The Innkeeper

Speaking of five years, there was another matter as well. Vera had given him a prophecy, and told him that he needed to visit a specific planet in exactly five years. Those five years, he was sure, referred to Origin realm years, so that was something he needed to keep in mind.

With various different time flows to deal with now, keeping track of time in each realm would be something that required conscious effort.

At last, there was one final thing he needed to consider and decide before once again sealing the Inn. Should he send his clone out into the Origin realm, or keep it here within the Midnight realm?

There were benefits to both, which is why this was something he had been unable to instantly decide. He could only deliberate it over the next few days.

With all his decisions made, Lex began to act. Time was of the essence. He wanted to minimize his time as much as possible, but how long that was depended on how quickly the Infinity Emporium provided him with the embers.

Lex teleported back to X-142 and was about to head into the emporium when he paused, and itched his nose. After spending so much time in the Midnight realm, coming back to the Origin realm made him feel slightly nauseous.

Considering the fact that he was in the Nascent realm, making him feel anything was a considerable task. But this nausea was not random. It was only now that he had returned to the Origin realm that he realized how impure its spirit energy felt. It was not something he had noticed before.

But why was that the case? He had never noticed anything wrong with the spiritual energy here before, nor had he heard anyone complain. Sure, there were some places with higher and lower energy concentrations, but that was normal.

But his instincts told him that this was a matter he should pay attention to, but it wasn't dangerous.

Lex rubbed his nose, as if clearing something out, before returning to normal. The nausea faded, but he could not forget that it had been there to begin with.

Lex walked into the Emporium, and could not help but notice that the energy here was much purer.

"Lex, my friend, I was wondering when I'd see you again," said Powell excitedly. "I have some great news! Hehe, did you know someone captured videos of the Silent Wanderer in one of the Fuegan warzones. Rumor has it that… the owner of the ship even dared threaten Earth immortals right inside the command center and survived unharmed!

"Hehe, that news, alongside a lot of clever marketing has caused the Havalier Industries to become even more famous! They approached the emporium, wondering if they could connect to the owner of the Wanderer for future marketing cooperation. Long story short, I, your good brother, got you two free models of their latest ship, the Silent Dream!"

Lex was stunned. This was unexpected.

Powell laughed seeing Lex's expression, and seemed even happier.

"Come quickly! I've been waiting for you to come for so long! Thankfully you're here, so I can finally show them to you."

Powell practically dragged Lex to the back of the shop and brought him to a hangar. There were a number of ships parked, but none of them contained the same elegance as the Silent Wanderer. Though the reason for that was quickly explained.

Much like the Silent Wanderer, Silent dream could be stored in a special spatial container. Powell activated the container that looked like an arm band, and a massive ship appeared in front of him.

If the Silent Wanderer had been a corvette class ship, then this one was a Frigate. It was much larger, so it could contain not only hundreds if not thousands of people as well as a lot of cargo, but it was also greatly armored and had visible weapon components on its exterior.

Frigate class ships, while mainly designed for scouting and patrols purposes, could also take on offensive and defensive roles.

Sure, it lacked the stealth and speed of the Silent Wanderer, but the Silent Dream's purpose was also different. This was more suited for long voyages through space, or for exploratory purposes.

Lex turned to look at Powell, whose eyes were sparkling as he looked up at the ship.

"You said there were two of these?" he asked.

"Yes, yes. Actually, there were going to be more, but for that you would need to actively participate in marketing. With just two, you have no obligation to do anything. Havalier Industries just hopes that if you participate in any more interstellar warfare, you can record a few videos for marketing purposes."

"This is excellent. I'll happily take one, and I think you deserve to have the other."

Powell was stunned, and looked at Lex in shock.

"No, no, this is yours, how could I…"

"Yes, it's mine. And I'm giving you one as a gift for helping me get such a good deal. Since it's mine, I can give it as a gift, right?"

"I… I guess," Powell said, trying to hide his own excitement. He was clearly a little awkward about this, but the fact that he liked the gift was enough for Lex. The emporium had been integral in his journey, so building better relations with Powell was not a bad idea. Moreover, it didn't cost him anything either.

"Now Powell, I'd like to stay and chat with you here about this, but I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a time crunch, as I usually am. The list of items I need this time are not easy, but I've brought an advance payment. Three drops of Mountain Milk."

Powell was startled, and then his eyes gleamed. How could he ever forget why he loved Lex so much? He was always a big spender.

"First, I need all the information you have on fairies. Secondly, I just came back from another realm, and I can't help but notice that the energy in this realm seems… polluted, for some reason. If you have any information about that, I'd like to purchase all related information. I need 1000 Fire tribulation embers. Oh, also, I need a comprehensive instruction manual about treasure manufacturing, formations, pill refinement…"

The list of things Lex needed this time was extremely extensive which was really troubling. But Powell wished he would face these kinds of troubles everyday!