Lex groaned as the taxi hit a bump on the road. Marlo had given some painkillers, which made him mostly numb, but any sudden movement would bring back his pain. He was already on his way back home now, having given the giant, hulking man his answer. What could he have chosen?
The fifty million dollars, of course! Lex grinned to himself, despite the pain. What truth of the cultivation world, what hidden secrets? He had Earth's most powerful beings as guests at his Inn, a much better source of information than Marlo. Furthermore, since Earth was his home, he had decided that he was going to stay as low key as possible. He didn't want to attract any kind of attention at all, and having Marlo introduce him to the 'greater secrets of the cultivation world' would probably attract some kind of attention down the road.
Lex suddenly frowned. A thought occurred to him: Marlo giving him this option might have actually been a trap to test him. On the one hand, he was saying that he was giving up a great opportunity so that he could ensure his security, but if he jumped at the chance to learn more secrets then that might not be inline with the mentality of someone trying to stay safe. It would only tempt someone who had hidden motives and was looking for benefits. Luckily, he hadn't hesitated much and chosen to take the money and weapon.
Marlo would wire him the money in a few days - even if it was a small amount for cultivators they had to be smart about their money and expenses to avoid paying endless taxes and fees - and as for the weapon, Lex told him to wait for a bit. Lex needed to decide what kind of weapon suited him. This was no cultivation novel, this was real life. The romance between a man and his sword might sound appealing on paper, but it might not be the best at serving his needs. He had to be smart about it.
Either way, all of that was for later. For now, he just wanted to get home and sleep.
*****
After seeing Lex off, Marlo returned to his apartment and sat in his lounge in a somber mood. He stared at the key in his hand gravely and felt the warmth it gave off. In the short time he had the key in his possession, he could feel it somehow heal him. Marlo wasn't a simple man, and he had faced far more dangers than the few stories he had told his students. His body carried numerous injuries, many of which would take years to heal, and one specific one that was impossible to heal. Yet now, with the platinum key in hand, he could feel that recovery wasn't actually impossible.
The amount that the key healed him, however, was miniscule. As a smart man, he deduced instantly that the purpose wasn't to actually heal him, but to let him know that the key presented him with the opportunity to heal. Taking that opportunity was up to him.
Marlo let out a low, withdrawn sigh. Initially, this was just an assignment for him, and he didn't carry any more interest in it than any other assignment he had. Now, however, he was completely invested.
Making up his mind, he dialed a number on his phone, and when the call was answered, a projector in his room turned on and a realistic hologram of his foster mother appeared before him.
"There's been progress on the assignment. The subject has delivered the source of his fortuitous encounter to me and given me a brief description of what it entails."
The woman raised an eyebrow and for a moment, a surprised expression appeared on her face, but her indifference soon returned.
"That was faster than anticipated. We have only just begun the subconscious suggestion program, and even the mental resistance dampener talismans have not been installed around his apartment. Why would he just give you the source? I do not believe you could have created such a strong relationship with him so quickly."
"No, I haven't given him any special preference in classes, and our relationship is not too extraordinary. I believe he was influenced by the data you manipulated on the Bluebird portal, not that any of it was a lie, but he seems to have adopted a good impression of me. He gave me the source as he believed it was too dangerous for him, and that he could no longer profit from it, and instead he would be harmed by it. He sold it to me for fifty million, along with a weapon for himself. Based on his actions of signing up for a self-defense class, I believe his self-preservation tendencies are real and his action of giving up the source for more immediate profit is inline with his personality, and is not some sort of scheme or diversion.
"He is decisive and knows his limits. If he is an ally, he should be strongly supported. If he is an enemy, he should be influenced now whilst he is weak so that his stance changes."
The woman nodded, accepting her foster sons report.
"Stay online. I have already reported the mission's complete status. You will be required to give a more detailed report soon."
"I'm a little confused," Marlo spoke, relaxing a bit, "what's so special about him that you reached out to me the moment he registered for my class? Or is his fortuitous encounter so special that it would require such a large operation?"
The woman was silent for a moment as she looked at her son. Their relationship was more of a business venture than familial. Their family had adopted Marlo when he showed potential as a young child and had given him numerous resources to nurture him. He had, in return, helped them a lot in dealing with various difficult situations. Lately, however, they rarely asked him for assistance or to do missions, as he had grown a lot in strength and influence in his own right. It would not suit his status if he was still treated as someone to run errands, which is exactly why this assignment seemed peculiar. His task was to build a positive relationship with Lex and try to learn about how he entered onto the path of cultivation in as much detail as possible. That was it. The only condition was that he should not use force, or try to make his attempts obvious. As fate would have it, Lex gave him the source directly and fulfilled his mission. Little did he know that Lex's actions were influenced by the System's quest and not any manipulation on his family's part.
Finally she said, "Even I don't know. This was a mission someone assigned directly to the family head. We had no right to refuse."
Suddenly Marlo sat upright, his expression a lot more serious. He knew it, this could not have been simple. How could this key, that could allow him to heal his wounds, be simple?
Before he could ask more questions, though, another projection appeared in front of him; a young, delicate-looking girl. If Lex saw her, he would be extremely surprised, as it was his younger sister, Liz. She was the same little girl who had been told to investigate the situation by the monstrously strong man practicing the sword.
"That was quite fast," she noted. "I expected a few months at least before any progress was made. I hope you were subtle in your investigations." The last sentence carried a hint of a threat in it, though she was not looking at anyone in particular. Both Marlo and his foster mother felt the weight behind her words, however, triggered by their honed instincts for danger.
Marlo immediately stood up and reported everything he had just told his mother. He was not familiar with the girl, but clearly she was someone of status. Once she heard everything he had to say, she asked to see the 'source'.
Marlo presented the platinum key before him for the girl to observe. Unexpectedly, however, the projection moved forward and picked it up. Projections interacting with physical objects? This was beyond any technology Marlo knew of. She was staring at it from every angle before asking, "You said this can teleport a person to an inheritance land? Have you tried it?"
"Not yet," Marlo reported, fidgeting. He was surprised that a hologram could interact with the real world, but he took it in his stride as he had seen many strange things in his life. The only thing was that he was hoping the young girl would not notice the key's peculiarity, as he was very interested in it. Luckily, after observing it for a while, the girl returned the key.
"You can keep it. Maintain contact with the target, and if you learn anything of interest, report it back. Don't, however, give him any preference beyond what your current relationship would entail," she said succinctly, before her hologram disappeared. His mother, after a short chat, disappeared as well. Marlo was left alone in his lounge with the key, and suddenly all his prior strict demeanor vanished. His face was painted with a massive grin, and he eventually erupted out in a roaring, manic laughter as he gripped the key tightly in his hand.
*****
Liz walked towards her mother's office with a clipboard in her hand, mumbling as she scribbled on the document in front of her. When she entered, she saw her mother slowly practicing a fist technique. Beside her stood her assistant, making a report of various things and noting down comments.
"The investigation has results," Liz interrupted, knowing full well that it would probably be hours before anyone noticed her unless she interrupted them. "Big bro encountered a grade C inheritance item with spatial properties, but he's already given it up. Even if he didn't give it up, and got the key inheritance, with the conditions on Earth, it would be impossible for him to make much progress. There is no evidence of outside interference in his life so far."
"Very well, in that case, we will maintain our prior arrangements," replied Serene, her mother.
Liz hesitated, confusion apparent on her face. "Since he's already started cultivating, shouldn't we just let him know?"
"No, as long as there is no outside interference, your father wants to keep things the same."
Liz hesitated once again, something clearly on her mind but unsure if she should say it. Eventually, she said, "But you know brother's temperament. If you just tell him, he will support elder sister Belle and…"
"It doesn't matter. Your father wants to go according to the original plan. We will tell him when he turns 50. For a cultivator, a few years here or there won't make a difference. You girls are young, which is why you're impatient. Let things progress naturally and instead focus on your studies. Prima Ventura has shown an interest in recruiting you early, but it still depends on your upcoming results."
Liz groaned and the sudden reminder, and all thoughts of her brother were blown out of her mind. Whether it was on Earth or out in the universe, the most insidious evil was always homework.