The Innkeeper

Chapter 2323: The clues were right there

Pearl asked Cliff if they should leave behind Karev for this mission, but he let the old man come. It wasn’t just because he was the strongest of the three, but because that bit of destiny he carried on him could be a great asset.

Regardless, if Lex’s suspicions about the key were correct, then he would definitely have to make a move this time around. Thus, the actual strength of the three became somewhat irrelevant. At most, they would need to focus on keeping themselves safe if things escalated too much.

Lex summoned the coin and looked at it once more, studying it carefully as he did.

This was a random coin he got from within Karev’s heritage, but it was suddenly giving off an aura similar to the only Axis Eternum he’d ever known.

Before heading straight towards where the coin was pointing, however, Lex needed to take many precautions. Even if this portion of the realm had been carved into a separate battlefield by the Humanoid Alliance, it was a fact that this was a Major realm controlled by the Gon race.

Not only could there be enemies at the location, there was even a possibility of Dao Lords being present. He had to act carefully.

Lex tested how much power he could use. The theory was that he could use his full strength even in this form, but in practice that was far from the case. The structure of the necklace did not exactly facilitate multitasking, not to mention it could not replicate the durability and strength of his body.

Even without his full strength, Lex did not doubt that he could best any Heaven Immortal he met. It was nowhere near safe enough, but when had that ever stopped him? He was already in a desperate situation, and he was in the search for something to help him fulfil his plan.

When they set out, the young couple found an excuse to bring along Karev, telling him that they had gotten a lead on a valuable treasure. It wasn’t exactly false since Lex gave them a replica coin that would point them in the same direction as his coin.

The group set out, and Lex even removed the hidden trackers the alliance had placed on the three of them, letting them move unhindered and unmonitored. However, when they departed, they had not anticipated how long the journey would be.

The group, despite being immortals and moving at fairly quick speeds, took them nearly four years to complete. When they finally reached their destination... there was nothing.

They reached the base of a tall cliff where the coin was pointing towards, yet no matter how Lex scanned the area he could find nothing. He even tried to use the coin, but except for pointing towards the very base of the cliff, Lex scratched his head, unsure of how to proceed. He began to study the coin and the location once more, trying to determine if the treasure would only reveal itself at a certain time.

Meanwhile, River, Pearl and Karev were also studying the location.

"What’s going on?" Karev asked, displaying a surprising amount of calmness for someone who had traveled four years for what seemed like nothing.

"I’m not sure," said River as he looked towards the cliff, where he could see Cliff trying to understand what had gone wrong. If even Cliff didn’t know, how could River? "This is where the coin is pointing towards, I’m sure of it. I’m not sure why there’s nothing here. Maybe we need to wait for something or..."

His voice was suddenly interrupted by Cliff, who was, for the first time since River had known him, startled by something.

He looked towards River, and then back towards Karev, and then at Pearl as if he was trying to figure something out.

The realization he suddenly had was so startling that Lex actually started to laugh out in disbelief. Instead of staying hidden, he revealed himself in front of Karev.

Karev, on the other hand, did not seem too surprised to see Cliff.

"I take it you’re the one who has been looking after these kids," Karev said calmly, as if he had expected everything. "If that’s the case then I must thank you as their elder."

Lex only shook his head.

"No need to thank me, these two worked for every benefit they got. As a firm believer in the ways of capitalism, I wouldn’t even give them a fever for free," answered Lex as he waved his hand. "Jokes aside, they’re good kids. If anyone deserved it, they did."

Compared to Karev, River and Pearl were stunned. In all the time... in all the decades that they had known Cliff, he had never revealed himself in front of anyone, let alone casually joke with them. His sudden actions gave them a premonition that... something was about to change.

"Then I take it that you’re the one who brought us here?" Karev asked, looking at the coin in Cliff’s hand and noticing how it looked identical to the one River had. "What is it for?"

Cliff only shook his head with a wide smile, filled with disbelief.

"You know, I’m actually so stupid. The clues were in front of me the whole time - I can’t believe I didn’t connect the dots before," Cliff said as he squatted next to the cliffside and called River over.

"Some time ago I learned of a place filled with countless treasures that can only be enjoyed inside that place, and nothing can be taken out. That magical place - the one that’s as big as a Major realm and holds unbelievable treasures that can entice even Dao Lords - is called the Gilded Hollow. Does that ring any bells?"

For a moment River and Pearl felt confused, but Karev immediately realized what the man was referring to.

"You don’t think... the ring?" he asked, but Lex did not respond.

Instead, he asked Karev for the ring and placed it headfirst in a small groove in the cliffside. The coin suddenly started to glow before it shot out of Lex’s hands and into the cliffside, turning into a bright, shining outline of a door.

The cliff trembled, and then that trembled spread across the entire realm, and then the universe itself. The legendary Gilded Hollow, which had been sealed for countless eons, had suddenly reopened.

Doors of light, just like the one in front of Lex and the others, opened all across the universe, sometimes in front of people and sometimes in empty places.

Those who stepped through could be called lucky, or maybe unlucky. Only time could tell.

"Proceed at your own risk, because I won’t be able to help you inside," said Lex as he looked towards the three of them. "In fact, as abrupt as it may be, this might be farewell. If you guys become famous enough, maybe one day I’ll find you again."

Lex waved at them, and then stepped through the light, taking the necklace with him. He didn’t tell them that within their bodies he had sealed some of his power which could protect them if their lives were in danger. He also didn’t opt for a long, emotional goodbye - he didn’t have the time for it.

The door to the Gilded Hollow would only be open for a very short time.