The Innkeeper

New Notification: Unique grade ingredient Heavenly tree of Dragon Fire detected! Absorb ingredient to repair the system?

It was a very simple notification, yet at the same time, it was immensely informative. Previously, the ingredients he found were either Heavenly, Celestial or Dao level ingredients. But the Heavenly tree of Dragon Fire was rated as unique. He did not know where on the scale that fell, but he was hoping that it would be enough.

He only needed 3% more and his quest would be complete. It was both very close, and very far.

Lex accepted the prompt, and the tree of fire disappeared, absorbed into the system. Over the past couple of months Lex had been completely occupied using Heaven's furnace, to the point where he could not be distracted at all. He had thoroughly underestimated the vitality of the Tree, as it stayed alive right up until the very end, despite being trapped inside such a deadly inferno.

He felt that while his estimate of the Trees combat strength was accurate, he had underestimated how difficult it would be to kill. It only made sense.

"Is it over?" Leonidus asked, walking up to Lex.

Over the past couple of months, the battalion had made its way back to Lex and protected him the entire time in case he was attacked. It would have hardly mattered as his defense was incredible, but it would not have been a pleasant experience, which is why Lex was grateful for their help.

They'd also used this time to finish their own objectives as well. Being teleported away mid-battle had been surprising, but when they saw what state the Tree had been brought to, they were quite understanding. But their job was quite a bit easier than they expected, because most zealots of the Tree, or the most devoted worshippers died on their own, leaving behind only shriveled bodies, as if they had been sucked dry of everything.

After that, all the forces of the various countries under the shade of the tree were crippled on their own, leaving the battalion with nothing to do. While it was clear to many that those who had died had their energies absorbed by the Tree in a bid for survival, others blamed the battalion, so it wasn't like protecting Lex was a walk in the park.

But they suffered no casualties, which was all that mattered.

"Yes, it's over," Lex said, then turned to look around him. The tree was truly massive, and as it had suddenly disappeared, an enormous hole had been left in the place where it once stood. But that was far from the extent of the repercussions of its sudden departure.

Lex could feel that the Tree's absence would affect everything from tectonic movements, to weather, the development of the entire continents civilizations, as well as the spiritual energy.

Rather than decreasing, the concentration of spiritual energy on the continent was actually increasing, and quite noticeably. It seemed that the Tree had been monopolizing all that energy, but since it couldn't cultivate further Lex had no idea what else it was doing with that energy. But at the same time, he didn't care.

To be more specific, as long as the Tree was truly dead and hadn't left behind any clones or means or revival, he didn't care. He tapped into his instincts, trying to determine if he could still feel the existence of the Tree, but they were silent.

It was time to return, but first…

"Let the word spread," Lex's voice echoed out over the countries that had once taken refuge with the tree. "This is what happens to those who dare attack the Midnight Inn."

He didn't really need to elaborate. He was sure that by now everyone knew exactly what was going on. But considering the distance from the Tree and the Inn, there was quite a decent chance that many didn't know what was actually happening. Misinformation was also a dangerous thing, and he didn't want the reputation of the Inn to become that they would attack people unprovoked.

So he left a few final words, before encompassing everyone with his spirit sense and teleporting them all back to the Inn.

It had been a long few months, and Lex was extremely tired. In fact, his body ached to do nothing more than sleep, but Lex resisted the urge for a moment. He dragged his weary self out to the now repaired Midnight manor and sat himself down at the bar.

The number of people in the bar was strangely few, but Lex didn't mind right now. He was not in the most presentable condition anyway, so maybe it was for the best.

"Give me something that will keep me awake for a little longer, something with a kick," Lex said without looking up. He closed his eyes and let himself rest. It was a little premature, but he genuinely felt like his quest would be complete now. It wasn't something his instincts were telling him, rather, just his own feeling.

If it proved to be true, then finally they would be past the teething problems of the Inn. That would officially mark the end of their move from the Origin realm, and the start of their time in the Midnight realm. He could begin to work out ways to send his guests back. He could train himself and the others. He could… he could do many things.

It was a beginning, and an ending, for only now did he feel like he was letting go of his dependance of the Origin realm.

"Here, try this. We've recently harvested our own coffee beans at the Inn, so we've been trying various ways of making coffee."

Lex was surprised at the familiar voice. He opened his eyes and saw Gerard in his waistcoat, standing behind the bar.

"What are you doing here?" Lex asked. It had been a long time since Gerard had to fill a position such as bartender. It was only in the early days of the Inn that he had filled such a role.

"I was just feeling a little nostalgic today. There must be something in the air, because it's affecting everyone."

He nodded his head, and Lex turned and found that Z had huddled up in a corner of the bar, put on his headphones and was watching anime. Velma was sitting at the grand piano, playing a soft, romantic melody.

Vera and her mother were sitting at a table nearby, playing cards, of all things.

Harry and his wife were in another corner, talking to a group of friends. Of all things, John was even here, though he was sitting alone and scribbling something on a notebook.

There were a few other new and old faces, but Lex was suddenly taken back to the first few days of the Inn. It had all been so hectic back then, yet looking back, for all the stress he had ensured back then, they were good times.

Lex smiled, and took a sip of his coffee, taking in its rich, aromatic flavors.

"This is pretty good," Lex said. Gerard only nodded, and went to serve someone else.

Lex didn't talk much. He didn't go and join any other conversations. He just sat there and enjoyed the pleasant environment.

Who knew what the future held, but at least the present was pretty good.

Lex thought back to some of his old guests. It had been a while since he had seen old man Will or Helen, or that lazy sloth that had given him so much trouble back then. He wondered how they were all doing. There was also little Tiffany who had grown up. As the chosen one of a planet, her life was probably very hectic, right? Everyone else probably also had a lot of things keeping them busy, maybe stressing them out.

But it was only with such a busy, hectic life that one could appreciate the charm of the Midnight Inn. It allowed them to take a small pause from the troubles of their life - take a small break, recover, and then move on.

Lex suddenly had an impulsive whim to open the Inn back up to everyone. Keeping the Inn closed was a real disservice to everyone who needed a vacation. But it was just an impulsive thought, he couldn't actually do it. He had to strengthen himself first - at least till he was ready to become an immortal.

Lex took another sip, and looked around the room. Everything was so peaceful. It was quite nice, but he couldn't help but miss Marlo. Sometimes, a little crazy energy was also quite rejuvenating.

"I'm too young to be feeling so nostalgic," Lex murmured to himself, and took another sip of the coffee. Why was it so damn good? How had he never thought of trying this before?

But after another hour, even the coffee began to fail Lex, and he was forced to bid farewell to the relaxing environment of the bar and retire to his bedroom.

After a quick shower, he threw himself to bed.