Chapter 1158: Proposition

The reason Lex brought Z to the planet was because he was genuinely going to be very busy from now on. Between finding a cure or remedy to Moon's situation, meeting Belle, finding Liz, as well as coordinating the complete and total destruction of his grandfather's entire organization, he was not going to be available.

Not only did he want to ensure her security, but he didn't want Moon to be alone anymore. He was planning on slowly introducing her to people from the Inn so she got accustomed to them, so that eventually when she went to the Inn she wouldn't feel strange.

Now, however, he was beginning to doubt his plan.

Harry cleared his throat, attracting Lex's attention.

"It's really not my place to say this, but I think you should let them be. They're kids, and from what I can tell, it's been a long time since Moon had the opportunity to act like a kid, so..."

Lex's lip twitched.

Harry had come a long way from being a barber for some rich kids in New York. Look at him, giving advice about 'kids' to Lex. To think, Lex had brought him on because he just gave a nice haircut.

"If you need anything else for her treatment, let me know. I'll check in from time to time, but if there's a rush you can just return to the Inn and let Mary know. She'll send me word."

Harry nodded.

Lex hesitated once more. He wanted to go check up on Moon once more, but Z was a responsible kid. They'd be fine, right?

It was not like a summer dress was all it would take to completely distract him.

With a troubled expression, Lex teleported away. He knew he should have brought Velma here instead.

But Velma was busy, just like all the others.

Lex teleported to the emporium, ready to find out more about the Celestial Planets club. Meanwhile, Gerard had, for the first time, ventured out into the Origin realm, though he was not alone. A couple of members of Umbragard followed him, though they would be splitting off soon.

They teleported first to Tilaiya, the neutral planet ruled by elves from where Lex found Kenta. Since it was a trade planet, it had teleportation facilities that led to various other places as well. Moreover, considering the neutral nature of the planet, some of the places it was connected to were quite... unique.

Gerard, as if he had done this a million times, walked into the teleportation facility and bought three tickets to a not so friendly place.

When they reappeared, they found themselves in a large, technologically advanced city, though it had a certain metallic stench to it. Gerard immediately attracted attention, for while everyone else was covered in tattoos, or wore extremely loose clothing, or had some kind of cybernetic advancements to their body, he looked remarkably clean and tidy.

To be honest, in his fitted suit and the fade that Harry had recently given him, Gerard did not look like a butler or worker at an Inn, but rather like a corporate boss, and in such a place, they tended to be more dangerous than the regular folk. The confidence with which Gerard carried himself, walking through the cyberpunk city as if he knew it like the back of his hand, seemed to project that image even more.

But everyone still kept their eyes on him, not that he cared.

He soon found himself in a common bar, and walked up to a staircase that was being blocked by a bouncer. One look at Gerard was all he needed to step aside.

The trio nodded at the bouncer before moving up. They knew what it was like working with guests all day. It could be exhausting.

After climbing the stairs Gerard directly walked up to a closed door and knocked. There were many private rooms up here, and many private booths as well, and there should have been no way to know who occupied which from the outside, yet the old man seemed to know exactly who he was looking for.

The door cracked open, revealing only darkness. None of the inhabitants were visible.

"We didn't order anything," a rough voice barked from inside.

"My name is Gerard," he said politely. "I am here for Booty."

"What?" a shocked voice asked from inside.

"I am here to meet Vice-captain Booty of the Iron pirates," Gerard repeated himself. "Please let him know Gerard from the Midnight Inn is here to see him. He will want to see me."

The door slammed shut, but only a few seconds later opened up again. An entire gang of wary pirates, holding all sorts of weapons were revealed.

"How did you know we're here?" someone asked, but Gerard didn't bother responding. He just stepped into the room.

His abrupt behavior startled the pirates, and they began yelling, and preparing to fight. But that's what the two followers were for. Shouting and screaming sounded behind him, but Gerard kept an even pace as he walked to the back, where at a table he finally saw Booty, sitting aside an enchanting woman.

"Vice-captain Booty, we meet again," Gerard said with a warm smile, as if he was looking at an old friend. "And you must be Lady Valarie, the true Captain of the Iron heart pirates. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Booty was startled, but Valarie smiled with intrigue.

"The pleasure is mine. It's not everyday I get such a handsome gentleman caller. I must say, whatever this is, I am quite interested to see where it is headed."

"I wish, Lady Valarie, that this was a social visit, but I come with a task, so the only place this is headed is towards business. I am in need of your unique services. It's not everyone who can run a human pirate crew as a devil."

Booty suddenly frowned, and began looking behind Gerard to see if there was anyone else coming. The fact that the Iron Heart pirates were run by a devil was supposed to be a huge secret. It was not like pirates cared about things like politics between races, but the hatred between humans and devils ran deep. Considering the fact that devils used humans to farm demons, they were not fondly looked upon by other humans. If word got out, then the Iron Heart pirates would lose many of their connections among their own kind, and be targeted by many.

"My my, such a forward man. If I didn't smell the mark of another devil all over you, I'd think you were flirting with me."

Without invitation, Gerard pulled himself a seat and sat down with them.

"I have a proposition for you," he said calmly. The two other guards who had followed him suddenly appeared at the door and closed it, remaining outside to ensure no one disturbed them.