Sambil menunggu Powell membawa barang-barang yang diminta, Lex menonton rekaman awal dirinya di hadapan naga. Dia harus mengakui bahwa meskipun dirinya sendiri tahu betapa banyak penderitaannya, dari belakang terlihat seperti Lex sedang berjalan santai saja. Paling tidak, sepertinya Lex menikmati Might Naga bukan melawannya.
Beberapa bagian rekaman terlihat diedit. Misalnya, video dimulai dengan Barley tengah bicara. Lagipula, saat rekaman menunjukkan Lex memanjat naga, video terputus tepat sebelum Lex mulai berkultivasi.
Lex menyipitkan mata. Saat itu kondisinya terlalu parah jadi dia benar-benar tidak memiliki kesadaran, atau bahkan kemampuan untuk mengecek apakah ada yang mengintip. Namun, dia bisa jelas menebak dari waktu pemotongan rekaman bahwa siapa pun yang memfilmikannya jelas melihatnya bermeditasi. Meski begitu, hal itu tidak ditampilkan dalam rekaman.
Dengan cara tertentu, Lex seharusnya bersyukur Barley tidak menampilkannya. Lagipula, karena rekaman bahkan merekreasikan efek Might Naga, rekaman itu juga akan menunjukkan bagaimana Lex menyerap sebagian darinya. Kalau hal seperti itu terungkap, skala masalah akan jauh melebihi yang sekarang.
Lex sudah merenung efek Domination, dan sudah lama sadar bagaimana aura dirinya bisa menyerap aura naga. Meski yakin ini hasil teknik kultivasinya yang tak bernama, itu bukan hal yang bisa dipublikasikan. Kalau rekaman itu dirilis, seluruh realm akan berburu dia untuk mengetahui rahasianya!
Meski Lex terhindar dari itu, kemungkinan nyata tetap ada bahwa Barley mungkin merilis rekaman aslinya, atau bahkan kehilangannya. Satu-satunya cara memastikan urusan tidak membesar adalah bertemu Barley secara pribadi.
Tapi menemukannya jadi masalah utama. Lex tidak keberatan bicara panjang lebar dengan kurcaci itu menggunakan tinjunya. Lagipula, kalau kurcaci itu cukup bijak untuk tidak menampilkan Lex berkultivasi di atas naga, sebaiknya dia jangan merilis rekaman itu sama sekali.
Atau mungkin ini cuma cara dia menarik perhatian Lex, dan kenyataannya kurcaci itu ingin memblakmail dia. Apapun alasannya, Lex ingin bertemu dia. Tapi masalah menemukannya tetap jadi halangan terbesar saat ini.
Justru saat dia memikirkan teka-teki ini, Powell akhirnya masuk dan membawakan barang yang diminta. Itu harta pelindung yang membantunya menghindari segala jenis ramalan hingga standar tertentu. Seorang Immortal Surga harus meramal info tentangnya secara pribadi agar ada kemungkinan menemukan sesuatu.
Bagian terbaiknya, harta itu melekat di tubuhnya seperti tato, dan bertahan beberapa tahun sebelum akhirnya hilang. Kemudian dia butuh mencari harta serupa lagi, kalau tersedia.
Tapi itu bukan masalah baginya, dan dia cuma senang harta itu tidak berbentuk perhiasan lagi. Dia memang tidak terbiasa.
Sebagai ganti, Lex hanya menyerahkan salah satu dari banyak permata yang memancarkan energi spiritual panas yang diambil dari harta karun Pel. Nilainya cukup tinggi, dan hanya terbentuk di planet yang benar-benar dihuni naga!
"Bagaimana dengan cara menghubungi Barley?" tanya Lex. Dia sudah bertanya ke Powell apakah Emporium bisa mengatur pertemuan, atau melacak kurcaci itu. Sayangnya, meski jangkauannya luas, Emporium tidak ikut campur urusan seperti ini. Tapi Powell menjual informasi yang bisa membantu.
"Aku tidak perlu beri info lebih soal Barley, kau sudah punya semua. Di luar itu, yang kau butuh cuma ini."
Powell menyerahkan kartu nama yang, anehnya, benar-benar kosong. Meski terlihat biasa, Lex sudah membayar mahal untuk kartu ini.
'Kenapa aku semakin merasa seperti penjahat?' pikir Lex sambil memegang kartu itu.
"Setelah kembali ke Suera, alirkan energi spiritual ke kartu dan kau akan disambut salah satu pengawal Hix, organisasi pembunuh bayaran terbesar di galaksi itu. Mereka punya cara luar biasa melacak target selama target ada di galaksi itu, dan kau bisa beri informasi cukup.
"Ini yang terbaik yang bisa kuberi saat ini. Kalau kau lihat info yang kuberikan, kau akan sadar menemukan kurcaci itu lebih sulit dari yang terlihat. Bahkan aku tidak heran kalau dia sudah ditangkap orang atau organisasi yang tertarik pada detail kejadian di Frigra. Ngomong-ngomong, ini bijih segar dari planet di Galaksi Suera, diambil beberapa menit lalu. Aku urus sendiri jadi kau yakin tidak ada masalah."
Lex mengangguk, menerima semuanya. Dia hanya punya dua koneksi ke galaksi itu, dan satu adalah zona perang antara Henali dan Fuegan, satu lagi bukan tempat yang berani dikunjungi lagi. Hampir seperti setiap planet yang diinjaknya mengalami ujian besar. Jadi dia butuh akses ke planet baru di Suera kalau mau cari kurcaci itu.
Tanpa buang waktu, Lex keluar dari Emporium dan beberapa saat kemudian meninggalkan planet. Namun, hanya beberapa detik setelah dia hilang, robekan aneh terbuka di ruang angkasa dan tengkorak dengan selendang etereal menjulang kelihat. Tak menemukan target, tengkorak mundur dan robekan tertutup, tanpa diketahui siapapun di sekitar.
Lex, yang sudah kembali ke Inn, sekarang punya masalah baru. Dia tidak mau ke planet lain sekarang, tapi juga tidak mau buang waktu mencari Barley. Kulitnya belum pulih, cedera besar yang memengaruhi roh dan jiwanya.
Bukan ide bagus berkeliaran di planet baru, apalagi dengan riwayatnya yang selalu tersangkut masalah. Tapi kalau menunggu kulit sembuh, mungkin sudah terlambat, apalagi Inn akan berhenti menerima tamu baru dalam beberapa bulan.
Itu berarti kalau dia di luar Inn saat itu, dia tidak bisa kembali. Keraguan mengganggu, tapi hanya sebentar. Meski melanggar rencana awal, dia tidak bisa biarkan urusan ini. Siapa tahu nanti jadi lebih besar. Meski dia bisa bersembunyi di Inn dan hindar keluar, itu bukan cara hidup.
Keputusan sudah jatuh, yang tersisa cuma merencanakan cara meningkatkan peluang sukses sebesar mungkin. Sambil menghindar dari masalah.
Meski dia percaya pada kemampuan merencanakan sendiri, ada sumber daya khusus di Inn yang bisa dimanfaatkan sekarang.
Memastikan tidak ada bagian tubuh tanpa kulit yang terekspos, Lex teleport ke Main Street, di mana sekelompok anak duduk di taman dekatnya.
Di antaranya ada orang yang dikenali Lex: Vera Joel. Dia seorang oracle, dan semua anak di sekitarnya juga oracle, nabi, ramalan, atau semacamnya. Mereka datang untuk acara yang direncanakan Vera.
Karena begitu, akan sia-sia kalau Lex tidak mencoba meramal masalah yang akan datang. Untungnya dia belum pakai harta dari Powell jadi masih punya kesempatan.
Saat dia mendekat, sebelum dia sempat bicara, Vera menatapnya, lalu menatap salah satu gadis di grup.
"Leslie, ini kesempatanmu berkilau. Kerjakan dengan baik, dan dia bisa memberimu apa yang kau mau."
Gadis itu, Leslie, terkejut mendengar kata Vera, lalu menatap tajam ke Lex. Dia manusia, kemungkinan besar, tapi punya empat mata bukan dua. Dua mata kecil di dahinya, tepat di atas mata normal, terlihat buta. Tapi anehnya, mata-mata itu menatap bayangan Lex.
"Aku bisa meramal masa depankau, tapi kau harus bayar dulu. Harganya non-negosiabel. Kalau tidak bisa bayar, kau tidak dapet apa-apa."
While Lex waited for Powell to bring all the items he had requested, he watched the initial recording of him in front of the dragon. He had to admit that while he himself knew of how much he had suffered, from the back it seemed like Lex was casually strolling. At most, it seemed like Lex was savoring the Dragons Might instead of resisting it.
Some parts of the recording seemed like they were edited. For example, the video started off with Barley mid-sentence. Moreover, while the recording showed Lex climbing the dragon, it cut off right before Lex was about to begin cultivating.
Lex narrowed his eyes. At the time his condition was too bad so he really did not have the awareness, or even the ability to check if someone was spying on him. However, he could clearly tell by the timing of when the recording cut off that whoever had filmed it had clearly seen him meditate. Yet despite that, he had not shown it in the recording.
In a way, Lex should be grateful that Barley had not shown it. After all, since the recording even recreated the effects of Dragons Might, then the recording would also show how Lex had been able to absorb a portion of it. If something like that had been revealed then the scale of things would be far from what they currently were.
Lex had reflected on the effects of Domination, and long realized how his own aura was able to absorb that of the dragons. While he was sure this was a result of his nameless cultivation technique, that was not exactly something he could publicize. However, if the recording had been released then the whole realm would have been hunting him down to figure out his secret!
While Lex was spared that, there remained a very real possibility that Barley may release the actual recording, or that he may even lose it. The only way to ensure the matter did not get out of hand was to meet Barley personally.
But finding him was the main issue. Lex would not mind having a long, deep conversation with the dwarf using his fists. After all, if the dwarf was considerate enough to leave out Lex cultivating atop the dragon, he may as well have not released the recording at all.
Or maybe this was just a way for him to get Lex's attention, and in reality the dwarf wanted to blackmail him. Whatever the case, Lex wanted to meet him. But the problem of finding him was the greatest issue at the moment.
Just as he was pondering this particular conundrum, Powell finally entered and brought him the items he had requested. It was a protective treasure that would help him avoid any kind of divination up to a certain standard. A Heaven immortal would have to be personally divining information about him for it to even be a possibility to discover something.
The best part was that it would latch onto his body like a tattoo, and remain there for a few years after which it would dissipate. Afterwards he would need to procure another such treasure, if it was available.
But that was not an issue for him, and he was just glad that the treasure didn't take the form of another piece of jewelry. He was not exactly used to it.
In exchange for the treasure, Lex merely handed over one of the many jewels that emitted heated spiritual energy that he took from Pel's hoard. It was apparently quite valuable, and only formed on planets that dragons actually resided on!
"What about finding a way to contact Barley?" Lex asked. He had asked Powell if the emporium could set up a meeting between them, or locate the dwarf for him. Unfortunately, despite its great reach, the emporium did not partake in this kind of business. However, he did sell information that could help Lex.
"I don't need to give you any more information on Barley, you already have it all. Besides that, the only thing you need is this."
Powell handed him a business card that was, oddly, completely blank. Although it looked unremarkable, Lex had actually paid a hefty amount for this card.
'Why do I feel more and more like a villain?' Lex wondered as he held the card.
"Once you return to Suera, pour spirit energy into the card and you will be greeted by one of the attendants for Hix, the largest operating assassination organization in that galaxy. They have remarkable means to locate your target as long as they are within that galaxy, and you can provide them with sufficient information.
"This is the best I can offer you at the moment. Once you look at the information I've given you, you will realize that finding that dwarf is harder than it seems. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he's already been caught by some person or organization who is interested in the particulars of what happened on Frigra. Speaking of which, here is a fresh ore from a planet within the Suera Galaxy, taken away only a few minutes ago. I took care of this matter personally, so you can be assured that there is nothing wrong."
Lex nodded, and took everything Powell offered. He had only two connections to that galaxy, and one was literally a warzone between Henali and the Fuegan, and another was not really a place he dared to return to at the moment. It was almost as if every planet he stepped on experienced a massive trial. As such, he needed access to a new planet in Suera if he had to go and search for the dwarf.
Without spending any more time, Lex exited the emporium and a few moments later, left the planet. However, mere seconds after he disappeared, an unusual rip seemed to open in space and a skull wearing an ethereal shroud seemed to peek out. Unable to find its target, the skull retreated and the rip closed, unbeknown to all around it.
Lex, who had returned to the Inn, now had an issue on his hands. He did not want to go to any other planet right now, but at the same time he did not want to waste any time looking for Barley. He had not even recovered his skin, which was a major injury that affected both his spirit and his soul.
It was not the best idea to be prancing around on a new planet, especially with his history of getting involved with trouble. But if he waited till his skin healed, it might already be too late, not to mention that the Inn was going to cease accepting new guests within a couple of months.
That also meant that if he was outside the Inn at that time, he would not be able to return. Indecision plagued him, but only for a short time. Even though it went against his original plan, he could not afford to leave this issue unattended. Who knew if it might blow up into something bigger later on. Although he could hide in the Inn and just avoid going out, that was no way to live.
With his decision made, all he needed to do now was plan on how to increase his odds of success as much as possible. At the same time, he had to avoid getting sucked into any problems.
While he had a lot of faith in his own ability to plan for such things, there just happened to be a particular resource inside the Inn that he could take perfect advantage of at the moment.
Making sure none of his skinless body was exposed, Lex teleported over to Main street, where a group of kids seemed to be sitting in a nearby park.
Among them was someone Lex knew well enough: Vera Joel. She was an oracle, and all the kids surrounding her were also either oracles, prophets, diviners or something along those lines. They had come here to attend the event Vera had planned.
Since that was the case, it would almost be wasteful if Lex didn't try to foresee any upcoming trouble he might encounter. Fortunately he had not used the treasure Powell had given him yet so he still had a chance.
As he approached the group, before he even had a chance to say anything, Vera looked at him, then looked at one of the other girls in the group.
"Leslie, it's your chance to shine. Do a good job with this one, and he can give you exactly what you want."
The girl, Leslie, was taken aback by Vera's words, before fixing her gaze onto Lex. She was a human, probably, but had four eyes instead of two. The two, smaller eyes on her forehead, right above her normal eyes, looked like they were blind. Yet, for some odd reason, they fixed their gaze onto Lex's shadow.
"I can foretell your future, but first you have to pay. Also, the price is non-negotiable. If you can't pay, you get nothing."
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