"This can't be happening," murmured Hiran as he did his level best to control himself. Unfortunately, no matter what he did, he could not stop his mind from running at full speed. The many hints dropped by the Innkeeper previously, the unusual behavior of the ruler, odd behavior by the Primordial Queen and the Innkeeper out in public... It was all too much. The hints were too obvious.

No matter how much Hiran tried to tell himself that this was not so, he could not deny what was right in front of him. This tea party... the Innkeepers intentions were to propose to Eclipse during it!

That was the only thing it could all possibly mean! When the ruler said there was nothing to worry about for now, he surely meant that the two of them intended to have a long engagement period before the actual wedding. It was the only thing that made sense!

Hiran took a deep breath and contained himself. Who was he? He was the Governor of the Henali to the Origin realm. He was not some random Dao Lord. He was someone tried and tested, who had faced countless difficulties. Even this would not deter him.

He began to observe the Innkeeper, the Primordial Queen, and all the other guests, trying to determine what the situation was, and what was the best way to react to it.

As it turned out, he spotted Ballom with his former concubine and new wife, Bridget. Ballom and Hiran were on good terms, so it was natural that Ballom got the extra invite through him. Moreover, both of them were broad minded and focused on the future, which is why they got along. Since Hiran was slightly late to the party due to the ruler, he might as well get the details of what he missed from Ballom.

No matter how probable the situation seemed, he had to first gather all the information. Hiran repeatedly reminded himself not to jump to conclusions as he approached Ballom.

"Good to see you, Ballom. Is this Lady Bridget that I've heard about? How fortunate you are to have welcomed a partner into the Dao. Very few find someone with an equal status," Hiran said, politely. Hidden within was a hint he was sure Ballom would pick up on - at least as long as he continued along this line. The matter was not of finding a partner, but one of equal status. Whether the Innkeeper and Primordial Queen had an equal status was not up to them to decide.

Though Ballom and Bridget were conversing with one another, with Ballom teaching her about the basics of Dao life, they noticed the arrival of the Governor and his party.

How could they not, when nearly sixty Dao Lords all arrived together? As if that was not enough, each and everyone of them had a powerful presence, not to mention fame that even Bridget had heard of.

"Governor, it's good to see you made it," responded Ballom with a hint of formality in his voice. Subconsciously, he could not help but compare conversing with the Governor to conversing with the Innkeeper. No matter what the subject, Ballom hardly ever felt the need to be formal with the Innkeeper - even though he stayed that way regardless. With the Governor, on the other hand, despite the longer history and much more frequent meetings, he could not build that level of ease.

"Indeed, Bridget has been a great source of luck for me," Ballom said. "Bridget, this is the Governor of the Origin realm that I've told you about."

For a few minutes, the three of them went through the introductions and polite conversation before the Governor was ready to drop his second hint.

"Although I arrived as swiftly as my responsibilities would allow, I ended up coming later than I would have liked. Tell me, Ballom, did I miss anything of importance? Our hosts seemed engrossed in some important conversation. They haven't made any important announcements yet, have they?"

Though Hiran never said the words out loud, he may as well have yelled his suspicions out loud over a bullhorn as far as other Dao Lords were concerned. Ballom had the experience and self control to take the Governors words in his stride, but Bridget was absolutely intrigued as she studied the Innkeeper and the Primordial Queen with a new gaze.

By first mentioning partners of equal status, and lucky few, Hiran set the foundation of what he wanted to say. Then, by addressing not just the Innkeeper as their host, but the Queen as well, he specified whom he was talking about. Finally, the mention of an important announcement sealed the deal.

What Hiran did not know was that Ballom had already put Bridget in the mindset to dissect each of the Innkeepers actions, painting him as a master of hidden messages and intentions in each of his actions.

Now, with Hiran insinuating a possible partnership, perhaps professional, perhaps romantic, the couple's imagination exploded.

The trio began to observe the Innkeeper and Eclipse, and noticed that they had even paused accepting gifts for they were in the middle of what seemed like an incredibly important conversation. Not just that, but the third in their group, Ventura, seemed to be showing visible irritation at being left out of the conversation.

What the contents of their conversation were, the group could only imagine... so imagine they did.

Suddenly, Hiran could not help but venture another guess... one that might provide an alternate reason for why the ruler felt like there was no immediate threat. Beside the Queen and Innkeeper was Ventura, and he was clearly not pleased by the situation. Was it possible that this was a... love triangle? Were the Innkeeper and Ventura competing for the hand of the Queen?

That would explain why the Innkeeper and Ventura were the only known entities in the universe who had a way to enter the Primordial Garden - a realm that almost all forces in the universe had been searching for!

Could it be that all this time, the two of them had been pursuing the Queen? With Ventura to compete with, it was no doubt that the ruler calmed down. It would not be easy to reach a conclusion.