Chapter 699 Talk Privately
๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐๐ญ.๐๐ค๐ข
Under the cold, white light of the spaceship, Z found himself walking through a busy corridor. All around him were various races with hardly any humans around, though a majority of the races were humanoid - or elvish as it was referred to as here. Some were the staff and crew of the ship he was aboard, but majority were either soldiers and mercenaries, doctors, engineers, or from any other profession that would in some way aid in battle.
The warriors were in the greatest number, obviously, but the most reverence received on this ship was by medical professionals. Not all doctors had the courage to treat patients inside an active war zone - though admittedly not all who were here had come by their own choice. Followed by doctors were the formation architects, and engineers. They would be sent down to various strongholds on planets where battles were taking place, and they would construct either incredible formations or build amazing spirit tech which would greatly help the soldiers.
Comparatively, it was the soldiers themselves who were at the bottom of the food chain in terms of reverence and respect.
Of course, the Midnight Battalion was the exception to that rule, as were all those who stood out from the masses. The secret stares and ogles he received as he walked to his room dictated just how much the fame of the battalion had spread. They had been at war for a few months now, and were already moving towards their third battlefield.
They were evacuated from the first battlefield after the entire planet became unstable, although they managed to conclude the fight. On the second planet the war was much fiercer and they were unable to change the tide on their own, but their hard earned merits had made them quite popular as a result.
They had played a significant role in turning the tide of battle as they protected a crucial stronghold from a never ending siege. It was only once the tide had turned, and their role completed that they were pulled from that planet, and were now being sent to the third planet.
Z didn't mind. To him, all fights were the same. They were hard and hot, and extremely uncomfortable. He was not ashamed to admit that they were also very dangerous, and that if it weren't for the suits provided to them by the Innkeeper many of them would have already fallen in battle.
But in life, there was no such thing as 'what if' and only 'what is'. The Innkeeper had given them a formidable uniform, and through its assistance, not only had they all survived, many of them were growing stronger rapidly.
Z himself was a prime example, as his lethality had shot through the roof, and now he no longer considered anyone in the Foundation realm his foe. Unless, of course, they were also members of the Midnight Inn. After all, Luthor had also grown incredibly strong after gaining a mysterious ability to control fire, and his flames were not in the least normal.
Many others had also grown much stronger under the trial of war, either unlocking latent abilities or encountering unusual treasures that gave them extraordinary powers. Suddenly Z was reminded of a particular Inn member who had recently begun to shine, and blushed. Her name was Sandra, and she was positively electric! Literally!
During battle she encountered a strange enemy, and upon killing him she somehow absorbed a mysterious stone from within his body. Since then, she had unlocked the ability to control electricity, or lightning. Moreover, because she had spent so much time observing the lightning tribulations at the Inn, her compatibility with the ability was phenomenal, and she was quickly becoming incredibly strong. She also had pretty eyes.
Lost in his own thoughts, Z eventually made it to his own room and lay in bed, looking out at the cosmic cloud they were traveling in. When they had started out, they were still at the periphery of the cosmic cloud, but as their battlefields changed, incidentally, they were moving deeper and deeper within.
The deeper within the cloud they progressed, the more dangerous it became to traverse, so it would take a while before they reached their destination. Somehow, they had gotten a break from all the fighting, and everyone was taking their time to rest.
Z was still lost in his thoughts, still playing with the space bubbles above his fingers as had become a habit. But because he was doing it absentmindedly, he failed to notice that the bubble sometimes failed to form a perfect sphere, and became slightly deformed. The occurrence was only one out of a hundred though.
A few days later, when they reached their third battlefield, and had progressed deeper in the cloud, the rate of the sphere deforming became one out of ninety nine.
*****
Pvarti Noel, Joseph Noel (Pvarti's father), Jess Phillips and Jolene Philips all sat in a private room with Lex, who wore a warm and cordial smile. Yet he was the only one smiling. This was the first time they were meeting in a group like this, and they came with the intention of sharing some last minute details with Lex.
Due to the increased intensity of the Kraven war, the scale of the wedding had been drastically reduced. Moreover, many of the initially planned VIP guests would no longer be able to make it as almost all of the immortals in the empire were being summoned. The previously festive mood had been killed thoroughly, for all except Jess who was still madly pining over Pvarti.
Instead, what awaited them was Lex sharing with them the news that not only would the wedding serve as a front for a secret meeting between the royal families of all the top races in the realm, but that the topic of their discussion was the very fate of their realm!
To say that they were shocked to their core was an understatement. Everyone of them was extremely stressed due to the war, and the fact that they did not even know if they themselves would survive. Now, faced with this sudden bombshell, they were not able to cope quickly enough.
The fact that even Jolene was not instantly maneuvering the situation for political gain was a testament to how dire the situation really was.
As if to add credence to his statement, Lex also had Rick bring in one of the invitations and present it to the families. The aura of the Innkeepers words gripped their currently fragile hearts, and they became dazed.
"My apologies for extending invitations to the wedding without consulting you. I thought the leaders of the races won't exactly be unwelcome at the event," said Lex casually.
"Also a representative of the monsters," Rick quickly added, with no noticeable change in his expression, as if he were talking about something mundane, like the weather.
Even Lex was surprised to hear that last statement, but he did not show it. He made a mental note to interview Rick thoroughly later. Originally he was worried about Rick's competency while undertaking this task, who knew he would perform a few extra-credit tasks!
"Of course, we cannot openly share this information, for security purposes. So externally, everything will appear to be as per usual. Some of theโฆ guests might arrive a little early, though I expect most will only reveal themselves on the actual day of the event."
"Lexโฆ no, Mr. Lex, I think you should have kept such details to yourself," said Joseph weakly. "Even we are not qualified to know about such matters. Our weakness may compromise the meeting."
"Impossible. You see, the invitation officially invites everyone to the wedding. What kind of wedding guests would they be if they did not at least extend their greetings to the bride and groom? There's also the wedding presents. To be honest, if the presents they give are unremarkable, I'll be quite disappointed personally."
Everyone looked at Lex dumbfounded. They did not know what to say. Was wedding presents really the thing that needed to be focused on right now?
"Of course, as the host, I still need to make some preparations for their arrival. Joseph, I have some questions for you regarding Babylon. Perhaps we should continue this meeting in private, as it might touch upon some sensitive matters."
Joseph shook his head and said, "you can ask me questions right here. I have no secrets from my children, and I see no point in keeping a secret from my future family either."
He glanced at Jolene as if acknowledging her.
Lex smiled, knowingly, and then asked, "well in that case, I wanted to ask you if there are any more unstable factors underneath Babylon. The last time you gave me the Blue Crystal Essence which was being fostered under Babylon. If there are more such crystals, or other unstable or volatile factors underneath or near the city, can you share them with me? I am not greedy for your resources, I just need to prepare sufficient security so nothing unexpected happens."
Joseph suddenly coughed and said, "perhaps we should talk privately."
Chapter 700 Edward Pattinfather
๐ต๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ญ.๐๐๐ข
A shellshocked Jolene, alongside a lovestruck Jasmine, left the tavern once the meeting was concluded, both with very different mindsets. Jasmine was once again bubbling with excitement. Previously, when she found out that the scale of the wedding would have to be reduced she was somewhat disappointed. The wedding didn't matter as much as the marriage, obviously, but which one of her siblings didn't have a lavish and exquisite wedding? She could really be blamed for having high expectations.
Jolene, on the other hand, was struggling between moral issues. More specifically, given the current situation, her upbringing and training dictated that she consider the greatest political benefits. Given the current global climate, the greatest benefit they could receive was to not be involved in the war efforts against the immortal Kraven army. Her entire family could be destroyed if they partook in that.
Yet at the same time, she could not bring herself to completely remove her family from the war either. Centuries of brainwashing by King Cornelius made it so that every citizen saw it as their most basic duty as humans to fight for the survival of their race against the Kraven. Caught between the selfish desire for survival and the duty to her race, she could not think too clearly. Ultimately, she decided to consult her husband and defer to his decision.
Jess, Jolene's daughter who had been coordinating between the tavern and their family, was also accompanying them back. Although it was unlikely that she knew anything, Jolene decided it was best to interview her thoroughly as well.
Inside the tavern, Joseph and Pvarti were left with Lex as they continued their discussion. Since Pvarti had reentered the Noel family, there was no reason to keep these secrets from him.
Normally, Joseph would not communicate these secrets with anyone, for his family was acting on behalf of the royal family by mining and harvesting these resources. But as someone backed by the Midnight Inn, Lex was least likely to be interested in their resources. Moreover, they recalled the deep relationship shared by Aegis, the crown prince, and Lex.
To Lex's great and utter disappointment, besides the Blue Crystal Essence which had been absorbed by the Lotus on his back and himself, nothing else was of too significant value.
But as it turned out, the excuse Lex had used was quite valid. Some of the resources hidden deep underneath Babylon were extremely volatile and were protected by numerous formations.
Should an accident happenโฆ all of Babylon was at risk of being decimated by the blowout.
After the conversation ended, the Noel family left. Lex's plan to use their resources as a hidden backhand had failed, but through this meeting Lex came to realize another avenue he could pursue.
"So tell me exactly how it is that you ended up sending an invitation to a 'representative of the monsters'," Lex asked in a more of a curious tone rather than interrogative one. He did not know whether to feel impressed or surprised by Rick's feats and honestly he felt a bit of both. In hindsight, he should have considered inviting the monsters as well, but due to the fact that they have a naturally aggressive nature he had not even considered them. Yet it was true that they were also citizens of the Crystal race. The destruction of the realm affected them just as much as the others.
"We assumed that the fish monster that was summoned was profoundly dumb, and thus easily controlled by the scale you gave me. Yet, as it turned out, it was not as dumb as it seemed. Although it still obeyed my every command, and never tried to harm me, it also took a detour while we traveled.
"Naturally, as we traveled through the folds of space, I could not tell about the detour at all until we arrived at the destination. By then it was too late to do anything anyway. I was faced with a massive monster that spoke directly into my mind. It asked me where I got the scale, and would the owner of it give it to me. I had nothing to hide, so naturally I told him that I was given the scale by you, and my purpose was to deliver invitations to the royal families of some nations. Since the monster was pretty powerful, I showed him one of the invitations as well.
"The monster was already interested in coming to the tavern and meeting you after I told him I got the scale from you, but once he saw the invitationโฆ well, he suddenly became very polite and asked if it was alright he attended as well. Naturally, I told him that it was not up to me, and that he would have to ask you.
"Afterwards, we spent some time talking, and as it turns out, we share many of the same interests. We became good friends, so then I gave him a few tips about what to do when he attends a wedding. He should be arriving a day before the event starts."
"You twoโฆ share similar interests?" Lex asked, his voice betraying his disbelief. What could Rick, the handyman, and an ever living monster of immeasurable powerโฆ have in common?
"Yes," Rick said, reaffirming his statement as if he had said the most reasonable thing. "When Edward Pattinfather, the monster, gained enlightenment, meaning he gained sentience, he spent a few hundred years masquerading as a human teenager. Every few years he'd move to a town and live there, attending the local academy so that he could learn about the world. As it happens, human teenagers often got part time jobs, so Edward often worked as a handyman at different places. He is a master at the trade, and I learnt much from him."
Lex was dumbfounded, and did not know how to respond to Rick. Rick, however, took Lex's silence as an indication that he should elaborate more on the topic.
"While Edward masqueraded as a human teenager, he formed many friends and often got involved in unreal adventures. One time he took part in a tribal war between two of the tribes living in a local Trelops territory. The war between wolves and bats was a fierce one, or at least it was for the human he was pretending to be.
"Another time, he pretended to fall in love with another human girl, only to be caught up in a teenage drama when another teenager from their local academy similarly declared his love for the same human girl. Later, he discovered that like him, the other teenager was also a monster pretending to be human. It was quite the emotional rollercoaster, as the girl was eventually revealed to be a daughter of the human king, who immediately recognized the two monsters and attacked them, causing them both to flee in terror.
"Onceโฆ"
"Alright, alright, I get it. You two are good friends. I'm glad you're expanding your social circle," Lex interrupted Rick. He felt like the list of unbelievable stories was actually quite long, so he did not want to get caught up in them.
After having dismissed Rick, Lex could not help but feel a little morose that ultimately, he was unable to invite the progenitor of the Sol and Frio birds. After all, everyone else had already seemingly been invited. The only major race besides them that remained uninformed about this was the Kraven.
But it was what it was, he didn't want to go to the Crystal race territory again. Not to mention, there were only a few days left, there was no time.
*****
Deep in the dark and barren lands controlled by the Kraven was a massive citadel built seemingly out of a single, massive spirit stone! But of course that was impossible. Such a massive spirit stone could not be formed in a realm as young as the Crystal realm.
This was, instead, the result of the ingenious engineering of the Kraven. Their means and methods were sorely underestimated by everyone on these lands, and that served the purpose of the Kraven well.
Inside a library where the shelves were made of bone, and the books consisted of skulls of various races, fitted with a strange crystal, a particularly lean and petite Kraven was reading. Among the Kraven, size was usually proportional to strength, but for some reason this smaller Kraven seemed to defy that rule.
"My liege," said a hooded, humanoid figure that entered the room. "There is a command from home."
"Oh? What do they want?" the Kraven asked, genuinely curious.
"You have been instructed to go to the Midnight Tavern in four days. No other information was shared."
The Kraven nodded, as if just that was enough. The humanoid figure also departed the library, without sharing anything else.
*****
Upon a tower that pierced the sky and far surpassed the atmosphere, two massive birds were resting in a nest made of the purest energy Crystal. Suddenly, the divine energy in their bodies stirred, and a revelation came to them in the form of a name and time. It was the Midnight Tavern, in four days.
Chapter 701 Arriving guests
The small town of Babylon was in a remote, nearly forgotten corner of the Crystal realm. For so long, it saw no more excitement than a reputable trader passing through because their normal route was blocked by monsters. Once, the children of the noble family which owned the territory passed through the town, and it was considered the greatest news.
Children gathered in the streets and parents took off from work just to see their carriage pass them by. There was a vast class difference between them, sure, but there was also a difference of cultivation. In the world where strength was the most important thing, there was no greater celebrity than those that wielded great strength, and at that time it was surely the children of nobles.
But since then, as if cursed by the bad luck of a protagonist who happened to be passing by, the town saw one major event after another. A maniacal serial killer terrorized the city. The Sol birds flew away, and left them in darkness. Monsters spawned all around them, trapping them within, still with the serial killer. Then the formations protecting them failed, inviting death and destruction.
Not many managed to survive, but of them the few that did were then further flabbergasted when an immortal monster attacked the town nearly decimating all life.
Yes, the citizens of Babylon had suffered through more than most adventurers who ventured out into the world seeking fortune and fame.
Then, finally, there was a period of peace. The few who survived had never been more thankful for a mundane monday than after those horrid few weeks. Yet now, as if to balance all the pain they suffered, the citizens of Babylon were witnessing the most spectacular event anyone from their ancestry had witnessed for the past 100 generations.
A marriage between two immortal lineages was taking place within their town. Normally that would have nothing to do with them besides give them a few stories to share with their kids. But for whatever reason, the families had decided to make this wedding extremely grand. As if that alone was not enough, the mysterious and powerful, yet remarkably friendly owner of the Midnight Tavern decided their scale was not enough and added a few touches of their own.
There were rumors that the groom, Pvarti Noel, was good friends with the tavern owner, and he wanted to make his friend's day special. As a result, the citizens did not know whose generosity they were exactly benefiting from, but they did not care much.
Mario Ricci, also known as the Goatfather, walked the streets of Babylon followed by his gang members, throwing out cultivation pills as if they were flower petals. His son, Elio Ricci, had opened a free dojo where martial combat lessons were being given to any and all who were interested, once again, free of charge.
Thousands of cultivation chambers had been opened up and made available to the public, with nary a mention of price or payment. The only condition on the chambers was that no one could hog the room for too long, as it was meant to be shared by everyone.
Standard cultivation techniques were being sent to every home in the town, alongside a book of notes of things to look out for while cultivating, some medicine to help getting started and one pure spirit stone. Compared to the techniques that normal citizens had access to generally, these techniques were more complete and had fewer drawbacks.
Hundreds of traditional as well as orthodox doctors and medical practitioners showed up and began giving out free treatments. Each public building and facility in the town got a free and extensive upgrade. Famous and renowned chefs from around the region were hired and they cooked feasts for the whole town in the public parks, for all to share.
The week of the wedding was like one continuous party, and where there was a party, there had to be drinks. For the week, Midnight tavern sent out drinks across the town for anyone and everyone. Each drink not only delivered an experience of euphoria down to the very soul, it never had any adverse consequences such as hangovers or sickness. In fact, many people had sudden breakthroughs while drinking!
Of course everyone had varying temperaments, and not everyone wanted to party. Some were more dedicated, and were pursuing some ambitions or goals and could not tolerate wasting time eating or drinking. Those people were offered jobs for before and after the wedding at extremely lucrative rates alongside unbelievable benefits. Each and every person who worked for the wedding did so with unmatched enthusiasm and vigor.
With so many workers, the entertainment would, of course, not be limited to just that. Across the city seemingly random people burst into spontaneous dance and song with extensive backdrops and backup performers. The suddenness and unexpectedness of the songs, as well as their catchy tunes hooked the hearts of everyone who heard them.
The extremely well choreographed dances started an all new trend of dancing, and Babylon was quickly developing a culture of dance and song that would last long after the wedding was actually over. Of course, Lex, for some reason, did not find the dances so extraordinary. But then again, he had seen the original Indian films they were inspired by so maybe that's why he could not share in the feeling of the citizens.
But while such entertainment was sufficient for the masses, the wedding guests from abroad could not exactly appreciate them the same way. For them, of course, there were other forms of entertainment arranged.
Fighting was, as usual, one of the most popular activities and strong warriors from far and wide had been summoned to hold their duels in an arena that was constructed right in front of the tavern. The best seats were on the tavern rooftop.
The fights were definitely not choreographed, and the fighters held nothing back so they were often brutal and bloody, much to the appreciation of the viewers.
Besides fighting there were multiple sophisticated performances arranged to match the taste of the powerful elite.
Attracted by all the hubbub, some of the most illustrious traders and merchants had come to the town and set up stalls and began holding auctions of unusual yet powerful artifacts. In fact, even Lex set up a stall and sold items he got from others at the Midnight Inn. He was investing heavily in this wedding, so recouping some of his costs was perfectly normal.
Amidst all this hustle and bustle, the actual two families involved in the wedding were actually the most nervous. This still could not believe Lex's claims, although they had seen the invitation for themselves.
That is, until Cornelius II arrived at Babylon three days before the wedding. His arrival was very discreet and none of his usual entourage followed him. Only a couple of his advisors followed him, and they too remained in disguise.
The King made contact with both the Phillip and Noel families, to let them know of his arrival, before disappearing himself without giving them any information on his plans. They were only informed to follow along and give blind support to any and all of his actions the next few days.
Somehow, learning of the King's presence as well as his arrival made the two families even more nervous. While everyone else in the town partied, whether to take advantage of all the free stuff or to forget their roles in the ongoing dreadful war, the Noels and Phillips found themselves unable to do so. While everyone felt time was going too fast, for them time seemed to drag on forever.
In this excited yet lethargic manner, another day passed. Like the King before him, this time the incumbent ruler of the Varns arrived, but disappeared soon after announcing his arrival to the two families.
No one had any idea where they were hiding, or if they had already met. Even Lex, who was kept up to date by the families, could only guess at their plans. Fortunately Lex was able to control his nerves, and so did not become nervous. Such a thing would easily be detected now that he did not have the protection of the Host Attire in the Crystal realm.
The same day, a seemingly ordinary butterfly arrived at Babylon. Although she looked very different from most Trelops, who had large bodies taking on the shapes of animals using some feature of their territory, the butterfly was the serving ruler of the Trelops. Amongst their race, such a title did not really hold too much value, except to say that she was the strongest of their race,
The next day, one day before the wedding, the Poloids and Sentinels also arrived, all of them being discreet and hiding their identities.
Everything was almost ready. Tomorrow would be the day. He only hoped this would be enough to get a SSS+ quest ranking.
After tapping on his desk for a few minutes, Lex decided that it was not enough. He could take no chance. He had to get the highest ranking he could, so he would find a way to improve the score even more.
From the Midnight Inn, Lex teleported away and appeared in front of the Infinity Emporium.