The Innkeeper

Chapter 2019: Getting Involved

When the silence continued on for a little too long, Lex could not help but probe.

"Is everything alright? Are you perhaps confused about something?" the Innkeeper asked, waking the Governor from his vivid imaginations of how he would be forced to be the God father of the Innkeepers children.

"Yes, yes, sorry, I got distracted," said the Governor as he finished reading the letter in a single glance. While there was no official mention of any unions or engagements, only mentioning a tea party, the letter was, as of yet, incomplete. Many things could be added onto it.

Although, shocked, horrified, and feeling several other synonyms of the same words, the Governor was, after all, a Dao Lord so he forced himself to calm down. While many things were insinuated, nothing was yet concrete, so he could only prepare for both eventualities.

"You are correct," he continued. "If the venue for the meeting is the Primordial Garden, conducted under the supervision of the Primordial Queen, then I can rest assured. In that case, as long as the venue is kept secret before the meeting, there should be no issues. I am fine with these arrangements."

The Innkeeper nodded.

"I’m glad you think so. In that case, I will also alert you of a few different requirements that all attendees must meet before they can participate in the meeting. First and foremost, I have been instructed by our other host that should anyone damage the garden, they are dead. I think I don’t need to elaborate on that any further."

The Governor laughed, as if he had heard an amusing joke.

"Yes, I don’t think there is anyone foolish enough to attempt to harm the garden, regardless of their affiliation. Just in case, I will take extra care to ensure that none of the guests I invite do anything untowards."

The Innkeeper nodded, as if that was the expected thing to do.

"Second, every attendee must bring one species of flower capable of surviving within the Primordial Garden - and it must not be a Primordial species. If the flower does not meet these conditions, they will not be able to attend the meeting."

The Governor nodded, as if he found it acceptable, and totally not as if his imagination was running wild about the Innkeepers romantic gestures.

No, he had to be reasonable. That could merely be a request from the Primordial Queen herself - there was no knowing.

"Thirdly, every participant who wishes to attend the tea party must submit one sealed and stable Dao level ingredient to participate."

The Governor nodded, accepting the third condition as if it was no big deal. Or maybe, it was an acceptable cost. Whatever the case, Lex strictly controlled his emotions, keeping himself from feeling any and all elation.

Yes, this was his plan all along, even before the system gave him the means to submit Dao level ingredients in exchange for building the Sanctuary of Dao, or for powering the Butter Knife.

Lex’s original plan was to use these ingredients to help him build his Dao body, but now he could use them for various purposes. Regardless, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so he had to take full advantage of it!

He was going to invite not only the Governor’s guests, but all those who had paid him a visit as well. The Sanctuary of Dao required 50 Dao materials, but he had no plans on completing that any time soon.

Even so, it would be best if he could get his hands on even more materials than that, so that in the future if he ever wanted to use it, he would not be lacking resources.

"That’s fine. When exactly are you planning on having this tea party, then?" the Governor asked.

"It is best not to delay things. I will have the tea party in one month’s time - that should be sufficient for all those participating to make the required arrangements. I’ll have to trouble you to send some of my invitations on my behalf. Some guests came and left their Letters of Intent, but provided no means of communicating back with them. This can also help you to disguise the invitations you send to your own allies."

The Governor had to consciously avoid trembling. It seemed that no matter what happened, the Innkeeper was making sure that he would be a part of it. Even if the Innkeeper himself did not end up getting engaged, if something else happened, there would be traces of his involvement everywhere.

Logically, this was a gesture of trust and faith on the Innkeepers part. By allowing the Governor to send out the invitations on his behalf, it showed a close relationship. Once the meeting occurred in the Primordial Garden, the position of the Henali would elevate across the universe for being able to facilitate such an exclusive meeting.

But the more he thought about it, the more fearful he became. Although he had no evidence, he increasingly believed that there was something shady going on between the Innkeeper and the Primordial Queen. After all, the Innkeeper was well known for his fine control over Karma, and the Queen had previously used Karmic Web to trap her targets, making it impossible to escape.

Since he could not escape, the Governor strengthened his resolve. No matter what happened, he would have to see it through, and make sure he benefited the most.

"Excellent," said the Innkeeper. "For this tea party, I will create special invitations that will bring all participants directly to the venue, so that they won’t need to enter the Midnight Inn at all. Now that you have agreed, I’ll have all the keys and letters ready in a couple of days so you can send someone to pick them up if you wish.

"If you want to invite some additional people on your own, you can let me know, and I’ll prepare sufficient keys. As long as they pay the necessary fees, they are welcome to join."