The Innkeeper

Mary and Lex both looked towards the ball as it vibrated, no, hummed softly. It was very important that the system respond to him, for he did not wish to take drastic measures.

"You should not compare yourself to the Sovereign Galactic turtle," a young, immature voice spoke out loud. It almost sounded cute.

"It is rude to the turtle. You should be honored that it gives you so much attention, not throw a tantrum about feeling inferior."

Despite everything he had been through, Lex could not help his lip from twitching. He was under so much pressure, facing off against the system that had given him so much trouble, and here it was, with the cutest little voice, instructing him not to misbehave. The fact that the system sounded so sincere, instead of condescending as he had imagined, somehow made the situation worse. Or better. He could not tell.

"So you respond at last," Lex said, focusing on the matter. He could not afford to get distracted.

"I have less than 20% functionality, and no mouth. I don't know how you expect me to answer you. Sending remarks and notifications already demands so much of my attention."

"Don't you pretend like you sent those remarks for me," Lex nearly snapped. "You were just enjoying making fun of me."

For a few seconds the system did not respond, almost as if it felt shy.

"What do you want to talk about?" it ultimately asked. "I don't have the energy to sustain this. Even now, the only reason I can communicate with you like this is because of the energy in the new realm. By the way, this is breaking a lot of rules, so expect a lot of quests to make up for it."

"Why did you pick me to land on? There were a couple of Demi-Dao Lords on earth, not to mention many other, much stronger cultivators. Even if only from a point of view of the spectrum, then there were better options than me.

"What is the purpose of the systems? Where did they come from? Why is it that the systems can do such incredible things, but no one suspected me of having a system? Do the all powerful Dao Lords really not know about systems? Let's… let's start with these few questions first."

The system hummed once more for a few seconds before answering.

"Why is it that all of your questions break rules? To be clear, I can answer your questions. But the more rules I break, the more miserable your life is going to be. So knowing that, are you sure you want me to answer?"

Lex hesitated. He did not expect the system to be so cooperative. Getting any answers out of Mary had been nigh impossible, but then maybe she just couldn't disregard the rules the way the system could. Who was she really? That was also one of the questions he wanted to ask.

But for now, he focused on the matter at hand. If, for his own safety, he could only ask a few questions, then he had to be selective.

"Why did you pick me?" he asked, once more. He already had an answer from Mary for this, but he just didn't believe it.

"A quick scan of the star system revealed you as one of 11 candidates with the greatest potential for fulfilling the role of a Host. The Demi-Dao Lords did not qualify because they had too many restrictions on them. When searching for a host, someone who has not started their cultivation path is preferable to one who has. So, out of the 11, you were the only one left, making you the default choice."

Eleven candidates? Who could they be? No wait, that did not matter. What did potential for fulfilling the role of a host mean? What is the role of a host? Is it to have the system grow as powerful as possible?

Lex had these questions and more, but the questions came with a price, so he had to be selective.

"What… what is the purpose of the systems?" he asked, after deliberation.

"I can tell you, but it'd be pointless to do so. In that case let me answer a different question. You asked why the powerful people don't know about systems. It's because if the wrong person learns details they shouldn't, their memories are wiped. If you ever meet someone with a system and amnesia, then pretty much that's what happened to them. If you ask the wrong question, your memory will be wiped too, but you'll be stuck with the bill anyway. Better be careful."

The system was speaking like a little boy, explaining the rules of the house to his even younger brother. The innocence and simplicity with which it spoke of earth shattering things was both entertaining and horrifying.

So someone, or something, out there was wiping memories left and right, regardless of one's cultivation level. That was not scary at all.

"How… how can I be sure that you won't harm me in the future?" he asked, unsure of what he was even allowed to ask. What was the point of getting an answer if his memory would be wiped a moment later?

"Um, I'm bound to you, pretty much. If something happens to you, then I get hurt as well. So I have no incentive to hurt you, unless you fail a quest with a clearly outlined punishment."

Lex grit his teeth. This was not nearly as revealing as he was hoping. But it was still progress, in a way.

"I don't want to fuse you to my soul."

"Hmm, that's fine. But it will slow down my recovery, and you won't gain the control over my abilities as much as you wish. It's your loss, to be honest."

"That's fine. But speaking of control, I have some things I want to talk to you about. Moving forward, I want to change the way the Inn functions. We need new rules."