The Innkeeper

Chapter 2162: No ulterior motives

Mei did not respond immediately to the dragon. She was well aware of the bounty on her head, and the enemies she had. Where would anyone be complimenting her these days? The only thing praiseworthy about her, at least in the eyes of the public, was how much she was worth dead, and how much she was worth alive.

She had a pretty decent understanding of the upper power levels of the Origin realm. Although she could not claim to know everyone, she would have at least heard of them if someone’s power level rose so high. Someone like this dragon could certainly not be a nobody, and yet she’d never heard of him before.

It was basically a given that he was from the Humanoid Alliance, or from the Elves, or at the very least associated with some of them. That did not mean, however, that she would attack the dragon. Based on how things went, there was room for manoeuvrability. After all, she could not deny that the dragon had saved her and the others. She owed him that much.

"It depends on what kind of praise you’ve heard," Mei answered, doing her best to resist the oppressive influence of Dragons Might. She had a feeling that the dragon wasn’t even trying to suppress her - that was just his natural aura as it was. If he was actually trying, things may not be so easy for her.

"I do not care about anything else, Mei. I care only about one thing! What was your reason for getting close to the worker named Paul from the Midnight Inn?" the dragon asked, even leaning forward in his throne as he asked.

His aura almost exploded in power as he asked the question, wrapping itself around Mei in the form of Dragons Might so that it would be impossible for her to deceive him without getting detected.

Mei, who was expecting something related to her cultivation technique and the World Tree, was taken aback by the sudden question, not expecting to suddenly hear of Paul. Her heart softened as she thought of him.

Their encounter had been most unexpected. Foreseeing her possible demise in the near future, Mei had come to the Midnight Inn to relax and calm her mental state, lest she develop a heart demon. She had talked to Paul coincidentally, not taking him too seriously at all.

Paul was trying so hard to make sure she was having a good time at the Inn that she couldn’t help but think of him as cute. While she didn’t look for him specifically, the both of them kept bumping into each other, and each time she would chat with him casually, without caring or considering her status outside of the Inn.

To him, she was just another guest, and that was all that mattered. The absence of any ulterior motives in him made her drop her guard and from there... how had things gone so far? Even she found it unbelievable.

If she were to tell anyone that she had developed feelings for a mortal, no one would believe her, and yet that was the truth. Though the backing of the Midnight Inn was nothing to scoff at, Paul was just an average worker in the Inn, one among a million. There was no way he could actually make use of the Inns reputation or backing - at least not to summon someone like this dragon. Of that she was sure. Only someone with incredibly close contacts, or influence would be able to do something like that.

Mei, however, did not understand how the Midnight inn worked, which is why she misunderstood the situation.

"What does that have to do with you?" Mei asked, instead of responding to the question.

The dragon narrowed his eyes - the only things Mei could see behind the mask that hid his identity - as he observed her closely. It was apparent that he was not pleased with her response. Just as she was getting ready to face an even stronger interrogation, all the Dragons Might was withdrawn.

"I do not sense any ulterior motives from you," the dragon declared, as if that explained something. Before Mei could ask him what he was talking about, Paul appeared out of thin air.

For a moment, Mei felt like she was dreaming, or this was some kind of illusion or test. Yet her senses were sharp, and yet she could not detect anything amiss. It almost seemed like... Paul really was there with her.

Her second thought was that Paul had been kidnapped, but he did not seem alarmed to see her at all. In fact, even the aura from the dragon became a lot more welcoming.

"Paul was concerned about your well being, so we came to the Origin realm to collect you. Would you like to return to the Midnight Inn with us?" the dragon asked as he explained their purpose in appearing there.

"I... you... how..." Mei struggled to speak as she looked from the dragon to Paul. The Midnight Inn had been sealed, as was public knowledge. No one could teleport to or from there, and yet...

"I’ll allow you two some time to speak privately amongst yourselves," Lex said as he waved a hand, opening a door to a separate chamber. "Let me know your decision once you are done. I imagine it might not be easy for you to simply abandon everything here and leave, so I can provide you with an alternative which is to leave with me after I’m done with some chores in the Origin realm. However, if you do not take either opportunity, then I cannot guarantee the next time you’ll be able to enter the Inn."

Mei looked from Paul to the dragon, confused about how this was even possible. Yet it made sense. That would explain why she’d never heard of this dragon before. If it was someone from the Midnight Inn, then it made sense that they had secret powerhouses hidden that they did not reveal during normal times.

"Thank you," Mei said to the dragon softly, and then walked to the other room with Paul, wondering how she was supposed to explain her current situation to him. She had told Paul she was a soldier. The difference between that and her actual position were... somewhat difficult to explain.