The Innkeeper



Lex was shocked to hear the scope of the war taking place! An entire army formed only of immortals? Especially an army large enough to face the entire realm? How many immortals would that even be? Hundreds of thousands no doubt, maybe even millions. Was it even possible for the Crystal realm to produce such a massive army?

The surprised Lex then looked from Belmont to Ezio, who wore a troubled look, but not a surprised one.

"The scope of the army is… is unbelievable," he said, fearing what he would do if such a force invaded the Inn. He probably didn't even have enough MP to to hire enough guards to fight such an invasion off. He really should start upgrading his Butter Knife again!

"But I don't know why you're surprised about the fact that the Crystal race is not lending a hand. Based on what I know, they have never interfered in the Kraven war unless their own territories were at risk. The fact that they are choosing not to get involved, especially since there is such a massive threat, should make sense, right?"

Although Lex was not asking directly, he was hinting at the fact that for some reason the Crystals refused to help. Only if their rationale was explained could Lex understand if their lack of action this time as well fell in line with their ideology or there was some other reason for it.

Belmont was about to explain, but Ezio spoke first.

"Well, you have not discovered any exemplary secrets, but a thorough investigation and your deductive reasoning are good so I will reward you with similar information."

Ezio slowly stood up from his meditation position and beckoned them to follow him as he exited the meditation garden and entered a salon. Lex, once again, could not stop himself from wondering how any of this was supposed to be a prison. As if to emphasize his point, an automated bot appeared, carrying a tray full of snacks and delicacies, which Ezio offered the duo.

Lex could not help but wonder if the bot qualified as an A.I. He tried some of the snacks as Ezio began his story.

"Back when the Kraven invasion began at first, no one took them too seriously. After all, such minor wars happened all the time. Moreover, regardless of where they came from, no one had too much of a significant impression of them. The Poliods have their own strengths and weaknesses, but no one could say that they were a weak race. That is why their complete defeat was a huge surprise."

At this point, Ezio paused, as if he were a professor, allowing time for his students to absorb the information he was providing. Sure Belmont knew more than Lex about these matters due to his position, but he definitely did not know as much as Ezio, so he tolerated the situation and listened silently.

"The Kraven, either unsatisfied with their fortunes, or filled with ambition, continued to wage war. The Crystal race, too, faced their probing attacks. Of course, we thoroughly let them know not to mess with us, so they never tried again, but no other race was able to make such a stand. Thus, with the passage of time, all the other races became victims to the Kraven's war efforts. The other races often looked to the Crystal race for help, and asked them for help, or to even eradicate the Kraven.

"But for the Crystal race, the question remained, why should we intervene to begin with? We had a good relationship with some of the other races, sure. But the races themselves have long since forgotten that once they too carved out a place for themselves through blood and fire, replacing others who were there before them. Back then if we did not help their predecessors against them, why should we help anyone against the Kraven?"

Suddenly, it dawned on Lex that he had not thought of things from such a point of view. He had been influenced by the knowledge that there were 7 dominant races in the Crystal realm, but that did not necessarily mean that it was always as such. In the beginning, to expand their lands and gather more resources, surely each race would have had to fight and conquer territory. In fact, the seven races may not have even become dominant at the same time. One may have come to power before the rest, and witnessed history unfold as 7 races became dominant over the realm. In this case, it need not be guessed that it was the Crystal race who was the oldest, and this had witnessed the rise of all the subsequent races.

Thus, from the point of view of the leader of the Crystal race, the activities of the Kraven might just seem like that of one race replacing another.

But wait… Although Lex's train of thoughts had been led in this direction by Ezio's explanation, a sign of anyone with basic extrapolation skills, he was not someone who would be blindly influenced by others. Though it seemed reasonable when Ezio said it, he could quickly and easily pick out the flaw in this.

Although the Kraven could be like the other races, carving out a space for themselves, they were also fundamentally different. The other races built up their civilizations, and grew alongside nature - even if some were more wasteful than others. They farmed, tended the land and incorporated various beasts and races into their way of life.

But the Kraven were not as such. He had flashbacks to the strangely desolate area in the Minor realm near the Kraven. Wherever they went, they would mindlessly kill and destroy all living things. Their spread was directly harming nature, and they had purposefully made themselves out to be as enemies of all sentient beings.

Such a distinct contrast should have still elicited a sense of disgust in the Crystal race. It should have been easy for them to determine that even if the Kraven were not a threat to them, their spread across the realm would directly harm the environment of the realm,and ultimately lead even the Crystals to suffer some loss.

If things went to an extreme, the Crystal nation might eventually become the last habitable place in the realm if the Kraven continued to spread the way they had been for so long.

"It seems you have noticed the flaw already," Ezio said, with a chuckle. "Yes, what you have heard right now is only the nominal explanation given out to the public. The real reason is a lot more straightforward, and at the same time, a lot more shocking.

"Since you know about realms, you must also know that upon surpassing the Earth Immortal realm, they ascend from the Crystal realm and go to another. They do not head towards a random realm, but one called Primordial Garden. As one can reasonably expect, the Crystal race also has a presence there, though admittedly we are nowhere nearly as indomitable there as we are here.

"When the Kraven invasion began, even before the Poliods were defeated, the Crystal nation detected the true threat that such a race faced. Just as we were getting ready to lend a hand, we were contacted by one of the elders who had transcended the Crystal realm. Contact through the realms is not easy, and so is reserved for only the most important news. The details of that message… I will keep to myself for now. All I will tell you is that afterwards, all plans to actively act against the Kraven were abolished."

Lex was shocked, but at the same time he already expected some kind of conspiracy so this was an acceptable outcome for him. It was instead Belmont who was shaken the most.

"Lies! You have to be lying! I have never heard of such an absurd thing!" he roared furiously, the crystal that made up his face taking on a red hue.

"Why are you reacting like a spoiled child?" Ezio asked, almost annoyed at Belmont.

"It's easy to confirm. Now that you know, you can consult the permanent members of the Crystal Parliament. They will only ask you how you find out, and then fill you in on the details."

The more confident Ezio sounded, the more shaken Belmont became. If he were not already sitting, he might have stumbled. Lex did not understand the relevance as to him it made perfect sense. If orders or instructions came from a more senior person within the same race, it made sense that they followed it. 

That did not necessarily mean that the Crystal race was the mastermind behind the scenes. Maybe they were just avoiding some hidden, unknown danger under the guidance of their race members from a higher realm. It was too soon to jump to conclusions as there could be many explanations.

Unfortunately, it seemed like he would not find out why Belmont was so startled right now.

"Do you have more?" Ezio asked Lex. "From the way you spoke, I'm sure you've learnt more important things."