Everyone in the room was greatly startled by the noise, Lex included, let alone the red eyed Larry who had been reading the file Lex gave him. Abruptly everyone got up and ran to the window to see if they could identify what had caused the commotion. Even if they identified the sound as thunder, they couldn't be sure since too many unusual things happened at the Inn.
Lex was a step slower and allowed everyone to crowd the window in front of him, for in his mind he was already scanning the Inn and investigating the cause. Something genuinely strange was happening, as the weather at the Inn had escaped Lex's control for the first time.
A dark cloud had formed over a remote area of the Inn, and seemed to be going larger at a steady pace. Lex did not fail to notice that right underneath it was one of the more lavish abodes he had created.
Among the types of accommodation the Inn offered usually were the normal room, small house, large house, courtyard, and finally the small village. Although he imagined that anyone in retreat might want to do it alone, he did not leave the decision up to himself, and designed abodes to accommodate more people as well. The largest abodes he made were the size of a small village.
The abode that had been subjected to the lightning strike was one such abode, and it was occupied by a Devil who was currently breaking through from the Nascent realm. The Devil was not surprised by the lightning strike, and it had not prevented his breakthrough at all.
Lex did even get an opportunity to wonder why this was happening when the familiar sound of a system notification rang in his ears.
New Quest: A guest is undergoing a realm breakthrough and is experiencing his first tribulation. As a universal establishment, the Inn is a perfect location to undergo a tribulation for those searching for a safe environment. Add facilities to the Inn centered around undergoing tribulations.
i) Add a Lightning tempering room (New room unlocked)
ii) Add a Flame tempering room (New room unlocked)
iii) Create a Tribulation room (New feature unlocked)
Quest Reward: Subject to performance
Lex was reading the notification, but as a result of new multitasking ability, he could easily focus on multiple things at the same time. This meant he could continue to hold a conversation with a person, giving them full and sufficient attention, without being distracted from his other task.
Given that, he did not lose out on the opportunity to tease Anakin.
"Go ahead, tell me you're an honest man one more time, and let's see if lightning strikes again."
Lex's casual remark cut through the tension in the room, and while Anakin was left with his mouth hung open, unsure of how to reply, the others looked at him with interest. His cavalier attitude indicated he knew what was going on.
"I don't know if he's honest, but he never lies," said Noman as he returned to his seat. It was Lex's calm attitude that made something click in his mind, allowing him to realize what was happening. Truthfully speaking, with his background, it was embarrassing that he wasn't the first to realize what was happening.
"What was that?" asked Anakin, wanting to divert the topic of conversation from himself.
"It's a lightning tribulation," Noman answered casually. "It's rare to see one, actually. But I guess the aid to everyone cultivation brought by the star rank increase pushed whoever is going through it over the edge. Chances are, we'll see a lot more of them."
"What's a lightning tribulation?" Anakin asked, returning to his seat. There was another flash of light during this time, but no sound this time. That was because Lex had added a sound insulation feature to every single abode at the Inn. If more tribulations would come, the noise would make it impossible for anyone to go about peacefully.
"I don't know in too much detail, since it's not relevant to me yet. But basically, in all the realms after Nascent, trying to break through to a higher realm causes a tribulation. Lightning and fire tribulations are the ones I know about, but I know that they're supposed to be more on higher levels. What those are… I have no idea, though I heard a rumor that some extinct races have become a part of the tribulations. What that means… I have no idea."
"If it's nothing to be alarmed about, can we focus on this?" Larry said, holding out the file. He had recomposed himself by now, though anyone could tell he was holding himself back. Not waiting for anyone to ask, he briefly described everything he had read about how all wars and conflicts on Earth were games to a few people who were being held as prisoners on Earth.
Other than Noman, who had never been to Earth, everyone was extremely shocked by what they heard. Even the cool and composed Rafael was having drastic mood swings, though he managed to keep his cool. Anakin wasn't too aggrieved personally, but even he realized that this was not a small matter.
"How did you even find out all of this?" Rafael asked, looking at Lex.
Lex, though, was not pressured by the attention and only smirked. "I have reliable sources, though if you don't believe me, that's your right. Honestly, I wouldn't have shared this with you all to begin with if I didn't think this matter had something to do with whoever is hunting Larry. It has to be one of the 'prisoners', if not the same ones, causing all the problems. The question is, what can we do about this?"
Everyone turned to look at Noman, who only nodded and said nothing else. It seemed… Lex was telling the truth.
"There are a lot of things you may or may not know, so I'll speed you through it. Earth… and the rest of the solar system are considered property of some… people or organization. I'm not sure who. They've been using the fact that Earth lacks spiritual energy to use it as a prison. I tried to pass this information to them through the Council of New order, but it seems to me like they haven't done anything to address the situation. As much as I want to just go to Earth and kill the people responsible, I don't know if we'll be able to handle the repercussions if the people who 'own' Earth take offense. One possible solution I thought of was if we invited the Jotun Empire over to Earth. They seem to have an interest in expanding, and if they could do for Earth what they did for the Vegus planets, we'd be much better off."
"It's a good plan," said Rafael with a disappointed voice. "But it won't work. As for how I know… I have sources of my own as well.""What do you mean?" Lex asked with a frown. He didn't want to take any drastic actions on Earth, nor did he want to be responsible for any of them doing anything drastic either. The reason he had shared this information was because he was sure he had a handle on things. Although killing a few prisoners on Earth was not hard, he did not want to find out how the organization that had been using Earth as a prison would react to such hostility.
After all, even if he could retreat to the Inn, not everyone could. An organization that had been capable of interstellar travel, and who had been using earth as a prison should not be weak at all. Let alone, he did not forget that even Bastet and Falak, two Demi-Daolords, were prisoners on Earth as well. Things being handled peacefully or through negotiations was the best idea.
"I mean… the Jotun Empire will not interfere with anything on Earth. As for how or why I know this, I can't say."
Memories from his past life flashed in his mind. Things had changed a lot when spiritual energy returned to Earth, and most of them were not in a good way.
Once again everyone looked at Noman, who only shrugged.
Lex took this opportunity to wear an irritated expression and ask, "why do you all keep looking at him?"
An awkward silence filled the room as everyone looked at Noman. Everyone here had shared secrets with one another, though Noman's was the only one everyone remembered. Still, that experience had built a bond of trust amongst them, and it did not feel right to just include Lex inside it without him sharing his secret as well.
"I did not expect this conversation to reach this point so quickly," said Anakin, who was once again wearing a sly smile. "The Inn has this little room called the Chamber of Secrets. Are you familiar with it, Lex?"
The question was a rhetorical one for he did not expect Lex to actually know, and was once again about to enter his usual persuasive speech when Lex nodded firmly.
"Oh, um, yes, perfect then, that saves me from having to explain it to you," he said, the disappointment in his voice evident. "Well, the point being, we all here have some… personal matters we'd like to keep personal. There are certain things we'd like to keep that way, but if we can come to an agreement, we won't mind continuing this conversation inside the chamber. That way, everyone's secrets stay safe and we can move the conversation forward."
Lex did not reply immediately, and continued to look at Anakin with a scrutinizing gaze. There was definitely more than met the eye about this group, and curiosity about their secrets had already occupied a corner of Lex's mind. This was also an excellent way to learn more about Souta, as well as Noman. The issue about Earth… well, if that was a matter that could be resolved as well then he had nothing to lose by joining them. Besides, he knew exactly what 'secret' to share.
"Alright," Lex said finally, and leaned back on his sofa. A silence filled the room as everyone waited. As it happened, one of the train stations happened to be near the point where the chamber of secrets was located, so all they had to do now was wait till then.
Lex, however, was more occupied than he seemed as he was focused on his latest quest.
Lightning tempering room
A room in which cultivators can temper their body, spirit or soul with varying levels of lightning!
Disclaimer: Even the lowest level of lightning is meant for Nascent level cultivators and can cause injuries or even death if not adequately prepared.
Disclaimer: Due to limited system functionality, any upgrade to the Lightning tempering room will require the Innkeeper to manually provide new types of lightning before upgrade becomes available.
Fire tempering room
A room in which cultivators can temper their body, spirit or soul with varying levels of fire.
Disclaimer: Even the lowest level fire is meant for Nascent level cultivators and can cause injuries or even death if not adequately prepared.
Disclaimer: Due to limited system functionality, any upgrade to the Fire tempering room will require the Innkeeper to manually provide new types of fire before upgrade becomes available.
Both the new tempering rooms were meant specifically for Nascent realm cultivators, and cost a hefty 15,000MP per hour to use. Lex decided to set the price at 20,000MP per hour to use them, and would require the guest to have a prestige level of at least 2.
The matter relating to upgrading them was something that would require his personal effort, but it was a matter for the future, since he would need to develop a deeper understanding of their limits before working on that.
Instead, the remainder of his focus was on the third room.
Tribulation room
A room guests can rent while undergoing tribulations.
That one simple sentence was the entire description for this room, mainly because there was a new feature he had unlocked as well which he was supposed to use on the Tribulation room.
Room design
Using the various existing abilities and features of the Inn, alongside available upgrades, the Innkeeper can design a new kind of room to fulfill certain requirements for guests that the Inn needs but is lacking. The newly designed room will become a part of the system and will operate based on the conditions set by the Innkeeper. The expense and functionality of the room will be determined based on the used features. All upgrades to designed rooms will require the Innkeeper to manually bring in required resources and outline additional features.
This… this was one of the most amazing features Lex had received so far. To an extent, he was already doing this with various rooms and buildings that he created then retrofitted with formations. But when compared to rooms provided directly by the system, they had always been lacking. Now though… he could really take things a step further.
Although it did not seem like it, as Lex walked quietly with the group towards the Chamber of Secrets, he was actually doing multiple things at the same time. A part of him was paying attention to the ongoing lightning tribulation. The devil... to be entirely honest, he had started the tribulation with a convincing performance, but the longer it went on, the worse his condition became. Parts of his body were already charred and smoking, and he had given up his humanoid form to revert to his true devil form.
Lex expected that the form would be quite gruesome, but it was far from the truth. While the large body with wings and horns and red skin looked mighty intimidating, it also looked regal and authoritative - not at all the vile, disgusting appearance Lex had been expecting.
But whatever the case, if there was to be a fire tribulation following the lightning one, he did not know how the devil planned on surviving with its existing wounds.
Another part of him was entirely focused on the new room design feature. It was incredible and versatile, but also tricky. Lex tried to create a training room with the additional qualities of the simple recovery room, which sped up the body's natural healing. He was only experimenting and wanted to see how it would turn out. Moreover, it wasn't a bad idea in case someone was training a technique that would constantly push them to the limit.
Lex achieved what he wanted. But because he did not calibrate it properly, or take into consideration how the various features of the Inn had or lacked synergy with one another, the room he created cost an incredible 34,000 MP per hour!
At that point, the price of the room was far beyond the reach of the target audience, and it became impractical and pointless. But that was fine. After all, he was experimenting for the sake of learning how to use it, anyway. He would slowly work out how best to join the unique features of the Inn together.
The remainder of his focus had been on the simple task of devising a loophole to prevent the chamber of secrets from erasing his memory somehow. His leading strategy was to have Mary hear everything and inform him later on. Yet Mary herself did not think it would work.
"Like I told you, since the description of the chamber specifically said that not even the Innkeeper would be able to spy on the secrets stored in there, it won't be so simple to work around it. There's a very high chance the system will block off my connection to you the moment you enter."
"That's ridiculous. Why would the system block you out? It's never done that before."
"It's a matter of integrity. Since the system itself focused on maintaining secrecy, then keeping the secret is a part of the Inns prestige."
"Let's just see."
In the end, there was not much he could do if the system had accounted for loopholes. When the group arrived, they found the chamber deserted, as usual, and did not hesitate to enter.
While Lex did not feel much of a change, besides the point that his connection to Mary, and his connection to the system, were put under restrictions, the rest of the group trembled once they entered.
According to the agreement they had set, they would not recall any of the secrets they shared with one another, unless all relevant members were within the chamber at the same time.
Larry and Souta had not revealed their secrets completely, but they had shared enough to gain the attention of the group. Even then, how could they have compared with the likes of Noman and Rafael? Noman, whose ability knew no limitations, could prove to be extremely valuable. Trusting the words of others was one of the most difficult things to do, but what if they had a perpetual truth detector besides them? How would anyone trick them?
Then came Rafael. Although his experiences were limited to Earth, he had lived through the future and knew many of the incoming trials the planet would face.
Anakin was suddenly reminded of the most important reason he had been trying to make so much money lately. He wanted to earn enough to use the prestige ability to escape Earth! He had only a few years before the first disaster struck!
Lex noticed the odd behavior and hesitation the group showed and turned to look at them. Most of the group was looking at Rafael while the man in question was completely nonchalant and took a seat.
"Before we begin," Rafael said, looking at Lex. "We need to establish an agreement first. Everyone here has shared something valuable with the group. It was not out of charity and no one was coerced into it. Everyone had something to gain, and so we shared our secrets with one another for mutual benefit. At the same time, the moment we leave the chamber, it withdraws information about each other's secrets from our minds, protecting everyone."
He paused again as everyone sat. He could not say for others, but he at least had an agenda for cooperating with a group of such uniquely talented people. Too much had changed on Earth from his memories, but those changes were mostly a result of changes on the planet itself. The external threats it faced were still coming, and not only did he need to strengthen himself for that, he needed powerful allies. But being greedy for skilled people could also endanger the group that had already been composed. As such, it was his duty to ensure that the group was not needlessly endangered.
"You do not have to share your secrets if they are not related, but for us to trust you, you have to reveal relevant details, at least. Moreover, I'd like to know what exactly you want. Larry has spoken highly of you, and you have shown your worth, so if you're here to help out Larry, that's one thing. But if that's the case, the way I see it, you don't really need to know our secrets. Just the fact that Larry trusts us should be enough."
Countless thoughts ran through the group's mind as they heard Rafael's question. Everyone of them, except Noman, had plans of their own, so they didn't mind the fact that Rafael instinctively used them to build the group's authority. If Lex ended up joining them, it would start them out at an advantage.
Lex, however, felt like laughing. Instead of feeling interrogated, it felt like he was watching children playing a game. What did he want? Everything they could offer, of course! He resisted the urge to crack his knuckles and smile. It was time to learn all their secrets. He was a busy man - he had others to scheme against as well.
Outside the chamber, the devil that had been undergoing the tribulation died, unable to survive it. The ash his body turned into has not even fallen to the floor before another two tribulations began at the Inn. The constant flashing of lightning made the Inn seem like a disco.
"What do I want?" Lex asked in an amused tone. He had to be careful with his wording, for he couldn't say they had nothing he wanted, for that would be a lie! He thought that he could avoid it by asking them a question instead, for example, 'do you even have something I could want?'. Yet while technically it was a question, it insinuated that they had nothing he wanted. Since the meaning being communicated was false, Noman would be able to detect it, so Lex's intuition quickly shut him down.
This was not something he could get through with half truths and hidden meanings.
"I want many things, but will you give them to me just because I want them? My priority right now is to help Larry, but at the same time, resolve this issue with earth! Whoever has been using it as a prison couldn't care less about how the prisoners are literally using the people of the planet like characters in a video game. Originally, I was planning on getting the Empire to help deal with them in exchange for taking control of the planet, but according to you, that won't work.
"So, for now, what I want is to focus on is why the Empire is not a good solution for Earth. As for anything else I might want from you… well, why don't you tell me first what you can offer to begin with?"
He smiled and looked at Rafael as he waited for the man to contemplate what he said. He could tell that, despite the fact that he had spent most of his life in a coma, he was a lot more mature than the rest. Which meant that convincing him would be the most difficult part. Of course, that was only relatively speaking. To Lex, it was all too simple to throw him off his game.
He carefully observed Rafael, and just as he saw a change in the man's eyes, indicating that he was about to speak, Lex looked away and turned to Noman.
"Every time I say something, the group looks to you for confirmation. If I had to guess, you can tell whether a person is lying. Or at least something along those lines. Am I right?"
Before he had a chance to respond, Lex looked at Souta.
"You confuse me the most. You were previously working with the assassin who was targeting Larry, but now you're hanging out with Larry. I guess Noman already confirmed that you're not still after Larry, or that you never had any negative intentions towards him, so everyone is okay with you sticking around. But why do you want to stick around in the first place, anyway? Don't you have anything you would rather do? I recall you saying you were 'forced' to obey your master previously. Don't tell me you're doing something cliche like following Larry now because he defeated your master?"
Lex shook his head as if he said something completely impractical, but anything was possible when it came to systems.
He then turned to Anakin. "I don't even need to guess with you. You're a businessman, right? You're just in it to make money. I guess you find this group very profitable."
Lastly, he looked back at Rafael, and this time, he spoke slowly and carefully.
"To be honest, I already know a lot about you. You spent the last dozen or so years asleep, right? It's a miracle that you're alive, let alone kicking and cultivating. I'm really genuinely curious about your sources for the Empire. They must be very impressive."
Lex smiled as he waited for them to respond to his accusations. He had made sure to keep a friendly tone - he didn't want to sound too antagonizing so as to draw hostility. Yet at the same time, by having their capabilities belittled and being goaded by him, they would feel the urge to let him know he was wrong by showing off. He was counting on the pride and inexperience of youth to force them into action. After all, even though Rafael was in his late 30s, the amount of time he had been awake was around the same as the rest.
Yet while the rest immediately reacted to what he said, especially Anakin, Rafael stayed perfectly calm. In fact, the way he looked at Lex subtly changed, as if he was analyzing him.
"I'll have you know I'm the brains of this operation," Anakin declared with a snort. "If it weren't for me bringing everyone to the chamber, and persuading them, all of them would still be glaring at one another like teenagers in a feud. And if you really want to know what's so special about me, just sign the agreement and I'll tell you."
A screen suddenly appeared in front of Lex, asking him if he agreed to the terms of the agreement. Basically, all it said was that once he left the chamber, he would forget all sensitive information about the rest. In the future, even if he returned to the chamber, he would not be able to recall it unless the relevant person was in the chamber with him. This was the agreement everyone had signed.
Even with Noman, though they all remembered he could determine if a person was lying, they forgot the exact details of how it happened. Lex raised an eyebrow, and then accepted. This was going to happen, anyway. He also didn't doubt that the rest would share their secrets with him, eventually. The real reason he had goaded them… was to get the spotlight off of him! It seemed to have worked, though Rafael was still observing him oddly intently.
"Hah! I'll have you know, I have a grandpa who appears in my dreams and teaches me to wield the power of the dark side!" Anakin vanished from right in front of him. Lex was startled, because even the sight from his left eye did not reveal where he was!
*****
A golf cart, larger than normal ones, pulled up in front of the Midnight manor, and five men disembarked. They remained silent and quickly fell into formation, with one leading and four following closely behind.
Though they did not put their auras on display, whether it was humans, devils, beasts or other creatures, all could not help and turned to look at them. The man in the lead was too stunningly handsome, and the four behind him each moved with a charm solely of their own.
Together, they bore the makings of a hugely successful boy band.
Suddenly, one of the guests at the manor, a soldier from Ragnar's regiment, recognized the man in the lead and went completely pale and stiff. It was only complete instinct that made the soldier give his most rigid salute as he hoarsely yelled, "Emperor Jotun, your majesty!
The man who was addressed as Emperor only slightly nodded to the soldier and kept on walking. The four men behind him didn't slow their pace either, though one of them, a tall, young looking man with dark hair and brown eyes, looked at the soldier for a brief moment.
"Why did that soldier recognize me, William?" the Emperor asked casually using his spiritual sense.
𝓁𝘪𝑏𝓇𝑒𝑎𝑑.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"Lieutenant Dan is a child from the Aragoni noble family. 3000 years ago you met one of their ancestors at a formal event and took a photo with them. It is likely framed in their family home. Another likely reason is that he is from the regiment led by General Ragnar, someone from Serafol's faction. Not only is Ragnar extremely loyal to the royal family, his growth record is phenomenal and he has shown excellent potential. Although he does not know it, his name has been entered into the potential candidates to marry into the royal family."
Jotun merely nodded and kept on walking. Under the instructions of the Henali he had arrived at the Midnight Inn to have a meeting with the Innkeeper. Yet he was informed the Innkeeper was currently occupied and they would have to wait.
Jotun didn't mind. This seemed like an interesting place, with multiple tribulations happening at the same time. He could take this time to relax.
He walked into the bar inside the Midnight manor to find it mostly occupied by some group. The Emperor ordered a drink and sat in the corner to allow himself to relax. Yet before he could do so, he heard an interesting conversation.
"Truck-kun? A serial killer who can travel across multiple galaxies?"
Interest flickered in his eyes as he continued to listen.
*****
Lex continued to look at where Anakin had been when he disappeared, but found nothing. While he hadn't tested out finding him with his spirit sense, just the fact that Anakin could hide from his eyes either meant that he overestimated his eyes' capabilities, or that Anakin's abilities were more formidable than they appeared. Especially when one considered that he was just in the Qi training realm!
"Not bad," Lex commented, and looked to his left. Though Lex could not see him, his intuition was still working. If Anakin wanted to prank him, it would take a lot more than just that.
Anakin was so startled when Lex looked at his invisible self directly in the eyes that his powers failed.
The prankster quickly regained composure when he realized that he had become visible again, and returned to his seat as calmly as if nothing had happened.
"You're right," Noman spoke as well as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I can tell when someone is lying. I can even tell if what I'm reading is a lie. Even if someone tells the truth, but in a deceptive way, so that the understanding I get is false, I can tell it's a lie. Moreover, my ability has nothing to do with cultivation level. I've never met someone, regardless of how weak or strong they were, who was able to lie to me successfully."
'That's not true,' Lex mimicked him in his mind in amusement. Still, he was observing him closely. That ability… was very impressive, and if it was not limited by cultivation realms… Well, Lex was tempted to hire him as an employee of the Inn right away!
"Not that I'm doubting you or anything, but do you mind if I test it out?" Lx asked as he focused more closely at the waves being emitted from Noman.
"Sure, go ahead."
"My name is Lex," he said and observed if there was any reaction. Nothing unusual happened, and Noman didn't do anything either.
"I am 27 years old," Lex said once again. He did not want to use obvious lies, and planned on mixing a few truths into his statements. Once or twice he might mention an absurd lie just to see if Noman himself identifying the lie made any difference on his ability, and what effect it had on those waves.
As he suspected, from the moment he started speaking there was a disruption in the waves. From being colorless, they gained a red color which, then, was absorbed into Noman's body. The moment the color was completely absorbed, Noman whispered, "he's lying."
Lex accepted the answer and was about to continue when something even stranger happened. Noman looked up at Lex and said aloud, "you're lying."
Lex frowned, and said a few more lines. The pattern with Noam repeating himself twice continued. Even the rest of the group began to notice that something unusual was going on, and the confused looks on their faces told Lex that this wasn't something they were aware of.
"Do you mind if I try something?" Lex asked.
"Go ahead," Noman answered confidently. No one had been able to disrupt his ability before and he was confident it would continue that way.
Lex walked up to him and said, "I'm actually bald."
The red colored waves appeared once again, but this time Lex quickly moved his hand right above Noman's head, blocking the waves. Something absurd happened.
The waves passed through Lex's hand, though he felt a strange resistance, but the red color remained behind.
This time, Noman did not unconsciously whisper out that Lex was lying, but he did confidently look at Lex and declared his lie - completely ignoring the fact that identifying such an obvious lie should not have made him proud.
But he did not get the reaction he was hoping for, as not only Lex, but the entire group was looking at him in a strange way.
Lex tried a few more, less obvious lies and the same thing happened. Lex did not know what the red color was, or why he was able to interact with it, but he did make a deduction of what was happening to Noman.
He looked at Anakin and asked, "does he always whisper when someone lies near him."
"Yes," Anakin answered, at exactly the same time as Noman who said, "no."
Lex frowned for a moment while he considered the possibilities, before he made his way back to his seat.
"Noman, before you came to the Inn, was there any chance someone was targeting you? It may have been a subtle feeling you had, or maybe you saw some hints indicating it."
"There was nothing subtle about it. There was a group of people trying to kidnap me. If I had not been delivered a golden key just in time, I would have been caught. Why do you ask?"
"Hmm, it's just as I thought," Lex said slowly. "Someone has put a curse on you. Every time your ability is used, you can't help but say it out loud. There might be other aspects to it as well. My guess is, they're using that to track you. If you had tried to hide anywhere other than the Inn, they would have found you."
Suddenly, everyone in the group had an abrupt realization. Noman wasn't an idiot or completely oblivious to his own actions, as they had assumed. Someone had cursed him.