Chapter 808 Casenova Lex
At the palace doors, Lex took in a deep breath as he reviewed all the information he had gathered, as well as his plan. The most ideal situation would be if the guard and staff in this castle were mostly around his level, with a few notable exceptions who would be counted as bosses. If this were a video game, that is how things would proceed.
Unfortunately, real life did not operate like a video game. As lex had personally experienced, time and time again, there were countless strong cultivators everywhere, all living their own lives. Just because you were low leveled did not mean you would not run into them. In fact, if you went to specific areas, your chances of encountering strong cultivators would increase exponentially.
As it happened, the palace where the royal family of Tilaiya resided, which included the Celestial immortal, was one such place. It was too much to expect every guard in this place to be an immortal, but surely there would be no shortage of such guards here. Moreover, no doubt there would be countless guests who were immortal as well. In fact, he would not be surprised if there were a few other Celestials here as well. After all, the adopted son of a Celestial was getting married.
So, relying on his stealth capabilities would not get him far. He could also then rely on his wit and conversational skill to get him where he needed to go, which in fact he planned on doing to a degree, but even that would not yield adequate results. No, to complete this mission, Lex would have to rely on the most powerful tool in his utility belt, so to speak: money!
"Let's see, in the third floor botanical garden…" Lex murmured as he relied on his memory to guide his steps.
From the Infinity Emporium Lex had bought a blueprint of the palace, or at least what was publicly available, as well as a tentative guest list for the wedding. Getting a layout of where the guards would be stationed would be impossible.
Once he had that list, he gave Velma access to the Henali portal and told him to get him all the information she could on the entire guest list within 24 hours. Her success… left him a little worried, actually. She was more of a Sherlock than any tv show character he had ever seen, as long as it concerned digging up dirt on someone.
With that information at hand, he thought of the simplest and most direct way to get access to Kenta using this information. The more complicated and convoluted his plan, the greater the chances of messing up, considering the lack of time to prepare.
As he walked the well lit halls, rooms and corridors, Lex tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible. When possible, he would merge into other small groups of guests who were heading in the same direction.
A few times, he ran into certain checkpoints. If you crossed that point, and the invitation you had did not belong to the area you were entering, a guard would be notified. There were no drastic alarms and no serious actions that would be taken, at first, as the role of such points was to make sure that all the guests stayed in their respective places.
After all, as a neutral organization, it was expected that some of their guests would actually be each other's enemies. By allocating different sections of the palace, Darmin ensured that they would not encounter one another and cause a scene. They had too much experience in avoiding such things.
For Lex, this was the first hurdle that he solved with money. After all, using money, he had actually bought 108 different invitations to this event! So as to not arouse suspicion, he would keep most of them in his bangle, and only take out the one corresponding to the area he was entering to be checked. The only unfortunate thing was that all the invitations he managed to purchase were from the periphery of the palace, otherwise he would have directly bought one that allowed him to get in contact with Kenta.
Like this, in only twenty minutes, he had found his way to the botanical garden on the third floor of the palace. Standing in a corner, Lex surveyed the room and looked for his target. It was not certain that she was here now, but this was most definitely the area she had a ticket to.
He could wait up to an hour for her to arrive, but if by then she had not arrived, he would have to give up and rely on his Plan B.
After surveying the room a few times, he was unable to find her, but that much was more or less expected. After all, Lex had arrived hours early, and not everyone was inclined to wait so long. They would only arrive once the main event was about to begin.
While he waited, he took note of all the guests in the botanical garden. Not every area in the palace had a view of the main ceremony, but that was fine as not all guests wanted to see it either. Some guests were instead more interested in the unique way that Tilaiya manipulated plants.
They could seemingly create new variants on a whim, and control how each of their traits were developed according to their needs. The botanical garden was where some of their more exclusive plants were nurtured.
Those who came here were either biologists, pharmacists, alchemists or belonged to some profession that would take advantage of the traits of plants. The average cultivation level of the guests here seemed to be the Nascent realm, while others…
Lex suddenly paused. Across the room he saw a particular guest and, based on his information already gathered, identified the guest as a dwarf called Nonoman Hellson. His information had recorded that he had great achievements, but Lex had not paid attention to him since he could not use him.
But now he realized that this dwarf, who was also in the Golden core realm, seemed to give off a dangerous aura. This had never happened to him before! He had never felt danger from someone in the same realm!
His curiosity was piqued, but he did not focus on him too long lest his gaze was noticed. Meeting a formidable peer was… an unusual experience for him.
A short while later, just as Lex was getting ready to move to plan B, his target finally arrived. Aoi Haruki, a Garden Nymph, entered the room surrounded by a few elves. She adopted an elven appearance, which was quite common here, but her soft green skin and hair that looked like small vines easily marked her as a Nymph.
According to her background information, she had strong relations with various Elven organizations and was held in high regard due to her extremely formidable affinity with trees, even surpassing the standards of her own race.
More importantly, she was a close personal friend of the princess who Kenta had flirted with before.
Lex took in a deep breath, readying himself, before he walked directly to her. He stopped using Domination, so that his sense of invisibility reduced, though most would still not notice him unless they saw him directly.
"Pardon my intrusion," said Lex as he approached Aoi, his voice gentle and warm. Since he could not rely on his appearance to help him make a good impression, he focused heavily on his choice of words and tonality. "I could not help but approach once I recognized you. Are you really Aoi Haruki, the famous Botanical Breeder who saved the endangered Blood Rose from extinction?"
His voice was filled with seemingly genuine excitement, anticipation and passion as he asked that question. It seemed that he admired her greatly, not for any other reason than the fact that she had achieved something exceptional. It was, in fact, a remarkable achievement on Aoi's part, but not one that was widely recognized as that particular species had only limited pharmaceutical uses, and even those could often be replaced by other plants.
Aoi, who was originally surprised at being interrupted, was unexpectedly delighted to hear the question!
Her achievement in altering the plant so that it could grow in a different environment, without losing any of its innate qualities and gaining any negative ones, was actually widely acclaimed - but mostly only academically. Her achievement was seen as a practical example of many theoretical rules that were difficult to implement. Yet no one actually cared about the rose itself.
Yet from the man's question, and the subtle passion she could feel from his words, she almost suspected he was different from the rest.
"Ye- yes, that's me," she said, though she did not know why she stuttered. That was unlike her.
Lex placed a hand on his heart and gave her a deep bow!
"Miss Aoi, you have my deepest admiration. Although not many care about it, I believe that what you have saved is more than just a single flower. It is an emotion - nay, an experience that can only be felt when that flower blooms, and can only be expressed through poetry. Miss Aoi, I have carried this with me for many years in hopes of finding a way to save it, but have failed. If you would, I would like to give this to you, so that you may try where I have failed."
Without giving her the chance to respond, Lex summoned a glass orb from his spatial bangle, and handed it to Aoi. Within it, frozen, was a beautiful white lotus the likes of which had never been seen before!
Chapter 809 A poem
Aoi and her cohorts all paused as their gaze was fixed on the mesmerizing visage of the white lotus. The petals were longer than a regular lotus', spreading farther apart, and looked more beautiful. But at the same time, the cost of that beauty was an almost palpable beauty.
Just looking at it alone was enough to determine that the Lotus was on the verge of falling apart, and only by being sealed in that orb was it surviving.
The peculiarities of the lotus went further than just that. Its texture, the thickness, or rather thinness, of each petal, the lithe stamen, were all different from what was usually seen. There was a very simple reason for that. Lex had specifically requested the Sovereign Turtle to create a new special of Lotus for him, one that was both exceptional, beautiful, yet incredibly frail. The turtle had delivered admirably, as this was too simple for him.
But, for once, the turtle had requested a payment from one - a single drop of dragon's blood. As Lex had appeared in front of the turtle as Leo, he could not tell how or why the turtle could tell he had dragon's blood on him, but he obliged. Of course, Lex was not capable of piercing the dragon's skin to extract blood. Instead, he used the blood he had collected from the pool where Fenrir had swum.
Later, he learnt that the drop of blood had been used to nurture Little Blue. Apparently, it was awakening as a Beast and progressing nicely on its path.
Regardless, this lotus was just one more item that Lex had prepared to ensure his success in this task.
Aoi Haruki was slightly confused by Lex's statement about her saving an emotion that could only be captured by poetry, but she could sense the general positive emotion he tried to convey which was enough for her. Before she could dwell on it, he handed her a species of a flower she had never seen before, catching her off guard.𝑙𝘪𝒷𝘳𝑒𝘢𝑑.𝒸𝑜𝑚
With the extent of her knowledge, it was very difficult to encounter a plant she was totally unfamiliar with.
Moreover, it was also extremely beautiful, which captivated her on a level that only plants could.
"Where did you get this lotus from? What is it called?" she asked, not lifting her eyes from the flower.
Sounding pleased by her genuine curiosity, Lex answered, "I was traveling through the wilderness when I experienced an earthquake. The quake destroyed some of the terrain, and that is where I discovered a small, hidden environment filled with such lotuses. But, exposed to fresh air, they were quickly dying. I was only able to save this one. I thought it would be a shame if such a plant died without ever being admired."
While Aoi looked at the plant, Lex had his gaze fixed on Aoi. Anyone watching him would think that Lex somewhat admired her, and was possibly even pursuing her. That is exactly what Lex wanted it to look like, but in truth, his target was never Aoi from the very beginning!
Right beside Aoi was a seemingly ordinary looking Elven girl. Of course, even an ordinary Elven girl was still earth-shatteringly beautiful by human standards.
She was looking at the lotus, like everyone else, but she seemed a little distracted.
"What kind of poem can be used to capture a Blood Rose?" she murmured, not really intending to receive an answer. But Lex, who had been specifically waiting for this moment, could not really let it slip by.
After all, from the start, everything he had done was to get this girl's attention. He didn't like acting like this, but they did say the best way to attract a girl's attention was to target her best friend.
As a forever-bachelor, Lex would never use such tactics to actually pursue someone, but in this instance, he felt it was okay. After all, he was not really harming anyone.
The Blood Rose was a peculiar and ominous flower that many actively avoided using, even if it could provide some meager medicinal benefits. This was because this rose only grew on battlefields, once the fighting had subsided. Moreover, it did not grow in the soil, but in corpses. It would stay hidden in the body until it reached a sufficient size, whereupon it burst from the skin, emerging from the victim's heart! What was peculiar was that the rose itself was actually white, but that could only ever be discovered if it was washed. Otherwise, it would take on the color of the blood of the corpse it grew from.
Without ever really looking at the elf who asked about the poem, Lex began to recite what he had prepared.
"A glance turned to a gaze between two eyes,
An acquaintance became a friend, but not a lover,
A destiny divided two souls forever.
A duty brought me to arms and to a far off battle,
A blow brought me to my knees without a morrow,
A life I could not give to you, but will death suffice, I wonder?
A rose from the heart, for the lover who could never become a lover."
His voice was low, unlike when he had talked to Aoi, and he recited the lines as if reading something that had been burned into his memory. It was only after he? recited the poem that he seemed to awake from his reverie, and turned to look at the elf who had asked the question.
It was supposed to be only a glance, but like the poem, he caught her eye, and the glance turned into a gaze shared by the two.
Lex gulped. He was only supposed to be acting - why did things get so intense?
"Please excuse my crass poetry, I am not very good," said Lex feeling genuine embarrassment. The poem had actually been written by himself, and while it seemed to regale a story of a dying soldier, its true purpose was to evoke a certain reaction from his target. His own awkwardness and embarrassment aside, it seemed to work.
Chapter 810 Bet
As Lex looked at the 'ordinary' looking elf, countless thoughts ran through his head. If he did not have overwhelming faith in Velma's deductive work, he would really doubt that this simple elf was actually the very princess Kenta had flirted with!
This was not the first time the princess had snuck out using an alternate identity, and putting all the clues together upon researching all the invited guests, Velma was willing to bet her own life that she was the princess. If Velma had such confidence in herself, then Lex should too.
"It's… it's not crass. It's lovely, in its own way," the elf said, seeming distracted. She was most probably going over the lines in her head again, trying to feel the emotions in each line. The same poem read by someone who cared little for literature would be an experience that lasted a couple of seconds at most.
But an enthusiast would look deeper into the meaning of each line, fulfilling the dream of every highschool english teacher. They would look for the meaning behind each word, then each line, and then each stanza and so on. On the surface the poem seemed to be about two lovers who were denied their relationship due to a difference in their destinies. They became friends, but could never affirm their relationship. In his last moments, before death, the writer of the poem seemed to think of her again.
"I was inspired when I heard Kenta talking the other day," Lex said very casually. "You may not know this, but he actually tried to get out of the wedding."
What Lex said was not necessarily news for everyone there, as they would likely have enough resources to hear such rumors, regardless of how they were hidden.
"He kept referring to this marriage as if it was the end of his life, and then kept alluding to someone else he had recently met. He never said anything specific, but I let my imagination run wild a little. After all, as an heir to a neutral organization, how can he get mixed with someone else? His destiny is already laid out in front of him, and only in his final moments before his 'demise' can he think back to that one acquaintance who could only become a friend and not a lover."
Lex seemed to be speaking casually, but the elfs breathing seemed to be getting harder and her eyes seemed to be losing focus. He felt a little guilty, but at the same time, he also thought that he should not feel any guilt for creating problems for Kenta, who used the princess just to get his hands on some ingredients.
"Can I- can I really have this?" Aoi, who had not been listening and was instead only focused on the lotus, asked.
"Yes, of course. If anyone has any hope of preserving this flower, it's you…"
Before he could complete his sentence, the 'ordinary' elven girl grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close.
"You… when did you talk to Kenta? When did he say all this?" the elf demanded, taking the group by surprise.
"Uhh… about four or five days ago, right before the wedding ceremonies began," Lex answered ambiguously, as if it was not something he would specifically recall.
The elf struggled for a moment, as if she was undergoing some internal struggle.
"Is everything alright?" asked Aoi, who finally noticed the situation.
Instead of answering, the elvish girl simply said, "follow me," and turned around, bolting through the doors.
Lex did not need to stop himself from smiling since his face was hidden by a mask. There was one important point to take note of in his plan. If Velma could detect the princess' identity, then surely others could as well. That meant the only one the princess was really fooling was herself.
The Tilaiyans would surely know who she really was, and not cause too much trouble for her. Or at least, that was what Lex was counting on as he followed her as she ran through the corridors. Beside him, Aoi seemed to be running after the elf as well, though the lotus remained firmly gripped in her hand.𝓁𝒾𝒷𝘳ℯ𝘢𝑑.𝑐ℴ𝓂
Lex had contingencies in case this plan failed, but he was really hoping that it didn't, because from here on out, it would become increasingly difficult to go anywhere without attracting attention.
In fact, they had already attracted attention. The only thing that prevented the guards from stopping them was their hesitation when they saw the princess. There were quite a few rumors already that the heir had some kind of illicit relationship with the princess. That… was drama even the guards wanted to stay away from.
Every step of the way, Lex was thoroughly prepared for his plan to fail, and was even somewhat expecting it. But, somehow, it didn't. Unbelievably, no one stopped them.
What he didn't realize was that this was by design.
"What do you think he has planned?" a woman asked Kenta's father, who was seated comfortably in a private room.
"Who knows? The kid put some effort into his plan, but if this is all he has, he's bound to fail," the Celestial replied.
"That's exactly what makes this bet exciting. I'll put 3 years of revenue from a crystal mine on the kid," said another elven man who was in the room.
"I'll bet a bottle of Holy tree sap," said another.
Like this, the small crowd in this room began to bet on or against Lex. The game would officially begin when he finally met Kenta.
Lex had expected that a few of the guests might be Celestials, but he had sorely underestimated the number. In this room alone, there were five of them, and they were all elves. Moreover… they were all a part of Darmin!
"If he really succeeds, what will you do?" asked one of the Celestials.
"What else? I'll let Kenta run around outside for a few years. We were all young once, you know how it is. Besides, what's the point of being strong if you have to constrain yourself?"
Chapter 811 Too harsh
The trio of Lex, Aoi and the princess ran for quite a while before they finally approached the heirs quarters. Before closing in, the princess stopped and fixed her clothes and appearance and turned to glance at Aoi. That's when she noticed that Lex was there as well.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, startled at the sight of him.
"Didn't you ask me to follow you before you started running?" Lex responded innocently. At the same time, he looked around. He had prepared a few items which could create decoys of himself for when the princess would eventually be stopped, and he would have had to make a quick getaway. But that never happened.
"No I, uh, actually never mind," she said, turning to look at Aoi. The Nymph only nodded towards the elf, as if supporting her decision, though she was still not quite clear on how they went from saving a lotus to running all the way here. She looked around, now that she finally had a chance, and wondered where they were, exactly.
"Do you find it strange that none of the guards stopped us?" Lex couldn't help but ask. In his mind, he had already concluded that the Celestial no doubt made it easier for them. Perhaps he was interested in how Lex would actually get Kenta away from here, and wanted to skip the tedious part where Lex navigated through the palace to actually reach him.
Little did he know, his assumption was extremely close to the truth, with one alteration. It was not the heir's father who was impatient, but one of his companions who wanted to see how the drama between the princess and the heir would unfold. This was better than any reality TV show!
To be clear, they were not concerned about any of the so-called 'saving face', as that kind of mentality was mainly adopted by the central Elven alliance which was made up of a majority of the elves. But it was also specifically to avoid such a mentality that too many forces and organizations distanced themselves from the alliance as well.
"That… let's not find out," the princess said, realizing that it really should not have been so easy for them to approach. Could it have been Kenta? Could he have been hoping that she would come in his last moments to see him?
Her emotions welled up but she forced herself to remain calm, and slowly began to approach the closed door. Unlike Lex, who had trained himself to remain calm even in a life and death situation let alone this, and Aoi who still had no idea where they were, the princess was extremely nervous. With each step she took, her heat started to beast faster. In her head she struggled to come up with what she wanted to say to Kenta.
Over and over again she thought of her words, and then changed her mind. She also wondered what Kenta was going through. Was he in anguish? Was he sad? Was he in denial?
The hallway was not endless, so she could not complete her thoughts before she finally approached the door to his room. There was not a lot of time, so she did not hesitate and knocked on the door. Behind her, Lex was keeping an eye out for any guards. Once he reached Kenta, this was basically a done deal. He would probably also take Aoi and the princess along as well, to apologize to them for using them in such a way.
A few moments went by, but the door did not open and they could not hear any movement on the other side. Of course, there was also a possibility that all sound was insulated, so they kept waiting.
Finally, just as even Lex was getting impatient, the door finally opened to reveal a disheveled looking Kenta. His hair was a mess and he looked like he had just woken up from a coma. Although he had cleaned it, Lex could tell that the heir had been drooling as well.
Was it really alright for one to be in such a state only a couple of hours before their own wedding? Lex had made up the poem, so why did it actually look like he was suffering from love sickness?
Before the heir could take in who had come to visit him, and before anyone had a chance to speak, the princess slapped him hard across the face.
"How dare you be thinking of other women before your own wedding? Have you no shame?" she questioned him, her voice extremely harsh.
Aoi, Kenta and Lex were all stunned by what just happened. The Celestials who were also watching became even more invested, as none of them had predicted this outcome.
Internally, the princess chided herself.
'That was a little too harsh. Let's try again, a little gentler this time,' she thought.
"I… I mean Kenta, you are about to begin a very important phase of your life. You should not put a stain on a new relationship by starting it this way," she said, her voice suddenly going from extremely harsh to extremely delicate and vulnerable. From her voice, it seemed as if she was experiencing heartbreak even as she said those words.
"Please excuse my manners but… do I know you?" Kenta asked, as the princess' slap helped him sober up somewhat.
Lex, who had originally planned on immediately teleporting everyone away, decided to wait a bit, and allow the princess to vent her emotions somewhat. He had no qualms about letting the heir take all the slaps on his behalf for stirring up trouble.
Alright, a part of him was secretly pissed that the heir had made him pay for the food. It was not about the money, but the embarrassment he faced when the shopkeeper thought he was dining and dashing.
The princess finally remembered that she was still in her ingenious and infallible disguise. She looked at him once apologetically, as if she knew revealing herself before him would no doubt give him feelings of hope and delight. But since it could not be, these emotions had to be quashed right now.
Chapter 812 Exit
Only Kenta, the princess, Aoi and Lex were present in the hallway. There had been a few guards standing there awkwardly, but once the heir got slapped they vanished as if their life depended on it.
Lex was more than happy to let the princess vent on Kenta, while Aoi was shocked and had her mouth covered with her hand. She was wondering since when had the princess become so violent? But at the same time, she felt that this was so different and exciting for her normal life of study and research. A fire was lit up deep inside the Nymph's heart, unbeknownst to herself and anyone else.
Not dragging the matter further, the princess revealed her true appearance. It took Kenta a moment to recognize her, which immediately startled him.
'What is she doing here?' he questioned in his heart as he suddenly began to panic. This was not good. He wasn't even married yet, but if his to-be wife heard rumors of him meeting another woman literally hours before their marriage, he would be doomed!
"What are you doing here?" he could not stop himself from asking. He had intended to be more tactful in his wording, but his anxiety got the better of him.
His tumultuous emotions did not go unnoticed by the princess, who took it as an affirmation of all her thoughts.
"Kenta we… we're elves from two different worlds. We cannot be together. I… I'll forgive you for your actions back then, but you must put this matter behind us."
"How can I put this behind us when you're here?" he asked, a headache starting to develop. He had already forgotten about her, but she came knocking on his door asking to let bygones be bygones, which was the most ridiculous thing ever. He would be more than happy to let this matter rest, but she would have to not randomly show up at his door first!
"Kenta I… I didn't want it to come to this but… I don't feel the same way as you. This cannot work."
"You… you don't feel the same?" he repeated, feeling devastated. Was his flirting so powerful? Had he gotten her to fall in love with him after a single meeting? Could she no longer ignore him?
"But… but princess… you're at my wedding!" he exclaimed, trying to convey to her that he simply couldn't be with her. He was already in over his head with one wife who he was being forced to have, if he had to deal with a scorned lover on the side his life would become complete chaos.
"Exactly!" the princess exclaimed, trying to explain to this dumb lovestruck fool that she couldn't be with him. "It's YOUR wedding! You have to get married, just not to the elf you want. Trust me, ultimately, things will turn out for the best this way!"
Aoi was teetering with excitement as she tried to figure out what was happening. She was filling in the blanks herself, and coming up with a love story for the ages. Lex, on the other hand, was trying his best to suppress his laughter.
It was a good thing his expressions couldn't be seen under his mask, or else it would become evident how hard it was for him to keep a straight expression.
"No, no, no, this can't be happening!" the heir said as he turned away from them and walked back into his room, his thoughts swirling. He had to think of a solution, and fast. How had things gotten so out of control? He was only trying to get his hands on some ingredients!
The princess, who was trying out the soft approach, was losing her patience now. What the hell was wrong with this guy? Why was he so adamant? Sure, she was beautiful. But that was no reason to harass her with his undying, poem inspiring love… suddenly her thoughts paused.
'Wait a minute… if the part about him being married was removed, and it was true that his love was really so great, he wasn't a bad candidate. No, ew, what the hell am I thinking?'
Having recovered from her momentary lapse in judgment, the princess became irritated and followed the heir into his room.
Lex could feel that the situation was escalating, so he decided to end it soon and take them all to the Inn before something unexpected happened.
"Let's follow them in," he said to Aoi, before walking behind the princess.
"Listen pal, this is happening whether you like it or not. Forget about your own problems for a second and think about how I feel? Why do I have to get dragged into this mess?"
Kenta, who was panicking, suddenly paused.
Yes, the poor princess. If he was having such a tough time, how did the princess who had fallen in love with him feel?
Before Kenta had an opportunity to respond, Lex cleared his throat.
"If I may interrupt, I believe I have the solution to all your problems," said Lex as he walked closer to the two, making sure Aoi was close by as well.
"Lex?" Kenta asked, suddenly recognizing the voice. By his completely covered appearance it was difficult to identify him, especially since there were a few races who preferred to stay completely covered. It was only when he spoke that Kenta realized who he was, and a crazy thought came to his mind. Was he actually trying to help him escape the wedding? Seriously?
"I'm glad you recognize me," Lex said, his voice warm. "That will make things easier."
He summoned an envelope from his spatial ring and placed it on a table nearby, and took out three golden keys and handed one to each of them.
"What's this going to do?" asked the princess who was irritated now. Having ordinary elves fall in love with her was not enough, now that she had to deal with one who had massive power and influence, she really wanted to resolve the situation lest it become something that bothered her throughout her life.
"I'll explain in a moment," said Lex as he initiated his own return to the Inn. Since it took a few moments he waited patiently in silence, and just as the time was about to be up, he used his spirit sense to crush the keys in their hands.
All four of them vanished at the same time.
Chapter 813 Happily Kidnapped
Within a millionth of a second after the four disappeared, five Celestials appeared in the room. There was a look of intrigue in their eyes as they scanned the room but could not detect any lingering traces from their teleportation, which was extremely unusual.
It had to be known that even if they themselves teleported somewhere, they would leave behind some traces that could be sensed or detected. Of course, if they planned far in advance and prepared meticulously, they could teleport somewhere without leaving any residual traces from the laws of space, but even that was conditional. Moreover, they were in the official peak realm of the Origin realm. How could someone in the Golden core compare to them?
The answer was simple. They couldn't. That left only one explanation for what had just occurred. The golden keys that Lex had handed out had been supreme treasures, the likes of which could not be easily procured.
The heirs' father picked up the envelope left behind by Lex and opened it. Within lay a small letter explaining that Lex had taken Kenta to a place called Midnight Inn which was, as was evident from the name, an Inn. Lex had also left behind a couple of golden keys in the envelope as well, in case the father wanted to investigate.
Although he had been brief, he had given somewhat of an overview of the Inn, as well as the fact that it was an entity recognized by the Henali, so there was no cause for concern. He could come and check it out himself if he so wished.
"It seems we are behind the times," said one of the Celestials as he read the letter.
"Are you going to go?" asked another, though it was clear that he could not have cared less. He was, instead, enjoying the fact that he had won his bet.
"I will go, yes. But first, I need to confirm with the Henali if what is written in this letter is true. It would be tragic if this all was an elaborate ploy to trap me, and I went in without any preparations."
"Suit yourself," said another Celestial before disappearing away.
None of them were really concerned about the wedding. Even if Kenta did not appear, they could just use their abilities to create a projection of Kenta as a stand in. Regardless of whether the heir was here or not, he would be getting married today.
*****
The three holding the keys did not feel the teleportation at all, as it was very different from normal teleportations which would have various negative effects. For them, one moment they were in Kenta's room, and another they were in an entirely new place.
The entrance of the Inn, where all new guests would teleport to, was elaborately decorated without being overdone. There was greenery, there was man made architecture, there was a massive flowing river nearby in case any of the guests were aquatic, and there were many more features that made the place look like paradise.
Lex's own visit to Zuri Adisa's planet had given him a unique perspective of what guests must feel like when they entered the Midnight Inn, and he used that to improve the landing zone, to improve all guests' first impressions.
A natural, exquisite fragrance from nearby flowers specially grown by the turtle elevated everyone's mood and heightened their senses. The pure, unpolluted spiritual energy of the Inn was extraordinarily appealing to nature loving races like elves and nymphs, even more so than others.
It was for that reason that the three, instead of being alarmed or frightened by the sudden change in their location, became mesmerized. They forgot that they were caught up in a heated argument, and forgot their impending responsibilities. They were too preoccupied enjoying the purity of the environment.
Lex also did not disturb them, as he wanted them to temper their anger as much as possible. After all, Kenta aside, he would have to apologize to two possibly furious ladies he had somewhat manipulated.
At the same time, he was also feeling extremely satisfied at a successful mission. He would soon be free from one of the inscriptions on his body.
Eventually, Kenta recovered, and turned to look at Lex. He was the first to understand the whole situation, and guessed that Lex had a hand in the princess' arrival at his doorstep at such a time, though he did not know if her feelings for him were genuine. Being charming was such a burden, he could not really blame her for falling for him.
Seeing that Kenta had recovered, Lex decided to delay things no further. He cleared his throat, attracting the attention of the princess and Aoi, before saying, "welcome to the Midnight Inn, the best Inn in all the universe. I believe I have some explaining to do, though, how about we relocate to a more private location first."
Neither Aoi nor the princess voiced any complaints. Although they should have been concerned, for they had just possibly been kidnapped, but their intuition said that this was a safe place. Moreover, there were countless others arriving and leaving here beside them, and they could see various guests being welcomed with a similar greeting, claiming the Inn to be the best in the universe.
Nodding his head, Lex led them towards one of the public transport facilities nearby, and procured them all peacocks to ride.
By now, having lived in the Inn for so long, the peacocks had all grown tremendously strong bodies, and a few of them had evolved into Beasts as well, albeit only in the Qi training realm. They had grown larger, more beautiful and better capable of carrying guests of all shapes and sizes.
They even had saddles, though none of them opted for a saddle. Each of them got on the peacock as if they had been riding them since birth, though their fascination with the birds clearly stated otherwise.
Chapter 814 Tour
Lex led the way, guiding his peacock to follow the flowing river. Over the past few months, the planning division had slowly and steadily been providing him with plans and blueprints to develop the various 'empty' areas of the Inn.
A majority of the Inn was occupied by wilderness. That had not changed, but by organizing it somewhat, and doing some basic landscaping, the outlook changed drastically. Lex could not help but think back to when he originally got the Inn.
At that time, Lex was doing things randomly and halfheartedly, without really considering how things would work out. He recalled how, when he initially brought in various birds, he had not considered their feed at all. If it weren't for one of his guests, Helen, who began feeding them, many of them may have died. Speaking of whom, Lex hadn't seen her in a while. He hoped she was alright.
All in all, things had changed a lot in the last year and a half. But at the same time, these changes also made him excited for the future. It was a pleasant change from the days where he would wallow in his own depression.
"I would like to begin by apologizing to you both," Lex said as he addressed Aoi and the princess. "Truth be told, I needed to reach Kenta, and well… I had a feeling I could reach him through you."
Lex tried to give them an apologetic look before he recalled that he was wearing a mask.
"Does that mean that he doesn't… that he isn't obsessed with me?" the princess asked, her voice hopeful.
"Ah, no, he isn't," Lex admitted honestly, though a small part of him had wished the misunderstanding would have continued. It was quite entertaining to watch.
Instead of being angry at Lex, the princess only breathed out a sigh of relief. Kenta, who was listening to everything from the side, felt slightly offended at how relieved the princess was. Then he recalled that he too had been fretting about her being obsessed with him, and now that he knew it wasn't true he too… no actually, he didn't feel relieved, just disappointed.
Seeing that no verbal abuse was being flung his way, Lex felt relieved, and continued speaking.
"To make it up to you, I'll introduce you to the Midnight Inn. Moreover, I'll cover your stay here. Feel free to stay as long as you like and enjoy yourself. Whenever you wish to leave, you need only think about it, and you'll be teleported back to where we entered from. Moreover, you'll get a copy of the golden key, so you can come here again whenever you wish."
"Is anyone welcome here?" Aoi asked as she held out her hands and let them gently caress the leaves from the small bushes they passed. It looked like she was just appreciating them, but Lex could sense that she was actually communicating with the plants! Moreover, they were responding!
Even Lex had not talked to the plants at the Inn. In fact, he didn't even know that was possible. Maybe this was a unique trait of Nymphs.
"Was this your plan from the beginning?" Kenta asked, as he finally realized where Lex's confidence came from. "Are you a part of the Midnight Inn?"
"Haha, no I'm not from the Inn, just a normal guest. But yes, my confidence in taking you away came from being able to teleport to the Inn from anywhere. You may not know this but, here, inside the Inn, even a Celestial Immortal is not a big deal," said Lex, though the reality was far from the truth.
"There have been a few times people tried to attack the Inn, but each time the Innkeeper killed everyone of them. So, over here, I'm not really worried about anything. Now that you're here, you can finally run away from your wedding. If you raise your privilege level high enough, you can teleport away to another planet without needing to return to Tilaiya. You are officially free to do as you please."
Kenta smiled wryly. He was free, but at the same time, was he really? Could he give up the temptation of reaching an unbelievably high cultivation realm just so he could pursue some fantasy called 'freedom'? Moreover, was such freedom even a good thing to begin with?
Kenta shook his head without answering. Both he and his adopted father knew that he would return to Tilaiya, eventually. However… there was nothing preventing him from enjoying himself in the meantime. His grin widened.
"Lex, I have a fantastic idea. If anyone can teleport here from anywhere, then… then… isn't this the best place in the universe to get ingredients? I can get the best ingredients from across the universe and open up the best restaurant!"
Excitement filled his eyes, and he started to pant as more and more ideas flooded into his mind. If it was really possible… if he could really do this…
"Hmm, joining the Inn is not exactly easy. You have to take a test and completely join the Inn. That means if you would ever hope to return to Darmin, it might be an issue, since it's completely neutral and cannot be affiliated with any other organization. But who knows, maybe you can just rent out a place from the Inn and open your restaurant. You'd still have to prove yourself first, though."
Instead of responding to Lex, Kenta looked towards the princess with heated eyes.
"What do you say, Asami? With your divine produce, and my cooking skills, we could-"
Kenta was too distracted to dodge the shoe the princess threw at him.
She had suffered enough thanks to this idiotic heir, and wanted nothing more to do with him.
"Lex, how about a tour of this place?" she asked instead, her gaze turning towards their mysterious tour guide. "By the way, did you really write that poem yourself or was that made up as well?"
"No, that was really me," Lex admitted. "If you want a tour, I have a few ideas. If you want to see anywhere specific, I can take you there. But if you want to see the entire Inn, then the train is the best option."
Lex began to introduce the various features of the Inn, not at all noticing the unusual glint in the princesses eyes. Meanwhile, Kenta rubbed his nose as he began to rethink his plan. Apparently relying on his charm to procure the best ingredients was not feasible.
Chapter 815 Awkward
Lex spent the next few hours accompanying the princess, Asami, as well as Aoi and Kenta. He had introduced various aspects of the Inn to them, while at the same time learned a lot about them and their backgrounds as well. It also expanded his understanding of Suera.
A galaxy, any galaxy at all, was usually occupied by millions of different races. Most galaxies were not owned, over controlled, by any one race. In fact, most galaxies barely had any civilization capable of proper interstellar travel.
Suera happened to be one of the galaxies which had seen the advance of two different races, so much so that over the course of time, they occupied a majority of it. That was not to say other races were exterminated, but that most races that would try to fight against the expansion of those two races had been eliminated.
Those two races were elves and dwarves. All other races that existed and prospered within the galaxy were linked to those two races in one way another, similar to how Aoi usually worked with elves.
The elves and dwarves used to be at war but only recently called for a cease fire and, surprising everyone, even became allies.
Since he was mostly with elves, he learnt a lot about their culture and learnt that the elves… well, a nice way of putting it was that they were quite conservative. And racist. And traditionalists.
The main body of elves consisted of various clans and organizations who joined together to form the Central Elven Alliance. The elves in that alliance were quite conservative in the sense that for millions of years they had adhered to the norms and traditions of their ancestors, did not like change, and shunned anyone who tried to bring change. But if one adhered to those few principles, they were quite friendly.
But when the race spread so far and wide, there were naturally outliers. Many elves did not want to spend their lives worshiping trees, being vegetarian and adhering to rules that did not make sense to them. The existence of this group nearly caused a civil war. How exactly that dispute was resolved was unknown, even to the younger generation of elves such as Asami and Kenta.
What truly mattered was that these outliers eventually split from the main, and formed their own organizations and their own traditions. Both Asami and Kenta belonged to such factions. Aoi was, naturally, a subordinate of Asami technically speaking, though due to their friendship they did not treat it as such.
Unlike Kenta, whose background made it so that he was limited in what he could do, Asami did not come from a neutral organization. In fact, her background was quite polarized because they had a monopoly on what was called the Sacred Harvest.
The elves weren't too keen on elaborating what the Sacred Harvest was, just that it was very helpful for elves' growth.
To be honest, taking the group around the Inn was originally to get rid of his guilt for using them and wait for the Celestials arrival, but as time went by, he was glad he was doing this. Although he did not mind continuing to cultivate rigorously as he had been, it was beginning to build up a pressure that he had not noticed.
It was only now, that he was casually strolling around with a few acquaintances, that he realized how long it had been since he just relaxed with a few friends. But all good things must eventually come to an end.
"Lex, Kenta's father has arrived at the Inn," informed Mary.
"Send someone to guide him to us," replied Lex, and turned to look at Kenta. "It looks like your old man is about to arrive."
Indeed, just as he finished his sentence, the heirs father arrived as if teleporting over. The only thing was… he wasn't alone. Beside him was another elf… in a wedding dress made of flowers and leaves.
"Congratulations my boy, you're married," the heirs father said, a sly grin on his face.
"Congratulations," Asami said immediately as well, as if mocking him.
"Congratulations," Lex followed along as well, a wide grin on his face though no one could see it. By this point, he was just being petty about the whole payment thing.
Kenta froze, unable to process what was happening, until eventually he turned to look at his 'wife'.
"It's nice to meet you," he said, somewhat awkwardly.
"It would have been nice if you attended your own wedding," his wife responded, clearly not happy with him.
"Ah… I was kidnapped," Kenta quickly defended himself.
She turned to look at Lex, as if she knew he was responsible for what happened.
"Your father-in-law and I had a bet over whether I could do it or not. I'm quite competitive, and got carried away. My apologies, it won't happen again," said Lex proactively.
She only shook her head and turned and looked back at Kenta.
"My name is Sohee Haru, now that I have taken on your last name."
"Wait, Sohee, does that mean…"
"Yes, before you, I was the heir of Tilaiya."
Kenta froze again, and this time, so did everyone else. Did Kenta just get married to the person… he replaced? How awkward was that? It seemed that no matter how petty Lex was, he could not match up to the standard of Kenta's own parents.
Looking away from them, Lex turned his attention to the Celestial Immortal.
"Senior, I was giving everyone a tour of the Midnight Inn. Would you like a tour as well?"
"Little brat, I have over a hundred thousand guests waiting for me back at the palace. I have no time for a tour. I'll be leaving my worthless son here for a while, but come by after two days. I will do as I promised and help you remove your inscription. As for the tour… it will have to wait for a while."
With that, the heirs' father left the Inn, leaving them in silence. Everyone turned to look at Kenta and Sohee once again, who were just staring at one another in silence.
Suddenly, Lex felt glad that he was single.
This chapter is updated by 𝘭𝑖𝒷𝓇𝘦𝘢𝒹.𝑐𝘰𝘮
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