The Innkeeper

While Lex was planning out how to fulfill the requirements of the tower and get out of it, the Inn seemed to be running well on autopilot. All the staff was well trained and Mary knew what to do in most situations. Moreover, it had only been a short while since the connection between Lex and the system was blocked, so the chances of something going wrong were abysmally low.

Unfortunately, sometimes it did not matter how low the chances were. After the previous star rank upgrade, countless immortals had received just the push they needed to move up in rank. That had naturally led to a rain of lightning tribulations. There were naturally other tribulations but they were not as prominent as the lightning ones.

But it had been months now, so the frequency of tribulations had dropped drastically. The tribulations had not, however, completely disappeared. This was because the process of cultivation at higher levels took a much longer period. It would not be surprising if there continued to be tribulations for many years still just based on the previous star rank increase.

Even among the tribulations, there were various levels. For example, the tribulation that Ragnar had faced had been the most devastating so far, due to his incredibly high cultivation level.

Now, it just so happened that mere minutes after Lex's connection was cut, one such tribulation once again started to arrive. Lex had already reinforced all the tribulation rooms with formations and protections similar to the one Ragnar faced, hoping it would be enough to contain the destruction. Now, it would be put to the test.

*****

Lex's spirit energy swept through the hall as he used various spiritual techniques to influence the environment. Slowly, the overwhelmed ministers began to notice that, despite their own lamentable state, the atmosphere in the room began to change. Soon, it no longer felt like this was a hall where they were waiting for a death sentence. Instead, it felt like this was a grand hall, befitting a great and glorious King - one who was the ruler of a strong and prosperous nation.

Instead of handles and chandeliers, the room had large metal bowls which contained fire to light up the room. As if it had been injected with the perfect kindling, the flames grew into a larger blaze that nearly overflowed from the bowl, projecting its brilliant orange light across the hall.

A breeze seemed to blow in the hall, taking away the stale air and bringing in with a subtle scent of vanilla. It also seemed to blow away any and all dust and dirt that had accumulated in the hall, leaving it immaculate.

The ministers watched bewildered as the changes swept the hall, and were taken by complete surprise when the energy in the hall gathered around themselves as well! Their appearances seemed to change subtly!

Their wrinkles seemed to fade or disappear entirely, and their skin seemed to tighten. Though the skin did not suddenly become clear, it did look fresher. Their clothes did not change but somehow seemed to appear more grand than mere moments ago. Even their auras changed, and they went from being anxious and concerned to being completely relaxed and yet dignified.

The hall, previously a theater where a performance of nations was to take place, had become the court befitting someone who was to be called majesty.

The next change was amongst the soldiers. They stood at guard with their backs to the walls, facing the hall. Of the entire group, they were actually who needed Lex's help the least. Weak though their cultivation may have seemed in Lex's eyes, it was not for a lack of resolution or bravery. Their rough, tanned skin, their rippling, chiseled muscles, their firm, focused eyes all spoke of men who had faced the trials of battle.

Amongst their own ranks, where everyone had cultivation techniques of a similar quality, they were champions.

As such, they did not really need much bolstering. But Lex did it anyway. Their auras strengthened till they became suffocatingly overwhelming, and then he suppressed it to their bodies. If no one looked at them, they would not even know of their existence. But if one looked in their eyes, they would feel the full force of their augmented aura.

Some of these effects had been brought about by the various spiritual techniques Lex learnt and some, such as the breeze carrying vanilla scent, had been done by arrays. Even though Lex had learnt about such things, he had not gone into too much detail, so for now this is all he could really do. Although it might seem impressive to an outsider, he knew that those who considered themselves true nobles among cultivators took things to levels unimaginable to an outsider. But for Ferigo and its neighboring countries, which seemed somewhat lacking in regard to cultivation, this much should already be more than enough.

"When the envoys arrive, do not say anything, or interfere in any way," Lex commanded, his voice still just as firm as before. "Just pretend as if you are watching an interesting performance."

Lex swept his gaze over the ministers to judge if there was still any hesitation or reluctance in them, but found that his performance had thoroughly subdued them, and that though they were still confused, they chose to obey without delay.

Lex nodded gently. Though they had been made to wait nearly an entire day for the envoys, they had arrived precisely during the golden hour, making everything the sun touched even more pleasant to look at.

Lex looked down at himself and found that, instead of his suit, he was wearing a majestic robe of gold and white. Although he preferred his own attire, he supposed being dressed according to the situation was more important.

The doors leading to the hall suddenly produced a loud creak before being swung open by the guards station outside.

"Presenting the envoys from Solis, Havi and Nefario," he said loudly, announcing the identities of those who were arriving.

Three men, two who could be considered a little chubby while the third looked quite slim and fit, walked in followed by a number of retainers. The group had three distinct dressing styles so it was easy to distinguish which countries they belonged to.

Based on the knowledge he had acquired Lex could easily identify which group belonged to which country. Normally, based on his knack for hospitality, Lex would have stood up and warmly greeted these new guests. But, considering his current circumstances, he did not.

In fact, not only did he continue to sit, though he of course maintained excellent posture, he also tracked the group's arrival with his eyes, an amused smile on his lips.

"Forgive us, your majesty, for arriving so late. We came as soon as we heard of the awful attack," said one of the chubby men, the representative for Solis.

Before the man could continue his, no doubt, prepared spiel, Lex interrupted him.

"There is no need for apologies. Your poor infrastructure and lack of roads is common knowledge. The fact that you still managed to arrive so quickly speaks greatly of how you must have rushed to arrive after the incident."

Lex's voice was quite calm and even had a hint of praise, as if he was complimenting a child on trying his best.

The envoy from Solis froze momentarily, as his eyes bulged. Despite also being in the golden core himself, it took almost an entire second for him to get over the shock of open insult he had just suffered, as well as the veiled condescension.

It was true that their countries did not have many roads linking their various cities, especially if they were far from one another. So then, how could they possibly have roads heading towards Ferigo? All they had was one major road that was used for trade. After all, cultivators could easily make do without such things, so there was no need to waste money investing in them. The fact that mortals suffered greatly as a result was of little to no consequence.

The comment about their quick arrival was the most shocking. Though the King claimed to be praising them for their quick arrival, it was a fact that they could not have arrived so quickly if they had indeed departed after the incident happened. He was clearly making fun of their poor attempts to veil their involvement, or knowledge of, the incident.

The reason why he was shocked the most was because this was not the reaction he was expecting from Ferigo. Not only had they suffered a devastating loss in terms of leadership, they were in a weaker position, especially when facing all three countries at the same time. They should have been the most cautious, yet instead their King immediately broached the most sensitive topic as soon as they arrived, completely unafraid of offending them.

As envoys, they were naturally smart and trained in diplomacy. They immediately realized something was amiss, and that they might have possibly fallen into some trap.

It was at that moment that the three envoys suddenly realized that in the hall they had an audience. All the ministers of Ferigo had gathered, and were sitting in the corners of the room, as if they had come to watch a great show.