The Innkeeper - Chapter 1517

Chapter 1517: Precautionary measures
Even though the guest in front of him was using a very blatant and obvious method to try to provoke him, Lex continued to maintain an at ease demeanor. The Innkeepers persona of someone who was very calm and had everything under control could not be broken.

“I think you are under some kind of misunderstanding, dear guest. I am but a humble Innkeeper, managing my Inn and taking care of my guests. Why would something like that require strength?

“The only reason I have taken a step back, for now, is to allow the Inn workers to mature a bit, and gain some experience. Though the Midnight Inn caters to the whole universe, for now we are limited to this little corner, taking on only a few guests so that the Inn may prepare itself for when we open properly. I suppose you could say the Inn, currently, is in its soft launch phase.”

Wu Kong snorted.

“You have two Sovereigns, a new born realm, the highest concentration of human talent available in the entire universe, two potential Dao Lords and a worker who is all but ready to discover his Dao, limited only by his realm, and you say you don’t need strength? I have never heard anything so absurd.

“Are you so confident in yourself that you did not react at all when the universe’s most infamous thief comes waltzing in like nothing? You did not even react when I distributed the Jade Emperor’s wine to all the guests of the Inn? You do know that he will be able to detect those who have drunk his wine the moment they leave the Inn. He may say nothing to them, but he will certainly follow the trail of where they got that wine.”

Was he the universe’s most infamous thief? That explained why he was wanted. Lex didn’t know who this Jade Emperor was, but considering that as a Dao Lord this guest was concerned about him, then he was also probably some Dao Lord with immense influence.

If he was infamous for stealing, then that probably wasn’t the only thing he stole. He had also clearly scouted out the Inn for valuables, and though Lex could guess the identity of the potential Dao Lords, he had no idea who he was referring to when he mentioned a worker all but ready to discover his Dao.

In fact, he may have already stolen some things from the Inn, and Lex would have no way of knowing since the system couldn’t detect him at all. Though, to a degree, Lex got an idea for why the system couldn’t detect him. As the universe’s most infamous thief, it was obvious that he would have some amazing methods to prevent himself from being detected by anyone or anything.

“I only know you as the guest who hangs out with Brandon, and started a week long party at the Inn. As long as you don’t break the rules of the Inn, why would I be concerned with your reputation? More than me, it seems you are bothered by a lack of reaction on my part. Why don’t you tell me why the universe’s most infamous thief has joined a book club at the Midnight Inn?”

During the short period of their conversation, Lex had swept the Inn, and though he had been unable to detect the guest in front of him, he could pay special attention to people’s conversations regarding him. Through that, he had gotten a general idea of what this guest had been doing at the Inn the last few months – at least publicly.

“You…” Wu Kong said, but seemed unable to say anything more. He seemed visibly frustrated, not that Lex believed any of it was true. Eventually, he just sighed.

“Are you already in contact with Her? Is that why you’re so nonchalant? Do you already know my identity?” Wu Kong asked, one question after another.

The Innkeeper, to Wu Kong’s immense frustration, raised a simple eyebrow in curiosity.

“I am not sure what you are talking about,” he said, further cementing his image as an overall very chill guy.

Yet the more calm and friendly the Innkeeper appeared to be, the more Wu Kong felt annoyed and frustrated.

Ever since he had stolen the Peaches of Immortality back when he was just a mortal monkey, he had hardly ever come across such a friendly person – at least as long as they knew who he was.

In that case, the reason Wu Kong felt frustrated was… if only he had discovered the Innkeeper sooner, he would not have gone through so much of life without any friends.

In the end, Wu Kong simply sighed in defeat. There was no point in probing him any further, for he wouldn’t detect anything anyway.

Wu Kong was more of a fighter than a talker anyway.

Slowly, a seriousness mixed into Wu Kong’s eyes. He spread his aura around the room, completely isolating it from the outside. Although the system still seemed unable to detect anything the guest in front of him did, Lex himself could feel that he had been isolated within his office for one, very simple reason – he was once again cut off from Jack, or basically anything outside his office.

In fact, even his system seemed unable to sweep through the Inn, though it was still operating as if everything was fine.

“Since you asked me… well, you asked me why I joined the book club, but it’s close enough to asking me why I have come to the Inn, so it’s time we got down to business. I hope you do not mind me isolating your office, what we discuss here needs to stay a secret.”

“I assure you, my office is secure enough on its own, but if it makes you more comfortable, then you can use your own measures for safety,” the Innkeeper said calmly, as if he was completely unperturbed by the sudden display of power.

Internally, Lex spoke to Mary.

“Hey Mary, are you still there?”

“Yes, I am,” she said, though she didn’t appear anywhere in sight. “But I closed all external senses the moment your meeting started. If anyone other than you hears your guest’s words, he may detect it, so I have no way of knowing what’s going on. Do not tell me what happens in this meeting – you will need to use your own discretion to determine how to proceed. Do let me know when the meeting is over so I can unblock my senses though.”

“Got it. Stay put, I’ll handle this,” said Lex.

He did not allow himself to feel nervous, even though the Host Attire prevented any of his emotions from showing. He didn’t even dare go into the state of Flow. Anything and everything could serve as a hint to the Dao Lord in front of him, who seemed more formidable than any of the previous Dao beings he had ever met before.

As such, he quite firmly and thoroughly took control over all his actions and emotions. He didn’t even allow himself to wonder if he would need to be decontaminated from Dao aura once more.

“I am sure that your security measures are adequate, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful. The matters I need to discuss are secrets of the highest order.”

As if to emphasize that exact thing, Wu Kong pulled out a small treasure that looked like a gold buddha statue, and placed it on the table between him and the Innkeeper.

From the buddha’s head incense smoke started to rise and began swirling around the two of them creating yet another barrier around them, further isolating them.

During the entire process, the Innkeeper remained entirely unperturbed, watching with a soft smile on his face.

The Innkeepers unwavering confidence, despite the situation, was quite impressive, and Wu Kong raised his evaluation of the Innkeeper by a few levels. Maybe the weakness that he had detected – the one that said that the Innkeeper was only at 40% of his maximum strength – was something the Innkeeper had purposefully revealed as a facade.

Regardless, it did not matter. Wu Kong continued to make a few more preparations, and Lex watched silently, not allowing a single emotional fluctuation.

At one point, through his tenet, Lex even detected that the laws around them had suddenly changed. It almost felt like they had been transported inside an entirely different realm altogether, yet that wasn’t possible. The Host Attire would not have worked if they had left the Midnight Realm.

“Now then, I think we can talk frankly,” said Wu Kong, looking much more at ease with his various protections in place. “I’ll get right to it. I did not come to the Midnight Inn by coincidence, nor did I come here to enjoy a leisurely vacation, although that has been a pleasant experience that I more than welcome. I came here because I was sent here by Mother Nuwa.”