Chapter 2501: I don’t want to implicate you

Romulus and the Innkeeper sat face to face, though the Innkeeper was clearly far more relaxed than Romulus. Though he sat with proper posture, the Innkeeper exuded an air of comfort and peace, as if he wasn’t bothered in the least by what was going on.

In contrast, Romulus could not settle his emotions as he processed not only everything he had been through, but also how impeccable the Innkeeper’s timings were. Helping out Lex back inside the Gilded Hollow had already proved to be a profitable investment!

"I heard some things about you from Lex, and then heard a few more things once I left the Hollow. I thought it might have been excessive praise, but I see now that it was merely a result of you being humble. I will remember this favor," said Romulus seriously.

Lex, meanwhile, had no idea what favor he was talking about. The favor of calling him over to talk when he had literally given a scale so that such a thing could be done in the first place?

But the very first thing he noted down was that he had to remain mysterious, so asking would not do.

"Come now, you are taking this far too seriously," said the Innkeeper with the casualness of someone who was not bothered by the universe-shaking secret Romulus had just encountered. "Should I, then, treat your care for Lex in the Hollow as a favor too?"

Romulus was stumped. How could those two things be equated? Romulus had merely helped Lex offhandedly. It had not required any effort on his part, where the Innkeeper...

Romulus, to his immense surprise, found that there was not an ounce of showmanship in the Innkeepers words. He really did treat the help offered by his incredible timing as nothing.

"In that case, I will remember... your hospitality," said Romulus, feeling an invisible pressure lift off his shoulders. He could not help but look at the Innkeeper in a new light.

"Good. If there’s one thing the Midnight Inn prides itself in, its hospitality," said the Innkeeper with an ever growing smile. "Though, from what I’ve heard, it seems you have been an excellent host as well - and to more than just Lex. Countless refugees, descendants of survivors."

Lex was thinking of praising him a bit more, but then remembered his notes. He should speak as little as possible.

Romulus shook his head, but did not get into it. Was he supposed to confess that the refugees were all just clones Romulus made himself?

"Vael?n is a lot different from what I had expected," he said, shifting the conversation. "When I came back, I expected that no other Dao Lord would be able to keep up with my rate of development due to my limitless resources. I... had not expected that staying within Vael?n itself presented many valuable opportunities as well - opportunities that more than made up for any resource shortfall."

Romulus glanced at the Innkeeper and did not try to probe or look into him. Even so, he could very well imagine that sitting opposite to him was one such being who had made use of unbelievable opportunities to grow beyond what made sense. For once, Romulus had no idea how correct he was.

The qilin leaned forward. Now that he gathered himself up, it was time to take care of business. He didn’t have any time to waste, and neither did the Innkeeper he imagined.

"I already anticipated that the situation might be complicated, which is why I had given Lex the scale in the first place. My original intention was to offer my skills in managing fortunes in exchange for your aid. But... I never anticipated the scale of the issues in Vael?n."

The Innkeeper’s smile withdrew - not completely, but enough to show that he was listening with concern to a serious conversation.

Romulus looked at the Innkeeper, thought things through for a few seconds, and then spoke.

"I still seek an alliance, if you’re willing to make one, but the situation is getting out of hand. If it were anyone else, I would not even bother offering an alliance lest I implicate them. In your case, I will not make the decision on your behalf. If there’s anything in which you think I may be able to help you, please let me know. I will not be comfortable seeking aid without being able to offer anything in return."

The Innkeeper looked at Romulus for a moment, studying his expressions, his body language, his words. A Dao Lord controlled all of these things completely, so they would never show anything they did not want to show. The fact, then, that Romulus kept acting and speaking with some urgency was a way of him letting the Innkeeper know something. Or atleast... that’s what Lex surmised.

"I think there are many things that we could cooperate on," the Innkeeper said calmly - a strong contrast to Romulus’ own demeanor. But I think we should address the important things first. I assume you already know about the universe’s timeline, and the deadline within a few decades to cease all activity."

The Innkeeper had not said the last sentence was a question. It was a statement, for he assumed that Romulus knew. Yet the qilin looked back at him with a blank expression.

The Innkeeper paused too, for that was not how he expected the conversation to go.

"Do you perhaps... not know?" he asked slowly, seeing that Romulus was not speaking.

The qilin did not respond, and the silence went on for seconds, and then minutes. Eventually, though, Romulus’ expression morphed.

"Damn, someone is blocking me. Someone is actually... I didn’t even think it was possible. Someone is actually..."

Romulus shook his head in disbelief, and then looked towards the Innkeeper.

"You may become implicated by cooperating with me, Innkeeper. I think... it is best if you don’t tell me anything at all. You have been a gracious host, and for that reason alone I do not wish to involve you in the mess that I am in."

Lex had no idea what Romulus was actually going through. It seemed like he was in a whole lot more trouble than he expected. For Lex, though, this was perfect. He knew exactly how to handle the situation.

"Since you’ve asked me not to share any information with you, I will comply," the Innkeeper said solemnly.

Romulus felt relieved, but deep down he also felt a tinge of sadness that he quickly suppressed. It was entirely unreasonable to expect-

The Innkeeper stood up and strolled up to his desk to grab one of his own business cards. As he did, a letter slipped out of his pocket and fell flat on the floor, its contents visible for anyone to see. A glance was more than enough for Romulus to read Hiran’s letter and learn everything he needed to learn.