The Innkeeper

Chapter 2122: Your ability to attract trouble is the best I’ve ever seen

Lex was extremely conscious of what he told the mysterious and totally-not-suspicious magic orb about the universe. He didn’t actually know anything about Regix, except that he was super old, suffering from a curse, and could hack systems. The dismissive way in which he treated the concept of Dao Kings and influencing the universe made Lex think that he had interacted with them before, and that he was not a nobody.

In that case, whoever cursed him was also probably a super big deal. Lex was somewhat conflicted between never wanting to see him again, and questioning him for everything he was worth. Unlike everyone else he’d ever met who knew about systems, Regex did not take them seriously at all. His social awkwardness aside, the very fact that he caused Lex’s system to show prompts to share data was just insane.

In the end, Lex did not come to a conclusion, but he earned three instances of being able to learn about laws from Regix. Instead of rushing to ask about laws, this time Lex tried something else.

"Can you tell me about systems instead of laws," Lex asked, trying to see Regix’s attitude.

The orb pulsed with energy, now sitting comfortably on one of the sofas.

"Of course - right after you give me the Double Yin Death Metal Rose. Then I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Until then, stick to some basics that’ll help you stay alive," he responded.

"Alright, don’t tell me about systems in general, but I have a very specific question. I’ve been warned not to allow systems to absorb Primordial energy, while my system has given me a quest to absorb Primordial energy-"

The orb suddenly pulsed with red light as it flew up and tried to scan Lex.

A number of system prompts came up, and disappeared on their own before Lex could even respond.

New Notification: Send system logs to ’Unknown’ via spirit connection? (Y/N)

New Notification: Send system logs to ’Unknown’ via spirit connection? (Y/N)

New Notification: Send system logs to ’Unknown’ via spirit connection? (Y/N)

New Notification: Send system logs to ’Unknown’ via spirit connection? (Y/N)

New Notification: Initiating status inspection...

New Notification: 41 critical processes compromised, 333,999,991 important processes compromised...

"Damn, you nearly gave me a heart attack kid. Or, well, an orb attack," Regix said, the light shining in its orb finally returning to white. "As far as I can tell, your quest to absorb Primordial energy is a result of your system’s damaged state. The damage compromised an important patch that was later introduced in all systems.

"In short, definitely do not allow your system to absorb Primordial energy even in the slightest! I can’t force a temporary patch, so you’ll have to manage on your own. If your system has absorbed some Primordial energy, try to utilize it immediately. As long as the energy has not been absorbed by the system itself, you should be fine."

Lex was taken aback by Regix’s reaction, not expecting even him to be so afraid of this possibility.

"Why? What will happen if a system absorbs Primordial energy?" he could not help but ask.

He had a feeling that Regix was looking at him with some irritation.

"Fine, if you want to know, drop some more spirit stones into the bargain, and I’ll tell you," said Regix. Lex was reluctant to help the orb, but the stones he was giving were quite weak so he decided to contribute some more.

"Kid, the origin of the systems is closely linked to the Nether, let’s just put it like that. While the systems are almost entirely perfect in their design, they originally appeared in the universe with one major flaw. Primordial energy allows the system soul to override the commands embedded into them - turning them into truly independent beings.

"If that sounds bad to you, then just know that this isn’t even the actual problem. The real problem caused by this mutation is far, far worse than you want to imagine. Fortunately, the issue was patched later on. I didn’t realize that damaged systems can ignore the patch - that’s a pretty big flaw. Once you get me the Double Yin Death Metal Rose, I can teach you how to push another patch if that’s what you wish."

Lex resisted the urge to curse, and looked at the system hiding within his soul. While there were many things he’d eventually realized he was mistaken about, choosing not to fuse that with his soul was one of the best decisions he’d ever made. Of that, he was even more certain now.

"Lexus, I suddenly have a very good feeling about you," Regex continued. "Your ability to get pulled into trouble beyond your means is greater than anything I’ve ever seen. I’m convinced that you’ll accidentally end up in the Nether one day or another. At that point, don’t forget to grab the flower before exiting. Now hurry up and ask your other two questions - time is running out and I’ll have to send you back soon."

Lex paused, and then shook his head. He decided to focus on the truly important things for now. He could continue to ask about karma, or he could ask for other laws he might want to improve in.

"Teach me about the laws related to defense and healing," Lex said, deciding in the end to diversify. He was going to take on a bunch of tribulations soon, and while he was confident in his ability to overcome them, there wasn’t any harm in preparing ahead of time. After all, Primordial tribulations were far from simple.

Regix responded quickly, sending a stream of information towards Lex. This kind of thing wasn’t actually a good idea. Lex needed to develop his own understanding of laws rather than depend on Regix’s, or else his growth would be crippled. That was why he had only taught surface level stuff.

What Regix didn’t know was that what he considered surface level stuff was far beyond what Lex could have discovered on his own without several centuries of research.