The Innkeeper



To be perfectly honest, Lex already knew what he preferred to do, but that did not stop him from his introspection. After all, important decisions should not be made in a rush. To start with, his intention from the get go for doing his best in the quest was to get a reward that would let him fix his cultivation. So it should be an easy choice to directly fix his cultivation technique.

But it simultaneously needed to be considered that his greatest reliance was the system. The whole reason this quest paid off was his system, and the more powerful his system was the greater use he could get out of it.For example the various formations he had available to protect the tavern were no longer as excellent as before. Sure, much of that had to do with authority as well, but if one claimed that the system's damaged status was not contributing then he would find it hard to believe.

He could help his staff better, and a more powerful system would no doubt play an even greater role now that he was on his way to getting a new realm. Then again, the system could also be repaired bit by bit by absorbing other systems.

His cultivation technique could also theoretically be fixed by absorbing items containing laws, as he had done with the Cosmic Erosion Elixir, but who knew how long that would take. Moreover, and the point that Lex paid the most attention to, was that if the cultivation technique really could be fixed in such a manner, why didn't the mysterious man say so? Instead, he only told Lex to fix it using the reward from the quest.

There had to be a reason for this. Of course, Lex could assume that this was simply a blindspot for the mystery man, and he didn't know about it or forgot to mention it. But when taking into consideration the identity and power of such an enigmatic figure, it was best to assume he knew exactly what he was doing.

Of course, if he had any hidden agendas or ulterior motives, Lex would have absolutely no way of knowing. Not to mention, with the difference in their power levels, he did not need to be careful when dealing with Lex and could directly force him, or maybe even hypnotize him if he had any such motives.

In summary, Lex could not guess the man's intentions or what he knew or didn't, so it was best not to think about it. Instead, his focus should be on his own concerns. As much as Lex used the system for his benefit, he ultimately didn't trust it at all. It was ultimately too mysterious, and he absolutely refused to believe that he could get such a good deal without having to pay anything back at all. Not to mention, the system was already much more powerful than Lex, and could easily threaten his life, as it had done in its early days.

Who knew if it might restart doing the same if it resumed to full power, and found Lex as a host lacking. So, regardless of how much Lex used the system, he could not trust it at all. Instead, it was his own powers that he could rely on the most. Not to mention, even if fixing the system was the better choice, the resignation filling Lex's heart could not wane.

He could not help but feel pride when he acted as the Innkeeper. Who could possibly avoid it when one could assume such a powerful role? But what was the point of that pride if he could do nothing to save his own people?

Although Lex was not necessarily close to them on a personal level, he still felt responsible. Yet even now, his workers from the tavern lay comatose in their recovery pods, healing. He could not even imagine the suffering that Big Ben and his wife would go through if they survived and learned of their unborn child's fate.

Lex, naturally, did not believe that he could control the whole universe, and prevent all bad things from happening to those close to him. But… he was not even capable of taking revenge himself, and that is where his frustration came from.

He took a deep breath, and quickly suppressed his agitated feelings. His decision was made. For better or worse, he was prioritizing his personal growth first. Sure a fully healed system could possibly bring him the opportunity to fix his cultivation once again, but he did not want to wait or depend on luck.

First, however, he continued to check up on his rewards. The Planck Protos, which was the smallest possible measurement of the energy known as Protos Energy, which was normally measured in Protos Joule. Of course, he didn't know if that's how the rest of the universe measured it, but just that his universal translator automatically translated everything as such to him.

There was no official description for this energy, and the only reason he knew it could heal the system was because of the notification, and the only reason he knew it could fix his cultivation was because the mysterious senior told him. This energy was truly mystifying, and he would look into it when he had the chance.

The next reward was called the Chamber of Rebirth, and could only be used once. Lex focused on it to read its description.

Chamber of Rebirth (Single use)

The ultimate healing device. So long as a living being is alive, with even a fragment of its soul intact, it will be completely reborn regardless of any injury it sustained. No curses, karma, bloodlines, cultivation, or anything else affiliated to the previous identity will be passed on, with memories being the sole exception. Whoever uses it will be completely reborn anew!

Lex whistled. This was an incredible item, for more than one reason. It could completely heal someone regardless of the injury they sustained, and could even remove bloodlines. Although he himself did not know the full details of what removing things such as karma entailed, he could at least guess for the bloodline. Besides losing the bloodline ability, it seemed as if the person would no longer even be related by blood to his original family.

To be honest, this was not such a shocking thing to Lex anymore. As a normal human back on earth, the idea of altering DNA so as to remove any connection to your family seemed not only just absurd but impossible.

But the very act of cultivation altered a person's DNA. If it did not, upon healing after sustaining an injury, the healed body part would return to being mortal as was encoded in his original DNA. It was only because his very being changed, down to the very last fiber, that cultivation was so mysterious and yet amazing. It was also why achieving every new realm raised one to a lifeform of a higher order.

Anyway, for now Lex did not have any need for any such thing. But he still intended on saving this for his own use. If ever he got so wounded that he was on the verge of death, this chamber could save him. Sacrificing his cultivation was a steep price to pay, but as long as he was alive, he could cultivate again. But if he wasn't, what was the point of retaining his cultivation?

He focused on the next reward, which was quite interesting. It was called the Midnight Castle Blueprint.

Midnight Castle Blueprint

A blueprint that allows for the construction of the Midnight Castle. This Castle can be built within the territory of the Inn or outside, but only one can be built. The resources to build this castle are extremely rare, and the requisite skill to build the castle itself are impossibly high!

Lex frowned. Besides this simple introduction, there was no more detail on what the features of the castle would be, and if it had any specific role or purpose. The blueprint immediately dove into the materials needed, and the list was massive. Moreover, the few names that Lex recognized from the list were all materials that were used for immortals!

He sighed. He had received yet another drain on his resources.

Putting all such thoughts out of his mind, he scanned the Inn once to ensure that nothing was amiss, before entering his personal meditation room. Although he was warned that the upgrade to his cultivation would be quick, he did not want to take a chance. After clearing his mind and meditating until he was in his best state, Lex chose to absorb the Planck Protos.

The reward entered his body directly, and he never saw it or the container in which it was kept. The only reason he even knew that it had entered his body was because his cultivation technique began to circulate on its own. Soon, Lex got lost in the sensation of cultivation.

*****

Moments after Lex's scan of the Inn, a guest blared her pressure down on one of the Inn's workers.

"Even if you are a worker of the Midnight Inn, you cannot escape the consequences of being disrespectful to a deity!"

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