Chapter 1543 — 1543: Growing crowd

Two days passed quietly with Lex simultaneously cultivating, researching Karma, having meetings and solving many of the accumulated problems of the Inn. It seemed like a lot of work, but Lex discovered that he found himself enjoying the process.

Compared to traveling the universe, facing constant dangers and resolving the many conspiracies that filled every action of high levelled cultivators, spending time at the Inn was much more relaxing. Although he enjoyed the adrenaline rush and excitement he often faced, this was a different kind of enjoyment.

It was so much so that Lex summoned two more clones, and had them take up two more jobs. Among the inner circle of the Inn, for both guests and workers, it was more or less common knowledge now that Leo and Lex were the same people.

But for the vast majority, they might know one or the other, but definitely not both. By now, many knew that Lex was a worker of the Inn, even if they didn't know his specific job. Comparatively, the one more prominent Leo and owner of the Gamers Den became someone very few knew about.

However, now both Leo and Lex reappeared at the Inn.

The crowds at the Inn were beginning to grow as two main events came close. The end of the Midnight Games had been announced. Or, to be more specific, the conditions for the Games to end.

Almost all battlefields had already been cleared, with only a little over 30 planets still at war. Once all of those battles were concluded, the Games would officially come to an end. Such an announcement brought even more attention to those last few battlefields, bringing in even more viewers and thereby more gifts for the warriors.

Simultaneously, the Inn's income also shot up, and Lex now finally had an opportunity to slowly accumulate a bit of a surplus so that he was not broke after the games ended.

But much sooner than the end of the games was the death match between emperor Jotun and the leader of the Fiery Mammoths. Such a clash brought in spectators from all powers and races, not just those two powers.

It was not every day that Celestial Immortals fought a publicly viewable battle, and as such, it attracted the attention of countless major powers.

Even those who still remained unaware of the Midnight Inn found out about it, while those who already knew about it took out time from their busy schedules to visit it. As the death match came closer, more and more from the Jotun empire flocked to the Inn, suddenly causing the number of guests in the Inn to cross into the billions!

All workers stopped taking holidays to handle the immense workload while Lex hired hundreds of millions of temporary workers from the event panel, draining the meager surplus he had managed to accumulate. But that drain was temporary. With so many guests, Lex expected to more than make up for his expenses.

Among the many who had come to the Inn to view the emperor's fight, the family of Vegus Minima's governor were obviously included.

Layla, the former leader of the peacock warriors, looked out at the Midnight Inn with complicated eyes, saying nothing, and merely reveling in her many childhood memories. Although, technically, she was still just a child. She could almost hear the voice of her former comrades as they rode peacocks and fought valiant battles.

Now, though, she was separated by her friends by more than just a realm. The amount of time that had passed for them was three times more than had passed for her, and

The landscape of the Inn seemed both familiar and foreign to her, and just as many things remained the same, too many things had changed.

"Come, lass. It's nice to live in a dream, but we also have to live in reality," said Noo, Layla's grandmother. "Although Vegus Minima is no longer plagued by the zombie crisis, our people are still too weak, our foundations still too frail. Leadership is both a privilege and a burden. As your father's heir, you are destined to live a different life from the rest.

"This is a great networking opportunity for your father. Reclaiming the three Vegus planets is not enough. We must expand beyond the three planets and grow our foundations as much as possible. For that, we need both resources and political favor. As newcomers into the Jotun empire, we must exert even greater effort than others to get anything done."

"I understand, grandmother," Layla said, recomposing herself.

The grandmother and grandchild moved on, heading towards the pavilion where the girl's parents were mingling with others of a similar station.

They didn't notice that, from afar, two young men stood on a hill, looking towards them.

"Are they the ones you want me to help, little Jimmy?" one of them spoke fondly.

"Yes, uncle Will," Jimmy said. "And it's not just helping them out. It's attaining mutual benefits. Layla's family are not incompetent. If your Rose Society takes advantage of the fact that they are still developing and entrench yourself in their growing star system, you will also gain a powerful stronghold."

"Ah, little Jimmy. Why don't you go and help them out yourself? Besides acting as a leader of the Peacock warriors, you have done well for yourself using the contacts you made. Helping out a mere star system is as easy as waving a hand for you. Although back in the day, there was a little misunderstanding between you and the girl's family, if you present yourself to them now, they will welcome you with open arms."

Jimmy continued to look at Layla as she moved further away, and could read her like an open book. Though she tried to hide her emotions behind a mask of aloofness, it was of no use in front of someone like Jimmy who had gained a lot of experience in dealing with people.

"Our childhood memories were nice, but that is all they were. Her parents were right - we are people from different worlds. They will be stuck to their star system, while I have the whole universe to explore. Besides, she's just a little girl and I'm an adult now. We have nothing left in common.

"No uncle Will, the reason I told you to help them is because I know you can gain a lot of benefit from it - nothing else."

Will Bentham said nothing as he listened to Jimmy over-explain himself, but in his eyes there was a mischief that could not be hidden.

He turned and looked back at the girl's family. He wondered what they would think now if they knew the little boy they turned away just a few years ago… already had more power than their entire star system. The Peacock warriors were not little kids anymore.

Fortunately, he did not need to wonder. He could just go ahead and find out.