The Innkeeper

Chapter 1465 Charming

Chapter 1465 Charming

Lex was confused, right up until Velma showed him the newspaper. Technically, it was a news hologram, projected onto their hand by the vast computer that monitored the Azure asteroid field. Worthy of note was that though the computer boasted artificial intelligence, it did not cross the threshold that would allow for it to gain a soul.

This was, strictly speaking, still a provocation to the A.I. race, but no one could tell the Artica race what to do in their own realm.

Regardless, when he looked at the newspaper, he saw a small article in the corner, showing his picture and listing his phenomenal achievement of gaining initial mastery of a technique that, on average, takes an entire century to get started in.

That minor achievement was akin to getting a distinction in a subject in college, earning praise from his professor.

Lex didn't care about that. What he cared about was the fact that such an article had been printed about him, yet he had not known at all. That showed a massive problem!

Within 100 miles of him, anyone cannot even think about him without Lex realizing. At greater distances, if anyone has any strong emotions related to him, Lex would feel them too.

Even if something was so far away from him that it did not elicit a reaction from his instincts, he still would have felt a warning at least if there were any significant matters related to him.

Now, the fact that an entire article had been published about him, yet he remained completely unaware about it displayed that there was a grave issue somewhere. @@@@

Lex suddenly felt incredibly wary of the Artica realm. Clearly, they had a role to play in this development. Even though they had a very high moral code, and it was incredibly unlikely that they were specifically targeting Lex, it was a fact that he was being affected.

"Don't worry about Misha, I'll explain things to her and clear the air," Lex said with a soft smile as he looked at her. At least some of his abilities were still working, because from Misha he could detect all kinds of hidden information.

Even being a Heavenly Immortal, she could not hide her inner thoughts and intentions from Lex. After all, he was adept at reading people's thoughts and emotions.

As it happened, just as Lex spoke, Misha turned to look out the window of the cafe where she sat, and spotted Lex. The elf froze, panic and embarrassment clearly painted on her face. It was a little cute. Or maybe Lex thought that because he had a thing for redheads.

He waved at her, and approached her.

"I didn't think I'd see you again considering I didn't get a response from you," Lex said as he pulled up a chair and sat opposite to her, smiling warmly. "I believe there might have been a small misunderstanding between us."

"This side of you is very different from when you were arm wrestling me, daring me to be worthy of courting you."

"It was just a game. Besides, I didn't think you'd actually win. I was trying to humble you."

"Whatever do you mean? I am the humblest person around."

Misha rolled her eyes, her shyness fading as Lex cracked a lame joke and returned to some semblance of normalcy.

"Very humble, sure. I can tell from your proud expression in the picture next to your distinction announcement about how humble you are."

"I had no hand in that picture," Lex declared openly. "If you knew me better, you'd know that I'm a down to earth person who stays in his lane and does not cause trouble."

"Somehow that's exactly the impression you give off," Misha said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"I must say, I'm surprised you found that picture so quickly," said Lex, not responding to her sarcasm. Instead, he brought the conversation back to the announcement about himself - like any humble person would.

"I myself only just found out about that article."

"Well, you can't blame a woman for looking into the man asking her out," Misha said, her voice once again weak and sympathetic. It was such a stark difference from her earlier bravado when they first met. Lex had to say, she was taking the damsel routine a little far.

"Oh? How interesting. Actually, I also tried looking into you a bit, but found nothing. I'm curious to see what you found out about me."

Misha's eyes flashed, as she sensed a subtle change in Lex's tone. It was still soft and polite, but it lacked a certain element of teasing that it had earlier. The tone and the words didn't match, which only meant that his intentions were changing, and her strategy wasn't working effectively.

Before she could answer, however, Lex leaned back in his chair and continued to speak.

"Oh I forgot to mention, while I didn't find out anything about you, I learned quite a bit about the Fuegan. I'm surprised they were able to send a representative to this Expo. You guys must have some amazing secret sponsors, huh?"

This time, Lex did not rush to speak, and let the silence hang in the air as he looked at Misha. His expression didn't change, still soft and smiling, but her's did. Her previously mischievous smile slowly faded from her face, and she studied him carefully before speaking.

"Well, we do alright, though our sponsor isn't nearly as amazing and secretive as the Midnight Inn."