The Innkeeper

Dillion relaxed upon hearing the Innkeepers answer. It was not unheard of for Daolords to be nonchalant about etiquette, but whether or not they were was their prerogative. Regardless of her status or strength, unless she touched upon the Dao, she had to prostrate herself before them.

Now that he had told her to relax, however, she must not emphasize on continuing her display. Another very important rule about dealing with Daolords was not giving them a reason to repeat themselves.

She silently chided herself for ever doubting the veracity of the rumors regarding the Innkeeper. If she had not been arrogant enough to request an audience with the Innkeeper to further investigate the Inn, she would not have ended up in this situation.

Upon noticing Dillion instantly obeying his instructions, yet detecting the strong sense of fear and regret radiating from her body, Lex connected many dots and immediately came to a conclusion of his own about what was happening.

He chuckled and said, "sometimes our own extensive experience can be our own detriment. At the Inn, so long as you do not break any of the Inns rules, you are completely safe. Now tell me, how can I help you?"

Dillion's body trembled, but she managed to keep herself from having any stray thoughts and bowed deeply towards Lex. Only after a minute, when she got up from her deep bow, did she say in a reverent voice, "I am Dillion Jormander, great lord, a custodian in the Henali court. I came to seek some clarification on the tasks posted in the Guild hall."

"In that case, why did you seek me out, and not the person who put down these tasks?"

"Great lord, I feared that checking the details of these tasks was beneath you, and the person who put up these tasks may have been using your platform with insidious intent. That way, should news of the tasks come to light, the one to suffer the fallout would be the Inn instead of the original author of these tasks."

Strictly speaking, Dillion's words were true, which was the best answer she could give in this circumstance. Naturally the whole truth was that she doubted the Innkeeper's actual strength and status, but the coercion she suffered back in the hall before his office set the record straight. It was not something that could be easily fabricated.

"Oh?" Lex said, suddenly pulling up the tasks and looking at them again. To be honest, even with this new information he could not make heads or tails of it - yet he could not allow her to realize as much.

The second request was a little strange, to tickle the soul of an aged Marble moon fruit. Was that the one that was insidious? Lex, an extremely ticklish man, always felt that the act was the devil's work. Or was it the third request, to steal the death of an Akhroat? It literally had the words death and steal in it.

Nope, Lex could not make heads or tails of it, so he had to look at the matter from another angle. The tasks were put up by Ragnar, so did Lex judge the man to be one with machinations behind his actions. He had a strong feeling that Ragnar was not such a man, so he would not use the Inn to perform any evil tasks. He was a man with a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, so he wouldn't be out here wasting time over nothing. There had to be more to these tasks, but whatever the secret was, Lex was convinced it was not something evil. Also, he really wanted that 1 trillion MP!

"The tasks have been put up by a repeated guest of the Inn, one I have met personally many times" Lex said, his voice as reassuring as the warmth of the winter sun. "I trust that there is sufficient reason for him to put up such requests."

Dillion did not know much about the Innkeeper, mostly because there was not much information about him available. However, his reputation at the Inn seemed to be very good and based on what she heard he did not seem to have many evil practices. In fact, he seemed to care very little about anything unrelated to the Inn itself. So, perhaps, in his eyes, the task that seemed very dangerous, with potentially catastrophic repercussions if not handled carefully, was of no importance whatsoever.

She was hesitating about whether or not she should elaborate, or if it would seem rude for her to continue on with a topic the Innkeeper already deemed safe.

Lex, who was now more in sync with the system and its space than ever before, was naturally able to pick out the expressions on her face. While he was not familiar with her race, his instincts, in this heightened state, were naturally able to detect what was on her mind.

"Do not be afraid to say what's on your mind." After all, the more you speak, the more I will learn.

Naturally, Lex did not say the second part, and only thought about it.

"The last task, of speaking under the shade of a Divine Mango tree, especially taking the name of the deathly precinct… if it is not performed with the utmost care, it could end up interfering with the preparations for the Henali Champions tourney. Such a transgression… it is not one that can be easily borne."

Dillion dared not look directly at the Innkeeper, despite his assurance that it was alright, but she was observing for any reaction that the Innkeeper had at this information. After all, even Daolords had to obey the Henali.

But there was none. The Innkeeper was as casual as before, as if he did not care at all.

"Maybe the whole purpose of the task then," he eventually said, his voice as if explaining something simple to a mere child, "is to find someone capable of fulfilling the requirement without causing problems. I'm sure he does not mean to attract endless trouble towards himself, but is rather searching for someone brave enough to attempt it, and skilled enough to pull it off. I suggest you do not take the task if you do not consider yourself of sufficient skill."

Dillion was startled, and somehow she felt challenged. Though from the Innkeepers voice she heard nothing but genuine concern, calling her courage and skill into question, for her own safety, affected her more than any insult ever could have.

She was not crazy enough to try and offend Henali but… suddenly she was curious about what kind of requirements they have for a person, if just their test alone is already so tough.

"No, I cannot risk anyone else attempting the task and messing up. I will take this upon myself," she said, both reassuring herself and informing the Innkeeper.

He smiled at her, his eyes filled with more gentleness than even her own father had shown her, and said, "then I wish you luck."

He truly did, for there was 1 trillion MP on the line here!

*****

Once Dillion left, the Innkeeper retreated leaving Luthor free to do as he wished. The Innkeeper had suggested he cultivate, and had even provided him with an excellent cultivation technique. But Luthor's heart could not settle down.

He spent several hours familiarizing himself with the Inn, then used his position as the Innkeeper's receptionist to get a meeting with one of the most famous of the Inn's workers, Gerard - the Head of Security.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Gerard said, as amiable as ever. His appearance had changed drastically due to Regalia Bloom, making it so that he no longer looked like an aged man, but rather a handsome, mature man. Compared to him, the delicate Luthor seemed very lacking, yet Gerard saw a fire in his eyes that let him know not to take this man lightly.

"Senior Gerard," Luthor began, his voice polite yet professional. "I have been doing some research since my appointment, and, if you do not mind, there are some matters I wish to discuss with you."

"Oh? Taking initiative, I like that. Tell me, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well senior, it has come to my attention that up until very recently, a lot of the security was handled by guards that had been outsourced for the Lady Cosmos competition. But since the competition ended, the guards also returned. During that entire time, and still, many guests took the Inns' rules as nothing and kept breaking them, causing the security to have their hands full. Now that the extra guards are gone, your teams should be even busier now than ever, correct?"

"That is true."

"I believe, senior, that the reason people keep trying to break the rules, is because of how lenient the Innkeeper is. Naturally, someone of his caliber would view all the guests as nothing but children, and so would treat them gently."

An evil light shone in Luthor's eyes.

"But as the representatives of the Inn, and the Innkeeper, we need to maintain the respect that they deserve. I believe… if we took a stronger stance against rule breakers, the rest would be too afraid to transgress."

"What do you have in mind?"