Lex, tentu saja, langsung tahu kalau Tetsuya merasa canggung soal sesuatu. Gampang nebak kalau pria ini ingat nama Lex. Lex ragu kalau dia bahkan tau nama itu dari awal.
Jadi wajar aja kalau dia lakuin hal masuk akal: manipulasi semua kejadian sekitar Tetsuya supaya dia nggak pernah denger orang lain panggil nama Lex, dan liat berapa lama dia bisa mainin game ini.
Mengingat Lex sendiri udah abadi sekarang, dan Tetsuya kelihatan cukup kompeten buat sampe level itu suatu hari, bakal lucu kalo ribuan tahun kemudian mereka tetep ketemu, tapi Tetsuya masih nggak tau nama dia.
"Ngomong-ngomong, walau wajah lo beda, aku saranin jangan pake nama Paul selagi di tavern. Nggak usah nebas-nabas nasib," kata Lex, ngejek pria itu sambil ngomongin nama lagi.
"Ah gampang. Karena nggak ada yang tau nama asli gue, gue bisa pake nama Tetsuya selagi di tavern," jawab Tetsuya, melirik Lex mengharap respons serupa.
"Ah, iya, kedengarannya bagus. Mari, aku perkenalin lo ke Treehouse karena lo tamu resmi pertama kami di planet ini," kata Lex, nggak langsung ke resepsi, tapi ke sebuah air mancur yang dia bangun secara literal menit lalu, pake kemampuan manufaktur harta karunnya. Gampang, karena air mancur itu harta karun sederhana.
Cairan yang mengalir di air mancur bukan air, tapi ramuan yang Lex beli dari Toko Hadiah. Dia mikir dia bisa belanja sedikit di sini sana. Intinya, ramuan itu cuma nyegarkan pikiran dan badan siapa aja yang minum.
Untuk sekarang, masuk tavern, fungsinya cuma nyegarkan pikiran. Tapi buat tamu yang pulang, sebelas minum dari ramuan itu bisa bantuin mereka tahan panas hari Arra-kis yang menggunaka. Bukan berarti Lex rasa Treehouse-nya butuh fitur tambahan buat menarik perhatian, tapi belakangan ini dia mulai mikir detail-detail kecil kayak gini saat memikirkan cara meningkatkan Inn.
Dibanding minum embun acak yang ngumpul di rumput, minum dari air mancur ini paling tidak opsi yang jauh lebih terhormat, itu kenapa dia pengen memperkenalkannya ke Tetsuya.
"Ini Air Mancur Rejuvenasi. Sebutir tegukan saja bisa membantu merevitalisasi tamu datang dan pergi, bikin mereka pulih dari kelelahan dan melindungi mereka dari elemen-elemen alam untuk sementara."
Ramuan itu nggak bisa tahan lama di luar wadah khusus dari Toko Hadiah, itu kenapa Lex khusus bikin air mancur ini yang bisa support keberadaannya. Tapi itu juga berarti kalau ramuan itu diambil sebentar, efektivitasnya hilang. Proteksi kecil buat mencegah penimbunan dan pencurian - bukan berarti dia duga hal kayak gini bakal terjadi. Sama sekali.
Tetsuya masukin tangan ke air mancur dan ambil secengkeram, minum setelah jeda sebentar. Sekitar dia mikir apakah mungkin beracun atau bawa risiko tersembunyi. Tapi dia cepet kesimpulan kalau pengelola tavern sulit ditangkap ini yang namanya nggak bisa diinget Tetsuya bukan orang simpel. Kalau dia mau melukai Tetsuya, dia nggak butuh trik rumit kayak gini.
g
Saat tegukan pertama masuk, matanya melebar merasakan aliran energi dingin lewat pikirannya, melenyapkan segala kantuk dan bikin dia merasa jaga. Kayak kopi, tapi lebih enak! Badannya udah pulih jadi dia nggak merasakan efek di badan, tapi bahkan begitu dia merasakan pasti bakal bantu kalau dia baru sampe di Treehouse dan belom minum embun di daun-daun.
"Ayok, masih banyak yang bisa dilihat di dalam," kata Lex, nggak lama-lama sambil mengajak Tetsuya ke resepsi. Keduanya bisa mudah lompat sampai ke tempat Treehouse sebenarnya dimulai bahkan lewat resepsi, tapi siapa yang bakal apresiasi kerja keras Lex bikin resepsinya?
Resepsinya nggak terlalu besar. Interiornya sejuk tapi nyaman, lantai marmer, panel kayu di dinding, dan ukiran rumit dekat atap. Secara ketat, interior Meja resepsi di ujung berlawanan, dengan beberapa pekerja menunggu di sana.
Tamu nggak perlu check-in buat masuk tavern, jelas. Sebaliknya, pekerja di sana buat ngontrol formasi teleportasi supaya tamu bisa naik. Tentu saja, ada juga tangga yang bisa dipakai tamu kalau mau.
"Struktur utamanya nggak terlalu tinggi, tapi buat kenyamanan aku tambahin beberapa formasi teleportasi," jelasin Lex saat mereka melangkah ke platform putih yang nggak kelihatan seperti formasi.
Formasi ini diciptain Lex sendiri, jadi nggak bisa capai teleportasi mulus kayak Midnight Inn. Tapi sebagai orang yang cukup jago manipulasi ruang, wawasan Lex soal ini cukup besar sehingga dia tingkatkan formasi ini secara signifikan. Saat Tetsuya melangkah ke platform dan teleportasi terjadi. Sebagai kultivator Golden Core, lewat ruang nggak nyaman tapi juga nggak beban besar. Tapi mengejutkan, dia hampir nggak merasakan fluktuasi, atau tekanan, sebelum muncul kembali di aula baru yang lebih besar.
"Ini lobi utama Treehouse, dan mengarah ke berbagai bagian, seperti kamar-kamar, deck pemandangan, teras pengamatan bintang, Toko Hadiah, Ruang Meditasi, Ruang Latihan, dan yang paling penting, ke tempat makan!"
Selama tavern adalah tempat tamu bisa malam, yang paling dikenal adalah makanannya, minumannya, dan suasana gemas tapi gembira secara keseluruhan. Atau setidaknya, itu cara Lex nge-liatnya.
Buat itu, tempat makan itu penting banget. Bahkan, Lex ragu-dua soal naro tempat makan di atas pohon, dan mempertimbangkan naro di kebun bawah, karena bakal kasih akses mudah ke tamu. Tapi akhirnya dia putuskan makan sambil pemandangan lebih bagus.
Tetsuya merasa aneh banget mengikuti Lex sambil dia ajak lewat jalur setapak, yang merupakan jalur terbuka dengan pagar yang mengikuti batang-batang besar dan kokoh saat mereka menuju berbagai struktur di sepanjang pohon.
Situasi di planet ini nggak enak. Ada perang sipil siap meledak, dan lokal maupun penjahat sama-sama tegang banget. Tapi di sini ada pengelola tavern ini, antusias nge-tourin Treehouse-nya ke Tetsuya, yang cukup luar biasa.
Meskipun ada aspek luar biasa lain yang tak terhitung, Tetsuya fokus utama ke seberapa murni dan terkonsentrasi energi spiritual di Treehouse dibandingkan kebun di bawah.
Kalau dia bisa kultivasi di sini sebentar, itu luar biasa. Tapi mustahil. Bukan karena dia nggak percaya Lex bilang tavern ini aman. Cuma dia harus hidup sesuai penilaian sendiri, dan menurut penilaian dia, tempat ini bakal jadi lokasi konflik besar. Atau, minimal, tempat di mana Empire naruh perhatian besar.
Tempat kayak gini bukan tempat dia bisa tinggal lama. Tapi di saat yang sama, dia nggak bisa bikin diri pergi.
"Karena lo tamu pertama kami di Treehouse, ada hadiah khusus buat lo," kata Lex, meski teknisnya Tetsuya belum tamu. Harus belanja dulu buat beralih dari pengunjung vitrin jadi tamu asli!
Toko Hadiah di Treehouse, kayak Ruang Meditasi dan Ruang Latihan, bukan kamar resmi Inn. Sebaliknya, itu hal yang Lex ciptakan sendiri setelah dapet inspirasi dari Sistem.
Tentu, sekarang Treehouse diakui Sistem, Lex bisa integrasiin kamar resmi Inn, tapi dia rasa sayang kalau ciptaannya sendiri nggak pernah kepakai sebelum diganti, jadi dia nunda-nunda.
Dari ketiganya, Toko Hadiah paling simpel. Cuma butuh tata letak toko sederhana, dan Lex pribadi beli barang dari Toko Hadiah di Inn, dan taruh di sini sendiri buat dijual.
Berbeda dengan hari-hari awal Inn, di mana Toko Hadiah cuma punya beberapa item lemah, hal-hal berubah drastis. Kayak banyak hal lain di Inn, level item yang dijual di Toko Hadiah berhubungan langsung dengan tingkat kultivasi Lex sendiri.
Sekarang dia Immortal, Toko Hadiah punya beberapa item yang berguna buat Earth Immortal!
Tentu, karena planet ini bintang 1 Bintang, dia nggak akan guncang struktur sosial dengan njual hal overpowered. Sebagian besar item level Fondasi atau di bawah, dengan sangat sedikit item Golden Core, dan hanya 1 item level Nascent Soul yang dijual di Toko Hadiah.
Meskipun begitu, saat Tetsuya masuk Toko Hadiah, dan baca nama serta deskripsi item-itemnya, dia beku. Ini... bukankah ini terlalu konyol?
Lex, of course, could immediately tell that Tetsuya was feeling awkward about something. It was not difficult to guess that the man did not remember Lex's name. Lex doubted if he even knew it to begin with.
So naturally, he did the reasonable thing, and decided to manipulate all events surrounding Tetsuya so that he would never be able to hear someone else call Lex by his name, and see how long he could keep this game going.
Considering that he himself was immortal now, and Tetsuya seemed competent enough to reach that level one day, it would be pretty funny if thousands of years later they continued to meet each other, but Tetsuya still did not know his name.
"By the way, while you may look different, I suggest you do not go by the name Paul while at the tavern. There's no need to push your luck," Lex said, teasing the man by bringing up names once more.
"Ah that's easy. Since no one knows my actual name, I can go by Tetsuya while at the tavern," Tetsuya said, eyeing Lex hoping for a similar response.
"Ah, yes, that sounds good. Come, let me introduce you to the Treehouse since you're our first official guest on this planet," Lex said, not directly heading towards the reception, but towards a fountain he had constructed literally minutes ago, using his treasure manufacturing abilities. It was easy, considering that the fountain was a simple treasure.
The liquid that flowed in the fountain was not water, but a potion that Lex bought from the Gift shop. He figured he could afford to splurge a little here and there. In essence, the potion would just refresh the mind and body of whoever drank it.
For now, going into the tavern, it only served the function of refreshing the mind. But for those guests who were leaving, a drink from the potion could help them resist the heat of the scorching Arra-kiss day. It was not like Lex felt his Treehouse needed any additional features to attract attention, but he had begun considering these smaller, more minor details lately as he considered how he could improve the Inn.
Compared to randomly gathering and drinking the dew that had gathered on the grass, taking a drink from this fountain was at least a much more respectable option, which is why he wanted to introduce it to Tetsuya.
"This is the Rejuvenation Fountain. A single sip from it will help rejuvenate incoming and outgoing guests, helping them recover from their fatigue and protecting them from the elements for a time."
The potion could not last long outside of the special container it came in from the gift shop, which is why Lex specially created this fountain which could support its existence. But that also meant that if the potion was removed for a while, it would lose its effectiveness. A small little protection to prevent hoarding and stealing - not that he expected such things to happen. Not at all.
Tetsuya reached into the fountain and pulled out a handful, taking a sip after a short pause. For a moment he considered if it might be poisoned or carry some hidden risk. But he quickly concluded that this elusive tavern keeper whose name Tetsuya couldn't recall was not a simple person. If he wanted to harm Tetsuya, he did not need to rely on such elaborate tricks.
When he took the first sip, his eyes widened as he felt a cool stream of energy flow through his mind, dispersing any and all drowsiness and making him feel awake. It was like coffee, but better! His body was already recovered which is why he didn't feel the effects on his body, but even so he could feel that it would definitely help him if he had just arrived at the Treehouse and hadn't drunk the dew off the leaves.
"Come on, there's more to see inside," Lex said, not lingering as he led Tetsuya towards the reception. The two of them could easily jump up all the way to where the treehouse actually began even without going through the reception, but then who would appreciate the hard work Lex put into creating it?
The reception was not too large. The interior was cool yet cosy, with marble flooring, wainscoting on the walls and elaborate carvings near the roof. Strictly speaking, the interior The reception desk was at the opposite end, with a couple of workers waiting there.
One did not need to check into the tavern to enter, obviously. Instead, the workers were there to control the teleportation formations to allow the guests to go up. Of course, there were also the stairs that guests could use if they wished.
"The main structure is not that high up, but for convenience I've added some teleportation formations," Lex explained as they stepped onto the white platform that looked nothing like a formation.
These formations had been created by Lex himself, so they could not achieve the seamless teleportation that the Midnight Inn provided. But as someone who himself was quite adept at manipulating space, Lex's insight into it was great enough that he had improved the formations considerably. When Tetsuya appeared stepped onto the platform and the teleportation occurred. As a Golden core cultivator, traveling through space was not exactly comfortable but it was a huge burden either. But surprisingly, he hardly noticed the fluctuations, or the sense of oppression, before reappearing in a new, larger hall.
"This is the main lobby of the Treehouse, and leads to the various sections, such as the rooms, the viewing decks, the stargazing terrace, the Gift Shop, the Meditation room, the Training room, and most important of all, to the eatery!"
While taverns were places that guests could spend the night at, what they were most known for was their food, their drinks, and the overall rowdy yet joyous atmosphere. Or at least, that's how Lex saw them.
For that, an eatery was of the utmost importance. In fact, Lex was double minded about putting the eatery up in the tree, and considered having it down in the garden, since it would give guests easy access. But eventually he decided that eating with a view was the better option.
Tetsuya felt incredibly odd following behind Lex as he led him through the walkways, which were open paths with railings that followed the long, sturdy stems as they led to various structures along the tree.
The situation on the planet was not pleasant. There was a civil war ready to erupt, and the locals and invaders both were incredibly tense at the situation. But here was this tavern keeper, excitedly showing Tetsuya his Treehouse tavern, which was quite remarkable.
Although there were countless other aspects to it that were incredible, Tetsuya mainly focused on how pure and concentrated the spiritual energy seemed to be up in the treehouse compared even to the garden down below.
If he could cultivate here for a bit, that would be incredible. But it was unlikely. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lex when he said that the tavern would be safe. It was just that he had to live according to his own judgment, and according to his judgment, this would soon become a place of great conflict. Or, at the very least, a place where the Empire places a great deal of scrutiny.
Such a place was not somewhere he could stay too long. But at the same time, he just could not make himself go.
"Since you're the first guest we've had at the Treehouse, there's a special prize for you," Lex said, though technically Tetsuya wasn't a guest yet. One had to spend money to transition from a window shopper to an actual one!
The Gift Shop at the Treehouse, much like the Meditation and Training rooms, were not official Inn rooms. Instead, they were things Lex recreated himself after drawing inspiration from the system.
Of course, now that the Treehouse had been recognized by the system Lex could integrate official Inn rooms, but he thought it would be a shame if his creations never saw any use at all before being replaced, so he held off on it.
Of the three, the Gift shop was the simplest. It simply needed the layout for a simple shop, and Lex personally bought the items from the Gift shop at the Inn, and placed them here himself to sell.
Unlike the early days of the Inn, where the Gift shop had only a few, weak items as selections, things had changed drastically. Like many other things in the Inn, the level of items sold in the Gift shop were directly related to Lex's own cultivation level.
Now that he was an Immortal, the Gift shop even had a few items that would be useful for Earth Immortals!
Of course, since this planet was a 1 Star planet, he would not upend the societal structure by selling overpowered things. Most items were in the Foundation level or below, with very few Golden core items, and only 1 Nascent soul level item sold in the Gift shop.
Even so, when Tetsuya stepped into the Gift shop, and read the names as well as the descriptions of the items, he froze. This… wasn't this too ridiculous?
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