Chapter 741 Timeline
For quite a while, Lex ate while he listened to Mary brief him on all that had happened during his slumber. The deteriorating situation in the Origin realm was obviously not a good thing. Moreover, the fact that the Fuegan were becoming more active as a result of the terrorists' activities was not a good sign.
He had been under the impression that the Henali were on the winning side of the war with the Fuegan, but if these new terrorist acts were any indication, then the war was about to heat up considerably. That was bad news for his 1000 employees participating in the war. Fortunately, so far, they had not suffered a single casualty.
Once he was done eating, he organized his schedule to take care of his most immediate matters first. Ordinarily that would mean meeting with Charles, but Lex was looking forward to meeting the devil who wanted to host a 5 trillion MP event at his Inn.
The timing for such an event was not necessarily the best, considering the realm-wide situation. Moreover, in 6 months, or 5 and a half months now, the Inn would stop accepting new guests. If the event was going to take a long time, which he suspected it was, it would have to be delayed a few years. Lex did not mind, as he had more than enough MP to meet his needs for the moment.
He dressed up in his Host Attire and teleported over to his office, and had Mary invite Rocketfellow in. The devil arrived quite quickly, as if he had been awaiting a summoning to meet the Innkeeper.
"Innkeeper, it has been a while," the stylishly dressed devil said as he tipped his hat.
"I hope your time passed pleasantly," the Innkeeper replied calmly, a warm gentle smile on his face.
"Ah, I'm afraid not," the devil replied, a hint of regret in his voice. "Some of my most recent ventures have all ended in failure. But, those are all small projects, and don't compare for what we have in store ahead. You see, while other matters also occupied me, I have also spent this time preparing to make our own version of Lady Cosmos the best possible. I think you will be quite interested in some of my propositions."
"I'm sure you have prepared an excellent plan," the Innkeeper said, "but before we delve too deeply into these matters, I have to inform you of something, in case it might interfere with your timeline.
"The Midnight Inn is getting ready to undergo some… renovations, so to speak. As a result, in a little over five months, the Inn will stop accepting new guests for the foreseeable future. So, if the event is to occur over a long period of time, you may want to wait till afterwards."
The devil was surprised, and that could clearly be seen as he paused for a moment to reevaluate his thoughts. His excitement tempered just a bit and he leaned back into his chair as he went through some considerations.
"Actually, you know what? This is probably a good thing. This will allow us more time to refine the idea before we make our investment. Let's go over some of my plans and you can tell me what's appropriate…"
The meeting went on a lot longer than Lex anticipated, even though Lex's refusal to have contestants capture slaves and have them fight to the death put a real wrench in the devil's plans. Still, other than his casual cruelty, the devil had many good ideas, and Lex strongly believed that the event would be very successful.
The target audience for the event was Nascent level cultivators, and maybe even some Earth Immortals, both of whom had very long lives. As such, the event itself would also go on for ten years, at the very least, which would also justify the absurd amount of MP being invested in it.
The timeline for the event was pushed forward, which apparently suited the devil perfectly. He left the meeting with a smile, though the moment he teleported out of the Inn, his smile vanished.
"Karen, tell the others! The timeline has been pushed forward! We need to take action within two years! Prepare everything."
"Not an issue. The targets have already been found in the Suera galaxy, and we are in close contact with the Fuegan trying to work out a deal."
Back at the Inn, Lex could not help but groan. Although he was looking forward to the MP, he was not a fan of extremely long business meetings. He didn't know how businessmen back on Earth did it.
"Mary, send in Charles," Lex said after a few moments of allowing himself to be lazy. He had too much to catch up on.
Soon, a young, skinny man dressed in a doctor's coat stepped in. Although Lex did not show it on his face, he was impressed by the doctor's demeanor as he exhibited a calm and collected appearance, even in front of the Innkeeper. It had to be known that for anyone to meet him, they would have to cross his lobby, which was filled with an extremely strong pressure.
Since the pressure would automatically adjust to whoever was crossing, no one could ever have an easy time coming in. Yet this new doctor seemed perfectly fine coming into his office. In fact, it almost seemed like the doctor had already expected such an obstacle in his path. Not to mention how difficult it was for one to remain calm in the presence of the Innkeeper, with no cultivation at all!
Now that he was inside the Inn, Lex naturally scanned Charles, but still did not discover anything suspicious. His age was 17 years old, and he had no cultivation at all. His demeanor and knowledge did not match his credentials, but Lex was not on to judge.
"Doctor, I've heard you're quite dissatisfied with how we run things here," said Lex, maintaining the calm and warm vibe of the Innkeeper.
"I would not say dissatisfied, sir. But I have many ideas I think you will like. Why don't you hear me out?"
Chapter 742 Talking
𝑙𝑖𝘣𝓇𝑒𝒶𝘥.𝑐ℴ𝑚
"Have a seat," the Innkeeper said calmly, pointing at the chair in front of him. This Charles definitely had many secrets, and he was now in a much better position to get those secrets out from him. Previously he himself was in too much of a hurry to exit that planet. Now, though, he had plenty of time as well as a superior identity as compared to last time.
"I must say, Charles, you're quite talented. It is not often that I see someone as young as you with such detailed knowledge about medicine, and such a mature bearing to go along with it."
Although Lex was paying a compliment, he was also stating his suspicions. It was unnatural to gain such a thorough understanding in any field without years of study and practice, and Charles was much too young for that. Of course there was always the possibility that he had information transferred to his mind, the way those in the Crystal race transmit information from one generation to another. But even so, comprehending and mastering that knowledge was vastly different from simply attaining it.
Charles gave an oddly endearing smile, as if a child was looking up at his elder. He could not really be blamed. Unlike others, who were greatly intimidated by beings more powerful, Charles felt safe. After all, he grew up in the presence of nearly all the Mythical beings of the Origin realm.
Aizel and Firin, for example, were two of the Mythical beings of the Crystal realm. That meant that those Mythical beings were always at the peak most level that the realm they were in allowed. Of course, they could also choose to unleash their full strength, which would then have them transcend their realm, a path that most of them eventually took.
After hearing about the Innkeepers great reputation, and finally meeting him and feeling his warm and comforting aura, Charles felt as if he had returned to his childhood.
"Forgive me for being unable to say much, senior. My history is closely tied to the fate of my ancestor - I cannot risk it. But I can swear that I bear the Inn no ill will, and all that I do is only to benefit it as much as possible."
"The Midnight Inn does not discriminate against others, as long as they follow the rules of the Inn. So long as you do not harm your peers or the guests out of maliciousness, you can call the Inn your new home."
Although Lex said as much, he was a little peeved at Charles' forthcoming behavior. With him being so open about having secrets, it was nigh impossible to pressure him into revealing things. All he could do now was to have him slowly reveal his secrets of his own volition.
"But, because of that Innkeeper, I can also guarantee that my knowledge is not false. Although what I know might be slightly outdated, some of the things I know are still relevant now. For example, I've taken a look at the Recovery room and Recovery pods. In theory they're excellent, but in actuality they're far from efficient, and are not necessarily the best tool for the job. In simple words, it's like using brute force to heal the body by throwing endless energy at it.
"If, instead, we take a more nature oriented approach, then there are many better ways to heal. Besides, those rooms and pods are not suitable for all races either. I've also studied some of the workers at the Inn.
"Most of them are suffering from odd forms of malnutrition. At first, I was confused, but upon further analysis I discovered that it seemed like many of them had latent skills and talents awaiting to be woken as soon as the right conditions were met. Such a widespread phenomenon among so many different people was strange at first for me, until I realized that they also all bore the signs of cloning and artificial genetic engineering.
"I must say, I have never seen such high quality clones, with perfectly functional organic bodies and independent and complete souls. Not only is the technique used in their manufacture beyond excellent, but the original samples must be from the absolute best of the best. However, pre-existing physical dispositions are causing a conflict with their new, emerging personalities which is resulting in their malnutrition. Many of them need a lifestyle adjustment to properly awaken their talents. If they are left ignored until they are eventually crippled, then their own individual cultivation will suffer as well.
"I've also noticed that the Inn seems to have adopted many younglings such as the Sovereign turtle, who is still naught but a babe, the Cthulhu, the Fen… Fenrir, and many others. It's miraculous how so many varying races are getting together without any issues, but they all also need different environmental factors to ensure they maintain healthy growth in the future. For now, the Inn seems to lack it.
"Also, I've noticed a few sentient plants have been born at the Inn. If you can have the Galactic turtle nurture a World Tree at the Inn, even in its early stages, it will be extremely beneficial to the growth of the plant life here.
"Also, Innkeeper, one of your guests, the Mountain-man, is suffering from severe soul exhaustion. It's almost as if its soul is not strong enough for its body. Whatever the case, he needs to undergo treatment immediately, lest his soul becomes crippled.
"Oh yes, you also have a Drake. Interesting species, I have seen it before. They usually have the potential to undergo evolution into a weak dragon under the right circumstances, so I was…"
Once Charles started to talk, he just kept on going. Most of what he said even made sense, so Lex had no option but to listen to him and wonder if he really was more suited as a doctor rather than as a senior member in the planning division.
Three hours later, Lex had to eventually stop him.
"Let's take a break here for today," the Innkeeper said, standing up. "Since you're a doctor, I want you to follow me as I visit one of our old employees. He's recently been seriously wounded, and lost all his cultivation as a result."
Chapter 743 Unusual damage
Many of Charles' ideas were not bad, but they weren't practical either. He could propose stuff like treatment through natural means because he had the knowledge, but with hundreds of thousands of guests visiting the recovery room every day, it was impossible for him to take care of all the guests.
He could begin teaching others his own knowledge, but that too would take years before it yielded any real results. As such, there was no real way to implement all his changes right now. Some of them, however, were not so bad and could be implemented immediately.
For example, the lifestyle adjustment for the Inn workers. He always knew that they weren't 'born' naturally since the Inn created them as and when he wanted, and he could even pick stuff like their bloodlines. Such topics demanded some philosophical questions such as the ethics of cloning, and if what Lex was doing was right or wrong.
The way he saw it, he was doing his best to give them full and extensive lives and treating them as best as he could. He also created a healthy and nurturing environment for them to grow in. For example, while originally all his workers had their own individual rooms they could teleport to, and still do, most of them preferred to go to the Minor realm dedicated only for Inn workers and live in their homes there. They were building their own community, as well as culture and traditions.
Given all of that, it was really hard for Lex to see what he was doing as immoral. But if they were suffering due to improper care as a result of their cloning, then that was something he would take care of immediately.
It made sense, kind of, that many of them had a predisposition to awaken certain talents and skills. After all, some of his most powerful workers had awoken skills completely unrelated to their cultivation techniques. If, by designing a better environment suited to nurture their skills, he could help them, then he would definitely do it!
"How would you treat the Mountain-man?" Lex asked once he teleported himself and Charles over to the Recovery room.
"The problem is the strength of his soul, so that is what I would treat. It would be best if I could get my hands on various soul nurturing herbs, or anything which could influence souls really. Designing a treatment plan for him is not so simple, so I'll need some time to see what resources are available and what I can do."
"Go find Harry, the local barber. He specializes in souls. He may be able to help you with that," the Innkeeper said, before entering John's private room.
The man lay in his Recovery pod, looking pale and extremely weak. Instead of getting better, his situation had deteriorated a lot, though he was finally stable now.
Weakly, he opened his eyes and looked up at the Innkeeper and the stranger, and a light of hope flashed through his eyes. If anyone could help him, it was the Innkeeper. But he didn't say anything yet, as he was unfamiliar with the second man.
"Observe him and see if you can work out a treatment plan for him," Lex said casually, while he used his own spirit sense to scan him. Using the system to get a reading on him revealed errors, as always, so he could only rely on himself to figure out the situation.
Physically speaking, John was fine. Even his core, or what used to be his core, was technically fine. It had now only become empty, as if it could not store any energy inside it at all. The situation was unusual.
Next, Lex used his soul sense to check up on him, and that is when the issue was revealed. John's soul was damaged in a very strange and somehow precise way. His otherwise healthy soul had thin yet jagged cracks spread all across it, as if it was on the verge of breaking. Yet the strange thing was, besides the areas that actually had the cracks on them, the rest of his soul looked extremely healthy, as if nothing was wrong.
"I've seen something like this before," Charles said, as he studied John's body by touching and tapping it in various places. Lex found it really interesting how, despite having no cultivation himself, Charles could harness spiritual energy and use it for his various purposes. This type of control went against conventional cultivation rules.
"This is a result of a fracture of a soul treasure. Normally, even the destruction of such a treasure would not affect the cultivator. But in this case, rather than just storing the treasure in your soul, you must have completely absorbed and merged it with your soul, am I right?"
Although Charles asked the question, he did not pause to hear the answer.
"I'm not sure how something like this happened, but someone has targeted your soul treasure very specifically. They have severely damaged the treasure without affecting your actual soul at all. That is the only reason you are still alive, for your soul is keeping the treasure together from crumbling entirely. But such a state cannot last long. Either a way to remove the treasure needs to be figured out, or the treasure needs to be healed.
"The only thing that I cannot figure out is… why something like this has caused your cultivation to disappear. Especially since you are in the immortal realm, and have established your tenets. It somehow seems like your connection to your own tenets has been severed somehow."
"Thank you Charles, I'll take it from here. You can go meet Harry and figure out a treatment for the Mountain-man. Only when you have a complete treatment will we approach the guest, for it is rude to interrupt guests unnecessarily."
Charles nodded and left, taking one last look at John. He was really confused about his situation and really wanted to ask what the treasure fused with his soul was, but knew better than to do so.
Soon, only the Innkeeper and John were left in the room.
Chapter 744 Virus
"Congratulations on emerging from the Murder grounds," said the Innkeeper as he looked down at John, though his warm voice had a hint of admonishment in it.
John smiled weakly, despite his dire situation.
"I know I should not have accepted the challenge. If I had let the Inn handle it, things would have turned out much better. But, at that time, I just didn't like the fact that any random creature off the streets could just challenge me. I guess it's also because I'd spent too much time in such a peaceful environment, and I was itching to let loose."
"And how is that itch now?" he asked, the warmth of his voice sounding ironically quite biting at that moment.
"Quite sore," John admitted.
Lex shook his head and opened the Recovery pod. He used Impervious Hands and channeled his soul sense into it, allowing his hands to gain the ability to touch souls. Gently, and ever so slowly, Lex touched John's soul to get a sense of the situation himself.
As Charles had said, the 'soul treasure' had been attacked, but his understanding of the situation was limited. Systems were far from simple, and Lex found it hard to believe that someone could target a system so directly.
Although if anyone were to do it, it made sense that this group who was specifically targeting systems would be able to. He still did not know as much about them as he would like.
As Lex traced his hands over the cracks, and could sense a very familiar aura from within. The system truly seemed broken, but as far as he knew, systems were capable of healing themselves. Absorbing other systems would speed up the process for sure, but they could rely on just spiritual energy to do the same.
"He targeted your system," the Innkeeper said plainly, though somehow the news did not cause any waves in John's heart. He had already guessed as much by now. Moreover, the Innkeeper was the strongest being he had ever met, so he long stopped trying to keep secrets from him.
"Has your interface completely vanished, or is it still there at least?"
"It gave me a quest before completely disappearing, and draining my cultivation along with it. How am I supposed to complete a quest like this?"
"What was the quest?"
"To heal the system!" John said, though he found the quest to be redundant. He would have done it anyway, or at least tried, had his cultivation not completely disappeared.
"I have said this many times, but one should not put too much trust in a system. There is too much about them that is secret. Systems are able to heal themselves using spirit energy, or you can heal them by absorbing and merging other systems. You can even make your system stronger if you do so, but that may not necessarily be a good thing. After all, systems can completely control your entire life if you do not keep up your guard.
"For example, your system likely absorbed your cultivation to fuel its own repairing process. To it, it hardly matters whether you are its host or someone else. It just wants to regain its previous state as quickly as possible."
"My cultivation was given to me by the system to begin with. I cannot really complain now that it has taken it away," John replied, depression leaking into his voice.
"You can decide what you want to do on your own," the Innkeeper said. "If you wish to repair the system, you can see if you can figure out a way. However, if you wish to be free of it, I can remove it from your body. You will likely have to cultivate again from the beginning, but I don't think you should find that too challenging."
John was silent for a time, before he weakly asked, "can I take my time with the decision?"
"It's up to you. But based on your situation, I don't think you should wait too long. How did he hurt your system like this to begin with?"
"He had many strange devices that seemed to target systems specifically. It kept interfering with all my systems functions. In the end I eventually killed him, and until then I was fine. But as it turned out, he had hidden a device inside his body as well. When his heart stopped beating, his body self-destructed. But, the strange thing was, the explosion did not harm me at all, yet was extremely damaging to my system.
"But even then I was fine since I reacted fast enough. But something unusual happened. It was as if a virus had been introduced in my system, and it began acting really strange and somehow started to harm itself. In the end, the system managed to fix itself, but by then the damage the virus had done was too severe. It gave me the quest and shut down."
Lex only nodded, and then left, giving John time to think about what he wanted to do. Lex, on the other hand, began considering precautions to take if any such people came after him. But, for some reason, he also had a feeling that dealing with his system was not nearly as easy as it was on the weaker systems he had encountered.
As he pondered on this topic, he teleported back to his office and had Mary bring the things Alexander left for him. A letter was very strange, as Alexander could have simply left a video or voice message. But his suspicions seemed to bear no fruit, as he could not discover anything special about the letter.
The only thing left to do was read it, and investigate the spatial ring he had left. After that, he would look into relocating the refugees from Polebitvy, after which he would head out to do his own things. As for the many devils who wanted to meet him, Lex would just use his projection to meet with them. He did not have the time to spare to sit through so many endless meetings.