Lex was genuinely and completely taken aback by the sight of a mature Galactic Sovereign turtle. Back when he had encountered his very own turtle, it was the first time he encountered a Sovereign, and so he didn't know how big a deal they were - though the subservience of his system was clear at a glance. Sometimes it felt like his own turtle was the real host of the system, and he was just some random substitute.

Later, he learned more. He learned that Sovereigns were greatly beloved by the universe, to an unfair extent. The universe literally catered to their entire whims. Then, as he grew and experienced more, he learned that Sovereigns were actually quite rare, and weren't born randomly.

The birth of each Sovereign required special circumstances, though there was no one fixed formula for their birth. Circumstances that might birth a Sovereign once might never do so again, so they could not be artificially created.

He also learned that while Sovereigns were considered peerless beings, there was an extent to it. Specifically speaking, Dao Lords could ignore the influence of Sovereigns and in fact, many Dao Lords sought to hunt them down for various reasons, including but not limited to resource harvesting, taming, manipulating, and so on.

That was yet another reason why Sovereigns were so rare. If a Dao Lord ever learned of the existence of one, they would surely be hunted down or captured. In a way, their attraction to Dao Lords only served to emphasise how powerful and impressive they really were.

Having said all that, Lex had learned that, much like Nemo, most Sovereigns were unique beings - except in very rare cases. What might those cases be, someone might wonder.

Well, an entire race, wherein every member born was a Sovereign, was one good example.

The Galactic Sovereign turtles were a well known race of Sovereigns, and not just that. They were known to be particularly powerful even among Sovereigns - that much even Lex had managed to learn.

In fact, in the Origin realm alone there were rumors of a grown Galactic Sovereign turtle that ate black holes. Lex did not know how old, or even accurate that rumor was, but it definitely existed - the system had even confirmed it once!

That said, after his shock, Lex was filled with curiosity as he watched Crusty make its way towards Eclipse. For some reason, he gave off an aura very similar to his own turtle, except he gave off grandpa vibes - if such a thing made sense. The Innkeeper looked left and right. While Crusty seemed entirely harmless, and even quite friendly to the Innkeeper, almost every other guest inside the tea party had suddenly grown very still, not daring to make eye contact with him. The only exceptions were Eclipse, the Innkeeper, Ventura, Harriot the poodle, Wu Kong and Bridget. Literally everyone else was looking away, including the leviathan and dragon.

Lex was really curious about why none of the Dao Lords were looking at him, but could not ask. That would reveal his ignorance about the situation.

Fortunately, there was a new Dao Lord there to conveniently ask the questions Lex could not, almost as if her presence was specifically there to serve as a tool for exposition!

"Ballom dear, why is everyone looking so nervous?" Bridget asked Ballom in a whisper. Of course, in this party, everyone could hear the whisper so it wasn't really a secret.

"That's a Sovereign Dao Lord," Ballom explained awkwardly. "He can immediately detect if any one has ever hunted, or tried to hunt another Sovereign. Logically speaking, Sovereigns should not be able to enter the Dao realm because it is infinitely harder for them compared to others. If they manage to do it, and then manage to survive the Dao tribulation... well, I won't say they are any stronger than other Dao Lords. They are, however, uniquely gifted in destroying Daos though. No one wants to provoke such an enemy. Even if they survive the encounter, a damaged Dao may never be able to be repaired."

Understanding dawned on Bridget as she looked at almost everyone looking away awkwardly. Why did she get a feeling that the Primordial Queen had specifically invited such a guest just to create some trouble?

"Yes, yes I see some familiar faces," Crusty said joyously as he hobbled up to Eclipse. "I think I even saw a dragon who tried to add me to his collection back in the day. Oh how time passes. But more than that, I am curious about this new friend of yours. He smells... wonderful!"

Eclipse was surprised, and so were a lot of others as they heard Crusty's words, and then looked towards the Innkeeper.

"I have a special cologne, but I'm not wearing it today," said the Innkeeper amusedly as he explained to everyone giving him an odd look.

The Velaris Dominion was a reward he got from his system for winning the dance competition, but he had avoided wearing it for now. Who knew even his natural scent was so appealing? Why did his own turtle never compliment him that way?

"He's referring to your Universal Affinity," Eclipse said, though she had a feeling the Innkeeper already knew that. Was that supposed to be a joke? Did she ruin

it by explaining it?

"Yes, yes, I can smell it!" said Crusty as he ignored everyone and walked right up to the Innkeeper. "I can smell some lost time on you too! How wonderful!

No, wait, I can even smell some friends on you!"

The Innkeeper looked at Crusty, and then sniffed his suit to make sure he smelled fine. His antics caused Eclipse to burst into laughter, ignoring the literally dozens of Dao Lords around them who didn't know how to behave. Bridget could not help but notice how easily the Innkeeper could make Eclipse laugh, and then glanced towards Ballom.

"I think you should start preparing for the baby shower," she whispered as a hint. Most who heard her assumed that she might be carrying Ballom's child. Only Ballom and Hiran knew what she was actually referring to.

While to Bridget, this was just some interesting, to the two of them, this could change the dynamics of the whole universe.

"But I'm not ready to be a Godfather," Hiran complained, creating even more confusion among the other guests. Since when were Hiran and Ballom so close? Were the Henali and Devils secretly creating an alliance?

That was... literally the kind of tea they were hoping to get at this party!