The Innkeeper

Eight hours later, Lex crawled out of his bathroom, feeling very weak. Why were the laws inside the blade of grass so much more potent than those inside the Cosmic Elixir?

This was not an assumption he made on his own, but the difference he felt in how deeply the laws affected him. He wondered if he would also develop an affinity for the law of growth, or if the law would just exhibit itself in his body. Whatever the case, he would not be able to eat the entire blade any time soon. It would take a while, possibly even a month!

One benefit, besides the alteration of his body, was that Pel was thoroughly impressed by Lex 'eating' laws, and became even more subservient. This was something he could not achieve even in his previous life.

While his physical fatigue recovered, Lex ate some food although he did not touch anything that he collected from the dragon yet. Even if he had a lot of food for now, it was essentially a limited stock so he was saving it for emergencies.

There was one other task he also wanted to do during this time. Although Leslie had predicted a certain danger and opportunity, he did not plan on living entirely according to a few predictions. After all, Leslie herself said it was difficult to predict his future.

That task was to begin the hunt for Barley! He did not intend to let this matter go so easily, as some secrets needed to be preserved as long as possible!

Making sure that he was covered from head to toe, Lex once again brought the special ticket using the ore that contained the planet's aura. A silver ticket appeared in his hand that he promptly tore, causing a familiar interface to appear before him.

Planets Available:

Planet: Tilaiya

Planet Rating: 3.5 Star

Planet Distance: 399 Sectors

Planet Environment: Dense spiritual energy, rich in resources, moderate climate. Perfect for a beach episode.

'A beach episode while I have no skin? The only thing that would be perfect for is giving children trauma,' thought Lex before selecting the planet and disappearing.

To avoid any problems, Lex was wearing his stealth suit from the get go, and had no intentions of getting involved in any kind of trouble.

Powell had already briefed him on the planet he was about to venture to. Tilaiya belonged to one of the rare neutral organizations in the Origin realm. They would not get involved in anyone else's business, regardless of how evil or good they were, and would stick to themselves. At the same time, they welcome everyone to come and visit their star systems as long as they obey the rules.

Since Lex was teleporting to the planet, instead of going through immigration which was the normal procedure, he would need to immediately report himself to the nearest facilitation center. He did not need to disclose his identity as long as he underwent an inspection that ensured he was not someone who had broken the laws within Tilaiya or an associated territory, so that should not present a problem.

Moreover, Powell himself assured him that even if his identity was known, the Tilaiyan authority would not be interested in his bounty at all, and he would enjoy the same protection and services as anyone else on the planet.

Moreover, Tilaiya was specifically a commerce oriented planet. It had trade ties with many major powers, and was one of the places where people came to dispose of any merchandise they had that was procured through less than official means. In a way, it was an open blackmarket.

This time, Lex really hoped he would manage to avoid trouble. But at the same time, he did not fear encountering a new problem. After all, although every time he got sucked into some unusual problems on each planet he would nearly die, it was quite exhilarating. Moreover, he had confidence in his strength. Even in the face of overwhelmingly strong enemies, Lex had managed to escape and prevail.

So, as long as everything went well, Lex intended to treat this like a shopping vacation with a side of slight assassination. If it didn't, well, then Lex would deal with things as they came.

When he reappeared, Lex found himself standing on a balcony looking out at a beautiful ocean view. The faint smell of salt in the air welcomed him, alongside the soothing sound of waves crashing against a seawall somewhere nearby.

Fresh and vibrant spiritual energy massaged his body, reinvigorating his somewhat tired cells.

The melodious sound of birds singing filled the sky, while the soft hum of a busy city hung in the air around Lex.

This was by far the best welcome he had on any planet he landed on. Just to be sure nothing was amiss, he turned and looked back. He half expected to find himself having landed right in the middle of a crime scene moments before the authorities came bursting in. Yet nothing like that happened. Behind him were a line of food carts, selling various snacks and foods to the pedestrians.

Speaking of whom, just a glance was enough for Lex to see multiple races, many of which he did not recognize. That's when the Fancy contact lenses came in handy, which provided him with all the necessary details at a glance.

Elves and dwarves seemed to be the most common, but there were bests, fairies, insects, and others… uhh, other things as well.

Lex looked around a couple times, even peering up at the sky as if expecting a meteor to fall down, yet nothing happened.

"How disappointing," he murmured, before he began strolling. He needed to find a facilitation center and register himself before doing anything else. Tilaiya was a very busy planet, and would likely be very important to him in the future. Through the various facilities available here, Lex could begin linking other nearby planets to the Inn as well.

That was not to mention how this planet was linked to countless forces, giving him access to so many more possibilities. As such, it was naturally for the best that no problems popped up here.

Lex took in the sights as he walked around, amazed at the brilliance of a 3.5 star planet. The spiritual energy was thick, yes, but it also contained a vibrance that was almost exciting to feel. If the energy inside Pel's castle was hot, then the energy here was 'fresh'.

Everything seemed to be affected by the energy, and seemed more energetic somehow. The colors of the sky changed subtly with every step he took, and the mood of the pedestrians around him was extremely positive. It was as if everyone here had great mental health just by being here! How was that possible?

The technology on this planet was also very interesting to see. Unlike on earth, where everything was manufactured using various raw materials, on this planet technology seemed to be fused with plants.

Instead of screens, items had a kind of crystal embedded in them which would project out holograms, while each piece of technology was powered by their roots which were buried in the ground, through portable batteries which looked more like fruits than cells,or directly through spiritual energy.

For some odd reason, even though everything was quite alien, using their technology was quite intuitive. In fact, Lex quickly learned that he could interact with many devices and give commands directly using his spirit sense.

Lex did not see any vehicles around, on the ground or in the air, but he was sure there had to be some. Perhaps they were hidden underground.

After finding a few road signs, Lex discovered that he was in a small coastal town, which would explain the lack of tall metropolitan buildings. But even this small coastal town was impressive, as Lex could sense powerful auras everywhere he went. Countless buildings seemed to radiate a powerful aura as well, which reminded Lex of what he had learned about high society in the cultivation world. Even the 'sensation' of their energy and aura was something they paid attention to.

The buildings were beautiful as well, despite the fact that they seemed to deviate from the theme of using plants. They did not look like they were grown, but instead looked like they were sculpted from various majestic rocks. For all he knew, they might as well be.

After an hour or so of walking around, Lex finally found a facilitation center.

"Welcome to the Golden Breezer local facilitation center. How may I help you?" asked a young, energetic girl, who his lenses identified as a member of the Blaze race. She had an elven appearance, meaning she looked like a tall human with pointed ears, with the sole exception that her skin looked like it was made of blue fire.

"Hi, I teleported over to Talaiya, so I wanted to have my arrival registered."

"Oh? But all teleportations have been sealed? How did you get in?" the girl asked, looking genuinely curious.