The Innkeeper

Chapter 1804: Why the theatrics?

Lex narrowed his eyes, not rushing to react to the message in the groupchat, nor rushing to the roof where the chameleon had revealed itself.

After all that setup, did KD merely want to challenge the Inn to a dance off? That was not illegal, not to mention it did not require removing guards or acting so secretively. Heck, he hadn’t even really disturbed the auction.

So what, then, was the point of all this? Why were the four system users required as a distraction?

He could see that by publicly challenging the Inn, he had put pressure on them to accept, but honestly if Lex decided not to care about face, he could ignore it entirely. He did not understand the need for such theatrics.

What he did notice, however, was that the chameleon seemed to be possessed, and was moving awkwardly. There was no way that someone in such a state could actually dance, let alone compete in a dance off.

Lex studied the four system users in front of him, all seriously injured or compromised, and then studied the chameleon. Having someone else watch over the system users was dangerous, but letting someone else deal with the chameleon was also risky. Unfortunately, doing things himself risked getting the Go board involved.

Lex suddenly slapped both his cheeks with his hands, startling the poor tiger who had been watching Lex as if his life depended on it.

“It seems after becoming more powerful, I’ve become even more cautious. Do you think that’s because I’ve become more knowledgeable about the threats out there, or instinctively I feel I have more to lose?” Lex asked, looking at the confused tiger.

The tiger opened its mouth to respond, but couldn’t think of anything to say. For a few awkward moments they both stared at each other, until at last Lex chuckled.

“Never mind, ignore that last question,” said Lex as he extended his spirit sense, covering all four system users. “Why don’t you guys take a nap? I’ll deal with everything outside, and once the situation is stabilized, we’ll see if we can work out a deal between us for your freedom.”

Before the tiger could respond, or the others could even grunt in dissatisfaction, a deep drowsiness took hold of them, forcing them to fall asleep.

“So be it. Being cautious all the time has caused me to lose my edge. I can’t even kill four easy targets despite going all out. It seems like I need to push myself a little more,” said Lex out loud, as if he was in a scene from an anime, and the viewers needed to hear him talk to know his inner thoughts.

“Let’s see if I can provoke the Go board right now. The more it wastes its energy now, the less reserves it’ll have for the forging process.”

Lex nodded, as if the conversation he had with himself was very productive, and then took off the Tyrant’s Mask and disabled his two forms, returning to normal. Though his limbs felt a little heavy due to the exertion, he was more than ready to participate in a dance off if need be.

Lex checked himself out, and felt a slight change of attire might be necessary since dancing in a suit didn’t seem right. Then again, all the clothes he had were suits made by Geeves, so it didn’t really matter. Speaking of which, he was thinking of changing things up and going from a regular suit to a doublebreasted one. That would mean paying the tailor another visit sometime soon.

The tiger had said the dance off was decided by popular vote, right? As it so happened, Lex was quite the popular fellow.

When Lex teleported over to the roof, a large crowd had already gathered, circling the chameleon who stood awkwardly atop a stage that had been created. Everyone was murmuring, but none of them stepped closer. Instead they only watched and reported everything happening to the chatrooms!

As soon as Lex appeared, the buzz increased and everyone looked on in excitement, though none tried to venture closer. It was like they were watching a theater performance unfold.

“AfroFeind69, your way of attracting attention is highly unusual. You could have just challenged the Inn normally, or even set up an event. The Inn is highly accommodating in that regard. But possessing one of our guests while they are inside the Inn is not a great way to make a good first impression.”

Although everyone could see what was happening on stage, Lex had temporarily blocked off anyone from hearing the conversation happening between the two.

“Lex Williams… one of the more renowned workers of the Inn, behind only Gerard in Velma in poll ratings… often referred to as the bouncer of the Midnight Inn…” the chameleon said quite mechanically, as if reading the description of Lex off a document. “Please do not… misunderstand. This little guy… lost a bet, and owes me a possession… I did not force him, and he did not resist. This is a… voluntary arrangement…”

“And what about the death of his sister? Was that voluntary too?” Lex asked, interrupting the chameleon.

For a moment the chameleon paused, as if lagging, but eventually returned to normal.

“I had… nothing to do with… the death of his sister. In fact… I am the one… who informed him of her… location. I use dance… Mr. Lex, to solve my… problems, not violence.”

The reason the chameleon paused so much while it spoke was because the possession wasn’t perfect. It made communication a little awkward, and a little eerie.

Lex nodded.

“If you have nothing to do with that, then why come here indirectly for the challenge? There seems to be no reason for such theatrics.”

“All will be revealed… in due time. Mr. Lex, how does the Inn… respond to my challenge? If you win… I will answer all your questions. If I win… the Inn must do me a favor.”