Ketiga Immortal Surgawi yang menghentikan kapal kayu raksasa yang absurd itu menatap peri yang berdiri di buritan, menunggu dia mengunci atau gemetar melihat penampilan mereka. Tuntutan mereka jauh dari sopan atau bahkan pantas, tapi sudah beberapa waktu mereka melakukan ini, dan sudah merasakan bagaimana reaksi kebanyakan orang.
Merewa memiliki peralatan khusus yang mencegah mereka tersapu oleh salah satu mimpi alam Mimpi, memungkinkan mereka berinteraksi dengan kultivator di bawah level mereka. Peralatan seperti itu tidak hanya mahal dan langka, sulit sekali dibuat sehingga bahkan Aliansi Humanoid pun stok terbatas.
Kalau tidak didukung para kurcaci, memberikan akses ke simpanan pribadi mereka, mereka tidak akan memiliki peralatan itu. Tapi mereka punya dukungan itu, dan mereka punya peralatan itu, jadi mengganggu penjelajah acak jadi mudah. Dengan realm kultivasi lanjut, dan dukungan Aliansi Humanoid, tak ada yang berani menentang mereka.
Tapi kali ini terjadi aneh. Setelah suara mereka bergema, dan aura mereka meledak, menekan peri lemah itu, kapal dan awaknya, tak satu pun menunjukkan reaksi biasa yang sudah mereka lupakan.
Tunggu dulu... peri Immortal Bumi?
Sambil memikirkan reaksi aneh terhadap penampilan dan deklarasi mereka, Jack dengan tenang menilai situasi.
Di permukaan, kelihatannya ini aksi Aliansi Humanoid. Tapi raksasa seperti itu tidak perlu turun ke taktik rendah kalau mau menyelidiki Midnight Inn. Ada cara lebih halus dan lebih baik, meski tidak secepat atau langsung.
Jadi, kemungkinan besar seseorang di dalam aliansi menguji air, dan diabaikan oleh aliansi, yang sama saja dengan persetujuan diam. Mereka tidak rugi dari probe seperti itu, karena aksi minor tidak bisa menggoyahkan reputasi raksasa.
Kalau hasil positif, aliansi juga untung, tapi kalau fallout, mereka tidak terkena. Tentu kesimpulan ini didasarkan pada sikap Pengelola Inn yang santai dan cukup temperamen.
Lalu, apa tujuan probe? Ada yang terjadi di Midnight Inn yang menimbulkan kecurigaan? Jack tidak tahu sebelum masuk.
Bisa juga tidak ada hal spesifik dan seseorang hanya mencoba nasib, atau ini persiapan rencana berikutnya. Pikiran Dao Lord dalam, jadi sulit bagi Jack menilai seberapa dalam urusan ini.
Yang dia tahu, probe ini hanya mengandalkan teknis. Kalau mereka menantang tamu Inn di wilayahnya, itu tantangan terbuka ke Pengelola. Tapi dengan menghentikan mereka di luar Inn, bahkan di ujung wilayah Inn, mereka secara teknis tidak melanggar aturan.
Faktanya, bahkan tiga Surgawi yang menjaga pintu kedai Mimpi sendiri tidak tahu detail urusan ini. Mereka hanya mengikuti perintah.
"Nama, afiliasi, dan biaya masuk?" Jack mengulang, tatapannya tak goyah saat mengunci tiga sosok tersembunyi. Meski Jack lemah secara relatif, dia tetap Lex. Pemahamannya tentang hukum sama dengan Lex sendiri. Artinya, saat ini, meski kekurangan banyak keuntungan Lex, kekuatan yang bisa dia tunjukkan sebagai Immortal Bumi bahkan lebih besar dari yang Lex tunjukkan saat badan utamanya di tahap Immortal Bumi.
"Namaku Jack, afiliasiku dengan ibumu, dan ini biaya masukku," kata sambil mengulurkan jari tertentu dan menatap mereka menantang. "Aku tamu Midnight Inn, dan aku akan pergi ke sana sekarang. Mau lihat apakah Aliansi Humanoid berani menghentikan tamu Inn di gerbangnya."
Jack pakai sayapnya memperkuat suara agar menjauh, sampai tidak hanya kedai Mimpi, tapi berbagai sudut alam Mimpi. Ketiadaan ruang dalam realm konsep aneh, sulit dibiasakan. Untung, kekuatan Peri yang bergantung pada Debu Peri juga aneh, memungkinkan Jack menggunakannya tak terduga.
Meski suaranya tidak sampai ke seluruh alam Mimpi, banyak orang acak di seluruh realm tiba-tiba sadar kalau Aliansi Humanoid tampaknya punya konflik atau konfrontasi dengan Inn. Aneh — bukankah mereka seharusnya sebelah?
Dengan satu pernyataan sederhana, Jack membalik situasi. Teknis hanya sejauh itu. Dari pengamat diam, aliansi sekarang harus jelaskan sikap. Baik mereka terlibat, atau tidak. Kalau tidak, mereka harus hentikan farsa ini di sini. Kalau lanjut, yang diam-diam jadi nyata.
Tentu Jack bukan hanya berandai-andai menantang tiga Immortal Surgawi. Dia mengandalkan Jolly Rancher. Kapal ini, yang sudah ditingkatkan oleh Aliansi Humanoid sendiri, sangat andal. Selama dia di atas dan mengendalikannya, Jack yakin bisa melarikan diri dari Immortal Surgawi!
Tiga Surgawi tidak duka tantangan terang-terangan, apalagi dari orang lemah. Mereka marah, tapi sebelum bisa bertindak, dua belas Valkyrie keluar dari kedai Mimpi dan memandang ke arah mereka, mengidentifikasi ketiganya.
Mereka tidak melepaskan aura, atau menakut-nakuti sama sekali. Mereka hanya mengawasi, dan itu cukup. Siapa yang tidak kenal kekuatan Valkyrie, apalagi dua belas bersamaan?
Bahkan kalau lain tidak tahu, sebagai anggota aliansi, mereka jelas soal kekuatan itu. Lebih lagi, kehadiran mereka berarti Inn sudah memperhatikan situasi yang mereka abaikan.
Mereka hanya bisa mengertakkan gigi diam saat Jolly Rancher lewat. Jack bahkan tidak menoleh, seolah tak kenal takut. Reputasi Midnight Inn melindungi tamunya sudah bicara sendiri.
The three Celestial Immortals that had stopped the absurdly massive wooden ship looked at the fairy standing at the bow, expecting him to cower or quake at their appearance. Their demands were far from polite or even appropriate, but they had been doing this for a while already, and had already gotten a sense for how most reacted.
They had special equipment on them that kept them from being swept away in one of the Dream realm’s dreams, allowing them to interact with cultivators below their level. Equipment like that was not only expensive and rare, it was so difficult to produce that even the Humanoid Alliance had limited supply.
If they hadn’t been backed by the dwarves, allowing them access to their private stash, then they would not have such equipment. But they did have that backing, and they did have that equipment, so harassing some random travelers became easy enough. With their advanced cultivation realms, and the backing of the Humanoid Alliance, none had dared to cross them.
Yet something strange happened this time. After their voices boomed, and their auras flared, suppressing the weak fairy, the ship and its crew, not a single one of them showed the usual difference they had become so used to seeing.
Wait a minute... an Earth Immortal fairy?
While they were pondering over the unusual reaction they were receiving to their appearance and declaration, Jack calmly assessed the situation.
On the surface, it seemed like these were the actions of the Humanoid Alliance. However, a giant like that did not need to stoop so low to such tactics if they wanted to probe the Midnight Inn. There were better and subtler methods, though admittedly they would not be as quick or direct.
Thus, it was likely that someone within the alliance was testing the waters, and was being ignored by the alliance, which was akin to a tacit agreement. They lost nothing from such a probe, for such minor actions could not shake the reputation of such a behemoth.
If there was a positive result, the alliance would also gain from it, but if there was a fallout, they would not suffer any harm. Naturally, such a conclusion was based on the Innkeepers relaxed and relatively temperate demeanor.
So then, what was the purpose of the probe? Had something happened within the Midnight Inn that had raised suspicion? Jack had no way of knowing until he entered the Inn.
It was also possible that nothing specific had happened and someone was just trying their luck, or that this was a setup for a subsequent plan. The thoughts of Dao Lords went deep, so it was tough for Jack to determine just how deep this matter went.
All he could tell was that this probe relied solely on technicality. If they challenged the guests of the Inn inside its territory, then that would be a blatant challenge to the Innkeeper. But by stopping them outside the Inn, even if it was at the very edge of the Inn’s territory, they weren’t technically breaking any rules.
In fact, even the three Celestials guarding the entrance to the Dream tavern themselves didn’t know the intricacies of this matter. They were simply doing as they were told.
"Name, affiliation and entry fee?" Jack repeated, his gaze unwavering as he locked onto the three hidden figures. Although Jack was weak comparatively, he was, after all, still Lex. Although the extent of the power he could display was constrained by his realm, his understanding of laws was equal to Lex himself. That basically meant that right now, despite lacking many of Lex’s advantages, the power he could show as an Earth Immortal was even greater than what Lex had been able to show when his main body was at the Earth Immortal stage.
"My name is Jack, my affiliation is with your mother, and this is my entry fee," he said as he held out a certain finger on his hand and looked at them challengingly. "I am a guest of the Midnight Inn, and I am going to go there now. I would like to see if the Humanoid Alliance has the audacity to stop the guests of the Inn at its very gates."
Jack had used his wings to amplify his voice so that it carried far and wide, reaching not just the Dream tavern itself, but also the various corners of the Dream realm. The absence of space within a realm was a very strange concept, and difficult to get used to. Fortunately, the powers of Fairies which relied on their Fairy Dust was also strange, and allowed Jack to use it in unexpected ways.
Although his voice did not carry to all of the Dream realm, many random people across the realm suddenly became aware that the Humanoid Alliance seemed to be having some kind of conflict or confrontation with the Inn. That was odd - weren’t they supposed to be on the same side?
With that one simple statement, Jack had flipped the situation. Technicality only went so far. From being a silent observer, the alliance would now have to make their stance clear. Either they were involved, or they weren’t. If they weren’t, then they would have to put a stop to this farce right here. If it continued, then what was tacit would become apparent.
Of course, Jack was relying on more than bravado to challenge three Celestial Immortals. He was relying on the Jolly Rancher. This ship, which had been improved by the Humanoid Alliance itself, was extremely reliable. As long as he was on it, and controlling it, Jack was certain he could escape even from Celestial Immortals!
The three Celestials weren’t expecting such a blatant challenge, especially from someone so weak. They were infuriated, but before they could act, twelve Valkyries stepped out of the Dream tavern and looked over, identifying the three of them.
They did not unleash their aura, or intimidate in any way at all. They simply watched, and that was enough. Who didn’t know the might of a Valkyrie, let alone twelve of them acting as one?
Even if others didn’t know, as members of the alliance, they were clear about the kind of strength that represented. Moreover, their mere presence represented that the Inn had taken notice of the situation they were ignoring before.
They could only grit their teeth in silence as the Jolly Rancher flew past them. Jack did not even bother looking back, as if he had no fear at all. The reputation of the Midnight Inn’s protectiveness of their guests spoke for itself.
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