The Innkeeper

Chapter 1710: Mother

Oroo felt no pressure when facing the man in the office. He was, after all, not even a century old. He was, nonetheless, a genius even by the standards of Celestials, and talented beyond compare, so much so that the Humanoid Alliance was grooming him to be a future leader.

All major organizations had such individuals who they specifically trained and cultivated, not only because of the somewhat increased possibility of them becoming Dao Lords, but also because even if they never reached that realm, peak Celestial Immortals were a majority of the actual strength of any organization. Having a smart, powerful and well-trained leader among Celestial Immortals, one who might outshine Celestial Immortals among competing organizations, was an advantage no one was going to give up.

To call such individuals as heirs would be too much, for with eternal life existing, no organization had a need to groom many heirs. Instead, such individuals were often referred to as Proteges.

“You’re under a misconception,” the Celestial said, leaning back in his chair. “Whether Jack is a simple decoy or an actual asset is not yet set in stone. It is only the outcome that will determine which role he plays. On such a grand stage, nothing is only ’one thing’.

“For example, Jack is a decoy fairy. He is also an investment into the future of the fairies, for regardless of whether he succeeds or not, it is now unquestionable that we have heavily invested in the return of the fairies. Even if this Jack fails, if Jack the Hellslayer succeeds, we still look good and have a foundation on which to talk with him. That’s not even mentioning Tinker, who has resurfaced stronger than ever. Her own background is mysterious enough, so who’s to say we can’t use her as the decoy?

“Simultaneously, our support for Jack is a probe. There is some unknown organization promoting humans, and now fairies, and while on the surface it looks like they’re helping us, nothing can be confirmed.”

Oroo raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

“That’s an awful lot to pay for something if you don’t know what you’re using him for. Don’t forget, we spent real resources on upgrading his ship and organizing his ritual. This stuff is not free, or easy. Every single Dao Lord who takes action on the alliance’s behalf needs to be compensated by the alliance. I’m afraid even if the sum of Jack’s achievements for the rest of his life are accumulated, it won’t amount to our expenses for a single Dao Lord.”

The Celestial in the chair only shook his head, as Oroo couldn’t understand.

“You do not understand causality. Everything comes from something. To reach certain results in the future, we need to create enough potential for it in the present. Merely a few days out of the infinite lives of so many Dao Lords were spent on this. In one way or another, the cost will justify itself. You do not need to worry – if I overstep my bounds, someone will correct me.

“What we need to focus next on is the actual Expo, and more importantly on collecting information on the other Proteges who will be participating in it. Among the new recruits, Velma has shown a lot of promise in the field of data collection. Have her undergo some basic training and then reassign her to this task.”

Oroo nodded.

“You do know that she isn’t a permanent member of the alliance, right?” she asked.

“It’s inconsequential. As long as she confirms that she can stay for the duration of the event, and has signed the waiver limiting her from sharing sensitive information she learned while working for the alliance, you can use her. Just like Jack, she is not merely a spy. She can be a probe towards the Midnight Inn as well. If the Innkeeper really is making preparations to establish a Seat of Power, then we need to prepare for how our relationship is going to change once he does.”

This time, Oroo glared at the young Celestial.

“Now you’re overstepping. Do not presume to have the right to make any judgments regarding Seats of Power. Not only is it not our place to have considerations regarding them, we should not even be talking about them.”

The Celestial in the seat sighed.

“Yes mother,” he said simply, not arguing with her. He was smart enough to know when not to argue back.

*****

“Dear Jack,

By the time you read this letter, your ritual to make you untraceable will be completed, and your karmic curse will have been suppressed. The Jolly Rancher will also have been improved, which I must admit was easier than I expected. Clearly, the materials you used in the manufacturing of your ship were far superior to what I had expected. As a bonus, we added some divine ore to the ship, so you can extend your ability to hide your trail to include the entire ship.

If you do activate that ability,however, it will consume an enormous amount of energy that a mere Earth Immortal cannot hope to provide, or even a crew of them. As such, within the cargo hold, I have taken the liberty of providing you with some Spirit Crystals which can support the use of your ability with your ship for up to seven days. If you wish to acquire some of the Spirit Crystals necessary to power up your ship, I will provide you with a list of the required specifications at the end of this letter.

As you read this, you may be wondering why I am not telling all of this to you in person, and instead am communicating to you through this letter. The answer is twofold: first, it is to completely erase your trace. No one will know your location, and from here you can go anywhere as you wish without worrying. Unless you purposely expose your location, none will know it. This is, in part, to ensure you are not targeted by Grimshaw, although we have taken other precautions to ensure he does not target you. The second reason is to establish a distance between yourself and the alliance.

As of this letter, the alliance will begin creating evidence to show that there is no longer any connection between you and the alliance. This is, largely, for your own sake. Henceforth the alliance will no longer bother you, nor tie you down with any responsibilities or burdens. However, this is under the condition that throughout your journey to becoming a racial leader, you no longer use the alliance as a defense.

Should you find yourself in a situation where you are forced to rely on the alliance, such as with the incident with Grimshaw, the alliance will come to your aid. However, at that point, that aid will come with the stipulation of service on your part to the alliance of upwards of 3 million years, depending on the scale of the aid required.

Of course, should you wish to join the alliance on your own, there will be no stipulation of a mandatory service period, and you will be welcomed with open arms. However, at that point, there will no longer be any way to hide your connection to the alliance any longer.

The reason so much effort and resources have been put into accommodating your needs is because of the potential you represent as a possible race leader. It is the hope of the alliance that, if ever, you should ascend to such a station you do not forget the help the alliance put forward.

The same is true for your crew, who have all received various levels of treatment for lingering ailments, and have been awarded small trinkets that they may enjoy. As per your requirement, special attention has been given towards ensuring the Crystal alligators happiness, who has been given a sufficiently valuable treasure within a treasure chest.

If I may add, I find your intelligence and strength of character highly reassuring as well as refreshing. I wish you all the best in your endeavors, you will need it. In case it wasn’t clear to you, you will henceforth face many trials, most of them linked to the survival and prosperity of your race. This is as a result of ancient powers over which none have any control, and it is the same for all racial leaders. Either they ascend, and reach great heights, able to withstand the karma of their race, or they fall. Personally, I hope you achieve the former. Though it may appear strong, the alliance is not without its enemies, and capable allies can help the alliance survive any unexpected trials and tribulations.

Finally, you asked for the history of the fairies. Much of it, believe it or not, is lost. Even the alliance does not have the full account of what happened to the fairies. However, of what has been preserved, a filtered version has been provided to you as well. Everything you read should be within your capability of bearing, but if you feel like it is too dangerous, feel free to put it away until a later date.

Deepest regards,

Oroo Weiss”

Jack put the letter away, and turned to the history of the fairies that had been provided with it.

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