The Innkeeper

Chapter 2148: Fine then, don’t join

Vinei was a former Deity, a Mythical Phoenix, and someone who had been upgraded by the laws of his realm’s ascension to the Primordial realm. He was a unique kind of formidable in the universe, for that was not a combination that could be commonly found - or found at all. Yet, standing before Lex, Vinei did not feel formidable at all.

He felt feeble, and entirely at the mercy of the man standing in front of him.

"I was doing my research on the Crystal Phoenix. Compared to Firin and Aizel, he is much more sinister. After what we did to the Crystal realm, we can anticipate some kind of retaliation from him sooner or later. Besides, from him I want to learn the truth about what happened to Gailid, the rainbow Phoenix," said Vinei, explaining his thought process.

But, upon hearing his explanation, Lex only shook his head, as if disappointed.

"Vinei, you are a mere Heaven Immortal. The Crystal race has many Dao Lords, so I’m sure the leader of their race has attained such a status as well. What can you even do against him? By merely thinking of plotting against him, you’ve likely already alerted him," said Lex, shaking his head.

"Besides, your vision is too limited. If you want to join the Midnight Inn, you will have to leave these things behind, for your focus will have to shift, or you’ll never pass the test. Of course, if you want to find your friend, then we can be a little more direct about that. Or, if there are some secrets involved, we can search on our own. But doing all of that on your own, and doing all of that with the support of the Midnight Inn are two entirely different concepts."

Lex looked at Vinei, and after a moment decided to address the elephant in the room.

"You know, you don’t have to join the Midnight Inn if you don’t want to. It’s not some obligation you have to fulfil. To begin with, you haven’t even passed the test to become a member yet, so you may not even be able to join. If you’re only doing this because you feel like you need to repay me, or because you need to carry out your end of the deal, you can just pay me some other way and we can put this behind us."

Lex suddenly and directly offered Vinei his freedom from his prior commitment to join the Inn. It wasn’t exactly a secret that the reason he wanted to join the Midnight Inn was because he wanted to use the power and influence of the Inn to break free from his status as a Deity.

Now that he had already done as much, he technically didn’t need the Inn anymore. Moreover, while the Inn could provide him with protection, it also limited his options by a lot, since his focus thereafter would mostly be related to the Inn one way or another. If Lex was truly, genuinely offering him another option...

Vinei was genuinely considering it, yet the problem was that as he looked at Lex, who only a few years ago had been so weak that Vinei would not even have remembered his name, but now was much stronger than him, Vinei kept feeling like he was missing out.

While the Inn might put certain restrictions on him, it was also obviously the best way to rapidly grow his strength. He was conflicted, yet that was all the assurance Lex needed.

He did not want, nor did he need double minded people or beasts inside the Inn. The environment, the community inside the Inn among the workers was something he valued tremendously, and it was not something he wanted to dilute with double minded people.

This was something he could give a lot of credit to the system - it had done a really good job at selecting and approving workers.

"You know what, I think someone like you, who’s spent countless years being a boss, will have real trouble adjusting to life at the Inn as a worker. Forget about joining the Inn. Instead, we can settle things between us in another way. After all, I did help you with the ascension of your realm, and with breaking free from your status as a Deity."

Lex was not about to get shortchanged. Vinei, on the other hand, suddenly felt like he had suffered a huge loss. A part of him was relieved, but another part of him was telling himself that this was a huge opportunity that he would regret missing.

Vinei looked at Lex once more, standing inside his own domain without being affected in the least, and suddenly made up his mind.

"No, no I want to join the Inn. I have many external affairs which make it slightly difficult to leave them all behind, but I know what’s more important," said Vinei reassuringly. "In fact, when are you heading back to the Midnight Inn? I’ll head back with you. As for finding Gailid... well, that’s something I’ll worry about when I’m stronger."

Lex looked at Vinei with narrowed eyes, as if judging him harshly. A true, genuine phoenix would be an asset to the Inn, but it wasn’t as if Lex was dying to get his hands on one. If Lex weren’t somewhat interested in seeing if he could enhance the Phoenix part of his own unique physique, then he honestly wouldn’t be interested in them at all.

"Fine, you can come back with me, but whether you pass the test or not is not up to me. That’ll be the true judgment of whether you’re fit to join the Inn or not," said Lex, though it was clear by the tone in his voice that he was sceptical of Vinei’s chances.

Yet the more it was like this, the more nervous Vinei started to get. He was not some inexperienced bird who hadn’t seen the world. He had overlooked the Crystal realm from the peak of its powers for countless years, and he had an understanding of what it felt like to be on top of the food chain. At the same time, he’d seen all kinds of conflicts and all kinds of people.

He had felt the Innkeepers power, and understood that someone at that power level didn’t really need Vinei. While he no longer needed to remove his Deity status, he was now someone without backing and without a safe haven in which to exist and grow.

While getting one at the Midnight Inn came with a steep cost, it also came with tremendous benefits that more than made up for costs. No matter what Vinei wanted to do in life, it first required him to stay alive and grow stronger. The way that snake had wrapped itself around Vinei without him even realising was a clear indicator of the dangers of life in the garden.

Besides, Vinei no longer had an entire race of blind followers anymore to do his bidding either.

Lex put his hand on the black phoenix and made a mental note that if Vinei didn’t pass the test, then Lex would at least get some feathers and blood from him. Friendship was one thing, but Lex didn’t want to have done so much work for Vinei for nothing.

They returned to the Midnight Inn, and Lex immediately felt at home. The realms growth was steadily increasing in pace - something Lex could feel clearly due to the feedback from Lotus. That growth not only made the environment of the Inn itself much better to live in, but it also had a nourishing effect on Lex as well.

Lex threw Vinei a platinum key and then left him to his activities. Now that he was here, whether he joined the Inn or not, he would not be able to leave without Lex’s consent. That thought made Lex want to do an evil laugh, but there was no time for that.

The big wedding was about to begin. Speaking of which, Lex needed to give them some kind of a gift.

Seeing how indifferent Lex was to the result of his test made Vinei understand just how insignificant he was to the Inn. The black colored phoenix looked at the platinum key in his possession, but didn’t use it just yet.

First he wanted to understand the situation inside the Inn. This environment was great, but the laws he sensed made him think that this was still an immature realm, which was unusual considering the Innkeepers status.

However, that seemed to make no difference to Vinei’s growth, so that was not too serious a concern.

Vinei sensed the presence of a Monster - the kind that grew in the Crystal realm underneath his command - in the Inn, and decided to go talk to him to learn more about the Inn. The better his understanding of the Inn, the higher his chances of passing the test.