lying. He probably has no hope for next year either."
As if his heart had been pierced by an arrow, Anakin collapsed onto the ground. Indeed, his heart was cynical, and he did not believe there would be bikinis next time either.
Rafael and Larry both looked towards Noman with anger and frustration. Were it not for the rules of the Inn, they would have murdered Noman a hundred times over.
This human lie detector didn't know was pretty much an idiot, but for reasons they could not explain, he was immediately able to tell when someone around him lied. Moreover, every time he heard a lie, he would mumble as much under his breath, as if cultivators didn't have hearing sharp enough to pick up on it!
The truth had yet to be revealed, but Rafeal was completely unable to build a connection with Larry when they first met because Noman kept revealing his lies. At the same time, Larry felt frustrated because people kept trying to approach him, and Noman apparently knew more than he revealed, but only pointed out when others lied. In fact, even when Larry casually lied, Noman picked it up.
Larry and Rafael both had secrets that could not be revealed to the world, and they needed to know how much Noman knew. But he never admitted to anything, yet kept pointing out lies.
It was frustrating the hell out of them. It actually came to the point that the two of them, despite not knowing each other much, felt a sense of camaraderie in their hate for Noman.
"Alright, alright. I can see you all are having an important meeting and don't care about Lady Cosmos," said Anakin. "I'll get out of your way and let you continue. After all, I'm just an ordinary, completely average person. It's all the same no matter where I go."
Before Anakin could even turn around, however, he heard the same boy mumble, "he's lying."
The wary Larry and Rafael suddenly looked towards Anakin, who was also looking suspiciously at Noman.
Why did the situation keep getting worse?
"Hey hey, what do you mean, I'm lying? You're lying! Your mother is lying! I never lie!"
"He's lying again," he mumbled, before speaking out loud, "hey there's no need to bring my mother into this, although she did indeed lie a lot."
Instead of getting annoyed or frustrated, the way the other two did, Anakin stared at Nomaan for a moment before he got a brilliant idea.
"The sky is green," he said.
"He's lying," Noman mumbled.
"My name is James Pot."
"He's lying."
"I have an excellent business idea."
"He's actually telling the truth. I wonder what it is."
Anakin grinned and patted Noman on the back.
"My friend, you and I are going to make a lot of money together."
Anakin tried to lead Noman away, but Larry and Rafael immediately stopped him.
"Not so fast there buddy. He's not going anywhere until we solve our… situation."
The extremely perceptive Anakin immediately guessed the intricacies between what happened with the three of them. With Noman's disposition, he was bound to create problems if left unmonitored. A part of him wondered how Noman had survived so long outside the Inn. All of that was for later. For now…
"Why of course, first come first serve. Let me introduce myself. My name is Anakin Indiana McClane, and in the field of solving problems, I am a master."
I believe there has been a misunderstanding," one of the men said, taking off his top hat. "Perhaps we could discuss this matter privately."
Of the five men, this one showed the most composure and was likely the leader of the group. Lex simply nodded and led them to one of his two private rooms on the ground floor. So long as they were in the tavern, he did not mind wherever they talked. But, at the same time, he could not let them know that his confidence was limited to the tavern.
While Lex himself maintained a psychological advantage, in the few short moments it took them to enter the room, the rest of the men also regained their composure. They were not inexperienced, nor did they share their children's spoilt and skewed world views. If they lacked aplomb, then they simply would not have made it this far in life.
The only reason their mindset was disturbed earlier on in the first place was because they were facing something new and unexpected. Lex compared their mindsets to the original 5 Nascent cultivators who ruled Earth. Other than Brandon, whose mental state could not be gauged using normal means, the rest were severely lacking.
"I believe we have not yet been introduced," said the leader, his voice calm and dignified. "My name is Reginald Maud, head of the Shipwrights Association, owner of most of the shipyards in the locale and founder of the Naval Research and Engineering facility."
The rest also introduced themselves, one by one, as well as their occupations. They truly did have the right to be arrogant, for the industries under their command were both numerous and expansive. From construction to agriculture to medicine and more, every facet of a normal people's life in Babylon was directly or indirectly controlled by these men. Moreover, they did not fail to imply that they were not the only nobles in the area, just the nobles close to Babylon when the darkness arrived, causing them to take shelter here.
Based on how one viewed it, their statement could be taken as a threat. Lex, however, was of the mind that he could use these 5 nobles to gain access to the rest. This was important to his plans, for while the Inn was one way of gathering energy, he did not want to give up what he established in the Crystal realm either.
He could use them to gain a deeper understanding of the region and develop a network of his own. There were many uses he could think of off the top of his head.
"I am Lex, the owner of the Midnight Tavern," he said simply. In this situation, a mysterious background was to his advantage.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lex. It is very unfortunate that our meeting was under such troubled circumstances, but I assure you that the intentions behind the 'incident' were not so nefarious as they appear. It is with great dismay that I must confess that our children are somewhat... unaccustomed to the ways of the world. But, at the end of the day, they are still just children, so it is not too late to educate them on proper decorum. I'm sure that between us, we can work something out to put this matter behind us, and look forward to a better working relationship."
Lex did not respond immediately, and spent some time evaluating Reginald. The man was definitely formidable. Not everyone who achieved great success could so quickly adapt to being threatened, and even look for a way to resolve the situation without getting even for the threat.
Naturally, there was still the possibility that Reginald was waiting till they saved the kids before plotting some revenge, but Lex didn't think it was likely. There was nothing to gain, and a lot to risk by further offending Lex. A business minded man like Reginald would not do something that offered him no profit while leveraging his safety and stability.
"If it really was just a simple mistake, and you are sincere in your attempt to make amends, then I see a simple solution that will satisfy everyone," said Lex slowly, as if testing them out. "You see, I have only recently opened this tavern, and am sorely understaffed. You, on the other hand, need your children to expand their worldviews, while at the same time disciplining them. This presents an opportunity for both of us. Everyone who was involved can come and work at my tavern for one week. The principal offender, of course, needs to be punished more than the rest, so he can work here for a month. This can both be a humbling experience for them, as well as reparations for their misbehavior. If you find this agreeable, they can start tomorrow."
On the surface it seemed like Lex was letting the kids get away with a mild punishment as a favor to the five gentlemen, but in truth, by increasing the amount of contact they had, Lex was hoping to develop a deeper relationship. At the same time, by letting the kids return once, he showed them that he was not afraid of them reneging on the deal, thus making it seem that Lex's confidence was inherent, and had nothing to do with the tavern itself.
During this time, Lex would also let the kids 'accidentally' witness some of the more profound aspects of the tavern for them to report to their parents, further increasing the mystery behind Lex.
Reginald did not delay, and immediately accepted Lex's offer. Lex unfroze the kids, allowing their parents to take them back home. This would give them time to recover and give the parents an opportunity to properly interview them about what actually happened.
*****
The serial killer licked the blood off his blade, relishing in the excitement of his latest kill. The darkness made it easier for him to perform his deeds in secret, but it would also speed up the decaying process. Soon people would discover the odd smell coming from the houses in this area, so he would have to find a new hunting ground.
Maybe he should make use of the dark and attempt a more difficult hunt. He chuckled as he walked out of the house, wondering where to go next. He was already bored of the poverty stricken portions of Babylon. Next, he would see if the rich bled differently from the poor.
*****
Midnight Inn, The Village
Miranda took in a deep breath as she looked through the curtains at the massive crowd in the auditorium. The turn out was good, but she didn't know if the results would be satisfactory either. The Earth Expo would last a month, and if they could get some solid backing or funding from some interstellar source, it would greatly speed up Earth's development.
The number of cultivators had grown exponentially lately, but even with the new Minor realm open, they could not hope to meet the demand for resources. Moreover, the Minor realm would only remain open for another 6 months, after which they would have to be self-sufficient. Colonizing the rest of the planets in the solar system would greatly help in this endeavor. For that, though, they need better technology and resources.
"Are you nervous?" asked Bernard, who stood behind her. He was one of the leaders of the Council of New Order, and was one of the main instigators behind deposing the previous five heads of the world.
"I just hope we have something to offer. The more time I spend at the Inn, the more I realize how insignificant Earth really is."
"So insignificant that a single beauty pageant from Earth has several planets completely hooked," he said in an amused voice. Bernard had a unique way of always finding opportunities in even the more dire circumstances. He was the one who kept the council from collapsing when the holographic woman Fernanda appeared, and the one who gained permission for this event from Fernando in the first place.
"Do not fret," he said, his voice as calm as ever. "We have overcome many challenges, and will continue to do so. Our destiny cannot be contained by Earth. It is simply the launching pad for our stories. Next, we will find a way to repair your meridians, and then you can start to cultivate once again. With your lifespan expanded, you won't need to worry about the speed of our progress. We will have all the time in the universe."
Hope and excitement flickered in her eyes, but she did not let it show on her face. When Miranda had work to do, she could not let anything else distract her. Currently, she had an Expo to begin, and then only a month to secure everything they needed.
Suppressing her excitement, as well as her nervousness, she walked through the curtain and onto the center stage. The opening ceremony for the first ever interstellar Earth Expo had begun.
Lex thought his problems would be over once the noblemen and their children left. But a new, unexpected problem cropped up.
Big Ben, the newly engaged man who had spent the last few days sleeping, finally woke up. He was healthier and more energetic than he had ever been in his life, but he did not celebrate his newfound health for long. It did not take long for him to find out the crew he previously worked with had been disbanded, and since he was asleep at the time, he was not amongst the few who were immediately taken into employment by his previous captain's debtors.
This was technically not Lex's problem, but he felt guilty for putting Big Ben in that state. Moreover, he was looking for workers, anyway. So he ended up hiring the big guy as his security.
Big Ben seemed quite sociable and knew almost everyone who visited the tavern by name. While this was not a trait that made him intimidating, like Lex had imagined for his bouncer, sometimes this would work out even better. Besides, who said Lex was limited to a single guard? He could hire more if he found someone suitable.
The one extremely important rule for his employment was that he couldn't drink while working. It was not Big Ben's fault, but in Lex's mind, he'd developed a reputation for knocking himself out a lot.
The rest of the day passed calmly, and due to the darkness, Lex had Big Ben walk the triplets home. They insisted that they didn't need the escort, but Lex didn't change his mind.
That night, Lex spent another few hours practicing arrays in the meditation room before eventually taking a break to watch some Lady Cosmos.
It was the top 30 now and Lex was fairly surprised to find a familiar face amongst them. It was Alissa Harmony, the youtuber who had won the Midnight Games. She was the only remaining contestant from Earth and had the backing of the entire planet. The remaining contestants weren't any weaker in terms of support, either.
One in particular, Lex noticed, seemed to get a lot of support from the Midnight Inn staff members. Her name was Hailey, and her charm seemed to have infected quite a few. Well, Lex couldn't exactly say he didn't understand the appeal of a beautiful woman with wings. As someone who had watched a lot of anime, he knew that she may have even stolen some supporters from Earth.
He asked Mary and learnt that the Inns barber, Harry Styles, had developed a relationship with her. They had left many things unsaid, and had not made anything official, as for now, both of them were completely focused on the competition. Regardless, all the staff from the Midnight Inn silently supported the duo. In fact, they had to be extra careful about supporting her silently, because if word spread that the Inn's staff had a favorite, it might influence others.
Lex was at first surprised when he heard the news. Then he sighed. It seemed more and more couples would be coming to the Inn, while he had more or less firmly cemented his position as forever alone. He briefly recalled his last girlfriend, who also happened to be his first girlfriend. He was not madly in love with her or anything, nor did he miss her, but watching his staff start dating while the noble Innkeeper himself remained single...
Egh. Lex ruffled his hair and quickly shook off such thoughts. After that, Lex totally did not go to the bar and pour himself a drink. It was even more impossible that he directly chugged the bottle and quickly threw himself in bed, leaving the poured glass on the countertop. It was simply false if one were to say that the following night Lex suffered from countless nightmares.
In the morning, for reasons completely unrelated to anything that had happened the prior day, Lex had a ridiculous headache. Fortunately, he had the perfect solution.
He took a dip in the hot tub and allowed himself to relax while he scanned the Inn. Either consciously or unconsciously, he avoided the Lady Cosmos competition in his scan.
Eventually, his curiosity landed on his new workers for the greenhouse, the rabbits. He scanned a random one to see what he could learn.
Name: Maradona Leopold Agnieszka
Age: 0
Sex: Male
Cultivation Details: Qi training
Species: Nibiruian Rabbits
𝘭𝒾𝒷𝓇𝘦𝑎𝑑.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Bloodline: Wild Root Ravager
Condition: A newborn rabbit that was born at the Inn. It is a pure creature born without malice, but should malice enter its heart, its bloodline will mutate.
Remarks: Prepare yourself for a rabbit infestation.
Lex told Mary to inquire about the details of the bloodline and let him know what was special about it. If it had attracted the turtles attention, then it probably was pretty good.
Done with that, he went to the main hall. It was still dark out, which meant that besides the sailors who were living at the tavern, no one else had come. Even they had limited what they ordered, and only stuck to ordering meals, for no one knew how long they would have to live in the dark.
Lex didn't mind though, for the margins on his more common drinks and food were so ridiculously low that it effectively made no real contribution towards his total MP. It was just enough to break even and pay all his employees.
The real source of income for the tavern would be the more exotic drinks, and when he could occasionally let guests into the backyard. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to let people into the backyard randomly, the services were not cheap and could not be afforded by everyone.
It was while Lex was ruminating on the tavern's finances that the main hall door opened, revealing Lex's latest workers. With Hena in the lead, all the troublemakers from yesterday walked in one by one.
The clothes they wore were very simple, with no frills or patterns of any kind, though the fabric was still the best. Still, you could tell how self-conscious they all were with their tiny, uncertain steps and the way they dared to only look down, and refused to examine the room. It was already a large contrast from yesterday.
Lex, however, did not take too long to observe them, and completely treated them like actual new employees.
"So tell me, what kind of experience do you have so that I can assign you the appropriate tasks? I take it that none of you know how to cook, am I right? What about scrubbing? Has anyone scrubbed the floor before?"
*****
With a weak, almost inaudible sigh, Pvarti stepped out of the Noel manor. There was no carriage for him to take, nor were there any servants following him this time around. His father's reaction could have been said to be mild this time around, for there was no screaming, yelling, or throwing him to join the armies to fight off the abominations of the dark.
At the same time, it could be said to be extremely severe. All he said was that Pvarti was a man now, and obviously had his own thoughts on how he should live his life. As such, he should no longer burden himself with the responsibilities and expectations that came with the Noel name.
His family name was stripped from him, and he was made to leave with nothing but the clothes on his back. The only glimmer of hope he was given to return was that if he made some exceptional contributions to the family, he would be allowed to appeal his expulsion.
Such a punishment was already severe enough, but out in the dark, he would be exposed to the harshest evils that the Crystal realm had until he found the refuge of another settlement. But one should not assume that the manor was nearby to other towns, based on how quickly they arrived from Babylon. Not only was the carriage special, so was the beast pulling it.
To make matters worse, Pvarti didn't really know the way to any of the nearby towns either. After all, he always traveled by carriage, so why would he need to learn the routes?
The pale man chuckled to himself as he started walking. In the manor, his brother, sister and mother watched him walk out of sight. As much as they wanted to protest, they could not. Pvarti truly had been too willful this time around, and it was not just a matter of honor or disgrace anymore. The family his former fiance was from was too formidable. If they didn't satisfy them by punishing Pvarti sufficiently, then the entire Noel family would be threatened.
Pvarti, who somewhat expected a harsh outcome, quickly regained his energy for a few minutes. He forced himself to smile and said loudly, "from now on, my name is Pvarti Party."
After a few moments, he groaned, and gave up that idea. He had to think of a better name.
"I need a drink," he said, as his hand pierced through the head of a creature beginning to take form from mist.
Suddenly he recalled the tavern he had recently visited, and decided to go there. There was just one problem. He recalled neither the name of the tavern, or the town it was in. This would take a while.