The Innkeeper

Lex had experienced his fair share of rejuvenation treatments, and usually they involved being submerged in something. Whether it was warm waters filled with nutrients and vitamins that the body absorbs through the skin, or elixirs filled with the energies of life, or sands that soothed his muscle, or something else along those lines, he had done it all.

But naturally, since this was arranged by the Henali, its potency was in a category of its own.

Lex was not led to a sleeping pod or resting chamber of some kind. Instead, he was led to a medical facility and asked to step into a ray of blue light that floated his body up in the air.

The doctors in the room began to work on something on their tablets that Lex could not see, but soon he saw the machine activate, and a thin, white substance began to form a shell around him.

At first Lex didn't understand what was happening, but when a clear liquid began to fill the shell, did he realize what it was. They were… creating an eggshell around him, and he was the yolk of the egg - or well, close enough.

As odd as the concept was, he didn't resist, and instead closed his eyes and allowed the shell to be complete. The liquid rose till it completely submerged him, and though Lex held his breath, he realized that his body was breathing through his skin regardless of the liquid surrounding him.

He was trying to discern what other effects the liquid was having, yet the absence of any warmth seeping into him from his skin, or a cool sensation helping alleviate his fatigue, or basically any stimulus at all left it so that he could not tell what it was doing at all.

He kept trying to tell what it was doing, but it took him a while to realize that there was no physical or mental sensation to indicate what was happening, but at some point, he had relaxed all his muscles. He relaxed his jaw, loosened his shoulders and let his legs rest instead of keeping them tight.

In fact, even his mind had relaxed, though it could never completely stop functioning since a part of him was always overlooking the Inn. The reason he noticed this change, ironically, was because while his mind had calmed down, Jack's had not. So it was Jack who noticed the difference in their thought process, not that it affected any of them in an adverse way.

After a few more minutes, Lex fell asleep, and his body entered the fetal position as the egg slowly became smaller, pushing more and more of the liquid inside his body.

The doctors outside were continuously taking vital readings to ensure that nothing was going amiss, but they took special care not to take any samples or any irrelevant readings that could be considered a violation of his privacy. This was no joke. At this level, each and every contestant was at a unique level of power and influence across the whole realm. In fact, one of the hidden reasons behind streaming the tournament across the realm was to give each contestant a certain level of official recognition. It was subtle preparation from the Henali for any official position they might want to give these contestants in the future.

The rejuvenation process did not take long. Every single second the eggshell was getting smaller and smaller, and in a few minutes it came close enough to Lex that it began to touch his skin. It took one more minute before the eggshell was completely warped into his shape, and then it began to stretch a little as it tried to squeeze in even more.

But how could a mere eggshell even press down a single hair on Lex's body? With a loud, resounding crack the egg shell shattered, and revealed Lex, who was also awoken by the sound.

Although he should not have been surprised by the effectiveness of the procedure, he was still taken aback. It had only been a few minutes, yet he felt as if he had slept for weeks.

All the mental fatigue, stress and pressure which had begun to accumulate in his mind due to his ongoing plans vanished. In fact, even his growing anger, which he had kept suppressed for so long, had begun to bubble out bit by bit which was making him impatient, and causing him to rush certain things, vanished.

With his emotions thoroughly under his control, he was reminded that the more critical the situation, the more calm and collected he needed to be. It was a basic mistake, but one he made nonetheless, since this was the first time his family had been involved.

Immediately, he passed a few new instructions for Mary to pass forward. Acting anxiously might only draw undue attention. Everything needed to be done correctly, not hastily.

But once that was done, Lex marveled at how relaxing a bit had helped clear his mind. Although his performance had not dipped due to whatever pressure was accumulating, the clarity he was afforded was remarkable.

He gained a new perspective on the services they could offer at the Inn, and made a mental note to add work retreats as special packages for the Inn.

He turned to look at the receptionist, who was standing aside the whole time, though her expression was once again very awkward.

"I'm sorry Mr. Lex, but there has been a small, unexpected situation," she said, being as polite as possible. She really could not afford to offend him, and yet she was continuously forced to do so. Even though she knew that she was secure in this place, confronted with someone so strong, logic went out the window when fear kicked in.

"Let me guess, the Henali were not prepared for someone to pass so quickly, so while they have the award prepared, they cannot pass it on themselves."

The receptionist froze. He had guessed exactly right.

Lex chuckled.

"Don't worry. This is within my expectations. Just pass on the awards to me and let me know when I can enter the trial. I have a few other things I need to take care of."

Of course, it was within his expectations. He was the one who had purposefully ensured that something like this would happen.

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