The Innkeeper
chapter-1200

Lex sat atop a tree stump as he looked out at the plains in front of him. He had searched for Giselle for twenty minutes, but hadn't been able to find her. Considering his searching speed, 20 minutes was a large amount of time, yet it yielded nothing. But his instincts seemed to insist that Giselle was in this general area.

He rubbed his chin as he thought of multiple ideas of how to proceed. Since he couldn't find her, and she hadn't contacted him, that meant that either she hadn't seen him or was avoiding him.

Considering their prior fruitful partnership, he didn't see why she might be avoiding him, so the chances of her being unable to spot him were highest. Lex considered any number of possibilities, from sealed domains to trapping formations and many more.

All of that basically only meant one thing: that he had to search even more thoroughly. Lex closed his eyes and used one of the cloning techniques he had mastered. The reason why he didn't use it more often was because it was highly limited.

The fighting strength of each clone was basically nonexistent, though they could use his techniques and abilities. They also could not be too far from him, which limited their effectiveness range.

But they also had their uses. For example, while he sat on the stump, 50 other Lex spread out and began searching. More than 10 of them entered the soul state and went underground while the others spread out, searching for hidden areas.

With the power of fifty Lex's, nothing could be hidden. Immediately fifty different streams of information began flowing into his mind, and he paid equal attention to all of them. He began to understand the fauna and flora of this plain, and gained an in depth comprehension of this ecosystem.

He learned about the weather, and strange wind patterns caused by the presence of the walls. He learned how the landscapes experienced change over the years.

His clones deep underground studied the soil structures, and noticed the various layers. He could guess how old each layer was. He could…

A fist punched out of the soil in front of him, stunning him. Although it was just a fist, he recognised that hand, especially since he could now see the watch on it. But the absurd thing was that even while looking at it, he could not sense the hand.

The hand pressed against the ground, and pushed against it, allowing Giselle to come out of the ground. Yet she had only half emerged, with her legs still underground, when she spotted Lex and froze. The two locked eyes, and Lex waved at her.

"Hi," he said, all the eloquence and charisma he so easily wielded against immortals and powers of the universe suddenly drained out of him. What was he supposed to say in this situation? Usually he was the one digging himself out from the ground.

"Need a hand?" he offered.

"No, I'm good, thanks," she said, pushing herself out of the ground and dusting herself off.

"What're you doing here? If you're here for the underground ruins, then I'm sorry to tell you that they've collapsed and all their secrets have gone with them."

Ruins underground? That genuinely took Lex by surprise because not only had he, himself, scanned the ground but he had also sent ten clones down there, yet none of them discovered it. As expected, anything Giselle set her sights on was far from simple.

"No, I am not here for the ruins, don't worry," Lex said as he dismissed his clones and stood up. "I am here to strike a deal with you."

Giselle looked at him curiously, while constantly scanning her own body for some kind of tracker, yet there was none. She couldn't understand how Lex found her since she was using her newfound power to obscure herself from view.

"I'm listening," she said simply, not revealing even a hint of her true thoughts.

"Based on our past cooperation, I guessed that there was a very good chance that you might know how to reach the center of this maze. Am I right?"

"Let's imagine you are," she said slowly. "What then?"

"I would like your aid in reaching the middle as fast as possible. In exchange, I can pay you, or help you out with something you need."

Giselle studied Lex for a moment, considering his proposal, before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry I can't be of help to you. If I were heading towards the middle, I would take you, but I have a number of goals I need to accomplish along the way."

Lex was not disappointed, for he had not expected Giselle to comply so easily either.

"If you don't mind me asking, do your goals involve a bit of treasure hunting?" he asked. "Because if it is, I think we can come to an arrangement. I think you will find that there is no better partner when it comes to treasure hunting than I. Not only can I help you teleport long distances towards your next goal, but I can also help you find the treasures much quicker. If I help you speed up your treasure hunts until they're done, then can you lead me to the center?"

Giselle's gaze on Lex became more intense, yet Lex wasn't bothered. Based on what happened at the temple, he could guess that she was a treasure hunter of sorts, with inside knowledge. He supposed it made sense, for when looking for treasures, one needed to be armed with the most detailed knowledge.

If he could help her fulfill her goals, she could then help him get through the maze. It would still end up being quicker than trying to resolve the maze himself.

Of course, in case she said no, or was unable to help, Lex had one last thing he could try, which was prophecy. But his own ability to look into the future was not the best, or more specifically, the most detail oriented. He was not sure if he could use it to find his way.

"Even if that were my intention, which I'm not saying it is, why would I bring you? Don't take this the wrong way, but bringing people along on a treasure hunt is usually the best way to get stabbed in the back."

Lex smiled. The fact that she hadn't said no directly meant that there was a chance this could work.