The Innkeeper

Gerard was having a very good day. He was at the peak of the Qi training realm, and his bloodline had upgraded! A bloodline evolution was ridiculously difficult, because there was no set way to make a bloodline evolve and level up. Of the people who had bloodlines, most went their entire lives without upgrading their bloodline, regardless of what their cultivation level was.

Of course, Gerard didn't know that. All he was concerned about was that, with the golf cart that Xeon had upgraded and his new bloodline, his rides would be a lot smoother.

Furthermore, today was his day off, so he was spending time with his friend. How could he not be happy?

"How is Pamela doing? Has she recovered from the incident?" he asked as he took a sip of hot chocolate from the finest china.

"She's fine, she's fine. She was over it in a couple of hours. These days though, she seems to be spending all of her free time at the Gamer's Den," Velma replied, a special gleam in her eyes. She loved to gossip - it gave her such a thrill. Since Helen had disappeared, she had lost her gossiping buddy, so now she rarely had an opportunity.

"It's good that the kids are getting along," replied Gerard, the worker who, himself, was only a few months old.

Just as Velma was about to elaborate on the juicy gossip surrounding Pamela and Z, a Raskal appeared in front of them. The duo had been having their chat in a picnic spot in the forest near the greenhouse, so that they could have their privacy. The appearance of a guest here, so far from all the main structures, was unusual, but not impossible.

Despite being on a break, the duo prepared to greet the guest when the Nascent launched a spirit attack on them. There was a devastating explosion and a smoke cloud filled the air while some of the surrounding trees fell over, now leaning against the trees that had not yet broken.

The Raskal had already looked past the two Qi training insects and was sweeping the area with his spirit sense, his attention attracted towards a formation he discovered in the forest.

"That was quite rude," said Gerard with a frown, as he dusted off his waistcoat with a frown. His right was still holding onto the cup, the hot chocolate in it without a single ripple. Behind him, Velma was disoriented and leaning against Gerard for support, her hair a mess but otherwise unharmed.

The Raskal was taken aback, but suddenly started sweeping the area with his spirit sense, trying to see the hidden expert that had protected the two. But, after a few seconds of searching, he found no one.

"The assistant innkeeper has informed me that you are from a group of invader, and that we are understaffed at the moment, so I'll have to take care of you myself," Gerard spoke, as he put the teacup on the floor, his eyes starting to shine with a silver light as he did so.

Gerard, like the other workers at the Inn, was the proud owner of the Regalia Bloom bloodline. This was an incredibly powerful bloodline that came along with an immense cost. The bloodline allowed the user to take control of energy within a certain zone around himself. As for what kind of energy? Any energy that the user can perceive, whether it be gravitational, kinetic, heat, electromagnetic, chaos, primordial, spiritual, etc.

They could then manipulate that energy to coat any item or weapon of their choosing as a medium for that energy.

It sounded straightforward, but it was anything but simple. An example would be that if Gerard stood in the epicenter of an explosion, he could channel all the heat, sound and kinetic energy produced into the thrusters of his new golf cart, and then use it to propel the cart, all without suffering any harm.

Of course, there were limits to how much he could transfer, as each time he used the ability, he would suffer physical exhaustion, and his bloodline would also need to recover. So it was not like he could be dropped into a nuclear explosion, and then be expected to transfer all of that energy away from himself. Even if he had a dozen hot chocolates, he would eventually be physically exhausted to the point where he could not use the ability, and then the explosion would kill him.

If, however, he had the physical capabilities of Marlo, then it could not be a problem at all for him to channel the energy from a nuclear blast. But, no great power came without price. The Regalia Bloom was the same. In exchange for granting him access to all the energy in the universe, the bloodline altered his body, slowly and steadily, like a cancer that could not be treated.

Yes, no matter how he tried to resist, Gerard was unable to avoid the price. The Regalia Bloom continued to work on his body, slowly making him irresistibly attractive. Do not underestimate the seriousness of this burden. This was not the kind of delicate beauty mentioned in novels that would make the MC fairer and more beautiful. No, this was an attraction that transcended space and time.

Without actually changing his appearance, Gerard would slowly become beloved by any who saw him, regardless of their preferences or tastes. He originally underestimated the effects of the bloodline when he gathered a host of old ladies who only wanted to be chauffeured by him.

Now, even countless middle-aged women expressed their love to him, unable to resist the sheen of his white hair. But how could he, a gentleman, tear up their families? The burden of their endless love was one he had barely learnt to tolerate.

But, it was important to remember, all that was the effect and price of the Regalia Bloom bloodline before he upgraded it. Now though...

As the silver shine in his eyes grew stronger, Gerards body was lifted up into the air and he looked down at the Raskal like a King, looking down at a peasant.

"Don't you know it's against etiquette to strike a lady?" he said, his voice hitting the Raskal like a shockwave, threatening to tear his ear drums.

"Let me teach you some manners."

Gerard's new and improved golf cart, which had been parked outside the forest, flew to him like a silver star shooting through the sky. Gerard carefully took off his blazer and put it down, just in time for the golf cart to appear, setting the blazer on the passenger seat as he himself took his place behind the wheel.

Giving no time to the Raskal to respond, the moving golf cart drifted through the air and smashed against the side of its body against him without so much as scratching the new paint job.

The Raskal was launched mercilessly through the forest, crashing through a series of trees. Even as the alien tried to stop itself using its spirit sense, the golf cart appeared again, this time smacking him in the face with one of the tires.

"Oh and, welcome to the Midnight Inn."