Jolene maintained her smiling appearance while Lex spoke, and did not show any changes, keeping her thoughts hidden. Naturally, such a thing was completely ineffective against Lex. Not only did he have his sixth sense giving him feedback, his intuition was also providing him with a sense of what she was feeling. Moreover, after confirming with his intuition that it was safe, he conducted a little experiment with his soul sense.
He used it to observe any fluctuations in Jolene's soul. Lex could not observe in too much detail, as she would likely sense something amiss even without a soul sense of her own, but it was enough to simply observe from afar.
Although her thoughts did not cause any prominent changes to her soul, Lex could clearly determine that she was in an excited yet tense state. Basically, she knew she had stumbled across an opportunity, but also knew that she had to be cautious to make use of it.
After noticing that Lex did not respond to any of her previous hints and suggestions, she decided to make one final attempt. If that did not work, she would employ less direct, and more long term measures.
If there was one thing she was adept at, it was finding spouses for her children. Considering that noble and powerful families existed for thousands upon thousands of years, they naturally had many children. As such, many noble families had their children marry one another.
Obviously, not all noble families had an equal status or power, but it was impossible to expect that each child would marry into an equally powerful, or even more powerful family. That was one of the reasons the Noel family had an opportunity to connect to theirs in the first place - besides the obvious developing business connections.
Now that she had encountered a new independent and potentially untapped power, there was no way she wouldn't try to secure the connection for one of her children. The fact that he had a friendship with the genius crown prince only added more legitimacy to his establishment.
"I envy your freedom. Between managing my husband's estate, and all the numerous political appearances I have to make, I barely get time to attend my own childrens weddings. My husband Is Laurent Phillips, Duke of the Phillips province, home to one of the few Etherium mines in all of the crystal realm. The fact that King Cornelius let our family maintain operations of the mine, instead of controlling it themselves, speaks of the close bond and trust we share with the royal family."
Lex was, naturally, familiar with Etherium, though it had to be admitted that the only reason he remembered it was because of his improved memory and intelligence. He had taken a list of all the commonly sold valuable items at the Infinity Emporium, as well as their uses. Etherium was listed there, with its description stating that it was an incredibly valuable ore used in the manufacturing of machines, gear and weapons suited for immortals. Etherium mining was one of the profitable businesses in the entire Origin realm, so much so that inter-galactic wars had been fought over especially large mines.
andasnovel.com If what Jolene said was true, then they truly were very closely associated with the royal family. That posed both an opportunity and a risk for Lex. He wanted to avoid the king and his attention, but the close relation meant that the Phillips family probably had all the valuable information he needed.
"I'm sure their trust is well placed. It is an honor for me to host you at my humble establishment."
"Not humble at all," she rebuked, waving her hand. "Don't think I will let appearances fool me. Although you've styled your place to seem nondescript, I can immediately identify Dribble Oak wood. Even my husband would not complain while staying here."
The Dribble Oak wood she was talking about came from a round of upgrades the tavern underwent when the Midnight Inn underwent the star rank increase. Since the star ranking of the tavern couldn't be increased, since it was not in a separate realm, the entire tavern building and its entire structure was upgraded.
The Dribble Oak wood was a special kind of wood that was especially sturdy, and generally was considered indestructible. That was because the more physical force that was applied to it, the stronger it became. Cutting the tree required immortals using their personal strength and vast amounts of spirit energy.
Other than being sturdy, it also cleaned the air of impurities, gave off a fresh smell and would generally attract spiritual energy around itself.
Lex only smiled at her comment but said nothing else.
"Now that we have been properly introduced," Jolene began, "let's talk about the issue at hand. Although it was not my wish, it is clear that Jasmine has taken a great liking to young Pvarti. It seems inevitable that they will get married, regardless of what anyone says."
"Indeed that seems to be the case," Lex said while nodding. "Though I don't see why you wish to discuss that with me. I am only here to provide services should anyone need them. I do not interfere in my guests' business - at least unless they are about to harm my tavern or my guests."
Lex did not even flinch as he lied shamelessly.
"Hmm, indeed I do not wish for you to interfere in this matter, nor would I want someone else to handle my business. No, what I wish to talk about is the potential political repercussions that we'll have to face as a result of this. I was hoping to have your cooperation so that we can mitigate any potential fallout, and keep the event going as smoothly as possible. After all, not everyone will want to see this union take place. Anything can happen at any time.
"As such, I'll be assigning one of my most competent daughters to work with you, so that she can coordinate on my behalf as events unfold. Naturally, with all my duties, I cannot be here all the time, so she will take care of that for me."
Lex could already determine what Jolene was trying to do. This was probably a relatively common custom amongst nobles and powerful cultivators, where he would spend time with Jolene's daughter to determine if he liked her or not.
Lex had no doubt that she would be a wonderful woman, but he had other concerns. Romance was the last on the list of things he was concerned about.
"I look forward to working with her," Lex commented. "Just so that I know, when are you expecting this wedding to take place? Since you have already contacted your family and told them to arrive, shall I expect the wedding to take place as soon as they arrive? Of course, whatever your thoughts, I'm sure Pvarti and his family will also have some considerations."
"My daughter, no doubt, is in a great rush to get married. As much as I would like to indulge her, these things can never be quick or simple. Were these ordinary circumstances, an engagement period of even 10 years would not be unusual. As it happens, due to the various… complications that have resulted due to the very public rejection and then reunion, the process will be sped up as much as possible.
"Various important guests will be invited and some backdoor negotiations will take place. Even at the earliest, it will take a couple of months."
Lex did not show any reaction, yet he was internally disappointed. Waiting a couple of months, at the very least, was already too long. He could not afford to sit here and wait while this happened, but at the same time, he more or less expected as such.
The only real option he had was to begin his journey, heading towards either Valesco, to meet the Crystal race elder, or anywhere else he could expect to find some answers. In the meantime, he could use his remote presence ability to coordinate with Pvarti, Jolene, her daughter, or whoever else.
"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Lex asked. Although talking privately made things more convenient, nothing they talked about really required a separated conversation.
So that meant that whatever Jolene really wanted to talk about was still left.
"Actually, the matter I wanted to talk about is unrelated to the wedding. Your tavern, due to its deceivingly humble appearance, has provided a remarkably opportune location to facilitate… certain tasks that I would rather confidential."
"I'm glad you find my establishment to be of use. How can I help?"
"It is nothing too complicated. Over the next few days, someone will come by and drop a package with you. Afterwards, at some point, I will come over and pick it up. Holding onto the package is not the issue. The issue is that the package's container will not be able to restrict its aura for very long. If someone detects the aura of the items contained within the package, it would be quite problematic. As such, the package needs to be placed in a completely isolated and enclosed environment. Naturally, when I come by, I will replace the packaging, and take it away."
"That is not an issue at all," Lex confirmed. "All the person needs to do is rent a room for the duration he wishes to keep the package hidden. I'll place the package in the room, and no one will come out or go in. I'll even place protections around the room to ensure none of the aura is leaked."
Jolene nodded, but she wasn't completely satisfied.
"This exchange means a lot to me, so I can't just go ahead with it without testing it out first. I'll pass along a sample to you that will behave similarly to the package I'm expecting. If you're able to block its aura for three days, then I will proceed with the deal."
"It's not a problem," Lex commented simply.
Jolene activated her spatial ring and summoned a small, palm sized black box with no obvious. For now, the box appeared to be completely normal, but if what Jolene said was true then soon it would begin to leak out a very noticeable aura.
Lex reached forward and grabbed it, but while his spirit and soul sense could not detect anything from the box, the moment he touched it a grotesque and repulsive feeling filled him. The feeling was so potent that, even with all the practice he had maintaining his expression, he could not help but reveal a frown.
The feeling was coming from his intuition, and it was telling him clearly that whatever was in the box was absolutely putrid.
Lex brought his gaze up to Jolene, who seemed startled at his frown, but said nothing. After a moment, Lex put the box away in his own spatial bangle.
"In three days, I'll come to collect the box from you," she said sheepishly. Lex only nodded, and without confirming the conclusion of their conversation, removed the shields surrounding them.
They were once again reunited with the group, but instead of continuing the conversation with the group, Lex stood up.
"There's much left to discuss, but matters have happened fairly abruptly. How about an intermission to collect ourselves and our thoughts on the matter? After all parties involved have had a chance to discuss amongst themselves, you can reconvene to continue planning."
Pvarti was not expecting such a sudden break from the meeting, but despite the private meeting Lex had with Jolene he was sure that Lex was on his side. In that case, going along with the plan would only help him and not harm him.
Jasmine was the most reluctant, but her mothers stern grip on her hand ensured that she did not misbehave. As it happened, Fenrir showed up once again and, forlornly, handed the necklace back to Jasmine.
Although the pup had wanted to keep it for himself, Lex had used their connection to get the pup to return it.
Jolene, Jasmine and the rest departed, leaving Lex and Pvarti behind. He did not plan on leaving, since the Phillips family was probably heading towards the Noel family mansion anyway. Instead, he used a communication talisman to send a message to his brother with a brief summary of what happened, and waited for them to contact him first.
"Is everything alright?" Pvarti asked, sensing something off about Lex. Although he did not ask directly, even he could sense that Lex was unsettled after the private meeting with Jolene.
"A small matter, unrelated to you so no need for you to worry. I have a few tasks to take care of, so if you need me just leave a message at the bar."
Pvarti only nodded and went back to the main hall where the flutist and dancer were finally taking a break.
Jolene had already paid for a room for three days, but instead of going to one of the usual rooms, Lex went to the hidden rooms underneath the bar. There, he placed the repulsive black box in the middle of a room.
Originally Lex was planning on just blocking the room off using the spatial formation, but suddenly he decided that he needed to take more precautions.
He summoned some of the Orion's scale he had stocked up at the Inn and encased the box in them, before locking the space around them. That should be enough to hold off whatever aura the box was supposed to release.
A part of Lex was extremely curious about what the box held. He had never felt something so repulsive, and he wanted no part in whatever business it involved. But technically speaking, Jolene was not breaking any of the rules for his tavern. He was bound to run into more situations in the future where he encountered unsavory things.
He needed to decide how he would deal with them. For now, he was maintaining his neutrality, but if it began to wear on his consciousness he may try something else.
With that done, Lex left the tavern. Although he planned on doing his best for this wedding, that did not involve wasting his time. Since he could manage the wedding using his remote presence, there was no point in sticking around.
His first destination was the sea. His instincts had told him that there was something valuable under the water. Although going deep underwater was extremely dangerous, for it was always dark and served as the breeding ground or endless monster, if the seas' dangers made them completely untraversable then there wouldn't be so much trade happening.
andasnovel.com Although he made no special preparations to keep his presence hidden, almost no one paid much attention to him as he made his way to the port. It was an extremely high traffic area so there was no reason to find his behavior suspicious.
Moreover, he walked so calmly and confidently that no one felt he was out of place. Even as he walked up to the water and suddenly jumped off the pier, no one noticed.
In a cold, gray-stone room, a single lamp produced a dim blue light. The light was barely enough to see, but more than enough to produce long, dark shadows that spread to the distant walls.
On a throne similarly made of stone sat a repulsive slug-like creature, known as a Gilati. It looked weak and tired, yet the aura it radiated was overbearing. Only those gray stone slabs could support the pressure, and the lamp, of course, though barely.
In front of the Gilati, some distance away, stood a devil in its non-human form. It was ten feet tall, with a body seemingly made of black rocks, with veins of magma pulsing between them. There were two curved horns on its head, and hovering in the air between those horns was a rock emitting a beautiful scarlet glow.
"It has come to my lord's attention that you have had some problems with the Midnight Inn," the devil said, his voice grating to hear.
The Gilati released an angry garbling noise and its aura exploded, but then it calmed itself down - though barely.
"Yesssss!" it hissed. "My slave! My slave! They are keeping my slave from me! During its final reincarnation, my precious Dreamy Fox somehow escaped, and was reincarnated somewhere else. But I have its soul signature recorded. How can I not recognize it? I need it back before it matures!
"A Dreamy Fox on the verge of its final evolution is the most important ingredient in the pill I'm refining. Without it, I will not be able to survive the tribulation that will occur when I enter the next realm. I have delayed my breakthrough long enough!"
"My lord too wishes to acquire something from within the Midnight Inn. He is inviting you to join him. The only chance we have of success is if we pool our strengths."
"Are you not afraid of the Daolorddddddd?" the Gilati hissed again, angrily!
"My lord, Rockefeller's father too, is a Daolord. As you know, we Devils have no shortage of Daolords. We fear no one."
This time, the Gilati did not hiss. Instead, after spending some time contemplating, its body lifted into the air, and it approached the devil.
*****
The sea water was pleasantly cold, though the water near the pier was somewhat grimy. It was not too deep either, as Lex could clearly see the surface when he reached the bottom.
Of course, it also helped that this near Babylon, the seabed was imbedded with numerous rods, emitting a soft red light.
In fact, these rods were spread on the seabed for a few miles around the town, to ensure no new monsters were spawned there. The town's navy would inspect them almost weekly, alongside having numerous hunting expeditions where they cleared the nearby waters of any monsters.
Lex practiced moving his arms to see how the water pressure affected him. At his current depth, the resistance he faced did not hamper him by much. He took a look around him, but besides the odd fish here and there, he saw nothing of interest.
For a moment he wondered how fish managed to survive in these monster-infested waters, but then shrugged, slipped his hands into his pockets and began to walk forward.
He was not concerned about holding his breath, as his body could go days without needing to breathe. Moreover, he could divert spiritual energy towards his lungs, and somewhat replace the function of air with it for a period of time. Not to mention, there were countless techniques out there that could allow Lex to breathe underwater - not that he was planning on relying on any of these methods.
Instead, Lex planned on using a very simple, single circle array on the roof of his mouth that would produce air. He would breathe out any excess air and just take a fresh breath every few hours. Of course, he had to be careful with the amount of air he breathed.
The deeper he went underwater, the greater the pressure and the more the air would shrink. He was not too worried about anything on his way down, but he had to be careful when returning to the surface. If he wasn't careful about how air expands, he could seriously injure himself.
One would think that Lex could ignore such minor details due to his impressive cultivation, not to mention how sturdy his body was. To an extent, that was true. But Lex was not deluded enough to think he could take on all of nature and come out undefeated. The line between confidence and arrogance was thin, and he did not intend to cross it.
Also, his intuition told him not to mess around underwater, so there wasn't much left to argue on.
Not that any of this should matter. Lex's destination was not too far, or else his intuition would not have been able to detect whatever he was heading towards.
After walking for about twenty minutes, Lex had descended deeper into the sea. He was pleasantly surprised to find that instead of unspeakable horrors; the seabed was actually quite amazing. Once he moved away from the grimy, polluted waters near the town, he encountered a lot more fish.
The seabed was teeming with life, so much so that Lex even detected signs of life from numerous rocks - or at least things that looked like rocks. He found a lot of debris as well, of broken ships and what looked like remains of old buildings, and all of them had been turned into habitats for the local marine life.
It felt like he was walking through an aquarium. The density of fish continued to increase, right up until he came across an underwater forest. The fish swam happily through the seaweed wrapped trees, but a sense of foreboding stopped Lex from taking a step forward.
It was confusing, for his intuition was both telling him it was safe to proceed, and that he would encounter danger if he took a single step forward.
What, did he have to swim instead of walk?
Lex shook his head. The answer couldn't be so simple. After a few moments of thought, Lex reached out with his spirit sense and touched one of the trees.
"Excuse me, is it alright if I cross?" he asked.
Silence followed Lex's question. He was not in a rush and waited a moment, thinking of other ways to enter the forest.
The trees were thick and tall, with the shortest of them being at least 80 feet (24 meters) tall and 5 feet (1.5 meters) thick. The bark, if there was even a bark, was completely wrapped in seaweed making it impossible to see. But the seaweed also grew between the trees, like the grass on a forest floor.
Lex had suspected…
"Why are you so goddamn polite!" a voice suddenly echoed in Lex's mind.
The forest groaned, as if each and every tree was frustrated, but then quickly returned to the normal state. The fish had all been startled and began swimming out in droves, which frustrated the forest even more.
Lex smirked. He had suspected the danger he was feeling was because the forest was actually a Trelop, and it seemed he was right. It was safe to traverse, so long as he had permission. If not, then he could face great danger.
"Isn't it natural to ask for permission before entering?"
"What do you goddamn mean, natural? Down here, ain't no goddamn thing has any etiquette, which is the whole reason I moved here. I ain't on anyone's territory, so I can goddamn do as I please."
"So if someone is impolite and enters recklessly, you punish them?"
"Well that all depends on my mood now, doesn't it?"
A massive goldfish made of seaweed emerged from the forest and swam around Lex, as if inspecting him. Since the Trelop-fish was inspecting him, Lex saw no reason not to reciprocate. He used his targeted scan ability.
Name: Toro
Age: ??
Sex: ??
Cultivation Details: ??
Species: Trelop
Remarks: Since its not yet a guest, it can be classified as a seaweed wrap.
The targeted scan only revealed partial information, and was not very consistent in what it revealed, but that was fine as lex was no longer totally dependent on the system. Based on his own experience, as well as his intuition, alongside some basic inference, Lex could determine that Toro was an Earth immortal. He was all too familiar with the unique pressure that immortals radiated, and his intuition gave him an appropriately severe warning for Lex to be able to determine it was an immortal. Not to mention, it was unlikely a weak Trelop could survive underwater where it was likely to encounter monsters.
Sure, the humans cleared this area often, but who could really predict when an immortal level monster might show up? Hadn't Zagan passed through here just a short time ago.
"So what about me?" Lex asked. "Can I enter now that I've asked politely?"
"What do you goddamn want by entering?" Toro asked, irritated. He had been looking forward to punishing the stupid human for its insolence. But the feeble being was so inconsiderate that he had even asked nicely, leaving Toro with no good excuse to punish him.
Sure, Toro didn't really need a real reason if it wanted to harm Lex, but that would be breaking the rules of its own game. If he broke the rules, then the fun of the game would disappear, and he would turn into a mad tyrant instead of a discipline instructor, as it thought of itself.
Lex considered whether to answer truthfully or come up with an excuse, but eventually decided that there was no use in lying. He could not hide his activities with the Trelops territory, so lying would instead get him in trouble.
𝑙𝘪𝒷𝘳𝑒𝘢𝑑.𝒸𝑜𝑚
"I can sense something valuable in your territory, so I came to investigate."
The goldfish bared its teeth as if it did not like Lex's answer.
"Of course you goddamn sense something! I'm the one using the lure!"
The goldfish started twisting and turning in agitation, squirming in frustration.
"Why are you so bloody goddamn freaking honest!"
The fish continued to throw a tantrum, and Lex just stood there, watching in amusement. Eventually though, Toro calmed down and glared at Lex.
"Follow me," he said bluntly and swam into the forest. Lex followed and was surprised to discover that all the water pressure disappeared, not that it bothered him to begin with. But he quickly realized why it was so necessary.
There was a tribe of some race Lex had never seen before living in the forest, worshiping the seaweed fish. In merely a few minutes Lex saw thousands of those creatures which looked like… humanoid squids.
Despite their massive numbers, Lex could sense that not a single one of them were stronger than the foundation realm. They probably depended on the forest to project themselves not only from the water pressure, but from the monsters as well.
"Quite the community you have here," Lex commented appreciatively. He had begun to gain an understanding of Trelops. All the Trelops he had seen before had a massive number of beasts and sentient and semi-sentient creatures living within their territories, not to mention the unique personalities they had.
If what Toro said was right, he had released the aura of whatever it was holding in its territory itself to attract others. Despite his strange obsession with wanting to hurt trespassers, Lex suspected he wanted more inhabitants for its territory.
"There was an earthquake some time ago and it revealed this pool of a strange liquid I've never seen before," Toro suddenly started to explain.
"Its aura is extremely attractive, but the moment I tried to touch it, it began corrupting my body. The same happened with any other creature that touched it. Originally I thought I'd just seal off the area, but the pool is beginning to grow and I cannot seal it. The reason I allowed its aura to spread was so that others could come and I could see if anyone had a solution. If you had been impolite, I would have let you access it without the warning I'm now giving you."
Lex frowned. His intuition was telling him he was heading towards something extremely valuable, but could he be wrong? It wasn't so easy to trick his intuition. What could this be?
While Lex was wondering what he was about to encounter, various things were happening out in the universe. Even on a smaller scale, the Inn itself was constantly busy, so much so that it was impossible for Lex to track everything that was happening in it all the time.
Naturally, when something important happened, he would be notified or updated, but for the mundane or common things, he would not pay too much attention. As of late, even his MP accumulation was something he paid little attention to.
With the amount of MP he was making, he did not need to worry about running short any time soon. But even as far as knowing he had a lot of MP went, if Lex were to check his balance right now, he would be greatly surprised for an additional 500 billion MP had suddenly appeared.
This income was not random, but was deposited to his account due to some of the tasks that Ragnar put up being completed. At this rate, it would be long until Lex earned the 1 trillion MP from his 100 trillion MP transaction.
But of course, Lex would only realize this much later. For now, he followed the massive fish as it led him deeper within its territory. Even if the fish did not lead him, Lex would be able to reach the destination, for he was heading in the same direction that his intuition was guiding him to.
The closer he got, the stronger his intuition urged him to hurry up. If he had not been warned by Toro, he would have genuinely believed he was about to discover ambrosia, instead of a possibly toxic pool.
There was something deeply unsettling about this. Either the pool had to be used in a certain way to gain its benefits, which the Trelop was ignorant of which is why it suffered. Or else, the pool was something extremely sinister, with the ability to bait the senses of intelligent beings.
Considering the fact that a most likely earth immortal level Trelop was hurt by the pool, Lex did not allow himself to feel arrogant for even a moment. He had to treat the matter very seriously.
Soon, Lex identified the area where the pool most likely emerged. He did not need to rely on his intuition or even the fish to tell, for the forest around it had decayed. The trees were wilting and the seaweed growing from the ground had completely disappeared. A cage surrounded the area, blocking off the multitudes of fish and other races that were trying to enter and reach the pool.
An ominous feeling filled Lex's mind as he saw the influence the pool had wrought. This was especially so because by now it wasn't only his intuition that was informing him of how valuable the upcoming pool was, it was his actual physical body. He could feel a physical attraction pulling him closer, as if his body had been parched for eons and a glass of water was almost within reach.
Lex felt like asking Toro some more questions, and so quickly thought of the politest way to phrase it. Although the Trelop had a peculiar personality, as long as Lex remembered to stay polite, he should not encounter any danger.
"The reason you allowed the aura to escape was to see if anyone could get rid of the pool, right? If you've discovered something, could you please share it with me? I would be most grateful."
Toro's body trembled, as if he had been electrocuted. He glared at Lex, but they were in a relatively public place now, so it refrained from cursing the previous 17 generations of Lex's family. After all, as the lord of this region, it had an image to maintain.
"Although to an outside observer, it may look like my territory is only this forest, but they would be wrong. My territory extends as deep as the roots of the plants go. As such, I know for a fact that there was no such pool under the ground that the earthquake could have brought to the surface. In fact, even now, though it may appear as if the pool is emerging from underground, the truth is that there is no source down below.
"Though the pool appeared after the earthquake, it has no real source. It suddenly appeared, and I cannot tell how it is growing. It's a goddamn menace!"
Toro was, of course, speaking to Lex through its spirit sense, so no one could hear it.
"I do, however, have suspicions. The more materials it corrupts and dissolves, the greater the pool grows. I can only guess that, whatever the pool is, it is turning everything into itself."
Toro paused as they approached the cage and stared through to a glow visible in the distance. Even at the bottom of the sea, a small pool was distinctly visible inside a bowl shaped rock. The pool could not have been bigger than a dozen liters, at most, yet its presence was massive. It had a white and silverish appearance and gave off a beautiful and mesmerizing glow.
The only word Lex could think to describe both its visage and aura was 'holy'. The pool seemed the very definition of pure and felt as if it could cradle all of life. The impression it created was so strong that Lex almost ignored the dichotomy of the sight where every living thing near it had already died.
"Do you know what kind of power immortals wield?" Toro asked Lex, his voice strangely devoid of anger and frustration.
"No, not really."
"The power of an immortal comes from his tenets," Toro explained, strangely calm. "Do you know what laws are? Universal laws? Tenets allow immortals to, very barely, interact with the laws of the universe. The only way I've been able to slow down the spread of this pool is by suppressing it with my tenet. But even then, it is only able to suppress it, and not stop it."
Lex appreciated the information, especially since it was giving him revelations into information he had no access to before. But the fact that Toro was not insulting him, or resisting the urge to insult, and was revealing such sensitive information without prompting was highly suspicious.
"Why are you telling me this?" Lex asked, his gaze still stuck to the pool. How could it be so beautiful? He wanted nothing more than to take a sip of it.
"Because, other than me, you are the only one who has not become completely enthralled by it after looking at it. I hope you have a solution."
As soon as Toro spoke, Lex realized that all the creatures that were trying to approach it were simply being blocked by the cage. They were not fighting against it, trying to destroy it, or finding some other way through. They were simply pressed against the cage as they tried to approach the pool, like mindless zombies.
It was strange, now that Lex thought about it. Although he was feeling a very strong urge to drink from the pool, it was nowhere near irresistible, nor did he feel like his mind was being influenced in any way.
Lex had no way of knowing what the liquid in the pool was, but he had a few ideas of how he could find out.
"Can you let me through to investigate?" he asked, remembering to retain his politeness.
"Sure," Toro said, and wrapped Lex with some seaweed. "In fact, if you discover a way to get rid of it, or take it away, you can have all of it. I won't stop you."
Lex wanted to nod, but wrapped in seaweed, he could not really move. Toro was not imprisoning him, merely encasing him in his tenet so that Lex could enter the cage. After a couple of minutes, when Toro released the seaweed, Lex discovered that he was already inside, right beside the pool.
This close, Lex could practically smell the liquid in the pool. But, of course, he could not really smell it. It was the 'smell' of the spiritual energy that the pool was giving off, and it was as sweet as the kindest melody, as gentle as a lover's kiss. Lex could feel as if the world itself was softly hugging him, providing him with warmth, comfort and security.
It was the most pleasant sensation Lex could imagine feeling. A part of Lex wanted to bottle up this liquid and just hide a bit of it in his most expensive rooms at the Inn. His capitalist senses were tingling. Yes, drinking it might be wonderful, if it wasn't an all corroding, poisonous. But making endless amounts of MP from it and raising the prestige of the Inn beyond what it already would be even more wonderful.
With a grin that went from being wholesome to sly, Lex took out a glass bottle from his spatial bangle. It was time to see if he could collect this new money maker!