The Innkeeper

Chaper 1367  Meeting

"That's… that's the troublesome part," Powell said, looking incredibly awkward. "We reached out to Zuri to set up the meeting, but she responded with a simple message. She is waiting for you in the cottage atop the peak of the Midnight Mountain."

Lex paused, and frowned for the briefest of moments before turning normal once again.

"Excellent. I will go talk to her and see what can be done. Don't worry, if a deal is struck, I will give the Emporium a commission for setting this up. I also need a couple of other seeds. Shall I place the order with you now?"

Powell shook his head in embarrassment.

"Please, we cannot accept any payment for a failed commission on our behalf. Furthermore, for any seeds you require, Zuri might be a better source than us. Our integrity does not allow us to make gains where we failed to deliver on our promise."

Lex merely nodded, applauding the Emporium's high moral standard, before turning to leave. His attention, now, was on Zuri.

The way in which she had sent the message, and was already waiting for him at the Inn carried a hint of a plot. It was as if she already knew everything Lex wanted, and was just waiting for him.

But the problem was, he could not see how she could have spied on Lex, as he would have noticed. Or, perhaps, considering that she was in the Celestial realm, she had a way to observe him without him detecting.

But since she was already waiting for him at the Inn, he would go and meet with her. He wanted to see what this was all about.

He returned to the Inn, but instead of teleporting directly to the stated cottage, he appeared at the base on the mountain. Within the Inn, he was well aware of everyone, so he already could tell that Zuri was sitting in the previously stated cottage, though her appearance was not the same as she had used last time.

Instead, she appeared in the form of a treant, patiently keeping an eye out for him. Since that was the case, it would be a little rude to teleport to her directly, so he allowed her to detect his arrival from afar. Considering the ambiguous nature of this meeting, he did not want to startle her.

Even so, his arrival did not take long. He knocked on the cottage door politely, walking in only when the door opened on its own.

"Lady Zuri, we meet again," Lex said politely,

Zuri turned to look at him, her form slowly turning into what he saw previously. Her appearance was absolutely brilliant, carrying with her the charm of an older woman. But Lex was not impressed. Rather, he just wondered why the need for the facade of changing appearances.

"Lex Williams, it is a pleasure to meet you once more. You have grown quite a bit since our last meeting."

"My journey has been quite tumultuous since then. Growth was more a matter of necessity than anything else. Some obstacles I had to clear with my own strength, while others I had to clear through the strength of my contacts."

Lex and Zuri looked at each other as a silence fell in between them. The hidden meaning behind Lex's words was quite simple. For enemies he could deal with himself, he would do so, and those he could not defeat himself, he would rely on his connections.

It was nothing unusual, actually. But to state it out so simply like this was for a deterrent effect. Considering the nature of their meeting, the meaning behind his words should have been evident. Yet Zuri only smiled.

"You are very interesting, Lex. Do you know? Most people I know never come across more than one of my clones their entire lives. Despite how common my clones are, compared to how vast the Origin realm is, it is as good as nothing. The fact that you keep running into my clones, time and time again, is already interesting enough. But the fact that every time you meet my clone, you give it an interesting show to watch is even more intriguing.

"It seems to me that in just one year, the number of monumental events you face are more than most people face in a century."

"Like I said, I've lived a tumultuous life. It's quite strange, I never noticed any of these clones of yours that you're mentioning."

Zuri laughed and stood up.

"If my clones were so easy to detect, then I would have done a very bad job with them. Their whole purpose is to be concealed. Through them, I have seen much of the Origin realm. Perhaps, I have seen too many things that I was not supposed to see.

"But let's put this matter aside for now. I've heard you want a seed. It just so happens, I have the seed you want. What will you pay me for it?"

"Is there something special you need?" Lex asked. "I know it is a Celestial level ingredient, and ordinary currency cannot exactly be used to pay for it."

Zuri turned and studied Lex, looking at him deeply. She knew things about him that he probably had not realized she knew. That gave her a slight advantage if they were to end up in some kind of negotiation. But the fact of the matter was, she had a very mature understanding of humans, and based on that, she could judge Lex's personality as well. Being direct would be much more useful than anything else. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Do you remember the request I made of you last time we met?" she asked.

"You wanted me to ask the Sovereign turtle if it wanted to come to you. I asked, and it was not interested."

"Naturally, it would not be interested. The things the Innkeeper can offer, naturally I cannot. But that does not mean that another arrangement cannot be drawn up. I require the turtles assistance on some matters. If you can negotiate with it on my behalf, I will give you the seed you want."