The Innkeeper
chapter-1137

As Lex stood in line for the dating convention, slowly stepping forward, he could not help but analyze his situation. He was in a rush to find the rancher because he wanted to get his hands on those goose feathers as quickly as possible. Not only was this because he had other things he wanted to do later, such as find a worthy opponent for his sword and enter the preliminary round for the tourney. It was also because the fact that Moon had been sleeping for days was concerning.

Lex did not think about the fact that until he came face to face with her, he had decided to completely cut off his family. Emotions were things that did not make sense. The bitterness of being left out by them still filled him.

But his own feelings towards his family was one matter. When he saw her weakened and frail state, despite being a Golden core cultivator, he was completely overwhelmed with rage, and a hint of guilt.

Although he knew it wasn't his fault that she ended up like that, the truth was that if he hadn't accidentally run into her, he would have not made any effort to look for her. For that, he was very grateful to Vera.

Although their relationship was mostly transactional, she had been a huge help to Lex in many different things. He would remember this and make it up to her some day.

But the gist of the matter was, he was in a hurry to get this over with, so he was hoping this convention wouldn't take up too much of his time. He was hoping the rancher would have the feathers already prepared, since Powell had called him ahead of time. Or if he didn't, that he would authorize someone else to do the sale on his behalf.

It was with these thoughts in mind that Lex finally entered the studio, and was brought to an inspection room even more thorough than the teleportation facility he had come through. Or perhaps he had skipped most of the inspection back then due to being a VIP.

"Name?" a rather slender Druid asked him, her long, deep brown hair flowing freely behind her.

"Lex. I'm looking for another applicant for the convention, a friend of mine. Is there any chance I'll be able to meet with them for a moment? There's an urgent matter I need to discuss."

"If the applicant is selected for the convention, then you will only be able to meet with them once the convention starts. If they're sent to the waiting room to see if there's space for them, then you might be able to meet them there if you also end up there. Otherwise, if they don't get selected, then you can just talk to them outside.

"What is your dating history like? Are you currently single? Do you have any prior engagements, forced or otherwise? Even if the engagement is already broken, be sure to mention it. Such things get you bonus points. But don't bother making up fake stories, you're standing on a truth detector formation."

Lex nearly grimaced at the mention of the truth detection formation, not to mention the questions. Why was the universe picking on him lately?

"I am currently single, no prior engagements of any kind," Lex said succinctly.

The simple response seemed to disappoint the Druid lady, but she didn't dwell on it.

"Are you affiliated with any significant forces? Those include, but are not limited to, prominent families, ruling factions of various empires, a significant position within a race such as nobility, galactic or intergalactic federations, companies, businesses, criminal syndicates, pirate groups etc. Please note that no legal action will be taken against you in case you have any criminal affiliations. This is just to build your profile. The more interesting your background, the better your chances of being selected."

Lex hesitated. His background was more than just interesting, but he didn't know how much of that he wanted to reveal. He just wanted to meet the rancher, but if the rancher got selected for the convention, meeting him might be hard.

Should he try to get in just in case the rancher gets in? If it turns out that the rancher isn't in, he could always just quit.

Somewhere deep inside of him, Lex felt like things were slowly getting out of hand. But then again, it was just a dating convention. What's the worst that could happen?

"I do have a few affiliations, but is it alright if I don't mention them?" Lex asked. "Having a mysterious background should also help, right?"

The Druid thought about it for a moment, before answering.

"Well the formation recognises that you're truthful about having some affiliations, but not mentioning them might not necessarily work in your favor. Just so you know, the convention will run an independent background check on you for safety and security purposes. A criminal element can spice up a profile, but only if it's not a threat to the convention or the other applicants."

Lex raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, go ahead."

The druid nodded, and continued with the questions.

"Are you of legal dating age according to your race?"

It was fortunate that Lex had excellent control over his body, or else he might have blushed.

"Yes, I have been alive for a sufficient period of time," he said, maintaining perfect eye contact. The life detector did not go off, so the Druid just shrugged and continued with the questions. Fortunately, Lex had been careful with how he answered. There was no way a fifteen-year-old body would have been considered of legal dating age for something like this - at least according to the laws on earth.

"Do you have any dating preferences in terms of race, gender, age, cultivation level and so on? Oh, wait, I also forgot to ask, what's your cultivation level?"

Lex began to question how bad it could really be for Moon to sleep a little longer. For all he knew, it could be good for her. She was a growing child, after all. Well, not anymore, he supposed, but still, it could be good for her.