The Innkeeper

Jotun's four younger brothers all suddenly thought of their own families. They could not be blamed, for after being alive for so long, their perception of family and family values was bound to be different from normal people. Yet they could not help but take the Innkeepers words as a warning.

Even by their own standards, they had distanced themselves too much from their families, and for tens of thousands of years began treating them more as employees who worked for them rather than family. Perhaps it was time to reassess their relationship a bit. That did not mean they would begin coddling their families, but that at least they should not be so distant.

To some extent, it was true that their lack of oversight had become a huge problem. If not, then how could Noman have been hunted down by outsiders on his family's own planet with none the wiser?

How could Lex know that a random statement he said while feeling momentarily overwhelmed with emotion would reveal gross levels of corruption within the empire, and have far reaching consequences?

But that was only a minor misunderstanding. The reason Lex had even thought to voice one of his thoughts was because he was confident in his own image, and knew that instead of finding loopholes in his statements, people would instead find ways to explain and make sense of them. After all, that was the logical thing to do when listening to someone who knew more and had greater experience than you.

What he absolutely could not have expected was the misunderstanding he would cause with Jotun. The Henali knew nothing about the Innkeeper, not even his true race, or, as unbelievable as it may seem, when he entered the Origin realm.

Though he employed humans most often, no one believed for even a moment that he himself was a human, though it was clear he was humanoid. But now, Jotun learned something very important. The Innkeeper had some kind of backing as well, and instead of something relatively loose like an organization or his race, it was his family. What was more important was that, while he talked about being distanced from his family, the use of present tense indicated that the family, whoever or wherever they might be, still existed.

Jotun did not think that him being sent here by the Henali should be a secret, in which case everything the Innkeeper said should have had deeper meaning. Anything that the Innkeeper revealed was meant to be communicated upwards to them, and so this was the Innkeeper revealing something about his background. After all, a family that could give birth to a Dao lord… was far more powerful than an organization that did the same.

Lex noticed the changes in his audience's expression, but he could only imagine what was going through their minds.

"It has been a while since I had a chat like this with one of my guests," said the Innkeeper. "It is quite refreshing. But I cannot let pleasant conversation keep me from addressing your real concerns. Gentlemen, how can I help you?"

Jotun's pleasant expression dissolved and a somber look replaced it.

"I do not really require anything, Innkeeper, but I have been tasked by the Henali to come here. There were… a few matters they were unable to converse with you over during the Henali assembly, and so they sent me."

Lex did not change his expression, but he became a lot more serious instantly, and all thoughts of his family had been thrown out. The Henali assembly was the start of a lot of problems for him, so he did not take it lightly. Moreover, he did expect that his sudden disappearance might cause certain problems for him down the line. Now it was time to see exactly how much trouble he was in.

Lex did not say anything and simply continued to look at Jotun, so the emperor kept on speaking.

"The Henali have decided to overlook the matter of you unleashing your powers on the Origin realm, given that Ra attacked you first, but have requested that you refrain from using such abilities again. As you know, instability by energy bursts during the maturing period of a realm can cause it to completely destabilize."

Lex did not speak, or nod even. He actually didn't know that, or anything of such matters, so it was best not to say anything at all.

"There are, however, a couple of matters that the Henali wished to address, both being equally serious. The first is that they have no record of you paying the toll to enter the Origin realm. This is a serious matter that cannot be overlooked, since all Dao lords who have entered the realm have paid the toll. There can be no preferential treatment on this."

The emperor paused in case the Innkeeper wished to speak, or clarify on the matter, but seeing that the Innkeeper did ont speak, he continued.

"The second matter is also very serious. According to the laws set by the Henali, all nonnative entities that enter the Origin realm have to contribute in the fight against the Fuegan. This is also a matter on which there can be no preferential treatment. While you yourself would not be expected to make a move, considering the limitations of controlling your strength, the Inn must participate.

"All matters other than these two are negotiable, and can be discussed at the convenience of both parties. But these two matters… they absolutely have to be complied with."

A million different thoughts ran through Lex's mind as he tried to analyze the repercussions of what this meant, and his possible future actions. The one thing that was clear, though, was that Lex could not afford to offend the Henali, but at the same time, he could not appear to be weak.

For once, Lex did not suppress his natural reaction, as the authenticity of it would benefit him as he had already decided his stance on the matter.

A sigh escaped the Innkeepers lips as he shook his head gently, as if he had encountered a minor inconvenience.