The Innkeeper

Chapter 2198: Predictable

Taro’s Journal - a personal journal belonging to the foremost expert in realms in the universe. Or, at least, the foremost publicly acknowledged expert at the time of his disappearance. Who knew if there were actually some beings better than him? Or if, over the years, someone had surpassed him?

All things considered, it kind of made sense that his personal journal was actually a realm on its own. But that presented a problem. The journal was not a realm connected to the Midnight Inn like all the other minor realms that it held, which meant that the Innkeeper’s projection could not enter.

If a tavern was sent inside, the projection would be able to enter. Or he could send his clone inside by sending the karmic bead inside. Or so he thought at first. Unfortunately, the journal - or the Journal realm as Lex jokingly referred to it - could only be entered by a human. Nothing else could enter, not even the karmic clone of a human.

Now that presented him with some problems. Even if he sent someone else inside, how would they discern the relevant knowledge to help him in this instance. Moreover, they needed to have a high enough cultivation realm so that they could even begin to understand the information recorded in the journal to begin with.

Lex sighed. He was not used to being locked in place. While he usually delegated tasks related to running the Inn to his staff, the risky stuff he usually did himself. He scanned the Inn, going through all the workers he had available, looking for the best person he could find for this task.

Originally, Lex did not think there was anyone suitable for this task because all his human workers had low cultivation levels, and he could not expect them to be able to grasp the complexities that the journal might hold. That is, until he saw one worker who had an interesting past.

Dr. Charles was innocently treating a patient using his unorthodox methods, as usual. In truth, his insights from the early days of the Origin realm were useful even now. Now, complimented by the latest knowledge he had studied, his medical expertise had reached a genuinely remarkable level.

Even when he encountered races he’d never treated before, he could study their anatomy and extrapolate the relevant treatment methods simply because of the depth of his understanding about healing.

He was further motivated to enhance his medical skills because of the letter that had been given to him by Vaelgorith, the Golden Dragon King inside the Origin realm. Not only had Vaelgorith recognised Charles, he had revealed that some of his old friends were alive too - but in a critically wounded state, causing them to exist in a state of cryostasis.

If he wanted to uncover what had happened back then, as well as heal his old friends, he needed to upgrade his skills to a much higher level to the point where he could help out the golden dragon.

Thus, he had been working hard, making no waves and just focusing on his own growth. It reached the point where he had almost no presence inside the Midnight Inn. Only other medical staff, as well as his patients ever interacted with him. Until today, that is.

"When you finish up with your patient, report to my office. I have a specific task for you," the Innkeeper said, speaking right into Charles’ mind.

For some reason, Charles could not help but feel nervous. What could the Innkeeper want with him?

While Charles wondered what his immediate future held, Liz and Levi went to the Midnight Tailor. Liz, of course, knew Geeves well. This wasn’t the first time she was getting an outfit from him, which is also why she was so confused about Lex’s instructions. Geeves usually needed a few days at the very least to make even the most basic of suits.

"Ah, Ms. Liz and Levi, I was expecting you," said Geeves when the two of them entered. "Lex already informed me of your needs. If you’ll wait here just a minute, I’ll get everything sorted."

The two girls glanced at each other, speaking through their eyes alone. After years of spending so much time together, they could easily tell what the other was thinking.

"Geeves, do you have anything readymade available?" Liz asked as she smiled politely. "We’re in a bit of a rush so we don’t really have any time to go through the whole process right now?"

The old tailor looked at Liz with a somewhat intrigued, somewhat amused expression.

"Readymade? You mean allow you to depart my shop with a generic attire, meant to fit a random mold? While such an... unpalatable act might be suitable in an emergency, that is not the case for you. Your attire has long been in the works."

Liz and Levi were taken aback, unsure of what Geeves was talking about, but they weren’t able to question him as he quickly entered the back of the store.

"Do you think Lex had something prepared for you, just in case you ever wanted to leave the Inn?" Levi asked, guessing what might have happened.

After a moment of thought, Liz could only conclude that was the only thing that made sense.

"If Lex ordered a suit for me, does that mean he also ordered a suit for you?" she asked, unsure about what to expect. "Does he really have so much foresight?"

Levi glanced at Liz, and resisted the urge to taunt her.

"That, or maybe he just knows you really well," she said diplomatically, not wanting to mention to Liz that with her and Nemo together, it was only a matter of time before they set off on some crazy adventure and likely dragged her along.

Liz was feeling incredibly touched when Geeves walked back in, holding two suits in the same style as the ones that the Midnight Inn workers wore. Even though the style was pretty common, the moment Liz looked at her suit, she knew it was anything but. The fabric of her suit alone was far more valuable than she could even estimate.