The Innkeeper

Chapter 2020: Return of the Soul Plague

The number of Dao Lords that Lex himself was going to invite was just under fifty. With the Governor inviting a few more, he would have a pretty decent stockpile.

Of course, Lex was not equipped to deal with Dao materials, which is why he asked for all the materials to be sealed, as well as stable. He would have them appraised by the system, but just in case the system was unable to do it, he would have the Governor appraise them for him. Or maybe someone else would do it.

The important thing, however, was that he, Lex, was scamming - eh, no, he was collecting participation fees from a group of Dao Lords! Rich! He was about to be rich!

With that, as long as he could find a suitable Dao material, he could begin working on his Dao Body.

Wait, Lex just remembered that he personally knew some Dao Lords as well. While others weren’t so easy to invite, there was a certain devil who might be more than happy to participate.

He might have sent an invite to the Seraphim as well if only they hadn’t literally condemned Lex and had been interfering with the functioning of the Inn.

"Can I invite anyone?" the Governor asked as he considered certain ideas.

"As long as they adhere to the rules, and pay the fees, I don’t mind," said the Innkeeper magnanimously. It was as if he had no concerns, or that he was above the worries of these mundane affairs.

"In that case, I would like to invite some guests from within the Origin realm as well - some of whom have not yet reached the Dao realm. I will personally cover their fees, so that should not be a concern," the Governor said. "At the same time, I would also like to invite a noble of the Upper court from the Henali empire, so that the Henali Empire has a stronger representation. Finally, the potential allies that I am targeting are no more than thirty in number, so a total of forty keys will suffice."

The Innkeeper nodded warmly.

"It will be a good opportunity to broaden horizons. It is generous of you to invite others," said the Innkeeper.

The Governor, instead, shook his head.

"Actually, I was hoping to take advantage of your reputation as a neutral party to invite the upper echelon of the Fuegan so that we may negotiate in a neutral setting, and put an end to our longstanding war. It is what’s best for the future of the realm. The fact that the Inn left after being made to participate in the ongoing war stands in favor of your neutrality, so I am hoping they will accept."

The Innkeepers smile grew just a little larger upon hearing that.

"Ending wars would be good. There has been enough senseless bloodshed" he said, though Lex started to feel distracted. He wondered if he should invite a few people below the Dao realm. But if he did that, he would need to pay for their flowers, and he’d have to make sure they didn’t faint in the presence of Dao Lords.

Hmm this was tricky. The tea party was too good an opportunity for him to not harvest more benefits. He needed to think about what he could do.

*****

Hall of Powa, Julias Realm

Daekol walked with purpose, the sounds of his footsteps echoing through the massive hall, waking some of the sleeping guardians who were chained to the pillars on either side of the hall.

Each one of them was a legendary being. They were great heroes of the Path of Order, who had rendered great merit to their cause. Now, they were chained and kept as prisoners and guards for the Path of Chaos, reduced to little more than pets.

Of course, Daekol paid them no mind, for his focus was on his enemy. Though he was born with privilege, he was not fickle, nor was he immature. He never entered a hunt underprepared, and he never treated a target lightly.

Once he had returned to the regular universe, he had done some divination - not on his target, but on himself. It seemed his future was going to be turbulent. That could be as a result of this hunt of his, or it could be for other reasons. Whatever the case, he would bring his full might to bear.

After all, since he had decided to enter into the Dao realm, he was destined to face great obstacles. Yet he was not concerned in the slightest - obstacles existed for the very purpose of being overcome.

"Halt!" boomed a voice as an armored guard stood in his way. "Know your place, Daekol! You have not been summoned!"

Yet even as the peak Celestial guard threatened him, Daekol did not care, nor did he slow. Instead, with a single step he bypassed the guard, holding a severed head in his hand, containing the soul of the guard.

"It is not your place to judge me. It is only your place to obey," Daekol spoke, his voice traveling through the length and breadth of the hall, awakening its many guards. It had been a long time since the voice of the Soul Plague had been heard here, but all remembered his ferocity.

"I have returned, successful in my mission," Daekol orated, for he knew the relevant powers were listening. "My influence in Arch-Heaven surpasses almost all across the universe. Now it is time for my reward. Prepare the Universal Harvest! I shall be baptised in the essence of the universe before I announce my return with a slaughter of a thousand realms. The time for my reign has come."

The various guardians chained to the pillars could not help but tremble as Daekol’s aura spread, filling the hall. No one greeted him, but no one else stopped him either. Such was the Path of Chaos.

Compared to the Path of Order, the actual members of the Path of Chaos were far fewer. But each of them were absolute elites, focused solely on their own advancement above all else. Instead of competing, the Path of Chaos became an agent to unite them. They would unleash all their dark desires upon the universe, but in an organised and calculated way - one that would provide them with the most benefits.

As for who did the calculation, none of them knew, nor did they care. The benefits were real, and so was the protection the Path offered, so all else mattered not.

Deep within the hall, the Universal Harvest was being prepared for Daekol - an extremely diluted, extremely weak, nearly exhausted speck of what Lex’s system had called Protos Energy.