Chapter 2343: Missing karma
Chapter 2343: Missing karma
Lex had rarely taken such a massive risk before. His preference was to act from a position of safety if possible. While he was becoming more active as of late, he still knew what lines not to cross. The closest he’d ever come to something as dangerous as this was when he used Jack to approach the seven Dwarf Dragon Dao Lords.
Now, though, he was approaching via his last lifeline. If anything happened to the necklace, it was unlikely that he’d be able to get back his body and system. Jack, while formidable, was no match for his stalker.
Although Lex had done some basic research on the Dao Lord, it was not nearly enough to be sure. Heck, he could not even be sure that the Fortune Lord was the very same as the one who had written the letter. He could be someone who came afterwards.
After all that, even if they were one and the same, what excuse did Lex even have that warranted him calling a Dao Lord? Just that he wanted to harvest some more resources? No, it was not a good enough excuse.
And yet, Lex decided to take this risk boldly. He was not concerned with just the stalker. No, Lex set his gaze on the enemy after that, and the one after that. From now on, he had to set his eyes on the Dao and nothing else. Only enemies in the Dao were real enemies, and only by approaching such a realm could he secure his future.
Otherwise, even if he survived now, his ending would ultimately be the same.
Lex looked at the figure standing in front of him, even though he had originally intended on keeping his eyes closed. Without the protection of the Midnight Inn or the Host Attire, even the mere sight of a Dao Lord could prove to be dangerous.
Yet as the figure appeared in front of Lex, he could not help but stare at him in amazement. Although Lex had never seen the figure before, he recognized the race at a single glance. Before him stood a qilin, its body that of a magnificent stag, a dragon head and a lion’s tail. Its scales were like that of a dragon, but held a pattern of flowing clouds, while its mane was made of blue flames.
Its presence was not massive or overbearing. Instead, his presence was refreshing and reinvigorating. All of Lex’s anxieties melted away in his presence, and he had a feeling that everything would be alright.
"Hey, hey, would you look at that, you found my message in a bottle," Romulus said with a hint of pleasant surprise in his voice as he glanced upon Lex. "It was quite the idea on my part, you know. You wouldn’t think so, but bottles are naturally excellent containers, and their unique shape makes it very easy to freeze time within them."
Lex glanced at the green bottle that had, at some point, appeared in his hand. Behind him, Mithon wagged her tail excitedly as she glanced upon Romulus.
"Lord Fortune! Lord Fortune! The Gilded Hollow has opened back up once again! I was bringing the senior to tell you!" she said from the back, clearly demonstrating that this wasn’t the first time she had seen him.
"Mithon, good job, although I already knew about the Hollow opening. Still, I guess you’ve been in exile long enough. Considering the changing times, you may return to the stronghold," Romulus said, shaking his head like a doting grandfather, before turning his gaze back to Lex.
"You’re an interesting one, though. I actually can’t see through your past. You must have someone pretty strong backing you. You said something about the Midnight Inn? What is that?"
Lex bowed humbly, extremely grateful that the Fortune Lord had enough control over his Dao not to annihilate him by accident just by standing close by.
"The Midnight Inn is an Inn run by the Innkeeper, and it is an inn open to guests from around the universe. Though these days the war has made it so that the Inn has had to minimize its operations. If you leave from here, though, the Inn would be most honored to host you," Lex said extremely humbly.
The Fortune Lord nodded, as if the answer was within his range of expectations.
"The Innkeeper. Very nice. I wonder if he’s an old friend. It’s been too long since I’ve been stuck in the Hollow. Alright then Lex, is there anything here you need to do? I have some questions I’d like to ask you, and I’m sure you have matters you want to discuss as well. Such things would be better done behind the walls of the Fortune stronghold."
Lex was quite surprised by how amicable and down to earth the Fortune Lord was behaving, for even the friendliest Dao Lords hardly ever behaved like that. It’s exactly what ’supposedly’ made the Innkeeper so unique.
"I have no other business here," Lex confirmed.
The qilin nodded, and then transported the three of them to the Fortune stronghold. Lex wasn’t even sure if it counted as teleportation. Whatever it was, they were suddenly safe. Oh, and all of Lex’s positive karma seemed to have temporarily detached from himself, fusing in with the city instead. But that hardly seemed to matter at the moment.
Lex found himself standing under a ridiculously large money tree, with its leaves spreading out over him to reluctantly cast their shade upon him. Instead of grass, the ground was covered in four leaf clovers, and there was a massive pot of gold on the side, the shine from the gold causing a rainbow to spread.
"You don’t need to worry about any forced retributions while you’re within this land," Romulus said, appearing right beside Lex. "You can stay here as long as you like. But I get the feeling that you’re not the type to sit still, are you?"
Lex smiled, and began to consider his next moves. It actually all depended on the whims of this Dao Lord.