The Innkeeper

Chapter 2014: Yellow shorts

Powell’s actions confused Lex. The man suddenly made a massive donation to the Obsidian Sage, but then did not redeem any of the rewards he could get. Instead, he simply disappeared, and then a short while later, appeared in the Midnight Inn.

Powell had been ready for whatever the Inn had to offer, yet even so he was taken aback when he appeared in one of the mega-cities. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen any mega-cities before, but the Inn had a way of adding a little extra grandeur in everything it did. Not to mention, a meg-city with a World Eater sleeping in the sky made for a unique sight.

He was in no rush to set up his shop, and instead took his time exploring and enjoying the Midnight Inn.

Lex realized quickly enough that this Powell wasn’t the one he dealt with normally. He was already aware that the Emporium was filled with countless Powells who were all a part of the same being, but they all had their own unique personalities.

The one that had come to Obsidian was a different one, and the one inside the Inn was different as well.

It was clear that Powell was carefully probing both Obsidian and the Inn before making any drastic decisions. It seemed that his experience with his expansion had a massive impact on him.

Whatever, Lex was not concerned. He just kept watching. After all, it wasn’t like he had anything he needed to do. He merely sat, watched, planned, and prepared for what lay ahead.

Lex had a feeling that for a while, his identity as Lex would have to take a backseat, while his identity as the Innkeeper stepped into the light.

He smirked. This would be fun - if everything didn’t go horribly wrong first.

*****

Within the Origin realm, there was a huge fuss being created - at least among the upper echelon. Rumor had it that if the wars did not end soon, the Henali would step in as well. What that meant for the Origin realm was that they would have to put an end to their approach of letting the realm mature naturally, and instead they would need to speed it up.

It had caused a lot of stress, at least among the Dao Lords who were visiting the realm. They had paid a tremendous amount of money to enter the Origin realm, and study its natural progression.

That would help their understanding of laws, and of the universe, but if someone interfered, their gains would be reduced. After all, not everyone could control their power as meticulously as the Innkeeper, who had already accelerated the growth of the Origin realm with his stunt. Honestly, if he hadn’t managed to maintain his power so well that the realm wasn’t harmed at all, the Henali would not have let him off so easily. At least, that was the general sentiment among the Dao Lords.

But who would put that to the test? The Innkeeper had a mysterious background, and they didn’t want to mess with him for nothing, especially when they would rather be studying the realm.

Now, they were thankful that none of them had decided to mess with him. Twenty seven Dao Lords stood behind the Governor of the Origin realm, watching as the human messenger slowly approached the planet, bringing with him a letter from an Innkeeper.

They didn’t know what this was about, but the Governor had hinted that if things went well, the future of the Origin realm would be secured. He even invited them in anticipation of events that may follow the official meeting between the Governor and the Innkeeper.

The human’s procession had already lasted days, conducting a ceremony timed specifically to deliver the Letter of Intent at a time that the Innkeeper had specified. But a few days or a few months mattered not to them, for they could literally alter their perception of time as they wished. To them, a moment passed, and the human had arrived in front of the mansion.

He kneeled and looked down, handing the letter over to the Governor, who merely nodded at the human before sending him away.

Unexpectedly, the letter did not confirm, deny, or even mention the request Hiran had put forward to Wu Kong last time. Instead, it only requested a meeting with him so that they could discuss matters in person. That was fine too.

The mystery surrounding the Innkeeper was quite interesting. The Governor, too, wanted to see what he could learn of the Innkeeper.

"Wait for my return," he said to the Dao Lords standing behind him. "If everything goes well, this may be the first step in securing our position. The Origin realm must reach maturity, as I’m sure you all agree."

Naturally, none of these Dao Lords disagreed. Why would they? They were all in the same boat.

Hiran Kokan, Governor of the Origin realm, smiled, and disappeared. This was not his first visit to the Midnight Inn, but this would be his first meeting with the Innkeeper.

When he appeared in the Inn, he marveled once again how his aura became so docile. Not only did it not harm the mortals around him, it did not even interfere with their destinies, or their karma.

Scarce were the Dao Lords all across the universe who had such fine self control of their power. Even fewer were those who could impose such control on others!

Hiran had barely taken in a single glance of the Midnight Inn when the second Dao Lord of the Inn, the mysterious and enigmatic Mary, appeared before him in yellow shorts and a black shirt with a Cthulhu skull on it.

"The Innkeeper is expecting you," she said, entirely unbothered by his station or background, though she remained polite. "Although, if you wish to enjoy the Inn first, you are most welcome."

Hiran chuckled, and shook his head.

"Please lead the way. I, too, am looking forward to our meeting. Will you be joining us?" he asked, just as casually. Some Dao Lords preferred to be formal, and some casual. Hiran was adept in dealing with both kinds.

"If the Innkeeper asks me to stay," she replied candidly.

Hiran chuckled once more, and then followed her. She too had perfect control of her aura, though Hiran’s keen senses picked up a scent of blood around her. It seemed that she had fought a lot in her younger days.