A sombre atmosphere filled the garden as all the Dao Lords waited for Harriot and others to set up whatever the second activity was. Simply based on how insightful the first activity was, they were all anticipating that the second activity would be even more rewarding. After all, unlike the first one, it came with a relatively steep price.
None of them had heard the conversation between the Innkeeper and Eclipse, since they had conducted it behind a protective barrier. Though neither the Innkeeper nor Eclipse set up that barrier, it had been erected when the two began to talk, and none tried to pry through it.
Now, once those uninterested in participating had left, an even stronger, much more apparent barrier was erected around the group, leveraging the power of the entire Dao Senate within the Primordial Garden.
