Chapter 840 Nothing's working!
"The taste is absolutely horrendous!" Lex bellowed as he slammed his fast down on the table.
"It's divine!" roared back a beast in the shape of a gazelle, but with brown wings folded on its back.
"This is completely unpalatable. I can't add this to the menu!"
"You WILL add it to the menu!" the gazelle said aggressively, glaring at Lex as if he had committed a crime against humanity! No, eh, a crime against gazellity? Against the gazelle nation? Against all gazelle type beasts? Whatever the case, it was definitely a crime!
"It's my restaurant, I'll do what I want!" Lex said. "This is definitely not a dish that can be served to guests." Of course, there was nothing left on the plate in front of him as he had eaten everything, so what dish he was talking about was uncertain.
"Lex, I told you that different races have different tastes," Kenta explained awkwardly from the side. "Just because you don't like it doesn't mean others will feel the same way."
"I get that!" Lex exclaimed. But then he also immediately pointed towards the beast agitating him and said, "but I don't trust him at all! He just wants us to keep feeding him free testers while we try out new dishes. If you want to test recipes, it definitely can't rely on one shady character."
"I am trying to help you, and this is how you treat me? Fine then, go get someone else to help you out!" the gazelle yelled loudly before scurrying off. He looked back at Kenta with regret, but did not stick around.
Lex was feeling great, despite this small episode. Not only was he healing incredibly quickly, his strength had already crossed his previous peak. Moreover, enough of his skin had returned where he did not need to cover himself like a mummy anymore. To top it all off, Kenta had accepted his fate of working as Lex's chef since he was incredibly broke. He needed a patron to support him while he tested the various recipes he had collected throughout his lifetime.
Of course, not all was well. Kenta, with his extremely limited knowledge of how valuable resources are and how desperate creatures can get when faced with temptation, had been randomly giving out samples of his cooking from a stall. With each of his ingredients being worth thousands of MP, the finished product was an extremely potent elixir for anyone's cultivation. Obviously no one would say anything bad as long as they can keep eating it!
"Lex, it can't work like this. I need to test out my cuisines on other races. Not every dish is suitable for elves or humans!"
"Yes, but the way you are going about it is wrong. Next time, consult me before doing anything like this. You're not going to get a true review like this."
Kenta frowned, as if contemplating where his plan could have gone wrong. Lex was about to elaborate when a familiar sensation struck him.
A portion of his consciousness was being diverted, a feeling which occurred whenever someone used one of the Innkeeper's business cards to summon him. There were a few of them out there. One of them was hidden inside a book that had been sent to Fernanda, the holographic lady who controlled the earth for a brief period. The card had never been used and he had no idea what happened to it or Fernanda.
Another one had been left behind when he tried to participate in the meeting for Daolords. Finally, the most recent one had been given by him to Luthor in case there was an emergency.
But before his consciousness could fully be drawn, and he discovered who summoned him, he received a system notification and a stream of information.
New notification: Due to the fragile nature of the space, an Innkeeper clone cannot be summoned at the location of the business card. A temporary connection has been established to convey a message.
The information that he received was a report sent by Luthor! Although Lex had unlocked a Midnight battalion panel, only he could communicate with the battalion leader, not the other way around. The business card was supposed to be a loophole around that, but an issue had prevented its proper use.
It did, however, allow Luthor to send forth his thoughts through the card, allowing him to convey his situation.
The Midnight Battalion was trapped on a planet without support by someone who was specifically targeting them and the Midnight Inn! Moreover, they had done it in such a space that the golden keys did not work!
The information Luthor could send over was extremely limited. The last bits of information Lex received were the name of the planet they were on, BGY - 987, and the image of a large creature coming out of a tear in space.
"I have to go!" Lex exclaimed to Kenta before promptly dashing away. When he was out of sight, he quickly changed into the Host Attire and teleported to his office.
"Mary what the hell is going on? The Innkeeper's business card isn't working, and neither are the golden keys for some reason! The battalion is trapped and being targeted by someone!"
The business card was supposed to be a hidden trump card. Using the Innkeepers aura he could deter almost anyone from attacking the battalion and thus rescue them, but the card itself was not working!
The sudden news caused Lex's emotions to fluctuate, and the image of a sword appeared in his eye. It was slowly becoming more and more prominent while Lex's rage started to swell up.
Just before the sword's image fully materialized, Lex closed his eyes, shutting out his burning anger, and replaced it with a cold, calculating wrath.
He had been practicing controlling his anger due to the increased influence of the sword in his soul, so in this instance where he almost lost control, he instinctively knew how to regain his lucidity. As a result, Lex entered a new state, much like the states of Flow, Overdrive and Berserk. Yet at the same time, the state was not exactly brand new.
It was as if Lex had merged the states of Flow, where he lost all distractions and focused on the most efficient way to complete his objective, and the state of Berserk, where his strongest emotions filled his entire being, fueling and boosting his strength at the same time.
Outside, in the Midnight Inn, although snow had covered most of the area, an unnerving chill suddenly settled in that was absent before.
Chapter 841 A big order
Mary appeared in front of Lex, looking just as alarmed as him. She quickly searched through the information she had, which made her grimace.
"According to the guide, there are a few circumstances in which the keys, and other associated Inn powers, will cease to work. One such situation is if using the ability will result in catastrophic or irreversible damage. The keys, specifically, could also fail if they are in some unique spaces, or are being blocked by certain powers with strong enough protection. You saw the same thing when you entered the tower in the Crystal realm."
Lex did not want to play the blame game right now, where he accused the system of hiding such information from him. The truth was that while the system never informed him, he never asked either.
He instead focused on the situation. Luthor had only transmitted limited information to him, so he had to dissect it carefully to get as much information as possible. The key pieces were that the Midnight Inn was specifically being targeted, that they were on a planet called BGY - 987, and that the keys did not work in the space where they were. The notification he got when the business card was used also stated that space was fragile in the location they were trying to use it.
There were sufficient clues, so he was more or less certain that he had guessed correctly. The problem now was to decide what to do. The issue this time was outside of the Inn, and he had no real power there. But he had all the resources of the Midnight Inn to help to resolve the issue in a roundabout manner.
His mind worked in overdrive to come up with a plan. If he reached them, how would he rescue them? The easiest way would be to send them to the Inn, but that was an issue at the moment. How was he going to reach them? What was he supposed to do if he faced an enemy much stronger than himself? What if this was a trap?
Countless thoughts ran through Lex's mind, and just as quickly as they came, he resolved each and every one of them. A plan formed in his mind, but even in his agitated and aggravated state, he did not rush to action.
No, right now Lex's mind was cool and free from all distractions. Now that he had thought about what to do, he went over the plan a few times to anticipate what problems he could face. There were parts of the plan where he would have to improvise, but there was nothing he could do about that.
It would also mean… openly revealing the connection between Lex and the Midnight Inn, but that was more or less inevitable. But that should not be enough to arouse unusual suspicion onto him. After all, the Inn had many workers with real identities outside the Inn, such as Harry, John, Qawain, Antia and more.
Speaking of whom, Lex briefly considered taking Qawain along as well. He was an Earth immortal, after all, and would be a real asset. But considering the… volatile nature of Lex's plan, having him there might become a hindrance instead of a boon. Besides, he'd already thought of ways to make up for his absence.
Before he took any action, he once more reviewed all the information he had, and all the abilities and features of the Inn. Was there anything he was missing that he could take advantage of?
Unbelievably, just as he was sure there was nothing more, an idea occurred to him in case things did not work as he had intended. He checked one more time, reading the descriptions of the associated items and features, before readying himself.
He opened the Midnight Battalion panel and sent Luthor a message.
"I'm sending help. Survive as long as possible."
The current situation did not allow for long and elaborate explanations for why the Innkeeper couldn't just use his powers and immediately save them. This would have to suffice.
Next, he teleported to his museum and chipped a small piece of the jewel that still carried with it a dragon's obsession. The inherent value of the jewel, alongside the dragon's obsession, and the fact that the aura of a primordial infected it made the jewel invaluable. So how was Lex able to chip it so easily? He used the Innkeeper's letter opener. That thing was much sharper than the Butter Knife at this point, but was also limited to staying within the Inn.
He stored the chipped jewel and teleported to X-142, before promptly entering the Infinity Emporium. Powell, as usual, was waiting for him and smiled warmly.
Just as the merchant was about to welcome Lex, and even jab him on the return of his skin in good humor, Lex held up his hand and stopped him.
"I have no time, and I require the best and quickest service my membership of the emporium affords. I need an item that can immediately stabilize space as quickly as possible. If there's more than one, I'll take everything. I also need any and all powerful weapons you have immediately available that anyone can use. Also, is it possible for you to get your hands on something from the planet BGY - 987 from the Fuegan battlefield within Suera? If that's possible, I can afford to wait a bit."
Before Powell could ask any question, Lex flicked the small, chipped jewel at the man.
"Take that as payment."
As soon as Powell grabbed the jewel he was visibly startled, and even star struck. He froze with his mouth hung open as he looked at the jewel, trying to discover why his senses were indicating that this was extremely valuable, yet he could not identify it.
"Powell I have no time!" Lex said firmly, waking the merchant up from his stupor.
"I'll get on it immediately!" he said, and ran towards the backdoor. This was another big order for him!
Chapter 842 Survive
Luther's mind worked at full speed as he saw the massive tear in space. He had to report to the Innkeeper as quickly as possible, and then get to the tear before the massive creature slithering out of it completely emerged.
He channeled his energy into the card, ready to transmit the message, when a familiar aura pervaded the area, causing everyone to freeze. Even the Void Dweller, partially exited from the space rip, froze in deference to the aura.
But the weight of it was too much. The planet itself trembled and the skies wept with as agonizing moan as reality itself seemed on the verge of fracture. Immediately the aura withdrew and Luthor felt a brief, fleeting connection with the Innkeeper.
Clearly, even without knowing the situation the Innkeeper had tried to help, but the space here could not sustain his powers. It would be more lethal than helpful to them if he acted, even if only using the card as a conduit. Understanding that no immediate help would arrive, Luthor sent what little information he could.
He did not expect to be saved, so he was not really disappointed. Instead, he was grateful that the Innkeepers aura had at least slowed down the arrival of the Void Dweller, or their situation would be even worse.
"Z, you only have one move," Luthor instructed, as he silently initialized the one move that the Battalion had become especially renowned for. Though Luthor never officially gave the order, the members of the battalion were all too familiar with the process. Wordlessly and efficiently they played their part, merging together to form the Midnight Mech!
Active 2: Z, momentarily distracted by the strange connection he felt in the spatial cracks, gathered himself, took command of the mech, and directed its solemn gaze towards the emerging Void Dweller.
From within the gaping tear in the fabric of reality, the being was still emerging, its eyes aglow with an ancient, unearthly malevolence. It hovered on the precipice between fear and anger, its limited intelligence struggling between escaping the fearful aura it had felt, or emerging from its eternal prison.
Keeping in mind Luthor's instructions, not to mention spurred on by the fact that cracks were still spreading through space, the mech surged to life, a symphony of arcane symbols and pulsating energies swirling around it.
Within the mech, Z could wield much greater power. More importantly, he could wield the power of those who made up the mech in the first place. A surge of power coalesced into a?purple, blazing sphere between its outstretched appendages, simmering with heat that even Luthor had never been able to manifest.
Sufficient build up would have allowed the mech to deliver an even more devastating blow, but there was no time to be had. With an earth-shattering roar, the mech unleashed a concentrated burst of purple flames, a radiant torrent of raw power. The unleashed beam surged forth, a dazzling display of beauty and devastation, intent on turning the Void Dweller to ash!
The Void Dweller itself, which had paused to allow its internal struggle, coiled as it suddenly felt a new approaching threat. Although the scale was nowhere near the potency of the previous aura, it was still a significant threat!
But its preparation was insufficient, and its evaluation of the threat was scant. When the purple flames crashed into the serpent like creature, not only did it push the creature back into the Void, but it enveloped its entire body!
In an eerie lament that echoed through both the void and reality, the creature quickly succumbed to the flames, turning into stardust and ash.
The sequence of events took only a few seconds, but the devastation caused by such raw power was not insignificant. Not only did the tear not close, it was beginning to grow wider under the influence of the ripples produced by the mech's attack.
The cracks in space were now spreading from the air to the ground, and seemed on the verge of spreading exponentially.
Either the enemy had not anticipated the repercussions of their actions, or they no longer needed to keep them alive! Whatever the case, they still had an issue on their hands.
Z braced himself before channeling the awesome power of the mech, and forcefully trying to use his spatial affinity. Due to the fact that countless other members of the battalion had the same affinity, plus the multiplied energy reserves of the mech, the influence Z could wield on space was much greater.
While he still could not do as he pleased, he could at least try to contain the disaster.
Under Z's efforts, a spatial ripple was released from the mech. But instead of destroying space as they usually did, the ripple seemed to absorb the energy of the tear, preventing it from spreading.
A few moments later, another ripple was released, and then another. Unbelievably, the massive tear began to retreat, and space began to heal itself.
"I'm sending help. Survive as long as possible," a familiar voice entered Luthor's ears. But since he was currently merged with the rest through the mech, they all heard the comforting words.
He was beaten and battered, and almost completely mentally drained, but hearing the Innkeeper's voice gave Z the little bit of strength he needed to continue his effort until the space tear was closed.
As soon as the tear was closed, however, he dismissed the mech. Ordinarily, using the mech was not so taxing on any one person since they all shared the burden. But in this instance, since he was forcefully exerting his affinity in such a fragile place, Z was especially exhausted.
The others looked drained, but Z fell to his knees as his consciousness waned in and out. A thin, firm hand quickly grabbed onto Z before he fell flat on his face, and helped him steady himself.
"Gather yourself, soldier," said Sandra, her voice filled in equal parts with both teasing and comfort. "We have our orders. We have to survive as long as possible. So no sleeping on the job."
Chapter 843 Botlam's Grace
Lex counted each second that Powell was gone, though his mind kept telling him not to do that. Unless Powell was able to get something from that planet that still contained its aura, Lex would have to spend a long time reaching it no matter what.
Instead of wasting time and energy, Lex began to refine his plan once more. There were a few areas where he would have no option but to improvise, he began considering various actions he could take.
Even with his mind distracted, Lex was all too aware that he tapped his foot on the ground 9 times before Powell returned. Due to his agitation, the speed of his tapping was fast, translating to two taps per second. Powell took 4.5 seconds to go and return. Although Lex had asked him to hurry, that kind of efficiency was remarkable.
"I have activated the perks from your membership, so you will be getting the best of our service. A number of Powells are on the way, bringing every space related item we have. I have also procured a list of all the easily usable weapons we have. Selections include guns, bombs, curses, talismans and such. Unfortunately, we cannot access Fuegan battlefields at all, and conducting any kind of trade that has anything to do with them is severely frowned upon."
Without waiting for any kind of response from Lex, Powel opened up a projection of a list of items in front of Lex. At the very top were the various space related items they had available at that very moment, only after which were the weapons.
Lex scanned through the list, reading the description of each item carefully. Not only did they have to be useful, but they needed to be easy to use and difficult to disrupt.
There were over 400 space related items that the emporium had in stock at that very moment, but only 3 that suited Lex's needs. The most ideal was a high powered and extremely rare talisman.
Its original purpose was to strengthen space within a certain region for a short period of time. Although it sounded useless, it was actually a tactical item. By strengthening space for a short time, it would prevent ordinary teleportation in and out of that region. Even someone with a space affinity would struggle to do anything in that region.
But Lex was not concerned about that. As long as space was strong and stable enough, the keys would work, he was confident in that.
The second item was a large wine bowl. As long as a special liquid called Gravity Void tincture was poured into it, the bowl could display a number of space related abilities. The emporium, fortunately, also had the tincture in stock.
The last was a formation plate. This one took a little time to use, as it needed to be set up, but was the most stable.
Another thing that caught Lex's eye, despite not being an item, was a manual on space affinity. Since the issue this time was space, and Lex could not say for certain what he would encounter, he bought all three of the items as well as the manual.
Then he looked towards the weapons. These he bought indiscriminately. As long as he still had credit left over from the jewel he sold, he bought weapons. He started with the strongest and the easiest to use, and then just kept buying them.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, none of the easy-to-use weapons could harm immortals, but Lex paid that no mind. Once he had selected enough, he submitted his order and waited for Powell to deliver them.
The merchant wore a look that was equal parts excitement as it was concern. He could clearly tell Lex was not in the best of moods, and based on the items he was purchasing that he was heading for trouble.
He struggled whether he should say something or not, but then came to a conclusion. Being helpful would be more useful than expressing his concern at the moment.
"You might also want to take a look at this," Powell said, and showed Lex the details for another item. At first, Lex simply glanced over, but when he saw the item, his eyes gleamed.
The item was in the shape of angel wings and was made of clay. According to its description, within it the item contained an extremely potent Holy aura from an Archangel, which had almost magical healing properties towards non-demons. Of course, if used against demons, it had an equally poisonous effect. The most intriguing thing… was that the item's name was Botlam's Grace.
Lex did not ponder over the origin of the item, or why he was seeing the name Botlam once again. Since it was useful, Lex bought the item.
It took nearly a minute for another Powell to burst through the door, holding a small spatial ring containing all the items Lex bought. He transferred everything into his own bangle, then immediately left.
Once he returned to the Inn, Lex did not immediately head for the teleportation formation that would take him to the battlefield. No, instead he headed towards the museum where Lex procured every missile he had collected from the dragon's hoard.
Pel had previously described the use of each of the missiles to him, so this time he would not be caught unprepared when he used them. In total, Lex stored 43 such missiles. Each one had the potential to kill an Earth immortal, with some of the stronger ones even capable of injuring a Heavenly immortal. If they didn't reach at least such a level, they would not have been worth being added to the dragons collection. Though, ultimately, to the dragon, they were only trinkets to be collected. After all, as an authentic Heavenly immortal, each one of the dragon's attacks was more powerful than those rockets.
With the weapons taken,he looked up towards the massive ship. It would be so much easier if he could take that out of the Inn. But, since he couldn't for now, he would make do.
With his Host Attire still equipped, Lex looked for the only other member of the Inn who would be accompanying him.
"Cirk, stop whatever you're doing. There's a mission that requires your skills."
Chapter 844 Crazy Enough
Cirk, who was resting since he was on break, immediately stood up as soon as he heard the Innkeepers voice. Before he knew it, he had been teleported over to the Midnight Tailors, where the Innkeeper was already waiting for him.
"Innkeeper!" Cirk greeted, not used to seeing his boss in person, but the Innkeeper was already walking inside.
"Keep up. This is a matter of grave urgency."
Cirk dared not keep the Innkeeper waiting, so he rushed in behind him.
"Geeves, I don't have much time," the Innkeeper said as soon as he walked in. "Cirk has to leave the Inn on a mission. What's the best suit you can give him for protection right at this moment? We don't have time for a custom job right now."
"Innkeeper, my readymade selection is somewhat bare," Geeves responded immediately, his voice calm and collected even under pressure. "I have one inspired by the suit given to the battalion, but without specifically altering it to Cirks body he won't be able to draw the most out of it."
"Bring it out," he ordered Geeves, before turning to the spaceship captain. "Cirk, I need you to accompany another worker out on a mission. You may be required to pilot the Silent Wanderer, so I hope you are ready. Keep in mind that the suit I'm giving you is not tailored to you, so avoid getting into any fights when possible."
"I can fly it with my eyes closed!" Crik reassured the Innkeeper, while a rush of adrenaline filled his body. He was finally going to have an opportunity to actually fly a ship! He didn't care about the readymade suit at all. After all, as a pilot, he would do his fighting with his ship!
Geeves, who had rushed into the back, came out holding a readymade suit. Cirk made a move to receive it, but the Innkeeper snapped and the suit automatically appeared on his body!
"While you're on the mission you'll take orders from Leo," the Innkeeper instructed Cirk, who nodded.
"Good."
The Innkeeper teleported Cirk to the formation that the Midnight battalion used to enter the battlefield. A moment later, Leo also showed up, similarly suited, although it was clear that his own suit had been tailored for him.
They locked gazes, and while Cirk was still experiencing the rush of knowing that he was finally going to fly a ship, he kept it hidden within. Externally, he only displayed the calm confidence that was required of a ship captain.
"Before we head out let me brief you on what to expect," Leo said, his cold voice driving a chill up Cirks back. "The battalion is in trouble and we're going to go help them out. The situation is precarious, and we cannot know when and how enemies might appear. In fact, we may very well be walking into a trap. So you need to be alert at all times, and stay close to me. If a fight breaks out, focus more on survival than fighting - I'll take care of that."
"You do not need to worry about me. Just focus on what you need to do, I will not fail you," answered Cirk. Although his life had been limited to running a daycare and flying a ship in place, he had been born with the natural characteristics of a captain. He was not intimidated by the task, and he was not afraid of the danger.
Lex, who had donned Leo's appearance, nodded. After that there was no hesitation, no moment to prepare himself. Right now, Lex was in a state of cold fury, and he had been suppressing his fury for too long already. Previously, whenever he got mad, Lex immediately had an opportunity to release his anger. But this time, he had to let it simmer as he waited for an opportunity to unleash it. Now, that opportunity was finally coming. He patted his chest and felt the cards he had kept in the inner pocket of his suit. They would come in handy.
Lex activated the formation, teleporting himself and Geeves away.
The duo appeared in the same teleportation hall that the battalion had arrived in earlier. Geeves looked around and saw that they were standing in the middle of a formation, and there were countless other similar formations in the hall. Tens of thousands of soldiers were teleporting over each minute, making the hall both crowded and busy.
'Leo' who was standing beside him had an unusual mask over his face, making him look like a devil. Cirk did not need to ask to know that he was hiding his identity for whatever reason.
"Welcome to battlefront 00974," spoke a nearby elf who was looking at a clipboard rather than them. "Is there a leader among you two? Since only two of you have arrived I assume you have the designation of strategic assets. Do you have any speciality?"
Instead of answering, Lex walked up to the elf and placed a hand upon his shoulder. The action was quite simple, but for the elf who was on the receiving end of Lex's Domination in full force, gravity seemed to have increased by a hundredfold. Let alone his body, even his thoughts seemed to be weighed down under the massive force that was enveloping his being.
"That is none of your concern," Lex commanded. "Take me to someone who has knowledge of the ongoing battle."
"Ye -yes," the elf stuttered and turned to lead the duo in a daze. Lex's action attracted some attention from a few nearby guards, but upon noticing that the elf turned and began to lead the two, they relaxed.
Even though Lex had removed his hand and walked a step behind the elf, the effects of his Domination had not diminished at all. Completely unaware of his own actions, the elf led the two past all the lines, skipping all the queues, and directly towards a command room.
No one noticed anything amiss the entire time. After all, no one thought that anyone would be crazy enough to cause trouble here.
Chapter 845 Confidential
Although the sight of an elf, a mysterious being wearing a devilish mask and a human walking through the base, should have seemed out of place, in actuality, that was far from the truth. There were hundreds of races Lex had never seen in any room they crossed, and each of them was being led by an elf.
The second indicator of something unusual should have been the cold, nearly oppressive aura Lex was giving off, despite the fact that he was only targeting the elf with Domination. But once again, given that this was a place filled with soldiers and warriors, nearly everyone was displaying their aura. Regardless of whether it was weak or strong, fiery hot and icy cold, none of the soldiers shied away from displaying their worth through their auras. It was an unspoken form of communication.
Moreover, amidst the millions that were moving around the base, neither Lex nor Cirk were close to being the strongest, so no one suspected them at all. Besides using Notorious Anonymity to hide his face, Lex did not really make any effort to hide his identity or actions either. Moreover, he was sure that while many would be unable to peer through the facade of his devilish mask, there were too many in this base who could see through it.
He was completely prepared to have his identity revealed. It was not even a concern for him at this point, more of a formality that he was just going along with.
Cirk, who had no idea what 'Leo' was planning, remained completely composed, and followed his lead perfectly. He did not show any hesitation or doubt about Lex's actions. A part of that was from his steady personality, but a lot of it also was due to the unwavering trust he had in the other members of the Midnight Inn. If the Innkeeper had trusted him, then there had to be a reason for it.
The elf took the duo away from most of the crowds as they entered the inner sector of the base, where only those with sufficient authority would be allowed to enter. Soon he was led to a room that read 'Resource Coordination' where a number of elves were sitting in their respective areas, working on what Lex could only assume was their version of a computer.
The elf led Lex to a very specific cubicle, clearly belonging to another elf that he knew.
"Bairel, what are you doing here?" asked the elf in the cubicle, clearly alarmed to see the latter there. He immediately noticed Bairel's bewildered state and turned his attention towards Lex and Cirk.
"Who are you? How did you get authorization to enter here? This is a secure location!" the elf said, clearly flustered to see others here. Although he did not cause a commotion yet, his voice was quite loud and accusatory. He was not used to seeing others besides his direct superior while he was at work.
"That is not your concern," said Lex dismissively, extending his Domination towards the new elf. "What is the status of the planet BGY-987? Check and give me the latest update."
The elf, who was only in the Foundation realm, was clearly oppressed by Lex's aura even besides being frightened by the sudden intrusion. He hesitated for a moment due to the fact that this was clearly a breach of protocol, but the confident way in which the masked figure dismissed him gave him doubts. What if the man was someone with a high post? It clearly made sense, given how at ease he was. Moreover, it would also explain how he so casually strutted into a secure location.
So, despite his clear awareness of the discrepancy with his current situation, the elf hesitantly turned back to his computer and began checking up on the computer. How was he supposed to know that the reason they walked in so easily was because the first elf, Bairel, had used his own authority to bring them in, something he clearly wasn't supposed to do.
The group stood there silently as they waited for an update. A few others in the room noticed them and became concerned about the odd situation. But given their low cultivation levels, instead of investigating on their own, they quickly reported the situation to their superior. If there was a problem, it was not their responsibility to face it.
"Sir, according to the latest update, conducted 47 minutes ago, everything is within expectations on the stated planet. Combat with local entities is taking place, and is expected to continue for another 10 days. There have been no requests for reinforcements, so they are managing with only the initially allocated forces. They have been giving clear and detailed reports on their updates regularly. Would you like me to pull up those reports?"
Lex frowned. It looked like whoever was targeting the Inn had even breached the alliance. But that was fine. He was never planning on getting help from them in the first place. In fact, it would be helpful if they kept out of his way.
"Pull up the location data on that planet, as well as the best routes from here to there. Cirk, come and see if you can understand this."
Since the elf had already obeyed Lex once, doing so again became easier and had less hesitation. He immediately started pulling up the highly confidential data, which was the star map inside of the cosmic cloud! This was updated live by the alliance and was based on their own discoveries within the region.
Mapping the cosmic cloud using telescopes and other long distance observation methods was impossible due to severe interference, so the value of this map was inestimable!
Just as Cirk was studying the data, a very large, dark figure approached the group.
"What the hell is going on here?" the figure asked aggressively, exuding an aura that far surpassed Lex. "Who are you? How did you come in?"
The group froze under that aura - all except Lex, who only turned and looked at the figure evenly.