The Innkeeper

Not a flicker of emotion appeared on Cassandra's neutral face as she heard Lex complain. Should she say he was too privileged? Or that his backing was so strong that he couldn't appreciate the opportunities he had been given?

Faster than Lex could process, she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her forehead. How long had she been asleep so that Golden core cultivators could just ignore her guidance? Had the realms really progressed that much? She found it hard to believe.

She got up from her chair and paced around, all of this still happening with such a small frame of time that Lex would not be able to tell anything happened at all.

For a moment she considered if she was truly in the wrong. But then just concluded that Lex's situation was unique, which is why he had the option to not tolerate such methods of training. He could afford it.

Was it worth it for her then to humor him? She thought for some time, but then concluded his potential was too great to waste. She sat back down, and slowed down her perception of time back to a normal level.

Lex was staring at her, as if waiting for her to give him an explanation. Truly dealing with babies was a hassle. How had she ever dealt with her own?

"The truth of the matter is, you do still trust the temple. You trust it in your gut, even if you don't want to - even if you don't understand why," said Cassandra as she poured herself another tea.

Unfortunately, she was right. Lex could feel it in his gut - in his very soul. The temple would neer harm him, and he could trust him. That feeling came from his core, but the feeling did not bind his actions. Since he did not understand it, he could choose to ignore it, something he was very much contemplating.

"But the problem is, you don't understand the context of that feeling. You don't understand the purpose of the temple. You don't understand why the temple would even suffer losses, and it has very much suffered losses due to the actions of that deity, just to train you. I can explain it to you, so that you understand. But first, I want to understand you a bit more. It will help with my explanation.

"Despite everything you have personally experienced, despite the investment you have seen, though admittedly you might not even understand the scope of that investment, you never seem impressed by anything the temple offers. If anything, the holistic guidance I give seems to elicit more of a reaction from you than, say, a resource the value of which suppasses a dozen star systems."

'A resource that suprasses the value of entire star systems?' Lex pondered. That was… worth a whole lot more than what he had accumulated at the Inn. Maybe. Honestly, speaking, he did not know the value of a living Heavenly immortal dragon. It should be more than that, right?

"See, that is exactly the expression you make," Cassandra said. "That expression, as if you are comparing the cost of things. Sometimes, child, even if you have the resources, they cannot replace the type of nurturing and guidance that the temple provides."

"This is not about resources. It is about trust. I already said that I don't doubt that you'll do whatever it takes to train me as long as you think it is worth it, including allowing a crazed deity to run rampant in your temple. But the question is, do 'I' think it's worth it? How do I know that you won't manipulate me further just because you think it'll help me down the line? What's to stop you from locking me in a basement and training me for a thousand years against my will? For all I know, that's exactly what you're doing to Z

"Sure, I have access to some valuable resources. I mean, I use the forehead of a living Heavenly immortal dragon as my cultivation mat. But I don't always have the right resources or the right guidance. I would love for there to be a magical place that trains me and gives me stuff for free without asking for anything in return. But I don't believe such a place exists, and you're not really helping your case."

Cassandra's forehead twitched. Training… on a… did he say living? How is that even helpful? Suddenly, she could understand what Mateo felt when he woke her up.

"Child, what do you know about the universe?"

Lex did not answer, but just kept looking at her as if wondering why she was asking him such a question.

"I truly wonder what kind of place you come from, where you can get so much, but not understand basic things. I take it you are familiar with realms, correct?"

"Yes," responded Lex, hoping that this would eventually lead to a proper answer.

"You already know about the Origin realm. Do you know how many other realms there are in the universe?"

"No, I don't."

"The answer is, it does not matter. What matters is how many 'mature' realms there are in the universe. That is a much more finite number compared to the total number of realms. More importantly, what matters is why there is a difference between mature and non-mature realms.

"You see child, everything in existence has a lifecycle. The life cycle of our universe… is right at the start. Our universe is young, you can say. And like all things young, the universe is growing. That growth allows new realms to be formed, and for them to mature. The Origin realm is an example of a realm that is about to mature. Now Lex, can you tell me what the most valuable resource in the universe is?"

"Mature realms?" Lex guessed, based on the theme of her explanation.

"It makes sense that you would think that, but no. The most valuable resource is time, and it's running out! You see, the universe is approaching the end of its 'youth' or early life phase. Once that happens, the universe will reach an equilibrium. That means the number of mature realms will be fixed, and all other realms, which have not reached full maturity, will be stuck at the level they've reached.

"Now why is this important? I'm going to gloss over a lot of things and get to the point. Technically, you're still too young and low leveled to learn about such things. Heavenly immortal realm would be the ideal realm to get in contact with this stuff, so I'll be brief.

"Although time is running out, that is only on a universal scale. In practice, it means there are billions of years left for this phase to finish. But this phase will not be spent in peace. The most valuable thing about mature realms is their ability to support high level cultivators, and nurture them.

"You see, once the level of a cultivator reaches a certain point, they no longer need mundane resources. Instead, they need a deeper comprehension and mastery of laws. For Dao Lord to grow, entering new realms that have not yet matured, but are nearing maturity,is the most ideal experience. They can 'feel' the new laws being formed, which allows them to gain a deeper understanding of the Dao.

"As for cultivation realms higher, well, it's best if you don't learn about it yet - trust me. But as a result, all mature realms, and realms nearing maturity have been embroiled in a war. Different factions want control over realms that are maturing so that their Dao Lords can grow before the universe's growth period ends, because after that it will become exponentially more difficult.

"Not all realms have the same rate of time flow either, so realms in which time passes more slowly are exceptionally valuable. Now that you understand this much, you should also understand that control over mature realms provides massive benefits to a race. Have you heard of the Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum? If a race gains control over a mature realm, then the benefits of that are felt by every member of that race across the entire universe!

"Which is why those who control important realms don't want to give up control, and those who don't have control want to take it. The human race is also very much embroiled in this war, and in fact very recently lost control over a majority of the realms they controlled, even if they were not mature ones.

"The temple, though it is in hiding for the moment, is very much a strategic resource designed to nurture generations of warriors for the realm war. But due to certain losses, the temple was hidden. There are forces out in the universe acting to bring the temple back, but there are also forces doing their best to ensure it doesn't come back.

"There are too many things that I cannot tell you right now, but I hope you understand. The temple… is for the benefit of all humans, across the entire universe!"