The Innkeeper

Lex waited until the crowd settled down somewhat from the news of his imminent departure before continuing. He summoned a projection of a map of the region of the Inn, clearly marking where the existing settlements were, the numerous landmarks and terrains, as well as things that needed to be looked out for, such as the tribe of the killer mites that only inhabited a certain region.

"This is the entire territory of the Inn. Although the settlements have not covered even 1% of the area, that does not change the fact that all of this is Inn territory. That means that once a guest enters the Inn, he or she can roam this entire area. That then also means that you need to be able to reach any area of the Inn.

"As you can clearly see, there's a lot of wildlife and uncurtailed dangers along these lands for mortals and lower-level cultivators, which is why I want you to put up signs everywhere informing the guests that they may face dangers if they move away from the settlements. At the same time, I want you all to focus on and consider how you can use these open, wild lands to offer new services, and how to make use of them.

"For example, you can offer safaris to tourists. Or you can offer protected, training excursions for new cultivators to allow them to familiarize themselves with the dangers of the wilderness. But you have to manage this without disturbing the natural balance of these environments, which will be a challenge. You should also plan for how you will respond in case of emergencies, such as the invasion from the Minor realm that Luthor is currently addressing.

"This is a great learning opportunity for all of you, and will allow you to gain extensive experience which can help improve the Inn in the future. For this period, I will not offer you any guidance, and will only watch. Since I am about to leave, it is best you get in the habit of making decisions yourselves. Only if you make a massive blunder or oversight, will I add any comments. You may begin."

Lex took a step back as he watched the numerous workers suddenly grapple with the responsibility that had suddenly been thrust upon them. But the reason these few specifically had been called, and not the rest, was because they had already proven themselves as competent.

True to Lex's expectations, they quickly began to divert their attention towards the map and started muttering amongst themselves as they discussed ideas. Naturally, at first, they focused on the few situations that Lex had pointed out, but as he intended for this meeting to be a long one, he hoped that soon they would start discussing their own ideas.

Leaving a projection of himself in the room, Lex teleported away.

John was still sitting in front of the dragon, scribbling in his book. He no longer looked as confused or tense, and had made considerable progress. It was likely that watching Lex cultivate had given him some inspiration.

As he was scribbling, he noticed something and turned around, only to be startled at the sign of the Innkeeper approaching him.

"Innkeeper! I am making progress on the technique, but it will take some more time before I finish."

"At ease. That is not why I am here. I am here to tell you that I will be departing for a time to take care of certain matters, and will not be available. If you want to remove your system, you have to tell me now."

He had planned on cajoling John some more initially, but a glance was all he needed to tell that John had finally reached the decision he wanted. In that case, it was best not to say much more, and let John think that he did not care what he decided either way.

John clenched his fingers and recalled the scene of Lex cultivating. He worked up his courage, before it left him, and said, "please remove it. I want to walk my own path from now on."

The Innkeeper nodded.

"This may hurt a little," he warned and stretched his arm forward. Even while wearing the Host Attire, Lex could shift into his soul state, which allowed his hand to go directly through John and touch his soul. He no longer needed Impervious Hands to handle systems.

But there was a small issue. Unlike himself, who kept the system separated from his soul, John had already merged with the system. Separating them would inevitably cause some harm, but he was prepared to deal with it as soon as it appeared.

He used Domination and soul sense to suppress John's soul, and subtly manipulate the system within it. Perhaps it was a good thing that the system was damaged, for Lex could sense how difficult it was to manipulate in this state. If it was unharmed, he could only begin to imagine how he would even separate it from John's soul.

The process was not simple or quick, for he had to gather all the system into one point in John's soul, which was easier said than done. John himself also felt completely constricted, as if he were buried underground and was unable to move at all.

It was an arduous process, and a long one at that. For a considerable amount of time, the two stood there, unmoving. Lex did not think about how taking so long might reflect poorly, considering how powerful he was supposed to be. It could easily be explained by saying he was trying to minimize the damage to John's soul. Unless he planned on absorbing another system, and then having it removed again, he would have no benchmark with which to compare this experience.

Ultimately, Lex finally felt like he had done it. Fused with John's soul though it may be, Lex managed to gather all the parts of the system into one tiny speck of the man's soul. Then, in one swift motion, he cut out that piece of his soul.

Despite being suppressed, John could not help but scream. His eyes suddenly became red as blood leaked out of his nose and his ears. But Lex did not allow him to suffer for long.

As soon as he cut out the soul, and confirmed that he had grabbed the system completely and it wasn't trying to run away, he dripped some of his own blood in its soul state right on John's soul.

The healing process was not instantaneous, but it did soothe John and as it began the healing process. In fact, it wasn't just the cut that his blood began to heal, but the damage he had accumulated due to the broken system as well. He went from feeling a soul rending pain to a relaxing warmth almost immediately, though John wasn't able to appreciate it.

He became extremely lethargic and his eyes drooped, struggling to stay awake. It was unfortunate that the recovery rooms weren't working, but that would have hardly helped with a soul wound any way. Instead, he teleported John's body over to Harry's barber shop, where he had a soul pond that would aid in John's recovery.

Moreover, Harry's own sorcery would be extremely helpful in aiding and speeding the healing process. Lex had already informed him to expect John soon, so he was not surprised.

After ensuring that John was in no danger, Lex turned his attention to the system in his hand. Unlike the previous ones he had seen, this was not a golden, glowing ball. Instead, the color had changed to a bronze, as if it was sick or wilting.

He waited for the familiar sound of a system notification, which only came after an uncomfortable delay, clearly indicated the overburdened state of his own system.

New Notification: New system detected! Analyzing the secondary system. Lone assassin system detected!

New Notification: Lone assassin C+ system detected. In the shadow and in the light, stalk your prey alone and assassinate your targets to receive a boost in strength and prestige. The greater the assassination feat, the greater the feedback you receive, and the more strength you are bestowed. No target is off limits, and no prey is big enough, as the system will guide you on the ultimate path of assassinating even deities!

New Notification: Absorb Lone assassin system? Y/N!

The lone assassin system? Was that why 'John' had been such a loner before this? Although he knew that the name was just an alias he had been using, Lex decided to stick with the name unless he decided to correct anyone. He had a strong feeling that, alongside his system, John would be leaving his old name behind as well.

Lex did not immediately absorb the system, as he still had a few more days with the Host Attire that he didn't want to squander. But as soon as that time was over, he would not hesitate to absorb it. He wondered how long it would take. But for now, he had another plan.

He teleported somewhere else, but this time as Lex and not the Innkeeper. He also did not hide the system, and showed it to the two figures in front of him.

"Recognise this?"