Chapter 2346: Dwindling fortunes
Chapter 2346: Dwindling fortunes
Although it had not appeared like it, Lex’s meeting with the Qilin was actually quite tense and difficult. While he appeared very relaxed, and he had complete mastery over his aura, there was no way of knowing how that meeting could have gone. In fact, even now, Lex could be under his observation, or he may be marked in certain ways that he could not discover at the moment.
Perhaps the reason was that no matter how friendly or approachable he seemed, to the point where he had personal relationships with the citizens of his stronghold, Lex had no idea what he wanted.
If Lex compared meeting him to Eclipse, there were a few distinct differences. While the Qilin thought himself to be the strongest Dao Lord, and Eclipse already had an established reputation for it, there were silent, unspoken differences. It was tough to pinpoint the difference, but if Lex had to differentiate...
Well, Eclipse talked to him and joked with him because she was completely indifferent to all power levels, such was her immense confidence. As for the Qilin...
Lex stopped himself from thinking further. He should not hold any unnecessary thoughts towards his host at all. So far, he had been nothing but accommodating and welcoming, and that was already a greater blessing than Lex could hope to expect from a Dao Lord unknown to him.
He walked through the halls of the Fortune palace, and somehow he already knew where to go. Though currently Lex existed in the form of a necklace, he had always projected himself as a human wearing the necklace, though the necklace was hidden beneath his suit.
Speaking of which, River and Pearl always found his attire quite strange, perhaps because in their communities their clothes were of a very different style. They had never been able to accept or understand the aesthetic appeal of his suit.
He could not help but think of them for a moment. Lex had spent quite a few years with that young couple, and though he restricted himself from acting most of the time, it was less because he didn’t like them and more because he did not want to taint them with his karma.
His future was uncertain, and it would be far too easy for them to wound up as collateral damage.
It was better for them to live their own lives, and navigate their own journey. He had a feeling that even without his interference, their journey would not be insignificant.
As he exited the palace and laid eyes on the Fortune stronghold, Lex pushed all other thoughts aside. The stronghold was quite different from what he had anticipated.
For as far as his eyes could see, or his spirit sense could extend, Lex only found fields of crops and orchards, with only the occasional buildings few and far between. Managing those were countless races, all working together in seamless harmony forming a multiracial utopia of sorts.
Just like Mithon, all the races he saw seemed simple and straightforward, all working together, forming the perfect harmony. The sight was quite relaxing, and Lex sensed that it also positively affected the fortunes of this place.
Yet only a moment later the oddly uniform behavioral patterns of all the farm workers suddenly reminded Lex of the Midnight Inn’s staff. While they all had their own unique personalities, they only ever came out after Lex insisted they focus a bit on their individualities.
Yet even when their personalities started to develop, what never changed was their firm and fixed loyalty towards the Midnight Inn and the Innkeeper! Lex did notice that whatever restrictions they had on their personalities seemed to diminish greatly after reaching the Immortal realm, by then their personality traits were already set.
He was not debating whether it was a good thing or bad, he was just making an observation. While making that observation, he also cut off his thought process, not letting himself ponder more on the implications.
The Fortune stronghold was far bigger than what Lex had expected, so he could only go down into the fields near the palace and approach one of the farm workers to ask for directions towards the city council.
The first worker Lex encountered was a Primordial Sun Crow, except that it lacked any and all primordial energy or aura. It hovered over a field of wheat, enhancing their growth through the light produced from its flames.
It was an unusual sight, but Lex didn’t dwell on that much.
"Excuse me, could you point me in the direction of the city council?" Lex asked as he approached, sensing that the crow was very deeply invested in its work and had no patience for small talk.
"You’ll have to take the tube underground to get there," the crow said after glancing at Lex. "I’ll get someone to take you down there, so don’t even try to dig down yourself. I don’t want you affecting the roots of my plants."
Lex wasn’t sure how to respond, especially since a few seconds later a Primordial mole dug out of the ground, opening up a route for Lex to enter the underground.
Lex thanked them and jumped down the hole.
"That’s odd. I don’t recall seeing a human that strong before," the mole commented, speaking to the crow.
"Humanities fortunes have dwindled considerably, but individuals can still accumulate some for themselves," the crow commented before flying away. It was too focused on its crops for small talk.
Lex had already left, but he heard the two beasts’ words. It seemed even within the Gilded Hollow, humans did not have it easy. He was not concerned with that for the moment, because the moment he landed in the underground tube system, he was reminded of the New York subway station.
It was difficult to tell from the quiet and peaceful scene up above, but the underground of the stronghold was bustling, with thousands of different races going about their own way.
In place of trains, the stronghold had worms pulling carts, but it was basically the same thing to be honest.