Now Lex had done many things, but having evening tea with a Demi-Dao Lord was definitely a new experience for him. But, from what little experience he had with Dao beings, he knew that he had to absolutely control his thoughts and not let a single thought slip, especially if they were about the Dao being.
Lex looked down at his tea, and recalled the ti the Governor asked him to drink sothing so that it would allow his body to be able to tolerate being in a Dao beings presence.
"Fret not, fret not little one," Mama Pari said as she pulled up a chair for her statue to sit on. "Like I said, my statue does not let out any of my aura, so you are entirely safe. The tea, instead, is to help you fortify your mind so that you don't let your thoughts slip out. I know that can be disconcerting for others. Go ahead, drink up. We can only have a nice little chat if you're not frightened of your own thoughts."
"Good point," Lex murmured and took a sip of the tea, which had an incredibly fresh, floral feeling to it. Yes, feeling, for this tea had no taste but instead triggered feelings and emotions.
"Let introduce myself a little bit while the tea kicks in," Mama Pari said, seeming a little too excited to Lex. "It's only fair - after all, I already know all about you. Let's see, where do I begin? It's rude to discuss a lady's age, so let's just say I've been around for a while. By the way, I'm a true native of the Origin realm, and since I chose not to leave the realm for greener pastures before the Henali arrived, I'm now stuck here for good. Or, well, at least until the realm matures.
"Let's see, what else? Oh yes, I've always wanted a big family which is why I nad myself Mama Pari, and had a whole lot of children. But, you know, Projections can't really go just anywhere so I created this little Holy Kingdom where my children can play. It's very nice. Since I like being surrounded by people, and especially children, I ended up creating a very lively place.
"Unfortunately, I made my Holy Kingdom a little too nice, so I accidentally touched upon the Dao. Since then, I've been forced to spend all my ti with other Dao beings, only using this statue to experience the Holy Kingdom.
"I'm not gossiping about the others or anything, but Dao beings aren't really a chatty bunch. They're all serious and brooding and have too much ego. Like Sekht. She was so stuck up growing up, my word. She was all like, 'I won't spend ti with re mortals' and 'I'm born divine, I'm so special'. Not fun at all."
Lex had finished his tea, and so as a test allowed his thoughts to relax a bit, and considering that Mama Pari did not react to them he assud that maybe the tea was working. But as a side effect, Lex beca extrely susceptible to emotions, so he could feel everything that Mama Pari was saying.
When she described the Holy Kingdom happily, he felt happy. When she described how stuck up the other Dao beings were, he felt annoyed. When she described wanting others to chat to, he felt lonely. It was a rollercoaster of emotions he had not been prepared for.
Fortunately, they were not so overwhelming that Lex lost himself in them.
"To be entirely honest with you, being a Dao being is not fun at all. I'd rather go back to being a Celestial, but I really can't. Everyone I try to hang out with is so dull. But lo and behold, you ca out of nowhere and really heated up the gossip scene among Dao beings. The way you threatened Sekht without exploding out of existence - thrilling! It was completely thrilling!
"I looked into you, and my word you've lived a thrilling life. You, Lex Williams, are a very fun person, and a magnet for trouble. For reasons I can't tell you, I can't really leave the Origin realm, so I really need soone to co and spice things up over here. I've heard you already have a Dao Lord sponsoring you, but in case you don't, how about you beco my apprentice? I'll help you beco a Dao being quickly, and you can liven things up a bit."
Lex paused, because he did not know how to react. Was this really an offer he could turn down… or even one he wanted to turn down? As far as he knew, Dao beings were at if not near the peak of the universe, and even knowing a Dao Lord was a huge advantage let alone becoming one. It certainly wasn't easy or simple to beco one, or even receive an offer from a Dao being to help rise to that level.
He doubted that this was an offer that ca with no strings attached, but he was severely tempted by it.
"Listen, just in case you're thinking that you have to agree or sothing like that, don't. I'm not one of those stuck up Dao beings, alright? I didn't even want to beco a Dao being. It just… kind of happened. But if you want to beco a Dao being, I can pump you full of resources, turn you into a Celestial real quick and help or at least try to help you reach the Dao level. Now, you'd have to leave the Inn behind, naturally, but I think the Innkeeper sounds like a reasonable fellow. He might not mind."
"Why would I have to leave the Midnight Inn?" Lex asked suddenly, finding the first major caveat to this otherwise seemingly incredible deal.
"It's a technical issue," Mama Pari said, shrugging. "I personally have nothing against the Inn, believe . I even wanted to go there when I heard about you. But it's outside the Origin realm, which is a real problem for native Dao beings of any realm. I can't get into the details - learning about Dao stuff too early would literally kill you. But, basically, if you're a native of this realm, and rely heavily on the resources of this realm, and reach the Dao boundary in this realm, you cannot so easily leave this realm until it becos a major realm. "Like, it's so serious that the Henali even banned it out right. That's why Sekht's banishnt from the Origin realm was such a big deal back in the day, and why she can't be allowed to sneak back in because as a native, it would be nigh impossible to kick her back out again.
"So, naturally, you'd have to spend a lot of ti here so that I can help you get stronger, and then after that you'd literally be unable to return to the Inn - at least for a few billion years. Maybe you could take an unpaid vacation or sothing. Does the Inn do that? If you're worried about the Innkeeper, he has a very friendly reputation. I can write him a letter asking for permission. It shouldn't be an issue."
Lex was suddenly feeling really awkward. Although Mama Pari said it was fine if he wanted to say no, he wasn't so sure if it was really alright. In fact, he had been genuinely tempted, even though being pumped full of resources did not sound like it fit the path of supremacy that he was on. It probably might even weaken his foundation a bit to rush like that. But who could say no to becoming a Dao being?
Apparently, Lex could, because he was aware that even among Dao Lords there were weak and strong ones. After all, everyone assud that the Innkeeper was an incredibly strong Dao Lord. More importantly, he could not give up the Midnight Inn. Just as he was wondering how to say no, Mama Pari seed to have read his intentions even without reading his thoughts.
"Fine, fine, you don't have to agree. I suspected that you were already being trained by the Innkeeper. Actually, pretty much everyone suspects it by now but this just confirms it. Don't worry about it, I pretty much expected this anyway. But, don't leave just yet.
"Sit a while, let's chat. Although I've heard about you from others, I'm really interested in the re newborn immortal who faced a fragnt of a Demi Dao Lord and lived to tell the tale."
"What… what would you like to know?" Lex asked cautiously.
"I don't know… anything. You don't know the last ti I chatted with soone casually like this. They all seem to run away for so reason. Let's start with what you're doing in my Holy Kingdom. Did you run into one of the gates by accident? That happens a lot more than you think."
"No, nothing like that. I was just curious about living projections. I've never seen them before, and wanted to invite a few to the Inn if I could. By the way… if you don't mind… I have a question…"
"Ask away, young man, don't hold back. That's how a conversation works."
Mama Pari summoned her own cup of tea, as if she was really excited about Lex's question.
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