As a Celestial Immortal, Shireen's danger sense was extremely sharp, and from Lex she sensed a certain type of danger. It was not lethal, nor did it feel like he had any harmful intentions towards her. Even so, she could feel that he had set his sights on her.

What bewildered her, especially, was why she would get chills even if Lex really was targeting her. He was a mere Heaven Immortal and she was a peak Celestial...

Shireen paused and turned to look at Lex. Not only was a Heaven Immortal, but he was at level 2!

"Congratulations on your rise in cultivation," she said casually as they walked, as if she was entirely undaunted by his claim that she had caused him some problems. Ultimately, she decided the threat she felt from him was due to his influence over the Inn. There was nothing a mere Heaven Immortal could do to her.

"Thank you. I'm trying to take things slow, but recently someone told me I need to focus on my cultivation more," Lex said randomly as he secretly studied Shireen's karma. In fact, as they entered the building in which the other angels were housed, he studied all their karma and discovered some unsettling things. Back at the Seraphim Resort, he'd studied their karma as well, and had discovered that their karma was intricately linked to that of the Edgar Temple - a certain portion of the resort reserved for their most exclusive, non-Dao guests. Now, with his understanding of karma much stronger than before, as he studied them further, he discovered the reason why.

An understanding flashed through his eyes - an understanding of why the poor former Valkyries never seemed so imposing to him, and why the Angels might have been okay with leaving them as prisoners.

"It's good to see you all again," Lex said to the dozen angels, his voice suddenly a lot more empathetic.

"It is good to see you as well," answered one of the angels. "But our life is too full of uncertainty at the moment. Have you been sent by the Inn to inform us of the terms for our continued existence here?"

Lex looked at the angels oddly, and then at Shireen.

"Don't you know that already? You just need to pay sufficient MP, and you need to follow the rules. As long as you do that, you're free to stay here as long as you wish."

Lex walked over to the lounge which had a lot of seating, and took a scat, indicating the others to sit as well.

The angels looked at one another, clearly communicating secretly. Obviously they found Lex's claims hard to believe.

"Listen, ladies, if you think all it will take to pressure the Midnight Inn is an entire race with multiple Dao Lords and a network that spans the universe, then you're sorely underestimating the Innkeeper," Lex said, aware of the reputation that the Innkeeper seemed to have developed - at least according to Velma. "I, on the other hand, can't really handle that kind of pressure."

Lex turned his gaze to Shireen, finally addressing her directly.

"Shireen, if you recall, we had an agreement before we last separated. I'd carry contractual karma for you, making it appear as though I was aiding you in your endeavors to distract the Seraphim from your real allies. As a result, you would help me find some valuable resources.

"Yes, I remember," Shireen spoke, thinking Lex was dissatisfied with her performance. "However, I asked you for 50 years to collect everything needed. I didn't get enough time, although I have collected information about a lot of the things you wanted.

Lex chuckled as he shook his head, making it clear that she misunderstood him. "Ah Shireen, I am not rushing you. I am just here to share some of the developments that have occurred since your departure from the Seraphim Resort. As you're already aware, the Angels and the Seraphim have restarted their war - that was the reason you left in the first place.

"The Seraphim have their hands full with the Angels, so there's no way they would antagonize the Innkeeper and the Midnight Inn right now. So instead, they've decided to lay all the blame on me - considering the karma we share.

"They've condemned me for kidnapping the lot of you. Now, I don't know if any of you have ever experienced the condemnation of a large organization before, but it's not exactly pleasant."

Lex smiled at the angels warmly, as if he were mentioning a minor matter, as if they had forgotten food at a jointly hosted meal or something.

An understanding dawned on the angels, as well as some confusion. Could the Innkeeper alone not care about the Seraphim Resort? Or was it the war that allowed him to avoid any repercussions.

Furthermore, could Lex really sit here casually among them if... if what he claimed was true?

"Ah, don't worry about it," Lex said, waving his hands. "I don't really care about it. It's not like I did anything wrong. Besides, I was just doing my job when I gave you the keys. It's not like anyone will blame me for it. I just need to never leave the Midnight Inn ever again, and I'll be fine. It's not like my entire job revolves around traveling across the universe."

The mild sarcasm was apparent for all of them to hear, and it was clear that Lex was laying the blame on Shireen's feet. It was her request for them to form contractual karma that gave the Seraphim the convenient ammo to turn him into their scapegoat.

If only the poor angels knew that Lex was already known as a serial kidnapper across the universe, stealing not just people and realms, but the hearts of Demi-Dao Lords - or so it was claimed. That was the perfect excuse which allowed the Seraphim to lay blame on him.

It wasn't like Lex was about to tell them either. He needed to have the psychological upper hand for what he was about to do.