The Innkeeper

Chapter 2493: Possibilities

Before studying Daekol’s system in detail, Lex glanced at his own system’s details. A lot had changed, and he needed to firmly grasp what all of it meant. At full functionality, the system was a Divine rank system, which was far beyond the number rankings.

The last time he used his system, it was nowhere near the functionality percentage it was at now. Whether that had changed anything, he did not know yet. It most likely didn’t actively change much, but just allowed him to do a whole lot more. Thus the burden of maximising the utility of a Divine grade system would be on him, not on the system itself.

That was, of course, merely his suspicions for now. He looked towards his interface.

System: Midnight Inn system

System Grade: Divine (broken ~ Fate - SSS+ )

System Owner: Lex Williams

System functionality: 93%* (critical)

System self-repair time: 912 years**

* System functionality impaired by lack of critical materials!

** Repair time estimate is contingent on the presence of critical materials. Please provide Dao level resources, or other systems to replace lacking materials!

Lex interpreted the system grade as if the system’s upper operational limit was the Fate rank, while its standard operational rank was SSS+ rank. The additional notes on functionality and repair time actually answered questions Lex had about the system for a long time.

Previously, while system repairs could be boosted using other systems, there was also an option for the system to repair itself on its own. Lex didn’t question it too much previously because he understood that his own exposure and vision were limited by his weak cultivation level. Now that was no longer the case.

He understood that the system could repair itself if what it was repairing required energy. Yet as a soul treasure of the most valuable kind, if all it took to heal it was energy then that would be genuinely scary. That would mean that the systems could replicate Lotus’ ability to use pure energy to create whatever it wished.

Honestly, Lex did not know if even Dao Lords could do such a thing. If they could, then surely it had to be only for low level, less valuable things. If anyone could simply use energy to create whatever they wanted, then there would be no rare resources in the entire universe.

But there was a much simpler answer available as well. Clearly the system had some way to access resources outside of immediate reach, so maybe the resources required to heal the system came from the same source.

That was the most likely answer. In fact, even now Lex suspected that was how it repaired simpler issues. But clearly a system of such a high rank required some incredibly high level resources that it couldn’t just conjure up or even get from external sources. Perhaps the lack of availability of those resources was the reason his system functionality had been repaired to 93% and no further.

Well now, he had on hand both the resources he needed to repair it. One was a system, and the other were the Dao materials he gathered during the Tea Party.

Lex narrowed his eyes, and saw a Go board appear all around him. On the board the single black bead representing the Midnight Inn appeared in the center, surrounded by endless fog making it impossible for him to discern what game was being played or what moves were being taken.

Somewhere out there in the fog, Lex knew there was a piece that represented the thing that influenced his system when it had Primordial energy. There were also any number of beings above the Dao Lord realm, not to mention countless Dao Lord themselves.

He hadn’t forgotten that someone in the Humanoid Alliance was plotting against him, so any number of those beads were placed within the fog. Then, of course, there were beings and organizations he didn’t even know who may or may not be targeting him.

With an unknown number of opponents against him, Lex needed to look at the board and make it as favorable for himself as possible. While there were certainly other pieces he could place on the board, the question that remained was that if he upgraded the system to 100%, would that be a piece in his favor or against him?

Although the system claimed the influence against it had retreated, what if the influence was still there but the system itself didn’t know it? This time, it wasn’t that Lex was doubting the system, but whether or not it was compromised without even realizing it.

Fortunately, he was not as helpless as he once was. It wasn’t just the system data that his system had handed over to him. He also had access to Mary, whose knowledge about systems might surpass anyone else besides Regix.

That meant he no longer needed to operate with blind faith and hope. As long as he had a little time, he could begin to push back against the fog blinding him. The only question left... was what to do with the resources in his hand right now.

Lex looked at Daekol’s system once more, and inspected it. His own system immediately identified it as an S rank called the Debt system. It was a useful tool no matter how he looked at it.

He considered offering it to Mary, in case she wanted another system again. If she didn’t want it, it could be a useful tool for one of his workers. It could also be used to act as critical materials for his own systems repair, or... it could act as something for him to experiment with as he learned more about systems.

After all, his own system had provided him with a lot of information - he now needed to digest it. If it all proved to be true, then Lex would be one step closer to making his own system.

He could not help but think of what Eclipse had done. How long had she planned to turn back time? When she first came up with the idea, did she feel like he did right now as he envisioned something that felt impossible. Could he really create his own system that rivaled those already in existence?

Lex held the system in his hand, feeling it, observing it. It took the form of a glowing bank receipt - quite fitting for what it was. Yet it held vast possibilities, far more than what its name suggested.

So focused was he on his own tasks that Lex did not even notice the sly expression on Marry’s face as she went to go meet Velma as Lex had requested. Nor did he notice when she erected a privacy formation around them to hide the content of their conversation from anyone snooping.