Sementara semua itu terjadi, situasi di alam Kristal tak lebih baik. Bahkan, jauh lebih parah! Perang para abadi antara Kraven, Monster, dan ras lain telah menghancurkan sebagian besar wilayah. Seolah kerusakan yang mereka sebabkan belum cukup, portal yang terbuka di alam Kristal — yang mengganggu hukum-hukumnya dan perlahan menghancurkan alam itu — belum ditutup. Artinya, fenomena aneh dan seringkali merusak mulai muncul di seluruh alam. Anehnya, perang itu justru mempercepat destabilisasi alam, tapi di saat yang sama juga memperbaikinya! Kekuatan tak terhitung abadi yang berbenturan memberi tekanan pada tanah, namun kematian para abadi justru memberi nutrisi pada alam dengan darah dan prinsip-prinsip mereka! Keseimbangan aneh terbentuk, tapi keseimbangan itu tidak menenangkan siapa pun. Akhirnya, ras Kristal sendiri ikut campur, karena bahkan mereka tak sanggup menerima kehancuran seluruh alam! Di tengah kekacauan itu, keberangkatan kedai Midnight jadi hal kecil dan sepele yang hampir tak ada yang perhatikan. Hanya warga lokal Babylon yang sempat menggunjing tentang bangunan kayu yang lenyap semalam. Tak peduli alam mana, alam Asal alam Kristal, kekacauan menyebar tanpa ujungnya. Hanya alam Midnight yang tampak damai, tapi bahkan itu pun ragu. Momen singkat di mana aura tak terelakkan Pengelola Inn menyelimuti seluruh alam mengubah segalanya secara drastis. Ular yang tidur begitu lama telah bangun. Meski belum berbuat apa pun, sekadar ketegangan ototnya saat bangun saja sudah menyebabkan gempa tak terhitung di benua tempatnya diam. Beberapa gunung runtuh, tapi buat saat ini tidak ada yang lain terjadi. Di benua ketiga, kekaisaran kuda dan unicorn kembali sangat aktif, tanpa penjelasan untuk bangkitnya mendadak. Arus bawah tak terhitung mengisi seluruh alam saat mereka di puncak, yang memerintah sejak lahirnya alam, kini harus hadapi fakta ada seseorang di atas mereka. Pesan tak mudah diterima, dan mereka tak mau melakukannya. Tapi pada umumnya, kehadiran mendadak aura Pengelola Inn justru membawa kedamaian, bukan perang, ke seluruh alam. Menghadapi kekuatan tak bisa dipahami, bahkan pemerang paling kejam pun memilih mundur dan mengasah kekuatan sendiri. Di benua terkecil dari tiga, pohon masif itu berguncang. Ras tak terhitung yang menyembah pohon itu terdorong bertindak, motifnya tak diketahui. Untuk pertama kalinya, ras-ras mulia dan kuat itu melintas bayangan kanopi pohon dan menghiasi tanah liar dengan kehadiran terang mereka. Di tempat lain, di sisi benua yang berlawanan, rumor mulai beredar — rumor dari mereka yang hanya kenal kekejaman tanah air sendiri, dan memandang jauh ke surga yang terlihat di kejauhan. Rumor itu klaim nama pohon masif itu, Pohon Surga, sebagaimana dinamakan dulu, bernama Pengelola Inn, dan tanah di bawah bayangannya disebut Midnight Inn. Di tempat lain, rumor lain menyebar bahwa orang asing dari negeri jauh menemukan kekayaan melimpah tanah mereka, dan datang dengan niat jahat, memalukan diri sebagai penyelamat mulia. Di bagian lain benua, di tempat dikelilingi gunung tak terlampaui, ras tertentu mengetahui pertama kalinya mungkin ada kehidupan di luar gunung yang menahan mereka. Keinginan... keinginan kebebasan, petualangan, dan penjelajahan, memegang hati mereka. Kuil pelapahan yang sudah dise Gel kembali dibuka, dan api yang padam dinyalakan lagi. Hentakan palu bergema di gunung lagi, seperti guntur badai yang mendekat. Lebih dekat ke Lex, di wilayah Midnight Inn, makhluk yang tidur dalam tanah bangun, dan mulai menyebarkan tentakel banyaknya ke seluruh tanah. Makhluk itu tak punya akal, hanya naluri tumbuh, dan ketakutan pada musuh tertentu yang pernah hampir memusnahkannya. Tapi era itu sudah lama lewat, kini ia akan tumbuh, menyebar, dan menaklukkan lagi! Di lautan kosmis yang dalam, ikan sendirian merindukan suara yang pernah didengar. Kedamaian? Kenyamanan? Kehangatan? Ia merindukan itu semua, jadi mulai mencari Midnight Inn. Mungkin di sana, akhirnya, ia akan bertemu orang lain yang tak otomatis mati di hadapannya. Saat berenang di kedalaman, arus besar terbentuk dari setiap gelombang siripnya. Ukuran ikan itu terlalu besar untuk diperkirakan. Di puncak gunung Midnight, Cassandra memandang alam, dan melihat jauh lebih dari siapa pun, bahkan Lex. Kalaunya, penglihatan Lex dari Pakaian Tuan Rumah terbatas di batas Inn, tapi dia bisa melihat jauh melampaui itu. Dia termenung, dan perlahan kehadirannya mulai pudar saat pikirannya memasuki keadaan pencerahan terdalam. Di dalam Kuil Puasa, tubuhnya merasakan tekanan aneh. Untuk pertama kalinya, dia menyentuh batas Dao. Tamu hampir semua bermeditasi, dan tidak mungkin bangun sebentar lagi. Sayang, karena mereka melewatkan pemandangan luar biasa. Energi kaya, murni, dan hidup dari alam baru menggenangi setiap bata dan batu trotoar Inn. Mengisi setiap bangunan, setiap pohon, setiap serangga, setiap kursi, dan setiap lampion langit. Mengisi segalanya, meski formasi pelindung Lex ditempatkan di sekitar barang-barang. Jadi saat mereka berevolusi dari biasa jadi luar biasa, percikan kehidupan mulai mengisi barang tertentu secara acak. Diam, dan tanpa peringatan, salah satu golf cart siaga bergetar, saat jiwa baru lahir. Tapi jiwa itu tak masuk ke mobil. Justru masuk ke ban depan kiri golf cart, menempati tempatnya sebagai bentuk hidup baru pertama yang jadi anggota Midnight Inn di alam baru ini.
Bab 982 Sementara Itu II
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While all of this was happening, the situation in the Crystal realm was no better. In fact, it was much worse!
The war of immortals between the Kraven, the Monsters and the other races had devastated much of the lands. As if the destruction they caused was not enough, the portal opened in the Crystal realm that was destabilizing its laws and slowly destroying the realm had not been closed yet.
That meant that strange and often destructive phenomena started to occur across the entire realm.
Oddly enough, the war was both accelerating the destabilization of the realm, and yet at the same time repairing it!
The powers of countless immortals clashing put a strain on the lands, but the death of immortals nourished the realm with their blood and tenets as well!
A strange balance was formed, but that balance did not reassure anyone. Finally, the Crystal race itself became involved as well, since even they could not accept the destruction of the entire realm!
Amidst all this, the disappearance of the Midnight tavern was a small and insignificant matter that was hardly noticed by any. Only the locals of Babylon found the time to gossip about the wooden building that vanished overnight.
Regardless of whichever realm it was, the Origin realm of the Crystal realm, chaos was spreading with no end in sight. Only the Midnight realm seemed peaceful, but even that was uncertain.
That brief moment where the inescapable aura of the Innkeeper had enveloped the entire realm changed everything in a drastic fashion.
The snake that had been sleeping for so long had woken up. Though it did not do anything, for now, just the subtle tensing of its muscles from waking up caused countless tremors in the continent it inhabited. A few mountains collapsed, but for now, nothing else happened.
On the third continent, the empire of horses and unicorns once again became extremely active, with no explanation for their sudden resurgence.
Countless undercurrent filled the entire realm as those on top, who had ruled since the very birth of the realm, now had to deal with the knowledge that there was someone above them. It was not an easy message to accept, nor were they keen to do so.
But for the greater part, the sudden appearance of the Innkeepers aura brought peace rather than war across the realm. Faced with a power they could not understand, even the most savage warmongerers chose to retreat and hone their own strength.
On the smallest of the three continents, the massive tree trembled. The countless races that had taken to worshiping the tree were spurred into action, their motives unknown. For the first time, these noble and powerful races crossed the shadow of the trees canopy and graced the barbaric lands with their enlightened presence.
Somewhere else, on the opposite side of the continent, a rumor began to spread - a rumor by those who had known nothing but the brutalities of their own lands, and looked fondly onto the heaven they saw in the distance.
The rumor claimed that the name of the massive tree, the Tree of Heaven, as it had been named earlier, was called the Innkeeper, and the lands covered in the shade beneath it the Midnight Inn.
Elsewhere, a rumor spread that foreigners from far off lands had discovered the plentiful bounty of their lands, and had come with sinister intentions, painting themselves as noble saviors.
In another part of the continent, in a place surrounded by impassable mountains, a particular race learned for the first time that there may be life beyond the mountains that held them prisoners. A desire… a desire for freedom, and adventure and exploration took hold in their hearts.
Forges that they had sealed were once again opened, and fires that had been quenched were once again ignited. The sound of hammers echoed through the mountains once more, like thunder from a brewing storm.
Closer to Lex, within the territory of the Midnight Inn, a creature that slumbered deep under the ground woke up, and began to spread its many tentacles through the lands. The creature had no mind, only an instinct to grow, and a fear of a certain nemesis that had nearly destroyed it once. But that era had long since passed, so now it would once again grow, and spread, and conquer!
Deep in the cosmic sea, a lonely fish yeared for the voice it had heard. Peace? Comfort? Warmth? It longed for those things, so it began to search for the Midnight Inn. Maybe there, finally, it would encounter others who would not automatically die in its presence.
As it swam through the depths, entire currents formed due to each wave of its fins. The size of the fish was too large to estimate.
Atop the Midnight mountain, Cassandra looked out at the realm, and saw much more than anyone else, even Lex. After all, Lex's sight from the Host Attire was limited to the boundary of the Inn, but she could see far beyond that.
She was mesmerized, and slowly her presence began to fade as her mind entered the deepest state of enlightenment.
Within the Temple of Fasting, her body experienced an unusual pressure. For the first time, she touched upon the boundary of the Dao.
The guests were nearly all meditating, and it was unlikely they would wake any time soon. It was unfortunate, because they missed out on a remarkable sight.
The rich, pure and vibrant energy of the new realm flooded each and every brick and cobblestone of the Inn. It filled every building, every tree, every insect, every chair and every sky lantern. It filled everything, in spite of the protective formations Lex had placed around items.
So while they evolved from mundane to extraordinary, the spark of life began to fill certain items randomly. Silently, and without warning, one of the golf carts on standby trembled, as a new soul was born. But the soul did not enter the cart. Instead, it entered the left, front tyre of the golf cart, taking its place as the first new lifeform to become a member of the Midnight Inn in this new realm.
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