Setelah menelan lagi dengan dalam, naga mengeluarkan uap dari hidungnya sambil bergetar. "Enak sekali, aku benar-benar haus," katanya, suaranya berubah drastis dari gemeruan sebelumnya menjadi tiba-tiba imajinatif, bahkan sopan dengan aksen British yang sempurna. Lex sempat berhenti mendengar ketika ia mendengar itu, hampir jatuh. "Sudah lama sekali sejak seseorang menawarkan teh padaku. Tidak sejak masa dulu ketika Condottiere masih punya banyak waktu. Betapa lama sudah."
"Condottiere? Pemimpinmu?" tanya Velma, bersemangat dan penasaran.
Pada saat ini, Lex berhenti mendengarkan, meninggalkan Velma untuk melanjutkan bisikannya, karena Cwenhild telah selesai dengan pernyataannya dan mereka akan memulai latihan lagi. Waktu itu menyenangkan. Beberapa detik lagi, Lex akan mendengar kata-kata naga berikutnya.
"Pemimpin? Bukan, lebih seperti pemilik. Condottiere adalah pemilik kelompok misterius terbesar di alam semesta ini. Di mana ada masalah, dan ada emas yang bisa dibuat, Reaving Dreadpun akan mengirimkan pasukannya. Tentu saja, tergantung seberapa banyak emas yang ditawarkan klien."
Naga itu minum lagi tehnya, cukup senang pada dirinya. Velma tidak terlalu senang mendengar berita itu, karena dia bekerja di hotel terbaik di alam semesta. Bukankah para pasukan misterius bekerja untuk hotel mereka? Itu berarti hierarki sudah jelas: Pengelola Inn pasti lebih unggul dari Condottiere. Dia lebih penasaran tentang hal lain. Misalnya, apakah naga punya pacar? Dan apakah mereka punya jenis yang disukai?
Kembali di Alam Kristal, Lex menghabiskan hari berikutnya dengan latihan, seperti yang dijanjikan, lalu Cwenhild secara pribadi menguji kekuatan pertahanan Lex. Dia bukanlah orang yang suka memamerkan diri, tetapi ketika seorang wanita meminta pertunjukan, ya, Lex memberikan pertunjukan.
Pada akhirnya, tanpa menggunakan senjata apa-apa, Cwenhild bahkan tidak mampu melewati batas Talk to the Hand. Untuk adil, teknik ini membangun pertahanan yang seimbang dengan Lex sendiri. Seperti halnya itu, seorang kultivator dari alam Fondasi akan kesulitan untuk melukai Lex. Pertahanannya luar biasa, untuk dikatakan.
Dia tidak punya hati untuk memberitahu Cwenhild bahwa ia masih memiliki Ripple shell, teknik pertahanan kuat lain yang menunggu siapa saja yang berhasil melewati Talk to the Hand. Dan, jika seseorang akhirnya berhasil melewati keduanya, setiap millimeter dagingnya akan memiliki kemampuan pertahanan yang sama.
Tapi meskipun ia memiliki teknik-teknik itu dalam cadangan, Lex tidak ragu bahwa Cwenhild, seorang kultivator Tubuh dan Roh, juga memiliki teknik rahasia sendiri yang bisa menghasilkan kekuatan luar biasa.
Hari berikutnya, seperti yang dijanjikan, Cwenhild membekali seluruh kelompoknya secara pribadi. Artinya, setiap anggota menerima perlengkapan yang disesuaikan dengan kekuatan dan kelemahan mereka.
Tapi meskipun semua orang menerima armor yang ringan dan longgar, Lex mendapatkan baju zirkon logam yang padat. Bukan hanya sangat berat—hampir membuat lututnya melemas—tapi juga ada ukiran abdominal pada armor itu! Rasanya seperti berjalan tanpa kemeja!
Menurut Cwenhild, pertahanannya begitu konyol bahkan berlari atau menghindar adalah penggunaan tenaga sia-sia. Dia seharusnya hanya terus meningkatkan pertahanannya, bahkan jika itu mengorbankan kecepatan. Semua orang juga menerima helm yang sama yang melindungi dari jejak roh dan jejak fisik, sambil memungkinkan Cwenhild berkomunikasi dengan semua orang sekaligus.
Berikutnya, Lex menerima perisai bundar besar dan pedang satu tangan. Sementara yang lain mendapatkan senjata yang mewah—pisau mesin bahkan dengan pistol mini yang bisa mengarah sendiri terpasang di samping lengan—Lex seperti salinan murahan dari seorang Spartan di panggung komedian.
Jika ada consolasi, itu adalah vambrace Lex yang memiliki enchantment untuk membantu menggambar array. Mereka juga sangat tahan lama dan meningkatkan pertahanan Lexnya. Ia terlalu dilindungi, bahkan kura-kura akan malu.
Sisa hari dihabiskan untuk kegiatan bebas, jadi Lex mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada Amelia sebelum menghabiskan beberapa jam memeriksa Inn. Mereka masih melanjutkan putaran kualifikasi. Dengan lebih dari satu juta peserta di putaran pertama, pasti butuh waktu. Akhirnya, ia pergi ke apartemen Cwenhild di malam hari.
Seluruh kelompok berkumpul di sana, karena mereka berencana untuk berkelana bersama. Lex mengharapkan besok akan ada upacara serta pelantikan. Secara teknis, ada. Tapi, murid-murid elit dan berhak istimewa diberikan aturan tak tertulis.
Realm kecil secara resmi dibuka tepat pada tengah malam, di bawah cahaya terang burung Sol yang selalu ada, dan sebelum sebagian besar peserta menyadari, Cwenhild dan kelompoknya sudah memasuki sebuah Realm kecil. Seorang guru bahkan datang khusus untuk membuka pintu masuk tepat di dalam apartemennya.
Pintu masuk ke Realm kecil tidak biasa. Bukan gelap, tidak juga kabur. Rasanya seperti ada jendela, dan Lex bisa melihat langsung ke dalam Realm kecil. Tapi, sekaligus, melihat pintu masuk itu membuat mata Lex sakit, dan otaknya tidak bisa menyerap gambar Realm di baliknya.
Berlalu melintasi pintu, yang Lex lakukan dengan langkah stabil, terasa sangat aneh. Seperti mendadak sadar pada sensasi rasa sakit maya, tapi bukan rasa sakit pada angg
After taking a big, deep gulp, the dragon blew out steam through its nose and its scales vibrated.
"That feels so good, I was absolutely parched," the dragon said, its voice changing drastically from the previous grumble to a surprisingly cute one, that too with a perfectly polished British accent. Lex was standing perfectly still when he heard it, but still nearly fell over.
"It's been a long time since someone has offered me tea. Not since back in the early days when the Condottiere would have a lot more time. How long it has been."
"Condottiere? Your leader?" Velma asked, positively beaming with excitement and curiosity.
At this point, Lex stopped paying attention, leaving Velma to continue her gossip, for Cwenhild was done with her remarks and they were once again about to begin practice. The timing was a shame. A few more moments, and Lex would have heard the dragons next remarks.
"Leader? No, more like the owner. The Condottiere is the owner of the largest mercenary group in the universe. Where trouble brews, and there is gold to be made, the Reaving Dread shall send forth its armies. Well, based on how much gold the client pays."
The dragon took another sip of the tea, quite pleased with itself. Velma did not care much for that news, since she worked at the best hotel in the universe. And weren't the mercenaries working for their hotel? That meant the hierarchy was clearly established, the Innkeeper was better than the Condottiere. She was more curious about other things. Like, do dragons date? And do they have a type?
Back in the Crystal realm, Lex spent the next day training, as promised, followed by Cwenhild privately testing out Lex's defense. He was not one to brag, but when a girl asked for a show, well, Lex put on a show.
In the end, without having to use any ridiculous weapons, Cwenhild wasn't even able to breakthrough Talk to the Hand. To be fair, the technique built a defense proportional to Lex's own. As it was, a Foundation realm cultivator would have to really put in some effort to hurt Lex, and so the defensive ability of the technique was remarkable, to say the least.
He did not have the heart to tell her that he still had the Ripple shell, another powerful defensive technique waiting for anyone who broke through Talk to the Hand. And, should someone finally succeed in breaking both, every millimeter of his flesh has the same defensive capability.
But while he still had these techniques in reserve, he didn't doubt that Cwenhild, a Body and Spirit cultivator, didn't have secret techniques of her own that would deliver awesome power.
The next day, as promised, Cwenhild outfitted her entire group personally. That was to say, each member received personalized equipment that would strengthen their strongest aspects and make up for their weaknesses.
But while everyone received lithe, maneuverable armor, Lex got a solid metal, sleeveless vest. Not only was it incredibly heavy, actually almost causing Lex's knees to buckle, it had abs engraved right onto the armor! It felt like he was walking around shirtless!
According to Cwenhild, his defense was so ridiculous that trying to run or dodge was a waste of his efforts, and he should just continue to increase his defense further, even at the expense of movement speed. Everyone received a similar helmet that would protect them from soul tracks and physical tracks, but also let Cwenhild communicate with all of them simultaneously.
Next, Lex received a massive, round shield, and a single-handed sword. While the rest were getting fancy weapons, guns and even a self aiming mini-gun attachable to a wrist, Lex looked like a Spartan knockoff from a cheap play.
If there was any consolation, it was that Lex's vambraces had an enchantment that would aid him in drawing arrays. Also, they were extremely durable and further improved Lex's defense. He was so well protected, a turtle would shy away in shame.
The remainder of the day was free, so Lex said his farewell to Amelia before spending a few hours checking up on the Inn. They were still continuing with the preliminary round. With over a million participants in the first round, it was bound to take time. Finally, he went to Cwenhild's apartment at night.
The entire group was gathered there, as they had planned to venture off together. Lex was expecting that the next day there would be some kind of ceremony as well as inauguration. Technically, there would be. But certain elite and privileged students were given an unwritten
The Minor realms were officially opened at midnight, under the bright light of the ever present Sol birds, and before a majority of participants even knew of it, Cwenhild and her group entered a Minor realm. A teacher had especially come to open the entrance right inside her apartment.
The opening to the Minor realm was unusual. It was not dark, nor was it vague. It felt like there was a window, and Lex could look right into the Minor realm. But at the same time, looking at the entrance hurt Lex's eye, and his brain could not actually absorb the image of the realm beyond.
Passing through the opening, which Lex did with steady steps, felt even weirder. It was like Lex suddenly became aware of the sensation of phantom pain, but instead of feeling pain in some missing limb, he felt it in an entire phantom body that was connected to his consciousness, but not his actual body. But, the next second, the phantom body and actual body switched places, while his consciousness remained absolutely centered between the two.
The next moment, the strangeness receded, and Lex found himself standing knee deep in a bog. The water was warm, and bubbles were releasing some kind of green gas. There was no Sol bird in the sky, nor any celestial body. Instead, a light blue light seemed to be emanating from a mountain range in the distance.
As peaceful as the light seemed, there was an urgent matter that required his attention. Neither the warm water nor the strange gas did anything to Lex, but he knew instinctively that it was not good for his companions.
"Activate your isolation talismans, the air is poisonous," Lex said out loud, warning the rest of the group.
They didn't hesitate, not only because of how weird the air looked, but because Lex had proven his survival skills to them. More than once during training, he had made excellent calls and had earned the group's trust. Or at least, Cwenhilds.
Other than just armor and weapons, they had also been gifted with the best survival equipment and gear. It may seem like Cwenhild was being extremely generous, but none of what she gave them could compare to a single corner of a Minor realm.
"So how do we take control of this Minor realm?" Lex finally asked the big question. It wasn't like he hadn't asked before, but all the answers he would receive in the end were that it would be different for each realm.
"Jovi, scan the area. Bearin, look for a temporary base rest point. Ness, stop drinking that water. Patrick, ready the beacon…" Instead of directly answering Lex, Cwenhild first gave out a few different orders.
Before they did anything, they needed to get their bearing, and preferably step out of the bog - though no dry area seemed to be in sight at the moment. Finally, she turned to Lex.
"Each of these realms was discovered by the academy, but none of them were naturally made. No one knows how old the Crystal realm is, other than perhaps the Crystal race. The history, the heritage, possibly even the key to defeating the Kraven could be in any of these realms, which is the real reason the academy has us explore them. But, it's not like they're sending us to unknown realms. They can estimate the relative level of each realm, which is why we have the chance to take control of this realm. As for how we do it… I don't know yet. Once Patrick can deploy the beacon, it will collect information about this realm and I'll…"
"Enemies!" Lex interrupted her, suddenly looking in a different direction.
"There are hundreds of them, they're traversing under water, and they're strong. We need to run, they're coming our way."
Cwenhild didn't doubt him for even a moment, despite the fact that she could not see these enemies and there seemed to be no indication of them yet. The group started running, and after using Hearts Marathon, even Lex was able to keep up despite his heavy armor. Barely.
But, despite their attempts at escape, the pursuers seemed to be catching up, and soon everyone was able to sense something swimming through the murky water in the distance behind them.
"Mr. Innkeeper," an innocent voice spoke in his mind. "There's a lot of energy in this realm, but… something seems to be eating it. You should get to it quickly, or there might be none left."
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