"Come, follow me," said Vinei as he led Lex into the temple and into the portion underneath his own shrine. "This portion of the temple is preserved using my own powers, as well as my innate connection to the realm as a Mythical being. It will afford us the most privacy."

Lex raised an eyebrow as he heard Vinci's words. He hadn't known that Mythical beings could develop a connection to the realm they were born in. If that was the case, he needed to pay more attention to the Mythical beings in the Midnight Inn.

The last time Lex went in the tunnel underneath the shrine, it led to an area where Vinei had preserved his old feathers and blood, but this time it opened up to a spacely furnished lounge, containing only a few recliners and a large birds nest. Vinei, naturally, hopped into the nest and made himself comfortable, while Lex took a seat in one of the recliners.

"Now, we can speak freely," said Vinei, turning his attention to Lex. "If you have any concerns regarding the Crystal realm, I can more or less provide you with all the latest information. My awareness has spread across much of the darkness in the realm."

"The matter is both simple, and yet complicated," said Lex. "I have three main tasks in the Crystal realm. The first is to trade this core with you and get my hands on the feathers. I don't know when you plan on changing your identity as a deity, but if it's any time soon then I wouldn't mind observing the process if you'll let me. I've heard of cultivators becoming Deities, but never a Deity becoming a cultivator, so the process is quite interesting to me!"

Lex also wanted to expand his understanding of Deities a little more, and their relevant restrictions. Bob, though not born at the start of the Midnight Realm, technically qualified as a Mythical being who had turned into a Deity, yet oddly enough he was not limited by the usual restrictions that other Deities had.

"The second matter I need to attend to is Belail. He has lived long enough. I let him live previously because you requested I give you some time as you had some plans you needed to carry out, and I accepted. But this matter can be delayed no longer."

Vinei frowned.

"The timing is not right. I still need to wait a little longer for the conditions to be perfect. If you strike prematurely, then the execution of my plan will be flawed, and we'll miss out on a lot of potential gains."

The Deity could not stop Lex from acting, not just because he was backed by the Innkeeper, but because Lex himself now carried a dangerous aura. That is why he was trying to convince Lex.

"I understand your concern, but now you must try to understand mine. You are looking at the matter at hand through the context of the Crystal realm, but I am looking at it through the context of the whole universe. War is coming, and on a massive scale, beyond just one or two realms.

"Many forces have already begun to position themselves favorably for it, setting plans into motion. Heck, the invasion of the Crystal realm itself may have been one of the preparations for that eventual war. But with the war coming closer, external intervention and influence will only grow stronger. If I don't move now, then I may not get another chance later on. It may not be the most ideal time according to your plan, but this is the last chance I may have based on the developments of the universe at large."

Lex paused for a moment, allowing Vinei to understand that there were concerns regarding the situation of the Crystal realm that he had not considered. Of course, while what Lex said was true, there was one more reason why he wanted to finish off this longstanding task.

Lex was planning on undertaking his Heaven Immortal tribulation here, and considering the advanced strength of his tribulations, he could not say for certain what might happen to the realm given its fragile state.

Naturally, Lex would not go ahead with the plan if he thought his tribulation might destroy the whole realm itself. Fortunately, the situation in the Crystal realm wasn't that bad. The corpses of thousands of immortals had kept the realm somewhat stable. A single tribulation, no matter how strong, should not devastate a whole realm. Hopefully.

Vinei thought for a few minutes about Lex's words, not really commenting on them.

"And what's the final thing you're here for?" he asked instead.

"I need to break through to the Heaven Immortal realm here. I need to enter the Primordial Garden, and this is the best way. The only issue is, my tribulation will be much stronger than ordinary ones, so I need to make sure the realm can survive my tribulation."

Vinei suddenly grinned, as if Lex had something he had been hoping for.

"In that case, Lex, I think we can once again help each other. Although the timing is not perfect, it is still good enough. Tell me, are you open to taking a few risks? Because if you are, I have a proposition for you. Who knows, if things work out, you can even observe as I break free of my chains of being a Deity."

Lex raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. This is not what he had expected, to be entirely honest. He had even expected Vinei to be extremely pissed off, or off put but Lex's sudden revelation. But then again, how could one be the lord of darkness, and not be adaptable?

Not only had he changed his plan to suit Lex's new timetable, he seemed to have found an opportunity in it too.

"I'm all ears," said Lex with a soft smile. Yet as the former Phoenix began to speak, that soft smile started to grow into a more and more obvious grin.

-

Lex could instantly tell - he and Vinei were going to be great friends in the future.