Chapter 1447 — Chapter 1447 Compensation

Lex did not know which of the various critical pieces of information before him to focus on. Should he focus on the fact that he just asked out the representative of a terrorist organization, though he understood the world well enough to know that just because they had been labeled as terrorists, they might not actually be evil. The conflict of interest between the Henali and the Fuegan was actually causing everyone else to suffer.

Then again, the Fuegan had nurtured numerous Jorlams, were conducting a war across the realm and were responsible for the death of countless beings. Yes, on second thought, they were definitely evil.

He could also choose to focus on the fact that the Fuegan United Coalition of Kaos formed a very interesting acronym. He couldn't help but feel this was a deliberate choice by someone.

Or, and this one was a major contender, he could focus on how cute Misha looked as she tried, and failed, to hide her disappointment in losing. He definitely had a thing for redheads.

"My name is Lance," said Lex. "Lance Armstrong."

"I must admit, you have a strong arm. But why do I feel like that's a fake name?" Misha asked.

"I couldn't resist," Lex said with a wry smile. "It was too good of an opportunity. The name is actually Liam, I'm here on vacation."

In the end, he still gave her the fake name he decided to use on this trip. He didn't want to go and claim that his own name would raise flags, but that's definitely what it would do.

"Well, Liam, I have to admit that you're the first human that's caught my eye. I'm looking forward to that drink now."

"So am I. I suppose I'll see you in Artica then."

Despite seemingly hitting it off, the two of them didn't actually have much time to spend together, since all of them would be heading to Artica soon. The final briefing had been conducted just before Lex tried to approach Misha, and so they all needed to prepare for departure.

After splitting from Misha, Lex returned to Velma and Gerard, with Velma trying to hide the medkit behind her back.

"That wasn't bad at all," Velma said excitedly.

"She's a rep for the Fuegan," Lex said.

"Okay, so it could have been a little better," Velma corrected herself.

"It is what it is," Lex said with a shrug. "It's a good opportunity to learn more about what's going on with them. I spent quite a few years in the Origin realm, and that's where the Inn gets most of its guests. It's important we understand more about it. What about you guys? Learn anything new?"

Velma and Gerard shared a look, then turned towards Lex.

"Let's take a walk," Gerard said, heading towards a nearby cafe so that they could use its sound isolation formation.

"We have yet to uncover any plots by the bank itself, but the Sunset Tigers have an unusually large presence amongst the bank staff heading towards the Artica realm," Gerard said. "On the surface, that hardly makes a difference, but I suspect ulterior motives behind the move. Mira, for example, has been reassigned and will also be going to the Artica realm, whereas previously she had nothing to do with it."

"As long as their plans don't involve us, it's fine," Lex said. "But it won't hurt to keep an eye on them anyway. Have you guys given much thought to what I told you earlier? Do you want to stay in the Artica realm, or will you leave at the same time as me?"

"I will not stay," Gerard said. "I cannot leave the security team without my support for such an extended period, though I will do my best to get the most out of this experience while I am here."

"I haven't really decided yet," Velma said. "Unlike Gerard, I might be able to serve the Inn better if I stay on in the Artica realm and develop a network there, and learn some of their secrets. I suppose it will all depend on the situation once we actually arrive."

"Well, if you do decide to stay back, make sure you prioritise your own protection. The bank has already proven that their defenses can be overcome."

A moment of silence fell between the group. A bank representative had approached them some time earlier, calling them to a meeting where they and a few others would be updated on how and why the bank's defenses were breached, and what the bank was doing to make up for it.

The trio decided not to attend, preferring to maintain a distance from the details of that incident. They did, however, happily provide details when the bank asked them what they wanted in form of compensation.

Originally, for something like this, the bank would give its own compensation depending on the nature of the incident. Since they were almost killed, the bank originally offered to create a protective natal treasure for each of them.

This was not a light or easy compensation, for natal treasures were extremely expensive and highly valuable. In fact, despite being connected to Naraka and wearing the ring containing Pel inside of it, Lex did not technically have a natal treasure.

A natal treasure is one that is deeply connected to the cultivator, often being fused inside their body or soul, and grows stronger as the cultivator grows stronger. They're usually much stronger than the typical treasure that a cultivator can wield, explaining why there was a huge demand for them despite one very critical flaw in their design.

Since natal treasures were linked to the cultivator, if the treasure was damaged or destroyed, the cultivator would suffer severe, and often irreversible damage. Still, considering how strong they were, this was a rare occurrence.

But such treasures did not really suit those working at the Midnight Inn. Velma instead asked for an extremely powerful cloning technique adjusted specifically for her, and the bank promised to have it made specifically for her.

Gerard's request was actually the easiest to fulfill, as he requested a high quality corvette class spaceship. Although the bank stated the ship won't have inter-realm travel capabilities, they promised to deliver him the best while it came to traveling within a realm, regardless of the environment.

Lex's request actually turned out to be the most difficult. Not specifically needing anything else, Lex requested a treasure that could help him hide his Karma. Just as the bank representatives were struggling over how to respond, considering that his request went way over their approved budget, he also mentioned how a Sunset Tiger had tried to attack him earlier on but he defused the situation without causing much of a fuss.

Technically speaking that's not what happened, but his request was approved after he said that, so who cared?

The only catch was that it would take some time before Lex could get the blocker considering it needed to be custom made.

It didn't matter. Lex did not mind heading out to a brand new realm filled with beings from all across the universe with his Karma hanging out in the open for all to see. He was sure it would be fine.

In all seriousness, the Artica race had some pretty strict rules. If they were actually implemented the way they were being advertised, then Lex was not too concerned about his safety at all.

The three of them concluded their conversation, ensuring that they were all up to date on any potential risks they should be aware of. Lex shared all the information that the Rhinocentaurs had sent him, but there wasn't anything significant at the moment.

As soon as they reported that they were ready to leave, the three of them were escorted to the hangar from where they would depart.

Instead of traveling in the glass containers like last time, they were brought to a spaceship 3 miles long and about half a mile wide, which would carry everyone traveling to the Artica realm.

Despite being smaller than the ship inside the Midnight realm, this ship was large enough to carry millions of people, and was fully equipped to travel through the Void. The ship also boasted a formidable defense and a massive onboard security team just in case they ran into any more unexpected issues.

The exact security details were unknown to them, but walking up to the behemoth and watching thousands upon thousands of beings climb aboard, there was only one thing on Lex's mind.

"How much do you guys want to bet that we'll be attacked again during travel?" Lex asked through his spirit sense. That wasn't exactly the kind of thing one could ask out loud.

"A mistake once can be excused, but two incidents in a row would be too much. I don't think the bank will allow such oversight," said Gerard.

"Exactly why it makes sense that it'll happen again. With all the additional measures and security, no one will honestly expect another attack," said Lex.

"I think your logic is a little messed up," said Velma. "I bet embarrassing pictures that there's an attack, but the bank defends successfully."