The Innkeeper
chapter-1150

Noor brought Lex and Sim away from the countless others, but as soon as they were far away her expression dimmed.

"Do not assume that the danger is gone just because the killer was repelled once," she said, looking at the both of them. "The reason I suggested earlier that he might not make another attempt is because we do not think the killer will strike again when so many people are watching. We sincerely believe that the killer might strike again, but only when it's least expected."

Sim's expression dimmed, though Lex was not surprised. Although he did not understand what someone like Truck-kun wanted with a random guy who was good at ranching, it only made sense that he would not be so easily dissuaded.

"I am telling you this so that you are not caught unaware, but that does not mean you need to be worried. Now that you have been identified as the target, we will do everything to make sure that you remain safe. Dunya is not a planet where anyone can just do as they please."

It was ironic that she was saying that, because Lex literally just had a planet wide lockdown lifted because he was in a rush to return. But he was smart enough to not mention that at the moment.

"Does that mean we're free to do as we please?" Lex asked. Even given the serious situation, he had his priorities straight. Sim rolled his eyes, and as soon as Noor gave him the go ahead, she herself vanished, leaving the two of them alone.

Sim looked at Lex with mixed feelings, and then eventually sighed.

"Let's go. I'll take you to get your feathers."

Without any more conversation, Sim led Lex back to his ranch. The inside was not really visible from the outside due to very powerful formations, but even so Lex was surprised by what he saw.

The countless 'kids' who had previously answered the door when he knocked were actually extremely massive farm animals. There was nothing strange or mystical about them. They were straight up ordinary farm animals, just much larger.

For example, there was the sixty feet wide pig, the three hundred feet tall ostrich, the ninety feet long sheep and so on. Yet despite their massive size, they behaved like little children in front of Sim, and swarmed around the comparatively tiny Druid. Lex was honestly impressed the guy hadn't been stomped to death yet.

The sight of the Druid being called Papi by countless animals many times bigger than himself was also quite comical. But as they ventured deeper into the ranch, Lex spotted the ranch help.

There were giants, because of course. The odd thing was that the animals were even larger than the giants, as each giant's height seemed to be capped at around a hundred feet. From what Lex knew about them, their height was directly linked to their strength, so maybe if their cultivation grew they'd finally be bigger than the animals they took care of.

But more interesting than the sight of the giants were the goliaths. The goliaths were a very new race in the Origin realm, and from what Lex recalled their existence was closely tied to one of emperor Jotun's sons.

Goliaths were larger and taller than humans, but not quite to the level of giants. They had strong bodies, and their cultivation also revolved around body cultivation, so he supposed they made good ranchers and farmers, where a lot of physical activity was required.

Some of the animals also gave off auras much stronger than Sim himself, such as a pair of otters of relatively normal size, being only 20 feet tall. Yet oddly enough, they too were quite subservient towards Sim, which was a dynamic he did not quite understand.

Finally they arrived at a large lake filled with a green liquid that actually smelled quite enticing. This was actually something he had never encountered before, and he could feel that it would be beneficial for his body. But considering the fact that there were a few geese swimming in the lake, Lex resisted the urge to take a sip.

"Velvet Geese are very, very sensitive creatures. They cannot survive the slightest bit of pollution, and need an extremely pure place to thrive," Sim spoke as he waved at a particularly large goose, and called it to shore.

"They're also quite weak themselves, while every single piece of their body is extremely nourishing for anyone who consumes it. Basically, this is a species that seems like it is designed to not survive at all. The only thing they have working towards them in the aspect of surviving on their own… is their king. A Velvet Goose King is different from birth, and more than makes up for the weakness of its entire race. They can hold their own against countless mythical creatures in the same realm."

As if confirming what Sim had just said, the goose that arrived upon Sim's beckoning radiated a powerful aura that made Lex feel incredibly threatened. This was yet another creature much stronger than Sim, yet it obeyed the ranchers' requests without hesitation.

"Pulling a Velvet Goose King's feather is not a straightforward task. If it's time for the king to shed, then it becomes easy. But doing so otherwise is a grave task, since the King is naturally prideful. The fact that it has King in its name should tell you that much."

Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he saw a creature with King in its name. It sort of reminded him of Sovereigns, though King did not have the same sense of grandeur. Perhaps they were a weaker, more common version of Sovereigns.

"Normally I ask for quite a heavy price for each of these feathers, but since you've saved my life, albeit indirectly, I won't ask you for a price. But I can, at most, give you two feathers."

Lex shook his head.

"Price is not an issue, but I need more feathers. See if the King likes this. It might be willing to exchange more of its feathers on its own if it does."

Lex held out a ceramic bottle, blocked off with a cork. Unsure of what made Lex feel so confident, he reached for the bottle.