The Innkeeper

The docks, however, were filled with cultivators who were vastly superior to Lex in cultivation, most likely near the peak of the Golden core, or even in the Nascent realm. Moreover, they were not \'average\' cultivators.

Lex relaxed a bit, and continued to explore the docks. It made sense that there was more security in such an important location, not to mention news of that serial killer was everywhere. He even had a witness to a murder sleeping at his tavern right at this moment.

Putting such thoughts away, Lex continued his tour. He couldn\'t approach the ships, for that area had been sealed off, but he could see from afar that the activity was unceasing. That was good - it meant that there was a lot of trading going on.

He dropped off another batch of fliers with some kids here as well, before asking directions and going towards the biggest market in Babylon. The market, found on Edmonton square, once again exceeded Lex\'s expectations. In a town he expected that there would only be a limited number of citizens of the upper class, and that most would be lower or lower-middle class. Yet this seemed to be untrue.

The contrast was massive, as people went from simple tunic and garbs, to multilayered dresses, extravagant gowns and exquisite suits. There was more than one tailoring shop in Edmonton square, several apothecaries, weaponsmiths, jewelers, furniture shops, fabulous cafes and restaurants.

After taking in the scenery, Lex decided to return. These were not the kind of people he expected would visit the tavern. The Inn would more likely be to their liking. Instead, he would introduce himself to his neighbors, and invite them to visit once they closed their shops.

*****

Cornellius was sitting in his throne room continuously tapping his finger on the armrest. Opposite to him sat Nora, her expression one of extreme boredom. She couldn\'t decide if she appreciated Lex for his guts, or hated him for getting her into this mess. After all, it was difficult to escape suspicion when she had met him only minutes prior to his disappearance.

"I don\'t understand. Why would he run?" he finally said, giving up.

"Well, if you listen to the rumors, the boy is not too fond of you," Nora replied casually.

"You can\'t trust rumors. I had someone do a background check on him. There\'s no record of him prior to entering the academy. As for the rumor that he\'s the son of a fallen lover of mine, I\'ve had it investigated as well. All of my lovers, past and present, are accounted for, and none of them gave birth to a mystery kid. So we can\'t judge based on that."

"Maybe he just didn\'t want to share his technique, that\'s all."

"But why? All true path techniques are extremely stringent, so the chances anyone else would be able to cultivate them anyway is miniscule. All it would have done is provide us with a better repository to design new techniques on our own. And he would have been rewarded. He spent enough time at the academy to know he would be rewarded."

"He has his own goals. My - our daughter told me that when he found out about the core academy, he was not tempted at all."

Cornelius let out an exasperated sigh. Kids could be so frustrating. And he was just beginning to like Lex, too.

"Well, no matter. On to the next topic. I heard you\'re getting the crystal race to design Cwenhild a new cultivation technique."

"Yeah. She made it really easy. I don\'t know if you\'ve heard, but she found a sleeping bunker in her realm. That helped with negotiations." Cornelius squinted his eyes and stared at Nora, trying to decipher her thoughts.

"If a true path technique were that cheap, or if the Crystal race were so amenable, I\'d be swimming in cultivation techniques. You must have paid them something else as well."

"Oh hush now, let\'s not get into these trivialities. Let Cwenhild believe she earned it, it\'s good for her self-confidence."

"If you insist, then I\'ll let it go. But if the technique works, you must give me a copy."

"Oh? And how exactly do you expect to pay me for it? I assure you, whatever you would have given Lex is of no interest to me."

Cornelius was silent as he stared at Nora, his thoughts unknown. She hid it very well, but deep down, she was actually nervous. An immortal though she may be, she knew her place. Even in her dreams, she could not compete with her husband in strength, and he was not truly as mild-mannered as he appeared to be.

Eventually, though, Cornelius let out a sigh. He held out his empty hand to Nora, and a black, metallic card suddenly appeared in it. Engraved in the middle was a single word - Ventura. Nora smiled, but otherwise hid her relief well. She grabbed the card and left.

After she left, Cornelius disappeared from the throne room and reappeared in what looked like a lounge. There were a few people in the room who had been drinking, but at the appearance of the king, they all froze in horror.

"Out," was all he said, but everyone in the room scrambled to exit as fast as possible. Only one person remained in the room beside Cornelius: a man who was sleeping upside down on a table, a mug of ale held firmly in his hand.

Unable to hold back his frustration, Cornelius kicked his son on his ass, waking him up.

"What? Who? Al-Algard I to-told you, I could out drink you!" said the drunk, but suddenly he noticed the room was empty, except for his very angry father.

"You brat, one of my daughters is about to embark on the true path, and I\'ve found a student cultivating it as well. You better clean up your act, or your title as the crown prince will be stripped!"