Chapter 2495: The fate of the Midnight Inn

Velma and Moon froze, and then could not help but look at one another. Of all the things they could have expected, this certainly wasn’t one of them.

Yet Mary’s solemn expression did not ease, nor did she laugh or joke about the matter. She remained every bit as serious as she was before she spoke.

"Do not take this lightly. All things pertaining to the Dao must be handled with the utmost care, and taken extremely seriously," Mary said, redirecting both their attention towards herself.

"Velma, you and Lex are the first proper Dao candidates of the Midnight Inn, which is why you’re unfamiliar with the process leading up to it. In truth, candidates should have been shortlisted long ago and preparation should have silently begun then. Yet due to the nature of the Inn’s growth and expansion, it was not something that could be given priority.

"Now, though, things are no longer the same. You and Lex now have to embark on the journey to discover your Dao Hearts, and that in itself is a precarious journey in itself. But that is not even close to the dangers you will need to face - and that is where the Midnight Inn comes in."

Velma and Moon’s concentration returned as they patiently waited to hear more.

"All other major organisations and races have special departments or people allocated to the job of specifically looking out for Dao candidates, or even people who may qualify to become a candidate later in life.

"Thus, in a very real way, the preparation for their Dao tribulation sometimes begins as early as their very birth! For others, they may be identified at some point along their cultivation journey, and preparation may begin then. In comparison, starting your preparation at the beginning of the Celestial Immortal realm is already quite atypical."

The two of them finally began to understand that this was a matter far more serious than they realized, for in a way, they were already late in beginning preparation for their eventual Dao tribulations - assuming they could even trigger them one day.

"What are the consequences of being so late?" Velma asked without any ceremony. As a member of the Midnight Inn, besides feeling the natural awe and respect that Dao Lords deserved, she lacked the usual crippling reverence that most other people felt which left them incapable of talking to a Dao Lord coherently.

This was not just a matter of exposure therapy, or else the children of Dao Lords would have such traits too. It was just that during one of the numerous blessings and opportunities Inn workers received, or perhaps due to a combination of them, they developed such resilience.

"It’s still manageable," said Mary in a relaxed manner. "Unlike others, the Innkeeper and I both believe in letting nature take its course, and allowing you all to have freedom of expression. Other organizations limit the exposure of their candidates, carefully curating all their experiences without alerting the candidate. Thus, a majority of the work prior to the Celestial Immortal realm is irrelevant to us. But not all of it."

Mary leaned forward to emphasise what she was about to say so that these two understood the gravity of what she was about to say.

"The thing we have to do now is to help our Dao candidates, meaning Lex and Velma, eliminate all psychological barriers, weaknesses, regrets and anything else of the sort. This includes, but is not limited to, any pending tasks, obligations or karmic debts of any sort as well.

"You see, the Dao tribulation is different from all other tribulations before it. Its sole purpose is to kill the person enduring the tribulation, while the purpose of the person enduring the tribulation is to temper and materialise their Dao. During that process, the slightest weakness, of any kind at all, can become the reason for death.

"In fact, even if everything else is perfect, the chances are still high that the candidate will die! Surviving the tribulation is, ultimately, the candidate’s job and no one else can do it for him. What we can do is to help eliminate every other possible weakness, regret, debt or anything else of the sort.

"You may all think that I’m joking about getting Lex a girlfriend. But have you considered that when he is faced with a Dao tribulation that searches for any and every weakness he’s ever had, he won’t regret never asking someone out? Perhaps someone he liked, but didn’t pursue because the time never felt right since he was so busy with work?

"What if, at that moment, he regrets never having been married? Never starting a family? Or he still wonders what could have been if he pursued a certain person when the time was right?"

Mary left her words hanging in the office for a while to allow the other two to absorb them before turning to Velma.

"Don’t think I’m being biased towards Lex by focusing on him and not you. We have to address all your concerns as well, but the reason we’re focusing on Lex right now is because his path is very different from yours. Compared to him, your chances of success are a lot higher. Don’t ask me why for now - you’ll naturally understand when you reach the peak of the Celestial realm.

"All you need to keep in mind is that since his path is already so much harder, he needs... no, he deserves all the extra and additional help we can give him. After all, who in this Inn has not received Lex’s help when they needed it most?"

As she spoke, Mary could still feel the weight of Autumn Rain in her hands. Although she had returned it, merely being offered it meant more than anything else. Besides, her current freedom and even her current body were only possible because of his help.

Moon could not help but think of that day when there were Jorlam’s in the sky, and a World Eater descending on them, and she begged him to leave her behind. He had not, ultimately, listened to her that day, and she was grateful for it ever since.

How he had even achieved such a thing back then... how difficult must it have been for him? She could only imagine it, for he never really let her know his burden.

Velma, in turn, thought not of a single instance, but countless instances where Lex had helped so many. Unlike her, Lex did not have a one-to-one connection with most of the workers of the Inn. Yet the number of them who had been saved by him, helped by him, or affected by something he had done was far too great.

He truly did deserve their help, more than anyone else.

While everyone took a moment to think of these things, Mary had one more thought on her mind. Lex had mentioned the list given to him by the Primordial Queen. He personally took it as a sign that she was hinting that someone close to him might die in the future.

Mary, however, saw so much more. It was a list of weaknesses that would get him killed if he took a Dao tribulation without addressing them.

Much more important than that, however, was the very fact that she even gave such a list. Typically, something like that should have been taken care of by the Innkeeper and the Midnight Inn. The fact that she gave it anyway, and gave it to Lex himself, hinted to Mary that... the Primordial Queen might have seen through Lex’s identity as the Innkeeper! She might have realized that he had a system.

In all fairness, inside the Primordial Garden, she was supposedly constrained. But in the Dream realm, which was her true Seat of Power, she had access to her full strength. Was it even possible for someone like Lex to keep a secret when he stood right in front of her like that?

How could she, who knew the secrets of even the Sages, and secrets that even Mary herself could not even begin to imagine, not possibly see through Lex?

Even if the system itself, not to mention anyone else, tried to keep it a secret, they may succeed in front of others, but in front of the Primordial Queen at her full strength? Highly unlikely.

However, this was only speculation on Mary’s part. It was not something she could confirm. The only thing she could focus on was the list. Since the Primordial Queen had been kind enough to give it, then they needed to start working on it immediately.

This was not a joke or something to laugh at. The fate of the Midnight Inn itself, as well as Mary and all the others, might depend on Lex’s ability to get over his mental block and get a girlfriend... among other things.

"The first thing we need to do is identify why such a block exists in the first place," said Mary once the other two had enough time to process their thoughts. "We can’t really force him to date someone. We need to help him overcome his weakness. Forcing a date won’t resolve that."

Mary and Velma both looked to Moon, who was Lex’s sister and had known him prior to the Midnight Inn. She might be able to shed some light on this. Unfortunately... that was not the case.

Moon sighed, and shook her head.

"I hate to tell you this, but Lex is a bit of a blockhead when it comes to actual romance," she said, shaking her head.