The Innkeeper

Chapter 1797: Spare’s me the trouble

Lex was sitting in the private room, with only Harry there now. In fact, the two of them were even chatting with each other, discussing the auction and everything that had happened. Yet a majority of his mind was focused on the game that was going on between him and this unknown opponent.

By now, Lex had given up assuming that something might happen, and had fully accepted that he was within the setup phase of some attempt. An attempt of what, and by whom, Lex did not know.

If one considered all the possibilities, all the threats, the dangers out there, one might be overwhelmed. It did not need to be a Dao Lord – just a few Celestial immortals could severely overwhelm him as long as he had no security from the Reaving Dread mercenaries.

That did not sway Lex, though, nor did it nurture even a shred of fear in him. Death was death, whether it was by a sword in the gut or by an immortal squishing him. He had been facing death since he began his journey, so a more formidable opponent did not necessarily put more pressure on him than the zombies he faced oh so long ago, when he visited Vegus Minima for the very first time.

But then again, nothing less should have been expected from perhaps the only mortal in the history of the universe who had talked to not one, but many Dao Lords as an equal. Sure, he had done it under the protection of the system. In fact, the first time he had done it, he did not even fully comprehend the enormity of what it was he had done. That did not change the fact that he continued to do it.

When all was said and done, it was a fact that Lex had reached phenomenal heights, and even with the aid of the system, his own tenacity and force of will could not be ignored.

So irrespective of the strength, the background, or the intentions of Lex’s foe, Lex faced him with the confidence and certainty as if he really had the immense power of the Innkeeper.

Despite the countless ebb and flow of new and old guests, Lex was intimately familiar with the flow of Karma within the Inn.

Naturally, the details changed with each individual, affecting the larger tapestry of Karma within the Inn, but the Inn itself provided the overall structure. A certain way to look at it was if the Inn was the building, then the guests were the furnishings.

Even if the furnishings were constantly changed, Lex could read and determine how the general shape or orientation of them would be. For example, if the room itself was too small, a massive bed would not fit in it. If the ceiling was too low, there was no space for a grand chandelier. Wallpaper could not be attached where there were no walls, and no tables could be added where there was no floor.

Lex did not dare to look at the Karma too deeply. There were too many entities inside the Inn far beyond him. That did not mean he just gave up.

Unconsciously, Lex began to exude a deeply powerful aura, as if he were a king, overlooking his own domain. Harry was not disturbed by it, mainly because he could not sense it just yet. It would take someone stronger to see what was happening to Lex – or a paladin.

Even though his oath was about protecting those he cared about, and he had not done any such thing recently, the very concern with which he managed and protected the Inn triggered a resonance with his oath. The Midnight Inn was not a person he cared about, but it was his home, and he cared about it immensely. Protecting that, too, began to cause a slow growth in his powers, as if the universe itself was watching him, and acknowledging his fulfillment of his oath on a level so deep, even he himself had not known about it.

Z, who was leaning against a wall, finally looked up as the other party in the dispute finally showed up.

“You showed up. I thought you were going to forfeit your claim,” Z said, looking at the orc in the lead.

“Why would I give up my spoils of war, especially when I’m about to double the spoils?” the orc asked casually as he sized up the chameleon.

“Big words from a coward who only attacks those weaker than him,” the chameleon spat, slowly standing up and allowing his strength to build up.

For all the hostility that the chameleon showed, the orc remained indifferent, as if he was long used to such a scene.

“Both of your parties must reach a consensus about how to resolve this dispute amongst yourselves,” said Z, looking at the both of them. “If you are unable to reach an accord about how to settle the dispute, the Inn will be forced to make a judgment on the matter.”

The orc chuckled, as if he had heard something amusing.

“Oh, I think the both of us have the same thing in mind about how to settle the dispute,” the orc said, looking towards the chameleon provocatively.

“I challenge you to a Death Match,” the chameleon said, not holding back. “The survivor takes all the loser’s belongings.”

“Oh no, it’s not so simple, little lizard,” the orc said, summoning a sword and shield from a spatial storage. “If you want to claim the corpse, you have to fight not just me, but my whole retinue as well!”

Z raised an eyebrow. That was clearly unfair, and it was evident that the orc was provoking the chameleon into accepting the unfair fight.

“Perfect,” answered the chameleon, summoning a pair of sai. “That spares me the trouble of killing them all later.”

The whole group disappeared from the room, leaving Z alone in the room.

“Well that was a whole lot easier than I thought it was going to be,” Z said, taking a seat. “I didn’t even need to threaten anybody.”