The Innkeeper

Lex looked from the farmer kid to the other sections of the fort, and then at Mango. One reason they could enter so easily could indeed be that there was a special allowance for those entering manually. Another reason could be Mango's insanely high limiter reduction.

"What percentage of power has the town mayor unlocked?" Lex asked the kid. "And what about the lord?"

"I've never personally met the lord, so I cannot say," the kid stated. "The mayor, however, is at 11%, which is why he can lead the town."

Lex nodded. Just as he suspected, compared to Mango's 39%, the mayor was at a much lower level. The lord, too, should not be nearly as high. It seemed that in Arch-Heaven, the limiter mattered far more than anything else, which didn't make too much sense to Lex.

His 1% and a Dao Lords 1% should not be anywhere near the same. Whatever the case, he hoped he wouldn't have the privilege of finding out the details any time soon.

"Alright, well, thanks for the help. We'll be moving on, don't worry we won't hurt you," Lex said as he karate-chopped the kid's neck, knocking him unconscious. After asking Mango to withdraw the chains, they started to move towards the noble section. From what he understood, instead of being punished for transgressing, they would just not be allowed to enter the new zone if the rules were operating normally. However, if they had the special privileges Lex was thinking that they had, it would not be an issue.

"Oh great and fabulous guardian Mango," Lex exclaimed. "I suspect that your incredible percentage on the limiter has allowed you to be recognized as a special personage. I think that moving through the zones should pose no issue to us."

"As it should be," Mango said. After all, it was every goldfish's right to be treated as such.

Feeling good about himself, the fish once again led the sled towards the nobles section and… got through without so much as a hiccup. Lex couldn't even tell there was some barrier or division.

Without so much as the slightest hindrance, they proceeded to follow the karmic string which led them towards, surprisingly, not the largest structure in this region, but towards a grand mansion instead.

Unlike the farmland, however, the noble area was not uninhabited. Guards stood outside each structure, each one belonging to a different race. For the most part, they were incredibly casual, chatting amongst themselves or reading a book or watching a video. Yet as soon as someone tried to approach a building, the guards would block them and ask to prove that they had permission to enter.

Lex felt slightly nervous considering he didn't want to start a fight, but the closer he got the the guy connected to him by this karma, the more agitated he became. The agitation was not for any other reason than because Lex thought of a cool one liner, and didn't want to spoil the opportunity to use it.

After all, what was life except a series of opportunities to act cool?

When they approached the mansion, as expected, two guards stepped in front of the door. They were beasts unlike any Lex had seen before, resembling a nightmare come to life than anything else. The limbs were in all the wrong places, and the fangs dripped with blood. The air around them was terrifying, as if their mere existence was enough to frighten most. They had 5% and 6% of their power, so as they looked down at the group, a flicker of disdain flashed through their numerous eyes.

Mango, feeling absolutely offended that their height made it impossible for him to look down on them, once again flapped its tail fin out of the fishing bowl, releasing its own genuine power.

Two inverted fishing bowls appeared atop the two beasts, trapping them within. The sudden appearance of the bowl startled them, yet their voices and cries were blocked in. As they tried to attack the bowls, they discovered that all their attacks were reflected onto them, injuring them.

Not waiting to see how the situation developed, Mango led them into the building. Entering this building, for some reason, felt like entering a Minor realm, as if it was an entirely new space.

Regardless, Lex could feel his target extremely close to himself now, and so couldn't restrain himself anymore. He walked forward with purpose, only glancing at the magnificently decorated halls and extravagant paths to check for any traps or pitfalls.

In only a few moments, he walked through a doubledoor entrance into what looked like an office, with his target hunched over a table, working. It was a strange being, one whose body seemed to be made of a dark cloud, with specks of shining light within mimickings stars and distant galaxies, almost appearing like the night sky from back when he was on earth - except, his body's shape was still humanoid.

Hearing the doors open, the being turned around, his face without any features save the stars within, though Lex could tell instantly that he was shocked to see Lex.

"You!" he exclaimed in an all too familiar voice.

"Yes, me!" Lex said, walking in with his back straight and his chest pushed forward. "I'm glad you remember me. You had a lot of fun messing with my tribulation back in the Primordial Garden, but I've brought your tribulation directly to you!"

'Oh yes, that felt so cool,' Lex thought to himself, feeling extremely satisfied. In truth, ever since he had his arse beaten up, he'd been looking for an opportunity to redeem himself. It was not like he could beat this living embodiment of the night sky - he had his limiter at 35%!

But the feeling of shocking him was just too great.

"HAH! Look at you, fool, with only 1.1% of your power," the figure laughed out, pointing at Lex, not caring about his line at all! "If you had agreed to become the Augur, you would have immediately jumped to 10% power, with the ability to travel to and from Arch-Heaven at will. Now look at you. You smell like you got burned by a Lawstorm."

Instead of being intimidated by Lex, the figure started laughing madly, as if the sight of Lex was the greatest joke on earth.

To make things worse, even Mango chuckled along, though he didn't know why.