The Innkeeper

Chapter 2066: Fishing for bigger game

Hmm, so the universe - this universe to be specific - was super old. It was far older than other universes at the same level of development, which surely had some benefits in terms of the growth of the universe itself. However, it also had some drawbacks.

Since the universe was not entering the next phase of development, it was greatly restricting the development of Dao Lords in certain ways. Although Lex did not know the specifics, it was apparently slowly driving them towards madness which threatened to destroy the universe itself.

Cool, cool.

The Innkeeper showed no surprise upon hearing such news, and instead studied Ventura’s expression. It was clear that Ventura had no qualms about sharing the news of Nuwa with Voidmaw, which meant their relationship probably wasn’t ordinary. Regardless of that fact, he found it quite curious that he made this request of him, despite knowing Eclipse for much longer.

To be clear, Lex had absolutely 0 intentions of getting involved in this matter himself. Maybe when he became a Dao Lord he could consider it, for even if the Dao Lord were going to fall into madness, it would not be any time soon.

But if he were to consider it, even if he only did so briefly, there were many aspects of this matter that needed clarification. No matter what anyone said, and regardless of how eccentric people seemed to consider Eclipse, no one could consider her dumb or unintelligent.

If there was an issue that Ventura and Voidmaw could realize, then surely Eclipse could as well - after all, she too was a Dao Lord. If, in spite of that knowledge, she maintained her current stance, then she surely had her reasons.

"Let me ask you a question," the Innkeeper said, addressing Ventura. "Do you, perhaps, also know what happened during the Primordial Age?"

It was clear to the Innkeeper that Eclipse knew what happened back then, having lived through that age. But did Ventura? Lex wasn’t sure of Ventura’s age and origin, but he was clearly far from simple, so he should be aware of certain things.

"You are perceptive," Ventura said, though there was no surprise in his voice. "To answer your question, yes I do know what happened back then - to a certain extent. I doubt anyone alive knows the full story of what really happened back then. I can also answer your subsequent question: yes, one of the major reasons for why Eclipse refuses to let the universe continue its growth is linked to those events.

"However, we cannot live in fear of events that happened so long ago. In this case, fear is literally hampering the progress not only of the universe, but countless forces as well. Unless something changes, there may come a time when Eclipse is forced to act due to circumstances. After all, no matter how strong she is, she does not live alone in this universe. It is not without reason that everyone is looking for the garden despite her fearsome reputation as a Dao Queen.

"Rather than allowing things to lead into a bloody conflict that will harm many, it would be much better to actively work towards a solution on her own. Heck, she can even make her own arrangements and conditions to avoid or circumvent the issues she fears from occurring. Everything is negotiable as long as she is willing to negotiate."

The Innkeeper was not surprised in the least. The issue really was related to what happened back in the Primordial Age.

Lex had a strong feeling that, as long as he did not die prematurely, he would sooner or later have to face whatever problems were caused back in the Primordial Age. Or, at the very least, he would have to uncover that history. The feeling was not based on his instincts or such - it was based on the fact that he was a magnet for trouble, and he did not know any trouble greater than one which could shroud an entire Age in mystery and severe bloodshed.

Even now, the Innkeeper did not refuse Ventura and Voidmaw. There was no point. He could simply wait a few thousand years and do it then if he wanted to. He doubted beings that had waited 200 billion years would mind a few thousand.

"Is this the only reason you called me here?" the Innkeeper asked.

Voidmaw shook his head.

"I know something like this can’t be easy, and I don’t even expect you to be able to completely resolve it. There’s no harm in asking, though" he said, sounding despondent and entirely unlike what he showed himself outside. "I do have a much more realistic and incredibly difficult request, though. I see you have a lot of services designed to help mortals and immortals relax and rest. If you could somehow create a service that can help me relax completely, that would be tremendous."

As soon as Lex heard those words, he knew his system would take it as a request. As expected, he got a quest. However, for once, the quest showed up without a notification sound, as if afraid that his guests might hear!

New Quest: A guest has requested a means to relax! Create a special room where Dao beings may relax!

Quest Reward: Subject to performance.

Remarks: Want to fix the universe? Call a plumber. But if you want to relax? Call the Midnight Inn.

At least the quest did not have a time limit, so that was nice.

"I will work on that," the Innkeeper said, seriously. Voidmaw simply nodded appreciatively, as if he did expect any real results but was simply being polite.

"Why have you not tried talking to Eclipse yourself?" the Innkeeper asked, turning back to Ventura had his request.

Ventura chuckled, thinking back to a certain event.

"I did try talking to her... in my own way," he admitted. "Although I knew her reputation, I myself am no pushover, so I did not take it too seriously. Well, as a result, I learned that Eclipse really is a formidable woman. Forcing her hand would be a dire mistake - one that I was unwilling to make."

Ventura did not elaborate, but Lex could read between the lines. The old academy head had his behind whopped - got it.

The Innkeeper chuckled, not hiding his amusement upon hearing the words. He still did not make any promises, and the other two seemed content to not mention it either. Instead, they transitioned to other topics of conversation.

"I feel like the mood at this tea party is a little strange," said Voidmaw. "All the surprises aside, it seems to me like many of the participants came with a hidden agenda that they have failed, and so are awkward or upset."

Ventura snickered.

"You mean besides wanting to pressure the Innkeeper into working for them?" he asked, amused. "The mere venue of this meeting ended those dreams, not to mention everything else that happened, and is bound to happen at this party. Personally, I doubt that anyone will involve the Innkeeper in this conflict of their own volition."

The thing that Ventura left unsaid, and the thing Lex understood on his own, was that he might now get pulled into an entirely different conflict. The universe was looking for the Primordial Garden, and the only one who knew how to reach it before was Ventura. Now, that also included the Innkeeper. Such a prestigious status was bound to attract some attention as well.

But... for once, it seemed that Lex misunderstood what Ventura meant. Voidmaw snorted.

"You think Eclipse’s other ex-husbands will challenge the Innkeeper? Those losers? I doubt it," he seemed entirely disdainful of his peers.

Lex, on the other hand, was thinking something else entirely. Was he going to have to face Eclipse’s seven evil ex’s? No wait, considering Eternix was in there twice, that was six evil ex’s, and Voidmaw didn’t seem interested in challenging him either, so that was only 5.

But the thing was... he wasn’t interested in Eclipse at all, at least in that way.

"I didn’t say that," said Ventura defensively. "But since you brought it up... Innkeeper, do you have any plans on how you will deal with them? I say, let the news of your and Nuwa’s son spread and the matter will take care of itself."

Voidmaw’s jaw suddenly dropped, and he turned to look at the Innkeeper in equal parts horror and worship.

"I’m afraid if such a thing happens, not everyone will understand that Eclipse was merely joking when she said that," the Innkeeper said casually, as if he was not too bothered by the news at all.

Ventura smirked, but did not mention all the evidence Eclipse had backing the claim up. After all, Nuwa had specifically stated not to reveal matters related to Lex, and there was no point in provoking that crazy lady.

Someone who didn’t realize they were crazy was absolutely dangerous, and as the only reasonable, logical person in the group, he had a hard time just avoiding needless fights.

Despite his somewhat defensive explanation, Voidmaw seemed not to believe the Innkeeper. Instead, he could not believe the audacity of the Innkeeper! No wonder he couldn’t be bothered to court Eclipse - he was fishing for much bigger game!