Chapter 1498 — 1498: I thought Devils were the evil ones

The dozen Valkyries as well as the group of Angels they were meeting almost immediately detected Lex the moment he started to walk towards them. Yet it wasn't as if he was sneaking up on them, so he waved his hand towards them as a greeting.

His last conversation with Shireen, the leader of the Valkyries, was not the best, not that he could blame her. As someone who had been a prisoner for a very long time, and had supposedly been abandoned by her own people, it made sense that she was highly cynical and wary.

In fact, the concerns that she had about the Inn were actually genuine, and she was the only one who seemed to worry about them. Everyone else, as far as Lex had seen, somehow just assumed that the Innkeeper had things handled.

In a way, that was a good thing. It helped him avoid unnecessary trouble. It was also a bad thing, because as the actual Innkeeper, his ability to handle things was nowhere near what people assumed it might be.

"Hey Shireen, it's been a while. How are you doing?" Lex asked as he approached, completely nonchalant about the fact that the entire group had been silently watching him approach. He was entirely at ease, though many would have felt awkward or at least uncomfortable being stared down by a group of much more powerful women - who also just happened to be incredibly attractive, not that he was paying attention to that at all. He also didn't care how their armor looked aesthetic as heck and that the air around them smelled like early spring.

"It has indeed been a duration of time, though if your intention was to convey that it has been a long duration, I will have to disagree. Regardless, after receiving your direct and unfiltered criticism about possibly requiring therapy and being excessively cynical, I assembled a moot among my sisters to discuss if time had truly altered our perspectives.

"After a review, we concluded that in many cases, we were letting our vast experience influence various conclusions we were drawing without first confirming the details of the situation. To remedy the situation, we reached out to our associates among the Angels to confirm our status."

"Well I wouldn't so much call it 'direct and unfiltered criticism'. Maybe more along the lines of some constructive, friendly advice. Either way, I'm glad to see things are going well."

"Not exactly," said Shireen. "Our status as political prisoners remains uninfluenced, and at the moment the Angels foreign policy does not allow them any leeway to try and remedy the relationship between the Seraphim. For better or worse, we are going to remain as prisoners for the foreseeable future."

"Well, at least you haven't been abandoned," Lex said, trying to frame things positively.

"Indeed, we have not. The political convenience of having us as prisoners, while they've adapted to operate without us, is such that if we successfully escape from here, the Angels will have to provide new prisoners to take our place - or give up the Seraphim prisoners they hold. Neither is convenient, so the Angels very much want to ensure that we cannot escape the resort as well."

At this point, Lex really stopped trying to put a nice spin on things. These poor Valkyries really had been just abandoned.

"I've got to say, my impression about Angels is really taking a hit. And here I always thought that the Devils were the bad guys."

The Devils were, very much, the bad guys from a more macroscopic view. It was just that since most of them had a very good relationship with the Inn, he hardly ever got to see that side of them.

But he had not forgotten that they used humans to farm Demons, and that there were some devils involved in the attack on the Midnight Battalion back then. For all intents and purposes, the attack had been carried out and orchestrated by Ra - at least as far as they were concerned. But there had been hints that there were devils involved in that incident somehow, and he hadn't forgotten that.

"This is an internal matter among Angels," said the leading angel, a blonde man wearing thick silver armor. "I assure you that such a decision is not easily made, nor are we in favor of it. But the circumstances are such that we cannot easily do as we please. The Seraphim are no threat, but there are many forces who are using the Seraphim to hold us Angels back in place.

"If we try to make waves, we will immediately find the Seraphim bolstered on all sides, suppressing us heavily and costing us far more than we are paying right now."

"I'm sure," Lex said dismissively. "The internal decisions of the Angels is none of my business anyway. Shireen, I had a couple questions I wanted to ask you. Considering your vast experience both in the resort and out of it, I thought you'd be the perfect person to ask."

Shireen looked towards the Angels for a moment, who silently started back. Lex did not think they were secretly communicating - more like trying to guess each other's thoughts.

"Very well, let's talk. But I have a stipulation of my own. I require your assistance for some private matters as well."

"El'Harkin, do not do anything unbecoming of a Valkyrie," the angel said in a stern tone.

"It has been a long time since I spent any time among the angels. Millions of years, in fact. My memory is beginning to wane about what is and isn't becoming for a Valkyrie. Besides, I've heard that much has changed since Eden Corp was formed. I am not so sure about what ideals the angels pursue any longer. Now that you have confirmed that I am very much still a prisoner in the eyes of Eden corp, with no more value than to live forgotten for all eternity, I believe our business is concluded. You may leave at your leisure. Or enjoy what the resort has to offer - I assure you, their services are very good. So good, maybe you'll want to swap places with me."

In a rare break from her character, Shireen actually winked at the angel as she led Lex away so that they could talk in private.

Were the angel a cartoon, his face would have turned red and smoke would have come out of his ears due to anger. As it was, the angel merely clenched his jaw and looked at Lex threateningly.

"No wonder the Devils captured a whole realm but the angels only got half," Lex whispered under his breath, fully aware that the angel could hear him. In truth, he knew that there was a lot more to why things turned out that way than simply personal competence. But who asked that angel to glare at Lex?

Lex simply wanted to piss him off now. More importantly, he totally got why Belle fit in so well with angels. She always had an attitude problem, even as a child. Of course, that attitude problem could be attributed to spending a lot of time with Damian, fully aware that her family was being pressured by the man, and feeling the responsibility to fix it. But… Lex wasn't exactly a psychologist. Who could say why Belle did what she did? Certainly not Lex.

"You actually seem like you're in a pretty good mood for someone who just told that her people more or less abandoned her," said Lex, though this time he had the tact to speak through spirit sense so no one else would hear.

"That is because that is not what happened," Shireen said with a smirk. "Through one of the other angels who arrived with the envoys, I learned that my granddaughter has reached the peak of the Celestial realm. But that is not enough to sway Eden Corp, which, for better or worse, now controls the fate of all angels. To become a board member of the company, she must reach the Dao Lord realm first."

"Please do not ask me to help her become a Dao Lord. That's a little outside my capabilities," Lex joked. It was obvious that Shireen's request would not be that. Even though Lex had very limited knowledge of the Dao Lord realm, he knew that others couldn't really help one become a Dao Lord.

Unbelievably, Shireen actually chuckled at Lex's bad joke. Lex suddenly regretted making her laugh, because her beauty was infectious when she was cheery. Lex had a firm grip on his pubescent body's actions, ensuring nothing untowards happened, yet it was becoming harder.

"Nothing like that. But you see, the internal competition among angels is tough, and unless my granddaughter gets some support, she won't be able to take some time away to actually cultivate - not without peace of mind at least. As it happens, I have made quite a few friends among the many guests who have visited the resort over the years. If you would be so kind, I'd like you to deliver a message to one of my friends. In exchange, I too can grant you a favor of a similar difficulty."