The festive mood at the Inn had come to a pause. There was no fear that filled the air, but everyone had to take some time to settle their emotions after what they had just experienced.
While everyone had experienced the same hallucination, and they could guess that it had been caused by the black lightning, they had no idea who that person they had hallucinated about was or if what they saw was even true. But regardless of those details, there was no one who could deny that the vision had their blood boiling.
Everyone was suddenly in the mood to train or fight intense battles and somehow vent their raging emotions. There were very few who actually knew that the person in the hallucinations was actually Ragnar, mostly because they recognized him from pictures of his youth.
Alexander was one of them, and while he displayed no outward emotion, inside he was filled with a burning passion. He did not want to just be strong, he wanted to be the strongest! Only by learning from such a man could he achieve that dream.
Marlo too felt his blood boiling, but he easily suppressed it. What was going through his head was completely unknown, even to his wife. All anyone could see him doing was sitting laxly on a sofa, twiddling his thumbs. But although he looked completely relaxed, the fire in his eyes spoke otherwise. There was a plan brewing in his mind.
"Who was that?" asked the empress as she flew to Jotun, her voice hiding bits of praise and admiration.
"Our future son-in-law," Jotun replied with a casual smile.
While everyone was experiencing different things, Lex's mind was like a tumultuous sea. First and foremost, he needed to learn about that tribulation! What the hell was that? If he had to spend 10 billion MP per strike of that black lightning, and a few more people underwent a similar tribulation, he would once again be completely broke!
His current wealth was at 70 billion MP. He had earned quite a bit during the festival, and lately he had especially been earning a lot from the 1% transaction fee in the Guild room. He thought it was swimming in cash, but it appeared far from the truth.
But Lex quickly calmed down. The advantage was still with him. If he wanted to boost his earnings…
With a wave of his hand, all the hidden entrances to the various Minor realms in the Inn became easier to find. He speculated it would take just a few more hours at most for people to find the first one. Moreover, the Grand Prix was coming soon. If past experiences had been anything to go by, Lex would be earning a lot soon enough.
It was then that Mary informed him about Ragnar's request for a challenge in the Murder Ground, and a capitalistic gleam flashed through Lex's eyes. He just spent 10 billion on the man. It should be okay if he earned a little something back, right?
*****
In the spaceship above the Inn, all the children were going absolutely wild! It was not fear that had gripped them, although for the younger ones that had initially been the case. But as they recovered from the hallucination and recalled where they were, something else happened. They began playing a game of war!
Since the children had formed various gangs and factions, and had marked certain playgrounds as their home bases within the ship, they were now fighting a relentless war with pool noodles as their weapons.
But not all kids were participating in the game. As it so happened, all the leaders of the various factions the kids had formed were sitting together in a conference room.
Some were sipping apple juice, and some were eating chocolate pudding, while others still were fiddling with fidget spinners. But while some of them had become victims to their short attention spans, most of them were paying close attention to the person sitting at the head of the conference table.
Like them, he was a kid, but his vision, his ambition, and most of all, his ingenious ideas had captivated them. He was not waiting for them to grow up before doing big things. No, he was building a network right now. The most expansive, secret and diverse information network in the Origin realm was beginning to take shape, and at its head sat Roland.
Previously, he had sold newspapers in the Crystal realm. At the Midnight Inn he had joined the Midnight newsroom. But after spending some time here, and upon noticing the vast resources available at the Inn, his hidden passion had been flamed awake.
Since he was in the news business, he should take advantage of the biggest and most unsuspecting resource available, children. Everyone openly revealed their secrets in front of kids, because who would ever expect them to interfere, or even remember? It was not even their own parents they could spy on, but everyone they came across.
"So, we are in agreement?" Roland asked, tapping his fingers on the table in an easy rhythm.
A series of ayes, yes' and yeahs filled the room as all the kids became super excited.
"In that case, I would like to announce officially the beginning of operation 'Secret Base' and operation 'Secret Agents'. Remember, don't tell your faction members everything. Get the information from them, and pass it along. They must think they're the only ones doing this, and that it's a secret. Or else they won't feel like spies."
"And you remember that you're not the only one who will have access to all the information," said Layla. Jimmy was standing dutifully behind her and giving a challenging look to Roland. Sure, Roland was much older than the two of them, but they led one of the strongest factions of children - the Peacock Warriors. They feared no one and nothing.
"Of course," replied Roland. "Prove yourselves, and I'll help you become secret members of the Newsroom. That way you'll all be able to access the information."