The Innkeeper

“Competitive quests? What do you mean?” Lex asked, not liking one bit what Mary was telling him. Fortunately, that was a feature he hadn’t unlocked yet, so it wasn’t an immediate concern.

“I’m not sure. Information on that isn’t shared yet. All I know is that apparently having a decent Joint quest partner can potentially help during competitive quests.”

Lex did not immediately respond, and instead leaned back into his chair to think a bit. The information he had was too limited, so he wasn’t sure about his speculations. Even so, an image started to appear in his mind about what Joint quests and Competitive quests could mean, and he wasn’t liking it one bit.

He could imagine that as systems and system users became stronger, and entered onto the universal stage, the very existence of these two types of quests would dictate alliances and hostilities.

He imagined, for example, if the Artica race and the Versalis bank were led by system users, these two types of quests alone could dictate the actions of these two behemoths, affecting the very way in which the universe develops.

If that was the case, whoever was in control of the systems, deciding on Joint quests or Competitive quests, would automatically gain control and power over a large portion of the universe. They could use the systems to target whoever was not under their influence, and slowly expand their control.

If this were the case, he finally understood why it seemed like the system never wanted anything from him. That was because he himself, under the influence of these two types of quests, would become the resource.

All this assumed that the systems were under someone’s control, something he could neither confirm nor deny based on his given situation. More importantly, while he could bluff the rest of the universe with the Innkeeper, he could not bluff his system.

But while such an explanation explained much, and unveiled an insidious plot, it also didn’t make sense. Whoever could create the systems which had so much power didn’t necessarily need others to help him attain power. Moreover, it would make more sense to give these systems to direct subordinates rather than random strangers across the universe if such a thing was his goal.

Lastly, none of this conjecture fit in with the system’s seeming objective of making decisions based on entertainment potential.

Lex diverted his attention away from these thoughts. He didn’t have the time to focus on other things right now.

“Alright so the Joint quests provide a certain level of protection for all parties involved,” Lex said. “Now let’s move onto my other questions. I noticed a distinct lack of a quest reward mentioned in the notification.”

“That’s because the Joint quest is like a double edged sword. It is extremely dangerous, which is why it requires more than one system user in the first place. But, it is also a great opportunity for those who can grasp it. You see, the objective of the quest itself can become your reward, not to mention that you are exposed to numerous other rare and valuable opportunities you cannot find elsewhere.

“You could even say that, just like your other quests, your reward is determined by your performance. The only difference is that you have to go get your rewards yourself. If you are weak, or incompetent, then the existence of Joint quests is like a scam. But if you can make the most of the opportunity it brings, you can not only gain many rewards but you can make lasting alliances as well.”

Lex leaned back and thought about the situation a bit, tapping his finger on his chair as he did. But in reality he did not have a lot of time to waste, so in just a few seconds he had already gathered his thoughts and continued to ask questions.

“The quest notification said that I need to bring the Midnight Tavern to the Reaving Dread mercenaries, and that I have one hour before the quest is initiated. What does that mean? Am I going to be forcibly teleported somewhere?”

“On the contrary. I believe this is a quest you don’t even necessarily need to do yourself if that’s what you wish. I think you can assign staff members as the tavern of your choice to be sent when the quest is initiated.

“The specific details of the quest are still missing, and it is entirely possible that more restrictions come into place. For example, the quest might claim that no immortals can join, or that only immortals can go. The limitations can vary, all depending on the specific quest itself. The time limit is just so you can prepare as much as possible.

“But to answer your other question, I do believe that whoever you designate will be teleported to the site of the quest. I mean, since you have to bring the tavern to a specific location, obviously you’re going to have to get there somehow.”

“Not just somewhere. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to bring the tavern to a battlefield, and protect the guests until they recover. I expect that there is going to be some kind of attack, or any number of attacks while they rest and recover. I also expect that I’ll have to continuously protect them over this period of time.”

“That doesn’t sound like a question,” said Mary.

“The question is, how do I know what level of enemies to expect? If I don’t know that, how can I prepare?”

Mary just looked at Lex – although to be fair, she was probably checking in with the system. After a few seconds she shook her head.

“You’ll have to wait until the initiation to learn the details. My advice is preparing for the strongest enemies you can possibly contend against. Do your best – and think about whether you want to go yourself, or if you want to send others in your place.”

Lex tapped his fingers on his desk for a few moments before coming to a decision. There was no hesitation or room for complaint in his mind.

This was just one more obstacle in his path, and he would handle it like he always had. He couldn’t help but think how unfortunate it was that Orin wasn’t available right now. His help would have been ideal in designing a new tavern.

But since he wasn’t available, Lex had to make do with the next best option. His gaze suddenly turned towards a specific member of the Midnight Inn – one who had taken things easy for way too long.

He couldn’t help but wonder if his idea would work.