The Innkeeper

Everyone in the room was greatly startled by the noise, Lex included, let alone the red eyed Larry who had been reading the file Lex gave him. Abruptly everyone got up and ran to the window to see if they could identify what had caused the commotion. Even if they identified the sound as thunder, they couldn't be sure since too many unusual things happened at the Inn.

Lex was a step slower and allowed everyone to crowd the window in front of him, for in his mind he was already scanning the Inn and investigating the cause. Something genuinely strange was happening, as the weather at the Inn had escaped Lex's control for the first time.

A dark cloud had formed over a remote area of the Inn, and seemed to be going larger at a steady pace. Lex did not fail to notice that right underneath it was one of the more lavish abodes he had created.

Among the types of accommodation the Inn offered usually were the normal room, small house, large house, courtyard, and finally the small village. Although he imagined that anyone in retreat might want to do it alone, he did not leave the decision up to himself, and designed abodes to accommodate more people as well. The largest abodes he made were the size of a small village.

The abode that had been subjected to the lightning strike was one such abode, and it was occupied by a Devil who was currently breaking through from the Nascent realm. The Devil was not surprised by the lightning strike, and it had not prevented his breakthrough at all.

Lex did even get an opportunity to wonder why this was happening when the familiar sound of a system notification rang in his ears.

New Quest: A guest is undergoing a realm breakthrough and is experiencing his first tribulation. As a universal establishment, the Inn is a perfect location to undergo a tribulation for those searching for a safe environment. Add facilities to the Inn centered around undergoing tribulations.

i) Add a Lightning tempering room (New room unlocked)

ii) Add a Flame tempering room (New room unlocked)

iii) Create a Tribulation room (New feature unlocked)

Quest Reward: Subject to performance

Lex was reading the notification, but as a result of new multitasking ability, he could easily focus on multiple things at the same time. This meant he could continue to hold a conversation with a person, giving them full and sufficient attention, without being distracted from his other task.

Given that, he did not lose out on the opportunity to tease Anakin.

"Go ahead, tell me you're an honest man one more time, and let's see if lightning strikes again."

Lex's casual remark cut through the tension in the room, and while Anakin was left with his mouth hung open, unsure of how to reply, the others looked at him with interest. His cavalier attitude indicated he knew what was going on.

"I don't know if he's honest, but he never lies," said Noman as he returned to his seat. It was Lex's calm attitude that made something click in his mind, allowing him to realize what was happening. Truthfully speaking, with his background, it was embarrassing that he wasn't the first to realize what was happening.

"What was that?" asked Anakin, wanting to divert the topic of conversation from himself.

"It's a lightning tribulation," Noman answered casually. "It's rare to see one, actually. But I guess the aid to everyone cultivation brought by the star rank increase pushed whoever is going through it over the edge. Chances are, we'll see a lot more of them."

"What's a lightning tribulation?" Anakin asked, returning to his seat. There was another flash of light during this time, but no sound this time. That was because Lex had added a sound insulation feature to every single abode at the Inn. If more tribulations would come, the noise would make it impossible for anyone to go about peacefully.

"I don't know in too much detail, since it's not relevant to me yet. But basically, in all the realms after Nascent, trying to break through to a higher realm causes a tribulation. Lightning and fire tribulations are the ones I know about, but I know that they're supposed to be more on higher levels. What those are… I have no idea, though I heard a rumor that some extinct races have become a part of the tribulations. What that means… I have no idea."

"If it's nothing to be alarmed about, can we focus on this?" Larry said, holding out the file. He had recomposed himself by now, though anyone could tell he was holding himself back. Not waiting for anyone to ask, he briefly described everything he had read about how all wars and conflicts on Earth were games to a few people who were being held as prisoners on Earth.

Other than Noman, who had never been to Earth, everyone was extremely shocked by what they heard. Even the cool and composed Rafael was having drastic mood swings, though he managed to keep his cool. Anakin wasn't too aggrieved personally, but even he realized that this was not a small matter.

"How did you even find out all of this?" Rafael asked, looking at Lex.

Lex, though, was not pressured by the attention and only smirked. "I have reliable sources, though if you don't believe me, that's your right. Honestly, I wouldn't have shared this with you all to begin with if I didn't think this matter had something to do with whoever is hunting Larry. It has to be one of the 'prisoners', if not the same ones, causing all the problems. The question is, what can we do about this?"

Everyone turned to look at Noman, who only nodded and said nothing else. It seemed… Lex was telling the truth.

"There are a lot of things you may or may not know, so I'll speed you through it. Earth… and the rest of the solar system are considered property of some… people or organization. I'm not sure who. They've been using the fact that Earth lacks spiritual energy to use it as a prison. I tried to pass this information to them through the Council of New order, but it seems to me like they haven't done anything to address the situation. As much as I want to just go to Earth and kill the people responsible, I don't know if we'll be able to handle the repercussions if the people who 'own' Earth take offense. One possible solution I thought of was if we invited the Jotun Empire over to Earth. They seem to have an interest in expanding, and if they could do for Earth what they did for the Vegus planets, we'd be much better off."

"It's a good plan," said Rafael with a disappointed voice. "But it won't work. As for how I know… I have sources of my own as well."