The Innkeeper

Vera was a little strange sometimes, but she had proved herself extremely helpful time and time again. Lex would have offered her a job at the Inn, but he suspected that she would have already requested it herself if she saw that in her future.

At the same time, he could not help but turn his attention to her words. She told him that he would pay her multiple times for helping him out this time, which meant that this information would possibly help him out tremendously, and more than once. Based on her level of excitement, he would be paying her pretty vast sums.

He turned his attention to Master Haraash, who was similarly observing him with his one eye. The skinny alien was one of the guests whose cultivation level the system had not been able to tell him. Lex could not recall any other details about him.

It had become somewhat of a habit to keep an overview of all the guests in the Inn, but besides a few essential details, he didn't try to memorize anything more. After all, ordinarily, he could just pull up the system and scan the guest whenever he required. Except now that he had lost the abilities of his suit, and the system interface itself was down during the upgrade.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lex. It is an honor to meet you, Master Haraash."

"Have a seat, child. Let us talk for a bit, get to know one another before we get down to business. I take it that, based on what I could see of that girl, she has not really shared much about me with you."

"We did not get the opportunity to talk in detail about this meeting. She just informed me that it was urgent that I come meet with you."

"She has done well. It is for the best that we naturally get to know one another. Allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Haraash Soshi, and I am a practitioner of divination asceticism. This is a special school of thought that discourages divination and fortune telling of any sort, and tries to cut all ties with destiny. But at the same time, I am not so strict. I believe in allowing things to follow along their natural progression.

"Basically, that means I have removed myself from an environment where I need to practice divination, or interfere in the machinations of fate. But if ever a need arises, I do not shy away from using my skills and knowledge.

"Besides that, I am an avid fan of calligraphy and painting, and it is my dream to be able to capture the essence of an entire world in a single brush stroke. It is for that reason I have entered the Midnight Inn as a spiritual retreat, so that I may practice and hone my skills. Who knew that coming here would allow me to witness the birth of a new world entirely? Sometimes, even fate has a sense of humor."

Haraash spoke in a very mild and relaxed tone, fitting his state as someone relaxing on vacation. He seemed very amicable, which was nice, because Lex could imagine how others might become uncomfortable being stared at by such a massive eye.

"My name is Lex. I grew up in a world without any cultivation at all, and lived as a mortal until I encountered the Midnight Inn. Under the guidance of the Innkeeper and with the resources of the In, I quickly grew.

"But, unlike my coworkers, I have a natural tendency to attract trouble, which is why the Innkeeper encouraged me to face my problems myself without relying on the Inn. That is the only way in which I can fully mature is if I deal with my problems myself.

"So, unless it is official Inn work, or there are extraordinary circumstances, I avoid relying on the Inn to resolve my problems. That has allowed me to gain an edge over my colleagues, but at the same time, it seems my ability to attract trouble is growing faster than my abilities. There are countless beings out there who are hunting me even now, though they may not necessarily know that they are hunting me specifically. There are even more out there who will be even more interesting in capturing me if they learn some of my secrets.

"As a result, I have done my best to ensure I am hard to track through divination. But hard is not the same as impossible, and unfortunately it gets even easier if my enemies are stronger than me, which they often are. That is why I am always on the hunt for better ways to hide my secrets. I imagine that is why Vera brought me to you, for she could tell that I might be about to encounter some danger that is best avoided.

"Besides that, I enjoy traveling to various worlds and realms, taking in the new cultures and environments. Since I grew up without any exposure to cultivation, I find all aspects of it fascinating. I especially enjoy helping those weaker than myself with the new abilities I have gained through cultivation."

Lex tried to present himself in a positive light, which did not mean he lied, but he may have just presented the best aspects of himself truthfully in front of Haraash. At the same time, he presented a logical answer as to why, despite being an Inn worker, he is looking for ways to hide from others on his own rather than just depending on the Inn.

"Handling your own troubles yourself is a remarkable way of growing. It forces you to think and act in ways that you would normally avoid. The wisdom of the Innkeeper is surely manifold, and with time you will encounter countless benefits for listening to him. Your own tenacity should also be admired, for it is not easy or simple to face the many dangers of this world alone.

"I see now how I can help you. What Vera asked of me is the best way I know of to hide from karma and destiny. Her request was too specific, which means that it is a little different from what I understand you need. You can choose for yourself if you wish to follow the path she has selected for you, or you wish for me toobjectively decide how I can help you. Take care that I will not help for free, and a price will be collected for each. I will also only help you once, so choose carefully."

"Master Haraash, Vera has known me for a long time, and has helped me countless times through numerous troubles. I have come to trust her judgment through personal experience. If she thinks that I need something very specific from you, then I trust her. Please, let me know what payment you seek. I will do my best to fulfill your needs."

"Very decisive, and trusting. Those are good qualities you have nurtured, young man. Unfortunately, I cannot give you a discount just because I appreciate you. The information I have is extremely valuable, and offers the opportunity to hide completely and totally from the fetters of fate and karma. As such, the price is equally valuable.

"Fortunately for you, the information only leads to a chance at success, and even those chances are miniscule, which will greatly reduce the price. Of course, it is at the same time unfortunate for you as well, for it will be very difficult to actually achieve those results.

"To receive this information, you must deliver to me 100 drops of divine elixir, a drop of blood essence from the heart of a living dragon, a bottle of fairy dust attuned for rebirth and three drops of pure Mountain milk."

Haraash became silent after stating his request, to give time for Lex to come to terms with the grand task he had laid before him. He believed that, eventually, he would be able to pay this price, but it would take many thousands of years of effort. That was fine, for things that came too easily were often under-

"Can you give me a few minutes, I'll bring everything here now," Lex said, before teleporting away. He did not know if this was some kind of bizarre coincidence, or if Haraash knew that Lex could literally pay with these things right now. Either way, the longest it would take him to get any of those items was the fairy dust, since he had to teleport back to the sealed domain.

Meanwhile, fairy Lex, who was still strengthening his ship paused for a while to begin collecting the specific dust. But… how could he collect fairy dust? It was absorbed by everything it touched. He would need to consult the other fairies.

Haraash, who was prepared to give Lex some philosophical lectures about the value of persistence and determination in the face of seemingly impossible goals, froze. Did he say a few minutes?