The Innkeeper

"Mary, can I take his system without killing him?" Lex asked mentally as he observed Ming Jie.

"If the system has not fused with his soul yet, it should technically be possible to extract it without killing him. But you would have to check his soul for that first."

Before he continued, Lex used his connection to the Inn delivered through the chair to scan the library of the Inn. The first batch of techniques had been delivered by the Infinity Emporium, and Lex looked through them for any and all soul related techniques. Though they were not many in quantity, it was only a relative number. He easily found quite a few he could use right now if he learned them, and even more that would become available to him once he reached the Golden Core realm.

It was not a big deal if Lex had Ming Jie wait a bit before answering him, but the more important question to answer was…

"Assume we can extract the system. Will it turn him back into a human?"

"This… it's not a question that I can easily answer. But based on the name of the system, it only helped him reincarnate as a Mountain, and is not keeping him in that state. Based on that logic, even if the system is removed, he should stay in his current form."

"That's what I feared."

Lex reached the same conclusion on his own, but he wanted to ask Mary anyway in case she knew something more about systems.

Although he had gotten an answer, Lex did not rush to reply to Ming Jie. He was considering the possibility of another option. The result of his previous risk with the Henali had made him reluctant to take risky actions. Yet at the same time, only by taking risks could he get maximum rewards.

"Mary, if I make him my employee, can I make his system a subsidiary of mine? Moreover, will he be able to find out that I have a system?"

"Him becoming an employee will have no effect on his system whatsoever. But there is a chance that his system will have a reaction to your system, the way yours shows error messages apparently for other system users. It all depends on the rating of his system. The closer the systems rank to yours, the more likely it is to have a reaction. In fact, even if it's not close, because the Midnight Inn is not running at 100% functionality, and seems to be broken or damaged, chances are that his system will pick up on yours. If your system were running at full capacity, because of its high rating, most systems of lower ranks wouldn't be able to detect it at all."

That was both disappointing and alarming. It was disappointing because Lex really wanted to upgrade his system further somehow, but he didn't want to get into the business of killing innocent people. It was alarming because John was a system user and had been at the Inn for a long time. He didn't know if it was such a good idea to continue having him work here if it could endanger Lex's own secrets.

But first he had to deal with the matter at hand. A few moments had passed since Ming Jie asked the question, and he was waiting anxiously for a reply.

"Most likely," Lex finally began to reply slowly, "even if the system is removed, you will stay as you are. That is because the system was only responsible for reincarnating you like this, not keeping you this way."

Ming Jie was disappointed because it seemed like the only possible option for him would be to follow along with his system.

"Going along with your system does not have to be a bad thing," Lex said, changing the conversation. Since he couldn't get the system, he had to make sure to build a relationship so he could keep a tab on Ming Jie.

"You just have to be careful how you interpret the direction it's taking you in. They can be more flexible than they seem. I will only give you two pieces of advice. First, do not be impatient. I don't doubt that you're in a hurry to grow stronger to achieve your goals, but cultivation is not a path that can be tread lightly. A single mistake can cost you immensely. Second, do not share the knowledge of your system with anyone. They are not as common as you may think, and not everyone will be as disinterested as I."

"Thank you, I will keep your advice and your guidance in mind," replied Ming Jie as he stood up. Even he understood that their conversation was at an end. What he needed to do now, before making any decisions, was take some time and calm down. He needed his emotions to stabilize so that he wouldn't make any rash decisions.

Lex teleported him out to a secluded spot, though he was still visible from far and wide. Lex had to absorb all the new information he just received and decide how he would use it in the future. But first, he sat and mused over the recent realization he had.

While explaining things to Ming Jie, in particular when he was mentioning that everything happens for a reason, even if you may not be able to understand the reasons, a random thought occurred to Lex.

What if him getting the system was not as 'random' as it appeared? Well, the truth was, Lex didn't actually believe for even a second that the system which could cause teleportations across the universe would 'stall' and accidentally fall to him. But this time his thoughts went further.

What if the secret his family was keeping was the reason the system had fallen, or perhaps even chosen him? This was wild speculation, for he didn't expect his family to have too large of a secret. He imagined something more along the lines of him not being their actual child and his parents being forced to adopt him for various reasons or something like that. But what if it wasn't?

He knew it was pointless asking Mary, for she would only say he didn't have the authority to know. But he began to wonder nonetheless.