The Innkeeper

Lex did not teleport away after getting the information he needed. It would be quite rude. Besides, considering that Vera had chosen this as the location for their meeting meant that she wanted to have a lengthy conversation, probably.

But he wasn't in a rush to start the conversation himself, either. For a time, he just sat in silence and enjoyed the view. The scenery was like something out of a cartoon, as so much of the flora was now from different planets. While Lex's favorite remained the purple crystal trees, the turtle had been especially busy in adapting endless types of plants to the environment of the Inn.

For that he also introduced many new kinds of insects, which had now spread across the space of the Inn, and already gone through several generations. Fortunately, the newborn insects counted as Inn workers, so Lex ordered them to stay out of sight when guests were around so as to not observe them.

He did not, however, interfere in their food chain. So the many birds and animals ate insects, the insects devoured the dead leaves, and the feed left out for them by the workers, and the soil was nourished by their actions. Between this all, some animals fought with one another as well, and on a few occasions, left behind a few corpses for the insects to feast on. All of this happened well out of sight of his guests.

But it was also interesting how different animals, which were a part of the Inn and obeyed his orders, continued their original food chain despite being fellow workers of the Inn. That meant the system did not actually stop Inn workers from harming one another. Or perhaps, this was only limited to species with limited to no knowledge.

Lex turned his gaze to the sky, and saw the tiny, floating city pass by. There was also a strange bird he had never seen before, but a quick scan revealed that it was actually a guest beast.

Though Lex's body was still aching due to the fact that it had not completely recovered, his mind felt increasingly at peace as he observed the changing scenery.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Vera asked, her voice strangely somber. "Oddly enough, before coming to the Inn, I always preferred living in a Metropolis. But here, I seem to have developed a strange fondness for such a peaceful environment."

Lex did not answer immediately, as he allowed his thoughts to wander as well. He felt strangely similar. Wasn't that also why he had moved to New York?

"I think it's for safety," he finally said. "In a city, around so many people, you feel safe, even if you don't necessarily know them. Compared to the countryside, where you might not see another person for miles and miles, and you feel so alone, it feels more secure. But at the Inn, you don't have that problem, so you let your guard down. You let yourself appreciate nature."

They shared a moment, before Vera snorted.

"I was a political prisoner. Trust me, I was as safe as could be. I'd lose value if anything happened to me. But, maybe you're right. I don't know what it is. It's strange that I know so many things about the future, but I can't even understand my own feelings in the present."

She turned and looked at Lex oddly.

"You're another one who I can't really see through, you know. No matter how I try the same techniques on you, I can't seem to see anything. There are only a few, very rare moments where you suddenly appear in my visions. They're always so specific that I can't help but think you somehow block out my divination except when you want something from me."

Lex smiled awkwardly.

"Trust me, I do not know nearly enough about divinations to do something like that, at least consciously."

Vera shrugged and said, "I guessed as much. Honestly, I don't mind. It's refreshing to talk to someone without knowing how they're going to reply for once. But that's not why I wanted to talk to you. You know about the convention for the new generation of diviners I recently held, right?"

"Yeah, I know about it, though I don't know what happened in it."

Honestly, he had been so busy that he even forgot about it completely.

"Nothing too major," she said nonchalantly, as if countless people had not traversed entire realms to get golden keys to attend the meeting. As a result, the golden keys of the Midnight Inn had also spread across multiple other realms, though none of those keys had been used yet.

"We just all discussed the fact that a Nexus event is approaching in the future, and will likely result in the death of many oracles. We simply discussed a few… precautions."

"What's a Nexus event?" Lex asked curiously. They had finally gotten to Vera's main concern.

"A Nexus event is… how should I put this? Treat fate as something that can be predicted, for a moment. But, when too many major events with incalculable repercussions take place close together, they not only obscure fate, they completely destroy the ties of fate. Once the Nexus event passes, the ties of fate reconnect, just as they were before. But… but if one knows what they are doing, they can simply change their fate, or perhaps even hide from it.

"A Nexus event is an event that causes even Destiny to fail, if only for a short time. It is a time full of extreme peril, and at the same time, extreme opportunities."

Vera paused, as she looked at the baby, trying to observe its expressions for any indication of what he was thinking. But a baby was too difficult to read. Their expressions were all over the place.

"I take it that you have something in mind for this Nexus event," Lex said slowly, his interest in the matter growing.

"Oh, you have no idea," she responded, a smile growing on her face.