The Innkeeper



Lex once again reiterated his whole experience, by now having mentally decided that his conjecture was most likely accurate. Mere moments after Lex was done explaining, as if confirming Lex's thoughts, Lord Belmont said, "the 'elder' who invited you is one of our most heavily guarded prisoners, locked up in maximum penitentiary. He has been under lockdown for a few hundred years, so there is no way he should have been able to invite you. Either someone else was posing as him, or he has found a way in and out of prison under our noses."

Lex did not bother to resist his sigh. Of course he would be caught up in some grand scheme. To be honest, he didn't even care about that. His greatest concern was that he was planning on leveraging the position of the elder who invited him to host a meeting of leaders at his tavern during the upcoming wedding.

Clearly that was no longer an option. But Lex had already picked out an alternative. This Lord Belmont seemed like a significant figure. If he played an integral role in resolving this situation then perhaps he could build enough of a relationship to have him come over. For this, he would pull out all the stops, including using the Golden key for the Midnight Inn to attract his attention.

"So what now?" Lex asked, though he already knew the most probable course of action.

"We have to investigate, of course. That will require some of your cooperation, as we will have to have you meet Ezio to confirm his identity."

Lex nodded, as if he was acquiesce to a request. Although Silvia had already told him that he would be required to cooperate in case he was involved in a legal dispute, that did not apply to him. If he wanted to leave, who could really stop him? He merely needed to think about it to begin the teleportation process to the Inn.

"Lord Belmont," Lex addressed the man, deciding to keep using his title for now. "Although the situation has changed now that I know Ezio is a criminal, the reason I came to the Crystal nation is regarding a matter imperative to the situation of the entire realm. I was hoping that after sharing certain important information with him, he could help me contact someone with a higher authority."

Lord Belmont smiled, as if he heard a child say something cute.

"Although we need your help to identify if the person you met was Ezio, once that is done you can have your conversation. Though he may be a criminal, he still has great influence over the nation. Your purpose may still be completed. If the matter is not a secret, I can also listen in. If it really is a matter that can influence the whole realm, then we shall do whatever is in our power to fix it."

If the matter had not been so serious, Lex somehow doubted they would have really helped. After all, they had allowed war to wage across the entire realm without caring about the consequences. Or perhaps there were still some hidden secrets in this that he was not privy to.

Either way, this was the best he could do for now.

Since the matter was decided, Lord Belmont did not procrastinate. He sent back Silvia and put his hand on Lex's shoulder, teleporting the duo to an entirely new place. During this single jump Lex was exposed to the laws of space to a greater extent than ever before, giving him some insight in teleportation.

Before he could spend any time reflecting on the experience, Belmont led him through a number of guarded rooms until they finally reached their destination. Having used them so frequently, Lex easily recognized the teleportation formation that had been established in the middle of the room. Yet how could it be that something used by the Crystal race was of the same quality as others? The formation was larger and more complex than he had ever seen, and at the same time extremely beautiful. Most other places hid the formation underneath the floor tiles, but the Crystal race had put it out on full display to be admired.

Of course, Lex had no time to admire or learn from it, for Lord Belmont did not delay for even a second.

Communication with the control room, probably through spirit senses, he ordered the formation to target Valesco. Lex could do nothing but follow along.

"Believe it or not, you're the first human who will be allowed to enter Valesco."

"Does that have special significance?" Lex asked, his question displaying a lack of reverence for the Crystal race. Such a thing was rare enough to be taken note of. Belmont raised an eyebrow, or what was equivalent of an eyebrow for their race, and simply said, "I guess not. It's more of a matter related to security. Holed up in Valesco are the most dangerous criminals of our race. If they are allowed to escape, the havoc and destruction they could spread is beyond what others can imagine."

Lex refrained from commenting, but wondered if their danger could meet the same level as the havoc wrought by the Kraven. He doubted it, for how can individuals match an entire hostile race?

The formation activated, and Lex once again found himself in the familiar folds of space through which they traveled while teleporting. But what was unique though was that Lex was not being oppressed by the force of space, and being forced to remain in a fixed position. He could walk around and even talk so long as he stood on the platform underneath them that seemed to be teleporting as well.

"How dangerous is Ezio?" Lex couldn't help but ask. "When I met him, he did not seem like a criminal."

"Ezio's crimes are of a different sort. Instead of harming people, he is responsible for the destruction of the history of the realm. Single-handedly he has destroyed the history and heritage, not only of the Crystal race, but of countless other races. I realize that such a crime may not seem so serious to others, but to the immortal Crystal race, the destruction of history is one of the most serious crimes!

Without art, culture and history to enrich our lives, living for eternity will become a curse rather than a blessing. Many of the Crystals who enter long hibernation do it so that they can find an entire host of new histories to discover."

Lex nodded. It made sense, somewhat. Moreover, when he met Ezio, he seemed to be destroying any ruins that may depict any information about the arrival of the Kraven. It seemed even his reasoning might not be so simple.

Before the conversation could continue, the teleportation ended, and Lex found himself in a similarly designed room.

"Though it is not entirely significant that you are the first human to be allowed in here, do take the opportunity to take in as many of the sights as possible. We Crystals take great pride in our arts, and architecture is one of the ways we bring life to art in this world."

Lex chuckled internally. It seemed to be bothering Belmont that Lex was not worshiping him as others usually do. He's taking this opportunity to show off.

Following Belmont, Lex exited the building, curious as to what he would find. He was not expecting to be impressed, but the moment he stepped out, he had to admit that he was wrong.

The teleportation building seemed to be built on a hill, so the view upon exiting encompassed the entirety of the Valesco complex. A massive, inverted pyramid that seemed to be descending into the ground rather than rising up came into view. The pyramid seemed to have countless levels as it neared the center, and each level was a massive open space filled with exquisite smaller structures that looked akin to chapels and theaters. The use of mosaics could be seen all around, accompanied by endless legends depicted in murals painted on the building walls.

It was not just the view of Valesco that was impressive, but the aura it radiated as well. Through clever use of spirit stones as tiles and marble, a massive formation was hidden that elevated the building to seem like the palace of a Deity, not a prison for dangerous criminals.

Thousands of soldiers were patrolling each level, moving in synchronization that made the palace seem like it was alive, and the moving soldiers were the pulse of the place.

The splendid use of colors, from subtle ones like beige and off white, to vibrant colors like red and orange, brought another layer of life to the place, making it shine with remarkable splendor. He had to admit, even at the Midnight Inn they had no buildings like this. That meant only one thing to Lex: he had to get himself a Crystal race architect!

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