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Chapter 2060: Rumor Mill I
The Innkeeper

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  1. Offline
    Zombiee
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    Chapter 2062: Probes

    The Crystal race. Lex’s relationship with them wasn’t the best. Although he met too few of them to form a judgment for the entire race, his general perception of them was that they were arrogant, pompous pieces of talking crystal. They were incredibly strong, but self centered enough to let their entire realm suffer slaughter for their own hidden agendas.

    He would not go to the extent of saying that he hated them, but he certainly wasn’t a fan.

    Regardless, seeing that the topic of conversation was finally deviating from ’Lexus’, Lex thought that it was time for him to retreat from the rumor room as well. He did, however, make a mental note to keep on coming back here to check up on what was happening.

    Just as the Innkeeper was about to leave, though, the crystal elemental who had been talking to him in the beginning sought him out.

    "Innkeeper, if you have some time, I would love to have the opportunity for a one on one conversation," he said, walking up to the Innkeeper. "When I sent you that Letter of Intent, I had not even vaguely anticipated that it would lead to something like this. It was quite the pleasant surprise, though it has not distracted me from my primary purpose."

    Lex looked towards the elemental and quickly thought back to all the Letters of Intent he had read, trying to recall which one this is. It took hardly a second before he remembered. This should be Dao Lord Promon, representing the Elementals of Myriad Hue Esse Major realm.

    "Of course," responded the Innkeeper. "Come, let us go somewhere we can converse in private."

    Ordinarily, Lex would lead a guest to a room for that would be safe enough considering the system’s isolation features. In the case of a Dao Lord guest, however, Lex decided it was best to play it safe and went to another Chamber of Secrets.

    "We can talk freely here," said the Innkeeper as he went and grabbed a seat at the center table. "Of course, feel free to add any additional layers of security if you wish."

    Promon studied the room for a moment, but then shook his head.𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

    "If it’s good enough for you, then it is good enough for me," he said, right before taking a seat opposite to the Innkeeper. "I must say, your reputation precedes you. When the wars started, we decided to take extra precautions to avoid any accidents. While researching new threats, your name surprisingly came up pretty high."

    For once, Lex allowed the Innkeeper to show an expression of mild surprise as he heard Promon’s words.

    "Oh? A threat? Me? How is that possible? I do not disturb anyone unless they harm my Inn," he said, explaining himself.

    "Yes, that’s exactly what your bio stated," Promon said, agreeing with the Innkeeper. "However, that does not change the fact that your teleportation ability rivals some of the best in the whole universe. If any force were able to gain access to your teleportation capabilities, they could launch a surprise attack that could decidedly affect the tide of an entire Realm war!"

    Ah yes, the teleportation. That had been troubling Lex from the very beginning of his Inn. In fact, he recalled once that some force did exactly that - they used the Midnight Inn to assist in launching an attack on X-142 back in the day. He had to change the teleportation rules after that, though it was hardly perfect even now.

    "In fact, I recall that some forces even tried to plot against the Inn, considering forcing you to act on their behalf. The planning had only barely begun when you sent out your punishment, affecting anyone planning against the Inn. I must say, I was incredibly impressed when I heard about it. At the same time, that didn’t help your threat ranking at all," Promon continued.

    Lex was slightly confused about what punishment he had sent out - but then he remembered. Some time ago, he had spent a lot of MT on security, and the system had thus done something to prevent any incident. While he wasn’t sure about what the system had done, it seemed like that was taken as a subtle warning from him by the other Dao Lords.

    Well, as long as it kept him from getting attacked, he felt good. At the same time, knowing that Dao Lords had considered attacking him, he felt incredibly vulnerable.

    "Of course, besides the warning, it was also the fact that no one could locate your realm that kept you safe," Promon continued. "Even when they sent agents inside your Inn, it made no difference. It was as if there was some kind of incredible formation around your realm that hid it perfectly. Ironically, being so well hidden only raised your threat assessment even higher!"

    The Innkeeper chuckled upon hearing Promon’s story.

    "It seems that no matter what I do, some people will see me as a threat," the Innkeeper said jovially, as if he didn’t take this too seriously.

    Promon shook his head, as if he was exhausted by this as well.

    "It’s the curse of being too skilled," he said with reluctance in his voice. "Being weak would get you attacked, but by being strong you’re viewed as a greater threat. The only real solution, I suppose, is to be such a big threat that no one dares to offend you. So far, you have proven yourself exceptionally exceptional in teleportation, your ability to sense danger from afar is incredible, your ability to send out warnings across the universe is noteworthy, and your stealth is remarkable. If that doesn’t make you the perfect assassin, I don’t know what does."

    Lex could not help but admit that, from Promon’s point of view, he really did have all the necessary skills to become an incredible assassin. Of course, from his own point of view, he was merely a young, handsome lad who was slightly in over his head.

    "I see your point," said the Innkeeper. "But I am only interested in running my Inn - not in getting involved in any wars. I’ll just have to make sure that everyone understands that."

    Promon nodded as he looked away, his thoughts growing distant.

    "That is one solution, I suppose. I don’t know how well it would work, though. For now, it’s fine, but once the wars grow more intense... once Dao Lords start getting involved, and start falling, things will get a whole lot more desperate. Who knows what might happen then."

    Lex could tell that Promon was gearing up for something, and he could even guess what that something was.

    "Indeed, many things have become unpredictable, as of late," said the Innkeeper vaguely.

    Promon finally turned towards the Innkeeper.

    "In that case, would it not be prudent to search out for allies?" he asked. "Strong allies, the kind who can do more than just handle themselves. For someone of your status, it might be more appropriate to search for the Primordial Queen, but what if you’re not the one searching? What if I am? In that case, would there be any chance of reaching some kind of agreement?"

    The Innkeeper did not react immediately, and instead just studied Promon. This could very much be bait to test his actual inclinations, just as it could be a sincere request to form an alliance. Or it could be a trap being woven against not just him, but Promon as well.

    He himself had said that the Innkeeper had a high threat assessment, so couldn’t this conversation also be a part of an assessment.

    Even if he was highly skilled, as long as he chose no sides, he would not attract too much attention. Yet the moment his teleportation turned from a hypothetical to an even slightly possible threat, he was sure he would be faced with more than just mild probes.

    Lex had no interest in getting involved, as hosting a tea party and getting involved in a fight through the capacity of a Dao Lord were two entirely different things.

    "Unfortunately, I have my hands tied with managing my Inn, and am not able to focus on any other matters. In fact, I will not be leaving the Inns territory any time soon," the Innkeeper answered diplomatically.

    Upon hearing the Innkeeper, a certain rumor about his Seat of Power came to Promon’s mind, but he did not give up so easily.

    "What if, and I mean hypothetically speaking, you were never required to leave the Inn? What if you were only required to teleport something discreetly once in a while? You could gain a handsome reward, and I’m sure building a Seat of Power, you would need as much help as you can get. After all, who would want a bank getting involved in their personal matters?"

    Now Lex was sure this was more than just a random probe, though that should have been expected when meeting a Dao Lord in a private meeting. He was testing the Innkeeper, as well as baiting him and even trying to understand if he could be bought. At the same time, he was trying to get any benefit he could find out of the Innkeeper.

    Lex predicted the next line of questioning would involve regular services he offered in his Inn, but used for ulterior purposes. He needed to find a proper answer to get out of this mess.

    Ah, if only he could somehow make Wu Kong the scapegoat once more. Unfortunately, he did not want to push him too much, lest their relationship sour. Best to find a new scapegoat then.
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  2. Offline
    Gargantuantree
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    I’ve waited on this for like a year and now I’m refreshing multiple times a day again lmao.
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    1. Offline
      BRjawa
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      There you go chief
      Chapter 2061: Rumor Mill II
      `

      "Damn, this Lexus is bold!" exclaimed one of the Dao Lords. "For an Immortal to court the Primordial Queen? How did his body not blow up just from thinking about it?"

      A bunch of Dao Lords murmured, agreeing with him.

      "If the Primordial Queen held his hand, she must have given him special permissions or protection. That’s why he could get away with it."

      Lex resisted the urge to rub his temples as he looked at the board in front of him and studied some other rumors.

      ’I heard Lord Harriot used to dye his hair black back in his early days...’

      ’Rumor has it that the Primordial Queen has taken on an apprentice, causing him to encounter enlightenment with each word. The apprentice was a strange creature with two, narrow bendable trunks supporting the main frame of its body, with two more slender branches coming out of its side. It was a strange, moving tree as far as rumor has it with no bark, but leather instead! The funny thing was, it had a massive acorn on top instead of leaves. Incredible.’

      The rumor appeared for a short while, before disappearing with an updated version! The ability to update rumors by gathering several similar rumors and compile them into one was a new feature that the Rumor room had acquired after multiple upgrades.

      ’Rumor has it the Primordial Queen has taken Lexus Will.I.Am as an apprentice!’

      ’Rumor has it that Lexus Will.I.Am is the son of an incredibly powerful Dao Lords who paid the Primordial Queen for a summer internship for his son.’


      "Guys, be reasonable. These rumors are just too fake to be real," said a Dao Lord. "What kind of Dao Lord could bribe the Queen? I’ll tell you what kind: the kind that already has access to the garden! Lexus must be the child of someone from Ventura!"

      Many Dao Lords agreed with that theory. It was incredibly inconvenient that within the garden they were restricted, and unable to look into the secrets through reverse divination. In fact, a majority of their senses were sealed, which is why they were left to speculate on rumors rather than just looking up the correct answer themselves.

      Yet at the same time, this inconvenience brought about a novel experience. It had been too long since any of them were left answerless, which allowed them to partake in this rare case of baseless speculation. At this point, the content of the rumors barely mattered to them anymore.

      "Guys, seriously. This is not possible. The Primordial Queen doesn’t have an apprentice, and there’s no way she was holding some random immortal’s hands. These are called rumors exactly because there’s no proof here," said a sober minded Dao Lord. "We should instead focus on more realistic rumors. For example, there’s a rumor of a black, Primordial Phoenix in the garden. I’ve never heard of such a breed of phoenix - could it be a new one?"

      A lot of the Dao Lords turned to the board to read the related rumors.

      "So what if there’s a new phoenix. I’m more interested in this Trelop race that’s apparently been growing rapidly. Look here, it says the race is mutating to adapt to Primordial energy faster than any other race."𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

      There were, indeed, quite a few mentions of Trelops and their ever growing strength. Speaking of, Lex still hadn’t seen the real body of a Trelop yet - he wondered what they looked like when they were fused with a massive territory.

      As he looked at the board once more, he noticed that there were a few rumors that were, generally, unrelated to him.

      "What’s this about a tribune of Primordial humans? As far as I know, there weren’t any Primordial humans, or am I mistaken?" a Dao Lord asked.

      "Well, knowing anything about the Primordial Age is tough, but yes, it is generally agreed upon that none of the Humanoid races had a true, Primordial form despite being born in the Primordial Age. They merely benefited from cultivating in Primordial energy," answered another.

      Lex looked at that particular rumor.

      ’Rumor has it that a tribe of humans have independently declared a country, coming together to help other humans adapt to the realm. Apparently, the king of the humans is taking help from the Ventura students who visit the realm to help create Primordial Humans.’

      Instead of causing more discussion, many Dao Lords became quiet after reading that.

      "Does that mean that the humans have allied with Ventura? Or has the Humanoid Alliance done that?" a Dao Lord asked. "Surely the humans haven’t forsaken the Humanoid Alliance for the sake of Ventura, have they?"

      The situation turned from enjoying random rumors to discussing universal politics real quick, and for once Lex was glad he was in the thick of it. He dared not observe these Dao Lords through his system lest they detect him, so he could only go to each place in person to check up on them, which is why he had come here to begin with.

      Now, he was learning important tidbits about history, and what the universe thought about humans.

      "Don’t be absurd. The actions of one group of humans in a single realm don’t reflect the position of humans universe wide. But this explains why humans have had such a massive jump in rankings lately - it seems that Ventura has decided to invest in this group. This is important information - it could influence how other organizations treat humans during the war. The only thing we need to discern is if these are a real investment, or if they’re being nurtured as cannon fodder," said a Dao Lord.

      "What do you think, Innkeeper? Is this why you’ve been investing in humans so much inside your Inn?" asked one of the Dao Lords, suddenly shifting the focus of the conversation drastically.

      Seeing nearly thirty Dao Lords suddenly turn towards him, Lex smiled internally. Of course he was going to get caught up in this mess.


      "The type and race of workers in my Inn reflect nothing other than their ability to serve my guests," he answered without hesitation. "Human adaptability makes them well suited for the service industry. The Inn has never concerned itself with external factors, focusing only on serving its guests to the best of its ability."

      Many Dao Lords found such an answer to be disappointing - not just because it wasn’t scandalous in the least, but also because it was grounded in logic. On a universal scale, humans were more likely to be enslaved or at least brought into service by stronger races simply because of how versatile they were. That, combined with their lack of Dao Lords, make it so that the human race is a reliable, dependable race when seeking out slaves without the threat or possibility of retaliation.

      "Still, if the human race is able to adapt to the Primordial Garden, and evolve into a Primordial form, then they will become a formidable force. Who knows, the very first Dao Lord of the human race after so many years might be present right here, in this very garden, at this very moment," said another.

      Many of the Dao Lords seemed to find that possibility quite probable - especially since Ventura was the one backing them. Not a single one of them doubted that the human race could regain not just one, but many Dao Lords as long as Ventura backed them properly. With the resources of multiple Major realms available to him at his disposal, there were few things he could not accomplish.

      "It might not be so simple. While the Primordial Garden is out of reach, and so the humans here remain protected, I doubt that the Gon and Tyranis race will silently watch their rise. The humans hiding in other realms might be in for some trouble. This might be a good opportunity to bait them into the open."

      Lex watched silently as some of the Dao Lords plotted to use humans as bait to kill some members of the Gon and Tyranis race. Since they were from one of the few races firmly associated with the Path of Chaos, killing them would earn merits for the Tower of Providence, which was apparently valuable even for Dao Lords.

      Just as Lex was about to excuse himself and leave the room, a new commission attracted his attention.

      "Hey, look at this. There’s a new race that seems to be on the rise," a Dao Lord said, pointing to a new rumor.

      ’Rumor has it that a member of the Crystal race has formed a Dao Heart, and has appealed to the Dao Congress to allow him to undertake the Dao tribulation. If they find his chances to be decent, they might recommend him to be sent out of the garden to undertake a Dao tribulation. He is the seventh candidate to come out of the Crystal race, and of the seven, two are still undergoing their Dao tribulations with the possibility of success still existing!’

      Aurthor’s Note: For those that don’t know, there is a community discord for the Innkeeper novel. You can find an invitation link in the novel description on the novel page if you wish to join and stay updated on all the Innkeeper news and announcments!
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      1. Offline
        Александр Убаев
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  3. Offline
    1q2w3e4r5t
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    One always always forgets that rumors get annoying when you're on the wrong side of them.
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