The Innkeeper

Chapter 2300: A path forward?

Man proposes, and then systems interfere in all sorts of sordid ways for the pleasure of invisible observers. Clearly Jack planned on passing through without attracting any attention, but that was no longer possible.

As circumstances changed, he had to adapt accordingly. After entering the Midnight Inn, Jack altered his plans. He allowed his crew to disembark the Jolly Rancher, which had been shrunk to a reasonable size upon entering the Inn.

Those who wanted to explore did that. Those that wanted to return home did that, and others got the opportunity to rest. Jack, meanwhile, disappeared from public view. For all intents and purposes, the Midnight Inn was operating normally, and nothing seemed to have gone awry.

The nearly two decades Lex had spent in the Land of a Hundred Rivers, and then the subsequent years in the Upper Battlefield accounted for only a few months in the Dream realm. Every second of that was perilous.

That Stalker of his could break through the barrier at any moment, but the longer he lasted, the calmer he became. It was obvious to him that the Stalkers intentions were not to harm Lex, but to harvest his system as it was, which is why his methods weren’t too forceful. Or maybe his last minute barrier - the one that he had put his everything into - was living up to his expectations.

There were actually many things Jack could do in secret to help set the stage for his revenge match, but that was no longer needed. His contribution to the Nexus plan was enough. In fact, even this little incident at the Inn contributed to pushing the Nexus event forward. Not to mention, the advancement of the realm affected Lotus, and Lotus affected Lex’s main body!

In his mind, a grand game of Go appeared once more. His pieces were in black, and they were surrounded from all sides by white, with only a few gaps. Yet even those gaps were traps, so how he moved had to be carefully deliberated upon.

The matter with Stalker proved that he had gone as far as he could based on luck and reputation. If it wasn’t him, it would be someone else. All it would take was a slightly more forceful probe by a single Dao Lord, and everything would collapse like a house of cards.

That was one of the reasons he had the Henali and Humanoid Alliance provide their own protection.

What he didn’t know was that the act of having them provide their own protection convinced others even more that the Innkeeper truly wasn’t inside the Midnight Inn. However, that also provided them with a timeline for how long he would be absent.

Since they were to operate for one year, then his absence also likely coincided with that period. That meant any actions they took had to be carefully timed.

Jack took a deep breath, and after one week, ventured out of hiding. He walked directly to a hidden asset of the Henali - one whose identity was not meant to be known to anyone, including the common members of the Inn. However, how could secrets be hidden from Lex when he has the Host Attire. He had long taken notice of him.

Today, without any preamble of any sort, Jack approached him, asked to discuss something in private. Considering Jack’s sensitive identity, the man obliged, though he was very confused about why the fairy was approaching him.

It was only once they were in a private setting that Jack revealed his purpose.

"I need you to contact your superiors," Jack said, not bothering with the charade. "I have extremely important matters to discuss with the Henali that require someone who can speak on behalf of them."

The man was stunned, confused and shocked about how the details were leaked. But he couldn’t admit anything. Yet before he could pretend to not know what Jack was talking about, the fairy continued to speak.

"You have three days to bring me someone with the authority to make a deal. If you cannot, then I will take my business to the Devils."

With that said, Jack turned around and left. The Henali were the most reliable in his opinion. While they couldn’t be called Saints, in all his dealings with the Henali, Lex had found them to be honest, if not fair as well. No doubt they had many shady dealings as well, but they had never tried to take undue advantage of the Midnight Inn.

Even back when the Inn was inside the Origin realm, they were actually quite fair to the Innkeeper in their demands. As a result, Lex still had a positive impression of them.

Comparatively, while the Devils were renowned for honoring their deals, they were also extremely comfortable doing incredibly unsavory things. Lex had no idea the extent to which they could stoop, so they were his backup plan.

After all, traveling to the Folklore realm had suddenly come much harder after he attracted all that attention. He needed someone to protect him or escort him on the journey. As for what he would pay them with... Heh, that was the Innkeepers problem.

Since an undeniable connection between them had been forged anyway, might as well take full advantage of it.

Just as Jack was pondering about what path to take forward, he felt something unexpected. Within the Midnight Inn, the paladins from the Origin realm had built a base of operations where they hid their most sacred tomes and artifacts.

While his fairy body could also use his paladin powers, it was not something he had been focusing on as of late. Yet at that exact moment, he felt some kind of resonance, and he felt his powers increase for no apparent reason.

Jack suddenly changed directions, heading towards that village. An increase in power for no apparent reason was definitely something worth investigating - especially since his cultivation path forward as a fairy was cut off. Could the paladin power system offer a solution?

He suddenly imagined his tiny self, wearing white armor, waving around a massive white sword. Of course, in this context, the sword was only massive in comparison to Jack’s small body.