The Innkeeper

"It's very simple, Lex," Cassandra said as she sipped her tea. "Humans are not bottom of the barrel. There are trillions or races below us, not to mention the microscopic realms and all the living entities they contain. But having many races below us does not necessarily make us powerful, either.

"Even when a human reaches the peak of Celestial, they are unable to cross that barrier and become a Dao Lord. After a very detailed and extensive investigation into why, carried out by multiple races that do have recognized Dao Lords, it was concluded that humans cannot comprehend the Dao as well as other races. For them to reach the same level, they would need many times more opportunities than their peers of other races."

Cassandra paused for a moment, as she seemed lost in thought. Lex, on the other hand, was enjoying the crash course that he was getting right up until he felt a strange pressure on his chest.

He could not move, he could not breathe, he was pretty sure even his blood stopped pumping. Oddly, though, it didn't hurt. It didn't even alarm him.

Cassandra waved her hand, and Lex seemed to forget something, and the pressure vanished.

"Yeah, I saw that coming," she said as she looked at Lex apologetically. "For your own safety, Lex, I cannot say too much. But, basically, the human race really needs a boost in their Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum ranking. We've suffered innumerable losses in the war, and if it continues, and we lose our protection, they may even fall from their current ranking. If we-"

"What the 'hell' was that?" Lex asked suddenly, only after he escaped the effects of the pressure on his chest. He had been dying, but he could not react to it at all!

"'That' was the reason you should not learn too much before becoming stronger. The universe was assimilating you. I have protected you for now by removing the information and its associated consequences from your mind. Do not think about it. Do not ask questions about it. In fact, as a rule of thumb, you should avoid all secrets relating to any beings Heavenly immortal and above, just to be safe."

Lex rubbed his eyes as he tried to get his mind around what had just happened. This Innkeeping business was going to get harder and harder. He was going to keep it closed for a few centuries, at least. He just needed to figure out if that could, in any way, keep his new realm hidden as well.

"Lex, I'm going to be up front with you. I want to talk to one of your superiors. If I can visit a newborn realm, even briefly, it will drastically improve my chances of becoming a Dao Lord. It will be a huge boon for humankind, but I won't try to guilt you using the fate of humanity. I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

Lex was not surprised by her request. He more or less expected it. In fact, a part of him even wanted it, which is why he had mentioned everything so openly.

Since he had reluctantly decided to trust her, and the temple, then he now had to consider maximizing his gains. Just training his workers was not enough, the same way just hoping that the Inn and the new realm would never be discovered was not enough. He had to maximize his profits, the same way he had to build a relationship with a peak human cultivator.

Moreover, if she were to become a Dao Lord with the help of the Inn, would that not mean that the Inn would be backed up, or at least have the favor of 'another' Dao Lord? The first supposedly being the Innkeeper.

Pushing aside the fact that he nearly died because of overhearing some celestial gossip, Lex thought about how to handle the situation in the best way possible. There were some questions he could not ask as the Innkeeper, so it was best that he ask them now as Lex so that he would have context later on.

"Just so that I know, how soon after the birth of a realm do you have to enter? Is it immediate, or is it alright if you wait a few years?"

"Typically, when a new realm is born, for many thousands of years, it won't be inhabitable at all. I'm sure your organization will be expediting the process somehow, if you plan on moving in. But even so, the time period I can benefit from will last a while. But the earlier I enter, the better. Since I want to reach the Dao Lord level, I cannot miss out on any advantages I can gather."

"You see, there's a reason I'm asking. Normally, bringing you along would not be an issue. In fact, the 'organization' I work for is called the Midnight Inn. It's an Inn, and anyone can come and spend as much time as they want. But, due to the relocation, sometime ago, the Inn stopped accepting new guests. I cannot say when the doors will be reopened for new guests. But I can bring you the Innkeeper's business card. Through that, you can discuss the details with the Innkeeper himself."

Cassandra did not show any reaction to the name, though she spent some time trying to recall if she knew any powerful entities that associated with the name 'Midnight'. She could not.

"But before we get to that, I need your word that you will no longer manipulate me or anyone from the Inn the way you did me, regardless of whether it's for the sake of training or not."

For some reason, now that he had some kind of leverage with Cassandra, Lex felt a lot better. Dealing with someone who wanted nothing in return was oddly unnerving. It did not sit well with his capitalistic sensibilities. But a powerful and well connected potential business partner, no matter how dangerous, did not unnerve him at all!

"I give you my word," she said curtly. "I will train you all in a straightforward and less efficient manner."

"Great. Now that I have your word, there is something more I would like to discuss with you. The Midnight Inn has many workers who, like myself and Z, could benefit from the training of the temple. I would like to bring them over to train for a time. They will all have to return when we are shifting realms, but perhaps you and the Innkeeper can work out a long-term deal to train its workers. They are mostly human."

"This Innkeeper you mention… he mostly employs humans? What are his affiliations?"

"I… I don't know what you mean by that, but the Inn does not usually participate in external events. We keep to ourselves, and just host the guests who come to us."

"I will have to discuss the details with the Innkeeper. Even if he has a human affiliation, I cannot reveal the location of the temple."

"You can keep the temple safe. The workers can come here directly without the need for the temple to reveal itself. Besides, having a worker come over and bringing the Innkeeper's business card is the only way you'll be able to speak with him."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes as she thought about what Lex said. The Innkeeper could somehow access the temple even as it was? Was it because of Lex and Z being here? Did that create a risk in their security somehow?

She synchronized her authority with the temple, but she did not feel any instructions to move, or perceive any incoming threats. Interesting.

"In that case, I don't mind. I was going to have you deal with the curse, and another matter as a part of your training as well. But since you want to deal with things more straightforwardly, I'll just skip it."

"Excellent. But I need to see Z first. I have to make sure he is alright before I call anyone else to the temple."

"Sure. Mateo will take you to him now, though, do not disturb him. He is undergoing a very delicate inheritance process. It will be a great loss if he misses this opportunity because of external disturbance. Also, leave the deity's feather here. I'll return it to you, but there is something I need to do first."

Mateo reappeared, ready to lead Lex to Z. With their immediate actions decided, Lex left the feather behind and followed Mateo.

Cassandra did not move even after he left, her gaze fixed on the feather for a long time.

"Will you reveal yourself, or shall I purge you?" she asked, her voice a lot more sinister than when she was speaking to Lex.

Instead of Ra, the deity, another being emerged from the feather, though this being had no physical body. It was the living manifestation of laws which had destroyed BGY-987 with its very existence. In front of Cassandra, it looked like an awkward child who knew they had done something wrong.

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