The Innkeeper

“He’s a thief,” grumbled Mr. Big-fat-guy.

“Since when do you care about a little bit of Dao Mist?” another voice asked.

“What do you mean? That’s a valuable resource that cannot be wasted! The existence of the jungle depends on it!”

“The mist comes, and the mist goes. Don’t worry about it. This is not your domain, anyway. You should instead worry about what you’ll give him when he makes it here.”

“What do you mean? I’m giving him nothing. You guys cheated. He was going to die within the barrier until you suddenly decided to help him out.”

“Prove it.”

Silence followed, as the Kun Peng had no way to respond, but that didn’t improve its mood. All he could do was turn and look towards Lex and grumble.

Lex, who was still absorbing the mist himself but could no longer send it to the Inn, lamented at his inability to send the mist. He didn’t really care either way. It was just that he wanted to deprive the weed in front of him of the mist.

He diverted his attention back to the Midnight Games. All the members of the various armies had entered into spontaneous meditation, probably undergoing improvements in their cultivation. That meant that the final award ceremony needed to be delayed until they were all ready, which was just fine with him. It would give him time to find more rewards to pass out.

As the Innkeeper, he looked around the Inn once more, observing all the viewers, and noticed something odd. He could sense a mild change in the Karma of his guests, but couldn’t really tell what caused the change, or what the consequences would be.

Given his current state, he could not think too much on the matter. He had to focus on himself first.

“To those of you who watched, and supported the armies in their battles, thank you for being an important part of the games,” the Innkeeper said, still sitting cross-legged. “To those of you who fought, thank you for letting us witness your courage. The Midnight Inn welcomes all – so long as they obey the rules of the Inn – and we look forward to seeing everyone participating in the many more events to come.

“To the victors, the rewards will not disappoint. But for the sake of confidentiality, the rewards will not be imparted publicly. However, for those curious, just know that none of the rewards will be anything that can be used by others – in case anyone has more unsavory intentions towards these armies.

“I will now leave the stage for others. After all, the Midnight Inn is not just made up by me. It is made up by a team of highly capable workers, and it is made up of the most amazing guests, and each of us has a part to play in the Midnight Inn. So while I go and deal with this weed, rest assured you will be well taken care of.”

The Innkeepers projection suddenly disappeared, leaving many confused regarding what he was referring to when he mentioned a weed.

In truth, that was not something Lex would have ordinarily done. Yet his limited spirit, alongside his aching migraine, and the weed with a Dao aura constantly harassing him, he did something he hadn’t done in a long time. He broke from the pattern of a perfectly composed Innkeeper he wanted to portray as his attention diverted towards staying alive.

Yet the consequence of it was not negative. Instead, a message had been left behind, and for those who recognized the Dao Mist, it hinted to an earth shattering possibility.

Was the Innkeeper hosting the Games while still fighting other Dao Lords?!?!?!?!?

Respect. Unrestrained respect shone in Wu Kong’s eyes as he thought about the Innkeeper. He decided right then and there that when he grew up, he wanted to be more like the Innkeeper.

Of course, he was already incredibly old, but at heart, Wu Kong was still 16 years old, so saying as much wasn’t wrong.

While Ash came up on stage, and talked about some of the new features and services that the Inn would be launching, specifically targeting mortals, Lex had put his thoughts about the games behind him.

Instead, he was focusing on the weed. The plant, with each of its seven leafy tips, was pointing towards Lex angrily, as if it recognized that he had stolen its mist. Yet, for some reason, it was content to merely scolding and threatening him. It did not take any action towards him.

As sanity was slowly returning to Lex, he no longer acted out in desperation, and instead evaluated the situation. He noticed that in the jungle all around him, no plant was interfering with the absorption of the mist of another – even if they already had a Dao aura developed.

Could it be that there was some kind of rule in place? Maybe that’s why he was stopped from plundering the mist. He could use it himself, but not give it to others.

“Okay look, I’m sorry,” said Lex, holding up his hands disarmingly. “But you see all the other things carrying Dao aura all around. What am I supposed to do? I can only run around to avoid it, or absorb the mist as quickly as possible to heal my injuries.”

The weed used its leafy limbs to communicate with Lex in sign language, offering it a proposal.

“That could work, but I want to continue absorbing the mist as well.”

The weed angrily negotiated with Lex, threatening him, yet for some reason Lex was not intimidated. After a couple of rounds of back and forth, they came to an agreement.

Lex scooted closer to the weed, but still out of range, and began sucking the mist towards him once more – forming a whirlwind of mist. Yet he limited himself to actually absorbing the mist at 50% of his max speed.

The rest was sent to the weed, as an apology for stealing from him, and as a form of protection money. The weed would, in exchange, protect him from all other things with Dao aura. It was a pretty even trade in his opinion.

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