The Innkeeper

Chapter 1427 Her

Chapter 1427  Her

The conference room was not large, just enough for a round table that could hold about ten people, as well as a few cupboards. There was a large window, looking out to a courtyard some stories down below, with various people passing through it.

The room, like all the other conference rooms, had been designed to create a soothing and peaceful environment so that all meetings could be conducted in a comfortable environment. After all, it was entirely normal for meetings to run on for days or weeks at a time. With most employees as immortals, their concept of time was vastly different from that of mortals, so the timetables they operated under were also different.

Bagheera himself had held numerous meetings in similar conference rooms, and this was the first time he felt anything other than comfortable. Yet his professionalism didn't allow him to display that.

But the poor Obsidian Scaled Panther was wasting his effort, for the inherent nature of Velma's tenet meant that she saw the universe differently from the rest.

When Lex looked at the laws, or even reached out to them using his own tenet, he saw the laws as chains attached to everything. But Velma did not see chains. Or rather, when she used her tenet to reach out to laws, she did not perceive laws in a visual manner, but an auditory one.

She heard hushed whispers, sharing their secrets right to her soul. But because she was so in tune with her tenet, far more than Lex had ever personified his tenet, her application of it was far above his. She could not only hear the secrets of the laws, but everything attached to them as well. When she looked at the panther in front of her, she could hear so many of its secrets. Obviously, she could not hear all of them, such as the more serious secrets that were heavily protected consciously and subconsciously by the panther.

But she could hear that the panther had not eaten food in over a few hundred years, right up until three days ago. She could hear that the food that the panther was usually so indifferent towards was more amazing than he remembered.

She could also hear that it was not actually the taste of the food itself that made the meal so great, but the unexpected company of a female companion.

The details of that companion were hidden from Velma, as if the panther did not want to reveal it to the world. But one intriguing fact, something the panther likely wanted to keep secret, but she was able to forcefully hear anyway, that this companion was not another panther, but a tiger!

Such a thing was, of course, a faux pas in the feline world.

"Before we begin, for the record, can you state your name and how you came into contact with the bank's sponsorship for the New World Expo?" Bagheera asked politely.

"Considering the fact that I don't intend on revealing my identity to the public during the Expo, I believe it should be adequate if I provide an alias instead. After all, no one likes to attract attention to things they'd rather keep private. I'm sure you, of all people, understand?"

It was a harmless question, but suddenly Bagheera got chills on the back of his spine!

"I think, for the sake of this interview, I'll go by Vivian. Anyway, Bagheera, I got my sponsorship through Ripley. I'm sure that the bank has it on record who he gave those sponsorships to."

Velma crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, as she studied the panther some more.

She just heard another whisper. The panther was looking for some exciting food to bring for another rendezvous it had planned later this evening. Yet with this sudden incident, it didn't know if it would be able to make it in time.

"Fine, Vivian, we do have on record where Ripley sent his invites. But please try to cooperate with the questions. The more you cooperate, the easier and quicker this will go by."

"Oh, but I'm not in a rush," Velma said, teasingly, and pulled out a couple of very exquisite looking slices of cake, as well as a bottle of absolutely divine fermented elixir.

The cake was, naturally, an upgraded version of the Saturn cake which was sold at the Midnight Inn gift shop. It was called the Plutonium Cake, and it could only be sold to Immortals. The cake was made specifically for immortals, containing traces of certain laws that would interact with the immortal's tenets, making them have an exceptional experience. It also had a mild hallucinogenic effect, but that was just to accompany the sensation of the laws, and could easily be avoided if one wished. A single slice of Plutonium Cake cost 1 million MP!

The fermented elixir, called Ambrosia Sunrise, was also an item sold at the gift shop specifically for immortals, although unlike the cake it was safe for consumption for those below the immortal realm. It was basically just what the name said. It was an elixir made from several extremely valuable medical plants, each one of which could restore even lethal injuries to those below the immortal realm. The elixir was then fermented in a barrel made of Jade Honey for about a million years, gaining properties of certain laws.

Of course, that was all written in the description in the gift shop, which explained the astronomic 31 million MP price of this bottle. It was said that drinking this was such a pleasant experience that it was almost impossible to be in a bad mood afterwards.

Of course, that did not mean one should drink it during exceptionally saddening events just to try out the potency. It would be inappropriate, for example, to suddenly feel chipper at a relative's funeral.

"Come now, Bagheera, I sense that you're a panther of… refined tastes. This is my first time in a major realm. Why don't we relax and chat a little while you interview me? Besides, you look like you have food on your mind."

Even while trying to keep his composure, Bagheera almost fell out of his chair! What the hell was going on? He absolutely couldn't have a meal with this woman, or else she would be able to tell. Although there was nothing going on between Bagheera and Vivian, how could he explain that to her?

At the same time, he also felt immense elation, for his instincts were telling him that this cake and this drink were perfect for his rendezvous later that day. She would absolutely love them! He could tell just at a glance how high quality they were.

"Miss Vivian, I… I think it's a little inappropriate for me to share a meal with you during this time, but feel free to enjoy these items yourselves. Now, can you tell me if there were any abnormalities you picked up leading to the incident during your teleportation?"

"Aww, such a shame," Velma said, using a fork to cut out a small bite out of the cake for herself. Bagheera flinched at the sight, as if Velma hadn't stabbed into the cake, but into his heart.

In fact, on some level, that is exactly what she was doing. The more nervous and perturbed Bagheera got, the more easily she could hear the whispers of his secrets.

The tiger was actually older than him, by a significant margin! How very modern of him.

"You know, this cake is a speciality back where I'm from. It's best enjoyed with another person, but I suppose I don't mind enjoying it myself. As for abnormalities, let me think. I don't know, I had a strange dream of the color orange with black stripes in it right before we left. You think that could be anything?"

Now, Obsidian Scaled Panthers didn't really sweat, since they had obsidian colored scales covering their bodies, and those didn't exactly have any sweat glands in them. It was pretty easy to guess.

That was exactly why the fact that Bagheera began to sweat through the gaps between his scales was such an oddity. He was literally doing something that went against his basic biology, but it couldn't be helped. A sense of dread began to fill his heart as a guess filled his heart.

"Were you… sent by her?" Bagheera asked, in a whisper, as if that would make a difference.

But the moment he asked that question, he knew he messed up. A loss of composure made him say something he shouldn't have. Yet before he could amend his mistake, Velma spoke.

"Oh no, please don't misunderstand. I was not sent by anybody. I'm just here on vacation. But, you know, if you're feeling a little nervous and want to talk to me about some random things to help me calm down after such a traumatizing event where I nearly died, I won't stop you. I should let you know, I'm somewhat of a relationship expert. Make of that knowledge what you will."

Velma's enchanted smile began to look devilish in Bagheera's eyes, and the cute expression she made when she ate the cake seemed only taunting to him.

What the hell was going on? He was supposed to be interrogating her? How did the conversation get so sidetracked?