The Innkeeper

The Diplo was not a very prevalent species in the origin realm, but that surprised no one. Their short stature, weak bodies and general ineptitude in cultivation put them on the low end of almost every food chain that existed. Though they were an intelligent species, their generally disgusting appearance did not earn them any favors with most other intelligent species, leaving them to live an unfortunate existence.

At Orange Bastion, though, something unusual happened. The planet used to be like any other that could support life, and was ruled by a naturally powerful predatory species. Eventually it was colonized and other intelligent species started living there, though the Diplo did not receive favorable treatment despite being natives of the planet.

All that changed, however, when an evil sect was created. Through means that were still unknown even to most of the Diplo themselves, the first sect master gained the inheritance of an evil cultivator that gained strength through the blood of other beings. The stronger the being whose blood they absorbed, the greater the boost in their strength would be.

Using that inheritance, which the sect spread amongst all Diplos, the previously irrelevant race waged war on the entire planet, eventually succeeding in taking control. It was unknown if it was a side effect of the evil cultivation technique, or if it was just a suppressed trait of Diplo's themselves, but once they gained power, all of them were revealed to be extremely sadistic. They took great pleasure in torturing and agonizing others, especially if the other race was perceived to be stronger than the Diplo's themselves.

As such, the sect master and the Diplo who had discovered the key in the first place were in complete awe of the amusement park. From children to adults, screams could be heard echoing far and wide within the strange metallic jungle.

What was absolutely strange was that the 'slaves' who were being tortured would voluntarily get into the torture devices themselves. The sect master suddenly felt so small, not in size, but in his outlook of the world. This place was built by an absolute master, and the sect master was determined to steal all these designs and implement them back on his planet. Excitement filled his eyes as he began to wander the ground, his personal hologram appearing to inform him about this place and what was going on.

A few minutes after the Diplos disappeared, members of two other sects appeared, though this time they appeared from a golden door rather than a golden key. They were humans, and the members from each sect could be easily be distinguished based on how they were dressed.

The first group was dressed from head to toe in heavy armor, with a massive shield that covered half the length of their bodies in their left hand, and a single, long, straight sword in their right.

The second group was dressed in simple Daoist robes, and had a relatively shorter sword flying right beside them.

The two groups appeared ready for combat, and looked around at their new surroundings warily as they absorbed everything.

The appearance of this specific group was a big deal, not because of who they were, but because of how far they had come from. So far, the reach of the Inn had stayed within a certain region. Even when connecting planets from different galaxies, the galaxies were relatively nearby. But this group in particular had come from so far away the Jotun empire held no sway in their territories, though they were familiar with the empire due to the Henali portal.

The reason they could appear here was the golden door. Since Lex gained the upgrade Inter-realm broadcast, the golden door had gained the ability to not only spawn on planets that the Inn was connected to, but anywhere in any realm that the Inn was connected to.

"Paladin Lovis, what do you make of this place?" asked one of the daoists. Though they followed different cultivation paths, the daoists and paladins were fast allies, and often worked together. It helped a lot that the paladins were a righteous force, sworn to protect the innocent and fight tyrants.

"It is the noble, holy land of our people," the paladin Lovis said, removing his helmet. He needed to gaze upon the sight before him with his eyes unobstructed. The paladins had a different cultivation system, focused on tempering their will and using it to manipulate holy energy. And this place... it was as if it was designed to temper the will of warriors under the most rigorous of circumstances.

"Look, how they temper even their children to face unavoidable death," he said, pointing to a particular rollercoaster. Due to how the ride was shaped, it seemed to the riders that they would slam into a wall, right before the coaster dove into a hidden, completely dark cave with great speed.

"If we learn from the architect of this great training ground, we can bolster our forces. Within a few generations, we can turn the tide of war!"

"Look at the rain of lightning," said a daoist, pointing in the distance. "It truly is a holy land. Cultivators come here to face death and overcome it!"

"We will need reinforcements if we are to explore this entire place," said the paladin, just in time for his hologram to appear and begin telling him about the Midnight Inn. The two groups began walking together as they learned of the wonders of the Inn.

Only a few minutes later, through yet another golden door, another group appeared, though this time they were not human. Instead, they were elves. More specifically, they were elvish outcasts who had been shunned from their communities for reveling in technology rather than nature.

"A holy land!" one of them exclaimed as they looked out into the endless forest of amusement park rides and the massive spaceship up above.

"We have found our home," said another one, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Our prayers have been answered."

The group also left, under the guidance of their hologram, but the cycle of new guests continuing to appear continued. Slowly and steadily, the crowd at the Inn started becoming more and more diverse.