The Innkeeper

Chapter 2069: Not going to answer

Mary studied the group, well aware that they had already spread the tea about what they thought they perceived. She could have tried to correct them, to set the record straight, but she couldn’t be bothered.

Unlike Lex, who was in the middle of faking it till he made it, Mary’s pride and arrogance of being a Dao Lord was genuine. Although many of her memories were missing, she also retained many of her memories as well.

While the details of her exact previous identity seemed to be purposefully suppressed or missing, probably by the system, she could draw conclusions on her own. She used to be a Celestial, and she was quite a well known entity among them. Thus, it was fortunate that she no longer looked like her original appearance, or she would have been easily recognized.

Regardless, the faint few memories she had allowed her to remember that, ordinarily speaking, she could not be bothered with low level Dao Lords. While she was no longer as powerful as she once was, since she needed to act like she was at full power, she could not help but tap into the arrogance that was fused within the depths of her soul.

She looked at Ballom and his group with a restrained look, one that made it clear that she did not actually take them too seriously.

Instead of feeling offended, or as if something was amiss, the Dao Lords took this in their stride. Compared to the anomaly that was the Innkeeper, who was polite to everyone he met, this type of arrogance and attitude was far more common and prevalent among Dao Lords.

"Since the Innkeeper has requested my aid, I will of course entertain all his guests while he is absent" Mary said with the utmost politeness and respect, making it clear to all who heard that she was only helping them because the Innkeeper said so. But the more it was like this, the more they believed there was something going on between them!

"Then please, follow me," said Ballom as he led the group towards the nearest available Chamber of Secrets so that they could all converse at ease.

As soon as they entered the chamber, the entire group dispersed, taking a seat at the various corners of the room, leaving one spot empty for Mary.

"Lady Mary, your reputation precedes you. I had already heard that the Innkeeper works with someone of your calibre, but I was entirely unfamiliar with just how impressive you actually are," said one of the Dao Lords.

Mary looked at the guest, and her faint smile suddenly transformed into a deadpan expression.

"I do not accept compliments from harem owners. Please remain within the limits of propriety between a host and a guest," she said politely yet firmly.

The guest who had spoken suddenly felt awkward, while the rest of the group started to laugh, finding amusement in his embarrassment. Yet the moment did not last, for such a simple quip could not genuinely offend a Dao Lord - especially when it came from another formidable Dao Lord!

It was ironic and unusual, but the more arrogant Mary acted, the more others treated her as if her actions were justified.

"Lady Mary, I hope you don’t mind if I ask a few questions. Please let me know if I overstep my bounds," said Ballom.

Mary studied Ballom, but seeing that he had no other intentions she merely nodded, accepting his request.

"Have you joined the Midnight Inn recently?" he asked. "That seems not to be the case, since you and the Innkeeper seem so familiar, yet I never had the fortune of encountering you before."

Bridget frowned upon hearing those words, but understood they were more formality than anything else. She had to restrain herself from snorting.

"I have worked for the Innkeeper since he started the Midnight Inn. In a sense, I can be considered his first employee," she spoke with a hint of reverence in her voice, as if she deeply respected the Innkeeper. "You never met me before simply because I was busy with other things. I am not the first one of the Innkeepers workers you haven’t met, nor will I be the last."

Her words were not surprising. Ballom had not known the Innkeeper for long anyway, so it wasn’t surprising that he hadn’t met all of the Innkeepers followers.

"Oh, so you must know the Innkeeper well. In that case, do you know the Innkeepers opinion on the war? Many who met with him claim that the Innkeeper has no interest in the war, but with the extent of his teleportation capabilities, it is just hard to feel at ease," spoke another Dao Lord.

"Why ask a question you already know the answer to?" Mary asked, rolling her eyes. "He does not run an Inn because he needs to make his locations known to you lot, nor does he do it because anyone is forcing him. He does it because he wants to, and participating in this war will interfere with that, so why would he do such a thing?"

The answer seemed to only vaguely satisfy everyone. After all, the guarantee that the Innkeeper wouldn’t participate was too weak. Whim and will were something that could change at any time, so it was not the greatest form of defense.

"In that case, do you know about the details of the relationship between the Innkeeper and Eclipse?" Bridget asked, narrowing her eyes. She wasn’t suspicious of the Innkeeper - he was a gentleman. Instead, she was highly suspicious that this Mary was far more than she made herself out to be.

Mary could answer, but that was sounding a whole lot like gossip. Now her inner arrogant self wanted to act out, but she had to remember that at the end of the day these were her guests, so she couldn’t be too impetuous, lest the system punish her.

"If the reason you all have called for me here is to talk about the Inn or the tea party, I can assist you, but if you wish to learn or gossip about the Innkeeper, you will have to contact him directly yourself. I am not going to reveal the details of the Innkeepers actions to anyone."

Bridget smiled knowingly. Mary had refused to answer the question, which probably meant that not only did she know about the Innkeeper and Eclipse, but that there was something spicy going on between them!