Chapter 1540 — 1540: First ingredient

Orin's eyes were glued onto the image, and only part of it was because the mere pressure from the image froze his body. In truth, he saw a lot more than just the surface of the image. He saw what it was meant to be.

But the power in that bead… it was too great. It far surpassed Orin, and while theoretically he could create items and treasures stronger than himself, the difference could not be so great.

Slowly, the image of the bead faded, and Orin turned his eyes to the Innkeeper who was observing him with amused eyes.

"That… that is too powerful. There is no way I can create something like that - not before I become much stronger."

"No, that is your misconception," said the Innkeeper warmly. "The power you were feeling from the projection - actually that aura itself was also a part of the projection. The bead does not have to have such power. Instead, it is a mere conduit for Karma, and thus should be able to tolerate such a strain. In truth, the bead itself will have no power.

"But the details of the project… well, it's better I only discuss it with whoever is incharge of actually producing it. Do not worry Orin, I will not implicate you as far as my treasures are concerned. If you do not wish to join the Inn, then that is your freedom."

The Innkeeper sounded entirely sincere, but that only made Orin more conflicted. He had his duty that he could not overlook, yet the temptation of creating such amazing treasures had grabbed his heart, and refused to let go. The Innkeeper had even made it easier for him by letting him know that joining the Inn would not conflict with performing his duties, though Orin could not help but feel that he was overlooking something.

Indeed, he really was overlooking something very important. Every action a Deity took was very significant, and had the chance to possibly influence their lore or faith, becoming a part of the stories told about a Deity.

It wasn't like it was impossible for a Deity to serve another, but should that happen, it would become a part of that Deities gospel, and thus a measure of power and faith that was supposed to go to the Deity was transferred to whoever they served.

It was a big decision, not lightly taken. Yet Orins brain, at the moment, wasn't working to full capacity, for even with the projection faded, all he saw with his eyes was that black bead.

Meanwhile, Lex silently watched as Orin shepherded himself exactly to the decision Lex wanted from him.

Lex had not been deceitful about why he wanted Orin, though perhaps he hadn't painted the full picture either.

Since he was working on completing quests now, he decided to put more effort into all the quests, including the one about forming a Heaven and a Hell. Since Divine energy would be needed to develop the Heaven, it only made sense for Lex to hire some of the local Deities to help out with its creation.

Orin was one of the easier Deities to persuade. The other Deities within the Midnight realm, while still deferential to the Innkeeper, had a bit of an attitude problem and would require more work to be convinced.

Lex would, naturally, put that work in, but at a later date. Right now, he wanted to hire Orin for another, much more urgent reason.

He did not like playing by the rules, and while he was limited to what he could do on the Go board, that is only how things appeared to be. Karma was a law of the universe so powerful that even his cultivation technique, as amazing as it was, could do nothing to it.

More importantly, the Go board connected Lex and that other Nas race member, forming a sort of contract between them. He did not believe that he couldn't use that to his favor somehow.

Of course, at the moment Lex lacked the comprehensive understanding of Karma required to somehow take advantage of it. That didn't mean he couldn't take advantage of it.

Orin was a great blacksmith, but creating something worth his skill was not a product of a day or a week or a month. Besides the time taken to just gather the right materials, it would take years.

Considering the fact that Karma was such a difficult concept to properly grasp, to make a tool that could serve as a conduit for Karma might even take decades or more.

Hopefully, Lex would be able to resolve the Go board long before then. But if he wasn't able to do so, he'd rather get started on the solution right now rather than later.

Orin gulped, wiped the sweat off his brow, finished chugging his Burnberry Brew, and then looked at the Innkeeper with an intense gaze.

"You know what, I change my mind," said the Deity of Hammers, slamming his mug down as he did.

"I think joining the Inn would be the best way to grow my strength, and thus the best way to benefit my people. I will join the Midnight Inn!"

The Innkeepers smiled widened as he took out a platinum key and handed it to Orin.

"You must first take the test, but I have faith in you. Once you complete the test, we can begin planning on how to craft the Karmic bead. Oh, but I'll give you one hint to motivate you. To set the foundation of the bead, I'll be using this."

The Innkeeper held out his hand, opening it to reveal a small nugget of amber colored resin. The dwarfs' pupils dilated, and though he didn't know what he was looking at, his entire being was suddenly filled with an unquenchable thirst for that resin.

He wanted to absorb it, as if doing so would elevate him to a whole new level of power.

Yet greed did not blind him. Instead, it brought an immense amount of fear into his heart. He had no idea what he was looking at, but he finally understood why the Innkeeper needed to hire him before making him work. Who else could be trusted with such a secret?