The Innkeeper

Chapter 2322: Mom’s spaghetti

"My future... looks very empty to me," Pearl said after a long silence. She did not usually show a defeated or exhausted expression in front of others. Only River, who was the one she relied on the most, and Cliff, who had been a teacher and guiding hand throughout her life could see this side of her.

Although she could see that Cliff still kept a distance from the both of them, that did not change that he had been silently helping them for most of their lives!

"What about your past?" Cliff asked, seeing that she was feeling dejected. Something like this was actually quite dangerous. Immortals did not easily develop mental issues, but once they did they were harder to relieve than issues for mortals. Yet if these issues were not addressed, they would sooner or later develop into a Heart Demon.

Truly the cultivation path for ordinary humans was quite difficult, and filled with unexpected pitfalls. Not everyone had the temperament and capacity to walk through it.

"My past? I seem to have had a wonderful past," she said, though she had a sad smile on her face. "I’ve adventured and explored the lands with River. I’ve had unique experiences others can’t even imagine. I’ve overcome countless obstacles. And yet... I can’t bear to think about the past because it fills me with so much sadness.

"I keep thinking about... what my parents would think and feel if they could have seen me today. From looking up to Golden Core cultivators as unreachable existences, all the way to becoming an immortal, I have come far. Yet even immortals cannot bring the dead back to life. Even an infinite lifespan cannot replicate the simple pleasure of being woken up by my mother early in the morning with a hot breakfast ready. Even..."

She stopped speaking, and then shook her head while she sighed. There was no point in dwelling on it.

Cliff nodded, as if he understood. Then he offered her a different perspective.

"You came from the Land of a Hundred Rivers. It’s been at war for as long as you can remember. Countless mortals die every hour of every day. Tell me, if you went there now, with the power you have, could you not change that? Could you not end that war with a single wave of your hand?"

Pearl was stunned. She’d never thought about that. But then she realized that there was a flaw in that thought.

"I might be able to, but the orcs probably have immortals as well. You remember the Watcher in the Land of a Hundred Rivers? I didn’t realize it then, but he was no doubt an Earth Immortal, which means that even an Earth Immortal cannot change the situation there" she said, and Cliff only nodded.

"You’re right," he said, but then continued to talk. "Actually, what even is the worth of a single Earth Immortal when you’re looking at the big picture? There were hundreds, if not thousands of territories like the Land of a Hundred Rivers.

"That means billions if not trillions of people all under the alliance’s oversight. Even if each territory has one immortal watching over them, how can they protect everyone? That would explain why certain people were able to break the alliance’s laws without getting caught."

Listening to his words, Pearl felt even more pathetic. She had felt proud about her achievement of becoming an Earth Immortal, but what was the worth of an Earth Immortal really? Just that much. They were just another cog in the machine.

"Most of these immortals watching over these territories are from Noble races, right?" Cliff continued to ask. "What would they even know about the experiences of someone from a Vassal race such as yourself? They probably don’t even register what you consider an injustice as something out of the ordinary. Their perspective is limited by their own experiences. What would they even know about the struggles of vassals?"

He looked at her, and saw that his words seemed to irritate and provoke her. She felt despondent, and at the same time, she felt unresigned.

Yes, there was so much corruption, but what could a mere Earth Immortal do about it? The Nobles lacked perspective, so even if they weren’t corrupt, could they even understand the needs and predicament of the vassals?

Was the alliance doing a poor job? Not really. They had created a system that allowed so many to survive and grow, but could they be blamed if there were minor flaws or gaps in their management? That was simply the result of having such a large setup.

There were so many people struggling, just like she had. But she was lucky enough to have River for support, and for Cliff to guide her. What did the others have? Nothing.

As her thoughts reached that point, she looked up at Cliff with questions in her eyes. She did not necessarily need an answer - even some direction would be good enough.

"A mere Earth Immortal really isn’t enough to change or affect anything," Cliff said as he looked at her. "But what if you were stronger? What if your voice in the alliance held sway? From the start of your journey until now, you have relied on my help to overcome obstacles. Yet have you never considered helping others as well, just as I helped you? What if you can save even one person, even just one family from the same experiences as you? What if you can improve the alliance so that... it no longer has the flaws you had to suffer through?"

This was the idea Lex came up with. Since Pearl and River could not conceive a reality where they were not apart from the alliance, why couldn’t they be made to join it, and affect it from within?

Why couldn’t they take control, or at the very least affect the alliance themselves as a goal? It was an impossible goal, honestly. But for as long as Cliff had been with them, he had taught Pearl and River one simple thing: impossibility did not actually exist. Everything was possible - it was just that the right method of achieving something may not yet have been discovered.

Pearl really couldn’t imagine a reality where she became strong enough to affect the alliance. It was just so... big, and its leaders held power she could not even fathom. Yet once upon a time, she could not have even fathomed reaching the immortal realm - something she had already accomplished.

Cliff’s words were right. Maybe she could not get her revenge, but couldn’t she stop similar events from ever occurring again?

Gloom and sorrow had begun to fill her life lately, but a small fire was suddenly lit in her heart, pushing back the descending darkness. Now whether she could nurture that small flame into a flaming inferno was entirely up to her.

"I’m going to ask you one more time," said Cliff, his signature smile now taking on a whole new meaning in her eyes. "Are you interested in a special quest? One that might change your future forever!"

The words rang like thunder in Pearl’s ears, alerting her to the fact that this might be her one shot, her one opportunity. She could either seize it, or let it slip.