The Innkeeper

A part of Lex told him that he should not conduct social experiments on immensely strong cultivators who could influence the fate of his race over the entire universe. That part was his brain. But at the same time another part of him argued, like a tiny devil sitting on his shoulder wearing the Notorious Anonymity mask whispering in his ear, that if Cassandra were so easily influenced then even if he never did anything, she would likely go astray down the line.

He should have confidence in her ability to think for herself and make her own decisions. Moreover, since this was a matter very much related to him as it would influence his entire race, he was entirely eligible to have an opinion of it. His experiences on Earth, however limited they may be, told him that anything easily given is often taken advantage of, and not valued.

Of course, he could not say for certain that the human race was taking it easy, since he did not know the universal status of humans. But from Cassandra's words, it seemed like she was planning on bearing the burden of the entire race on her own. That was not a good long-term solution.

"How would you go to the Inn with your body in its current state?" the Innkeeper asked, the question sparking hope in Cassandra's heart. freewebn(o)vel.com

"Although my main body will stay asleep, I can fashion a weak clone. I can use various enchantments to hide the clone, due to its low level, so it won't be an issue for it to leave the temple."

A few more things clicked into place in Lex's mind. With her help, transporting everyone back to the Inn would actually be much easier.

"I closed the Midnight Inn so that my guests would not accidentally get hurt. But you seem a little more capable than the rest. It should not be an issue to allow you to come in."

Elation flooded Cassandra's chest as she heard the Innkeeper's words, but he continued to speak, not giving her time to relish the feeling.

"But there is one thing you need to understand before coming to the Inn. It is that the Inn is a neutral organization, and we ensure the security of all our guests so long as they follow the rules. Not that I expect any trouble, but I am stating it, nonetheless."

"Understood," Cassandra said, taking it like an order. Considering that the Inn accepted any guest, she believed that the Innkeeper was hinting that he may have some guests from... the other side of the war. But she could remain civil if she had to.

"Good. Now just a couple of things before I leave, although they're just suggestions, so you do not need to feel obligated to participate. The first thing is that I have already sealed the Inn. Although my workers are outside, I do not intend to undo the seal. After all, I do not take back my word. Fortunately for everyone, Lex has a way to return to the Inn on his own. But, if you help him, his chances of bringing everyone back in time will be much greater.

"Secondly, there is a realm called the Crystal realm. There exists a vast nation of humans in that realm, ruled by a single king. If you manage to arrive at the Inn early enough, I recommend you go there and have a talk with him. Compared to your ideal of wanting to take on the burden of the human race yourself, his perspective is a little different. Perhaps you two can have an interesting conversation."

"I won't miss the opportunity," Cassandra said firmly. Although the Innkeeper said it was just a suggestion, he must have a reason for suggesting it in the first place.

The Innkeeper only nodded, before his projection disappeared, along with his business card. Lex had to resist the urge to tell her to let him know how the talk went. He figured he could use his original identity for that, as it seemed inappropriate for the Innkeeper to ask such a question.

After the Innkeeper departed, Cassandra first took a moment to thoroughly go over the entire exchange. Her prior experience with Dao Lords told her that they were an entirely different league of existence. Their considerations went deeper and further than ordinary cultivators such as herself could perceive.

Even though, technically speaking, she was just one realm below the Dao Lord realm, she could not imagine what it must be like. That one realm was the difference between being at the top of the universe in terms of power, or at the bottom.

She concluded that even before the Innkeeper arrived; he had already decided to accept her as a guest. She could only attribute that decision to Lex speaking in her favor, for she could not think of any other reason why he would allow her to come despite locking down the Inn.

She could not help but smile. He behaved so coldly towards her, but was actually looking out for her.

Wasn't there a term for that? Tsundere? She'd learned of it when she was reading the memories of the devils who had invaded the temple.

With her contemplation complete, she decided to get to work. Creating a suitable clone would require some effort on her part, as well as some resources from the temple. She should also get to Lex. If returning to the Inn depended on him, she had to make sure he was completely up to the task.

When she reappeared in the hall with the workers, she found Lex and Luthor still standing in the same place. They were looking out at the pup Fenrir, who Lex had summoned, who was being swarmed by hundreds of workers while he tried to run from them.

Fenrir, alongside Little Blue, had more or less become the mascot of the Inn, so his absence had been strongly felt by many of the workers. Now that he was here, they wouldn't miss a chance to pet him, even if they had to capture him first to do it.

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