The Innkeeper

For a long time now, Larry had been living at the Midnight Inn. Using the Guild room to make some money made it very easy for him to stay there indefinitely, and the conveniences it offered made it the preferable choice - not to mention the perpetual safety from assassinations it offered.

It also allowed him to get his hands on resources and gear that he'd never be able to find on earth.

He'd rented a courtyard where he mostly lived by himself though his girlfriend spent a lot of time there as well. The most convenient thing about having his own place at the Inn though was that he could build his setup as he desired without fear of someone breaking in and getting their hands on his stuff.

Dozens of screens were attached to walls in the room he was in, completely isolated from the noise of the many servers he had stacked in the next room. The phenomenal temperature control at the Inn kept the servers running at optimal speeds without ever heating up. Though at the moment, his machines weren't doing anything processor heavy. Various videos played on the different screens, all of them muted. They depicted the various defenses around the place they were about to venture into.

Larry kept his gaze fixed on one massive temple, even as his attention was diverted towards Lex's message. So basically, he didn't need to worry about getting in trouble as long as he collected plenty of evidence?

He didn't show much of a reaction on his face as he put on his gear. He was not disappointed because of Lex's absence in the mission. No, his only thought was on the mission ahead of him. Today… he would finally face the man responsible for everything that happened to him.

He teleported out of the Inn.

*****

Alexander resisted the urge to groan. Although he could not say the challenge he faced was completely inconceivable, it definitely wasn't what he had expected when he heard of the pagoda.

His body was still getting used to the incredibly heavy gravity in the room. It was not just a matter of warming up his muscles or activating his spirit energy. Every single function in his body had come under an additional stress that it had to fight against.

His spirit energy felt heavier as he channeled it, slowing down all his techniques. His blood was pulled away from his brain and towards his legs, forcing his body to put in extra work just to keep that from happening. The air itself felt heavy in his lungs, making it difficult for the oxygen to diffuse into his blood without hurting his lungs themselves.

All of that was happening simultaneously and continuously. He did not know how much stronger the gravity was. His brain was not some kind of machine that could accurately calculate that the gravity was X times heavier than normal, causing him to expend Y% more energy.

All he knew was… his defensive armor came with a cup that was crushing him! After taking a moment to adjust himself, he felt much more comfortable. Or at least, as comfortable as he could be given the situation.

He stood at the very entrance of the pagoda, and in front of him was a line etched into the ground. Once he crossed the line, his first trial would officially begin.

"Picked a bad time to start but… oh well." He used a special technique, activating his backpack causing it to change form. It began wrapping itself around him, not forming an armor, but a skeletal frame. When it was complete, it revealed itself to be an exosuit!

Not only did the suit compliment all of his physical capabilities exponentially, it was the first step in mastering some of the strongest weapons the empire had to offer.

As he stepped forward, Alexander's eyes carried none of the hesitation or confusion he had been feeling the past few days. While there was a part of him that felt things he could not understand, there was also an overwhelming part of him that craved the challenge before him. He would become the best, slowly but steadily.

He took a step forward.

*****

Lex had moved the entrance to the Minor realm he took to calling the Pagoda realm - out of sheer convenience - to the Immortal Bastion. He expected it to be devoid of any crowds since the Bastion was not so popular yet, and the empire had only just gotten its hands on the realm. He was sorely mistaken.

A neat and orderly line of soldiers moved through the realm entrance, completely unprompted by anyone. He attributed it to the discipline of the army, and got in line himself.

A young man dressed casually, he stood out from the crowd of armored soldiers, though no one paid too much attention to him.

When it was finally Lex's turn and he entered the realm, he was stunned. Already having experienced teleportation besides the one caused by the golden keys, he was ready for the uneasy feeling.

What he was not ready for, however, was the extremely well developed alley he would come out to. It had only been a few hours since he told Jotun that they would take control of the realm so he did not really expect any real results.

At most he expected the empire would mobilize some forces and occupy the realm, before slowly developing certain parts of it. After all, not everyone had access to a magical system that would spawn buildings out of thin air.

He did not account for the fact that in place of that, the empire had massive, extremely sophisticated 3D printers that were literally building a fort around Lex before his very eyes.

Someone bumped into him, waking him from his reverie and reminding him to step out of the way of the entrance.

After apologizing, Lex moved to the side so he could actually admire the work the empire was doing.

Around the entrance to the realm, which had taken the shape of a door frame filled with white light through which people came, the empire had built a simple yet elegant patio. He expected they would change that in the future, but for now, it made for a beautiful entrance and exit to the realm.

He expected that the entrance had originally been placed in the wild, but it did not look that way right now. A tiled road had already been built in front of the entrance, going straight. He expected that it would eventually lead to a gate, or perhaps a security check through which everyone would pass. For now, it ended near a wall that was being built at the very moment, forming the periphery for a massive, rectangular fort!

There were a few ships flying around in the air above him, perhaps scanning and surveying the area. What Lex didn't understand was, when and how these machines got here. Lex had not seen them at the Inn, which meant that the empire probably brought parts and constructed them right here in the realm!

The soldiers who were entering the realm were all reporting to various stations, from where they were being sent in every direction. He could imagine that in only a few days, this place would undergo a complete makeover.

But regardless of how amazing the technology of the empire seemed, and how amazing the end result was, it lacked the finish that the Inn gave! But it was not like he was accusing them of being lacking. They were already incredible enough by coming close.

Lex stepped forward and asked someone for directions to the pagoda, for he couldn't exactly see it anywhere on the horizon.

The soldier informed him that it was actually not that close to the entrance and offered him a spot in one of the ships flying around in the air.

He promptly agreed and soon found himself climbing aboard the sleek aircraft called Slingshot alongside a few other soldiers heading in the same direction.

"Why is it called Slingshot?" Lex asked the soldier sitting next to him, confused. The design did not really look anything like one.

The man only chuckled. But Lex did not need to hear his response, as he immediately understood when the ship rose vertically into the air till it was high enough, then suddenly shot into the distance like a slingshot! He went from 0 to a 100 real quick, and then a 1000, and then probably beyond.

Fortunately, the aptly named ship did not stop as abruptly as it launched, and began slowing down only a few minutes later as it ventured into a valley. A very regal and majestic looking pagoda stood in the heart of the valley, surrounded by what seemed like an ocean of white crystals.

Lex's intuition, which had so far been silent, began acting up again. There was something in the pagoda that was extremely valuable, though that was not a surprise.

Lex only took a moment to appreciate the beauty around him once he disembarked. But he was generally an impatient man, and not one for building suspense. He stepped in.