The Innkeeper



The 'sun' hung low in the evening sky, painting the Inn in a warm hue. There were a few scattered clouds here and there, but instead of making the Inn seem dull and gray, they made the Inn seem light and airy.

Fresh snow would fall wherever the clouds traveled, though somehow the roads and walking paths stayed miraculously clean. Of course, if anyone tread off the fixed path, their footsteps would be accompanied by the satisfying crunch of stepping in the powdery snow.

As if to match the mood set by the environment, the usual energetic buzz of the crowd of Main street had changed to hushed murmurs.

Though most of the guests did not really need to do so, they were dressed in warm coats and comfy scarves, and carried cups of hot cocoa or coffee or tea wherever they went. Some guests even walked around with large wooden mugs of warm mead, while others munched on fresh, steaming chicken patties, veggie rolls or dough balls.

Though there was no music playing, the ambience of Main street itself resulted in a soft melody that made one seem both cold and warm at the same time.

Yet amidst this coziness, the two teenagers seemed malcontent. While for some, the simple or mundane things such as enjoying an ordinary snow day was quite pleasing, for the energetic and rebellious teenagers it was not enough. They were young and spirited, and were not yet at the stage of life where such subtle things could trigger nostalgia or melancholy.

Or, if one were to simply take it at the words of the girl, they simply wanted a place where they could enjoy solitude. The crowds and hustle and bustle of a busy street left them tense and agitated, unable to relax.

"Excuse me, dear guests. I don't mean to intrude, but I could not help but overhearing that you are unsatisfied with this place," said Lex, as he teleported his projection behind the two.

The kids, much to their credit, were not at all startled by Lex suddenly appearing behind them. Moreover, when they looked at him, there was no significant emotion in their eyes, as if everything they saw or experienced was mundane.

"My sister and I came here to get away for a while," the boy explained. "A traveling merchant sold the key to us and told us that the key would take us somewhere relaxing, where we could have a vacation while our parents worked. But this… ugh."

The boy seemed too disgusted to finish his sentence. Although Lex did not show it, he was subtly taken aback by the childrens reaction. If nothing else, almost everyone who visited the Inn would at least enjoy the purity of the spiritual energy. Just that in itself was clearly enough to put everyone in a good mood.

Lex was no longer as ignorant as before. By reading a lot of 'general knowledge' available of the Henali portal as well as from documents provided by the emporium, he knew a lot more about 'star ranks'.

It was not a term used only by the Inn, and in fact was a generic unit used across the entire Origin realm. The star rank denoted the energy concentration in any given area. When the unit was first created, it was called star rank because usually in a star system, it was the level of the local star which would affect the quantity and quality of energy in its surrounding planet. But the fact that rogue planets, minor realms, random asteroid belts and even seemingly empty patches of the realm had varying levels of energy, it was then simply used to denote the energy level of a given area.

In fact, Lex had even learned about the various kinds and qualities of spiritual energies that existed in the universe, and why different energies resulted in different star ranks. The simple version of it was that a higher energy level may not always be better, and a lower energy level may not be a bad thing. The good and bad aspects of energy levels all depended on one's cultivation level. Fortunately that was not a concern at the Midnight Inn, for even if the energy level was too high for certain guests, the Inn would automatically ensure that it would not interact with them, and instead the Inn would surround those guests with the optimal energy levels for them.

Long story short, almost everyone who came to the Inn enjoyed the pleasant sensation provided by a purer and cleaner environment. After all, the average star rank across the realm was 1 star. Yet the kids did not seem to care at all. It was as if this was ordinary, or even the most basic requirement which they did not even need to think about.

"I understand that the crowded atmosphere of Main street does not suit your tastes. How about we go elsewhere and discuss how you can best enjoy the Inn."

Lex snapped his fingers, and teleported the three to a cabin atop the Midnight Mountain. There was a small clearing where the view from one side was the bustling village, while on another side stood the magnificent Mountain man, in his seemingly endless slumber. The murmurs of the street had disappeared, giving way to the sound of the wind, traveling over the snow covered trees.

There was a sharp contrast to the busy street, yet somehow Lex knew that even this would not satisfy the children. If it were so easy, they would not have remained unimpressed even at the Main street. That is why, to begin with, he only said they were coming here to discuss what they can do.

And indeed, the children remained nonreactive after teleporting here. They looked around at their new environment, as if to inspect it, yet not much else. Lex could not help but want to learn more about them, so he scanned them.

Name: Khuno Ekkeko

Age: 13

Sex: Male

Cultivation Details: Qi training peak

Species: Human

Midnight Inn Prestige Level: 1

Bloodline: Lycanthrope

Remarks: Please refrain from teleporting away random children - this is not that kind of system!

Name: Cava Ekkeko

Age: 16

Sex: Male

Cultivation Details: Foundation realm peak

Species: Human

Midnight Inn Prestige Level: 1

Bloodline: Lycanthrope

Remarks: Please be warned, another instance of teleporting minors will result in a complaint to the intergalactic police!

The fact that Khuno was already a cultivator even before turning 15 said a lot about his background. Humans would need special kinds of medicinal fruits and herbs which would prepare their bodies to cultivate ahead of time. Of course, there was also a chance that their bloodline had something to do with their ability to cultivate.

"Better," said Khuno, "but there doesn't seem like there's much to do here."

"I concur," Cava chimed in. "Just because we are on vacation it does not mean we can lay around sleeping and doing nothing. What actual, productive and fruitful work is there for us to do here? Just because we want a break from the stress of day to day life does not mean we can afford to just lounge around."

Lex was… intrigued by the challenge these kids were presenting. He could naturally tell that they were not being petulant, and instead genuinely could not comprehend not doing some work. Perhaps for them not dealing with whatever they had to endure on a daily basis was already a vacation, so they did not need other events to excite or stimulate them. Instead, they want something productive to do to occupy their minds, while still giving them the feeling of having used their time productively.

Truthfully, Lex could not understand people who had such views about relaxing, but it was true that people who were too used to being productive could not stand wasting time. The Midnight Inn had to cater to all kinds of guests, not just the convenient ones, so Lex genuinely took this up as a challenge.

"Why don't you tell me a little about what you imagine your vacation being like? That way, I can recommend some of the Inns activities or services for you to enjoy."

Khuno shrugged and said, "I don't know. I've never had a vacation. What about you?"

"Me neither," said Cava.

Lex smiled warily. Since they had no experience, having them enjoy their vacation was both easy and difficult. The only real thing that would determine which of those two it would end up being was Lex's marketing skills.

"I have the perfect idea. Why don't you two give it a try? If you don't like it you can always stop."

The two looked at each other and shrugged, coming to some kind of agreement.

"Excellent."

He teleported them over to a new district of the greenhouse, and passed a few instructions to the turtle.

"I'm sending you over a couple of new volunteers. Have them work the newly created cold desert, and ensure they finish planting all the new vegetables. Remember, we have only 6 months to prepare the best produce for the upcoming wedding, so we have to plant the best possible stuff."