The Innkeeper

Chapter 2063: Please excuse me

Lex’s recent experiences had not made him arrogant, nor was his positivity enough to delude him to the extent that he thought he could fool Dao Lords. He knew well that all misunderstandings so far had merely occurred through a combination of his system hiding his identity, and the protection of his identity Nuwa provided him.

On his own, he was not so capable of fooling Dao Lords. The moment he forgot that, he would end up making a mistake that could compromise everything. All fun and games aside, blaming Wu Kong worked less because the Innkeeper kept catching him in the act and more because he thought that both he and the Innkeeper were working for Nuwa.

The moment he pushed things too far, that mere semblance of cooperation might collapse. Thus, it was best to avoid antagonising him needlessly - at least too often. The problem Lex was left with, then, was how to get out of this situation.

Promon would not be the last to probe the Innkeeper, and his probe would be far from the worst. Lex could decide to go down the route of simply denying any cooperation, but that would mean taking on all the pressure of rejection on himself. If he could find some kind of scapegoat, then he could shift that burden onto someone much more capable.

But who? And how?

"Promon, I understand your point of view, I really do," said the Innkeeper with a reluctant tone. "In fact, it is because I understand your point of view that I ask you to understand mine. It is in everyone’s best interests if I stay uninvolved, minding my Inn, not caring about external matters.

"After all, a price you can offer can surely be offered against you as well. A bidding war would benefit no one, and would needlessly attract trouble for me, but without one my services could be easily acquired by everyone. In a situation where one person wins, everyone loses.

"Besides... no wait, never mind. In short, if you succeed in getting my help, you will ultimately become the biggest loser, not the winner."

Promon suddenly looked towards the Innkeeper with immense interest as he realized that he may have stumbled onto one of the Innkeepers secrets. While it seemed unlikely that he could get the Innkeeper to get involved so easily, using only words to persuade him, if he could get access to one of the Innkeeper’s secrets, it would be an actual, immense gain!

Maybe he could speed up his own progress, or learn a shortcut to acquiring strength. Or, realistically speaking, he might be able to gain a deeper insight into the actions of some mysterious and powerful beings since it seemed like the Innkeeper was on such good terms with them.

"It seems to me, Innkeeper, as if you are bothered by something, and that is affecting your decisions. If you wish to talk about it, then I am all ears. You know that our words won’t leave this chamber, and maybe I can even provide you with some assistance."

The Innkeeper looked at Promon and chuckled while shaking his head, as if thinking of something too serious to mention.

"My dear guest, be careful what you wish for. There are things more dangerous than war in this universe - if you know what I mean."

Lex himself had no idea what he meant. He simply said that to allow Promon to fill in the blanks himself. Since the only advantage he had was his hidden identity through the system and protection of Nuwa, then he would have to leverage that protection as much as possible without attracting unnecessary danger. That also meant, as far as possible, giving the least amount of information and letting others fill in the blanks.

As if proving his theory correct, Promon seemed to adopt a solemn expression as he straightened up, not speaking for a good few minutes.

"Are you referring to the... taboo?" he whispered, not revealing more.

The Innkeeper gave Promon a knowing look, and seemed to change the topic of conversation.

"What do you know about Ventura?" he asked casually, almost as if he was unwilling to answer Promon’s question.

"Ventura the entity... or Ventura the organisation?" he asked, hesitantly, feeling like he was getting mixed up in things beyond him.

The Innkeeper did not answer, but only gave him a look, meaning that Promon already knew the answer to that question.

"Ventura is an unknown entity," Promon said with a whisper. "No one knows his origins, or his affiliations, or even his race. He seemed to appear out of nowhere one day, and by the time he appeared he was already strong enough to be unrivaled in the universe, just like-"

Promon’s words froze as he stared at the Innkeeper in horror. He was about to say that Ventura had just appeared one day, just like the Innkeeper, but left the words unsaid. Some things, once spoken, could never be taken back. In that case, it was best to let them be.

What was the connection between the Innkeeper, Ventura, and the taboo? Promon had no idea, and he did not want to find out either!

"I realize now, Innkeeper, that you are exceptionally wise. There is no reason to get involved in this war unnecessarily," Promon suddenly said, changing his tune. "I admire your upright and noble dedication to maintaining neutrality - it is difficult to come across someone like that in the face of temptation. Speaking of which, I need to resolve some difficult situations myself - please excuse me for being unable to accompany you for a longer duration."

Promon promptly jumped up from his seat and shuffled out the door, thanking and apologizing to the Innkeeper. While Lex himself had no idea why he was being thanked or feared, he was not about to stop a good thing from happening, and just watched as Promon left.

Unfortunately, true to his expectations, another Dao Lord was waiting outside to have a long chat with the Innkeeper - likely for the same purpose.