The Innkeeper

1 second. That was exactly how long it took for Ragnar to absorb all the information Slag had given him, remove the unnecessary parts, focus on things he thought were unimportant but actually might be, and form his own theories different from what Slag originally thought. He was quick not because the information was brief, but because his thoughts worked imperceptibly faster than normal humans.

There was one, very important thing that Slag had not realized in his assessment of the Inn. His mistake wasn't really his fault actually, it was a result of his understanding of the universe being limited.

Guessing on the possibility of there being other Inns was not something that could be done at the moment, because early conjecture without sufficient evidence would blind them to other possibilities and cause them to misinterpret new evidence to somehow fit into the narrative they thought most likely.

It also led to an entirely different line of thought such as, were there different Innkeepers for each Inn, or did the same one manage them all? How were they formed? Where did they exist? How were they hidden?

All of these questions were extremely important, but also distractions. Everything had to be done in a systematic manner, haphazardly making guesses would lead to inefficiency. One of the first things that needed to be focused on was where the Inn was.

Before arriving at the Inn, Ragnar had equipped a special device that would transmit his location to any Jotun carrier, planet, server, satellite, or basically anything that could connect to their main database. He did not expect to get a result immediately, but based on their latest technology, if within 24 hours the signals were unable to reach such a device, it would lead to a few very interesting possibilities.

The first and foremost of those was that the Inn was in an alternate space, cut off from the main universe. This was the most likely option, as such a thing wasn't altogether uncommon. Another possibility was that his signals were somehow blocked. This was a little more unlikely. This signal was based on the newest technology that most did not even know existed yet. Basically, so long as any form of energy existed, the signal could use it to carry itself forward. This went beyond just common forms of energy such as kinetic, light, gravitational, spirit etc. Even higher forms of energy, that most beings could not even perceive or interact with, could be used as a medium.

Another possibility, one that Ragnar thought had a high chance of being correct, was that the Inn was so far from anywhere in the known universe that it was taking much longer for the signal to be transmitted.

Such a theory also meant that the entity known as the Midnight Inn was a power from the uncharted territories of the universe, and the Innkeeper was a cultivator that no existing topmost cultivator had ever interacted with yet. This theory was troublesome.

Still, he would not speculate until he had more information.

"Good. You will follow me from now on, and if you think of any new information you may inform me directly via spirit sense. Anthony, start running tests immediately. I want to know the density of the spiritual energy, the gravity index, the day cycle, the oxygen concentration of the air, basically everything there is to know about this place!"

"Yes sir," answered the relatively weak looking man who had asked Lex about setting up a recruitment stall.

Without waiting to see what they did, Ragnar exited the room, Slag following behind him. Outside a soldier was waiting for him.

"Did the Devils agree to the meeting?"

"Yes sir, they've invited you to their room for the meeting. All of them are there, none of them have split from the main room. Only one is waiting outside for you to invite you in."

"Good, let's go."

Ragnar decided to meet the Devils first as he had a very important task he wanted to complete. With the other delegates, there were actual important matters that needed to be discussed. With the Devils, Ragnar simply wanted to vent by insulting them!

The man had spent over a thousand years fighting devils, and had long since evolved past mundane emotions as hating Devils for righteous reasons. The way he saw it now was simple. Since they were the enemy, he would take pleasure in their discomfort.

"You can only enter alone," the Devil standing outside their room told Ragnar as he approached. He had a mischievous smile as he waited for Ragnar to argue with him, but this Devil had never interacted with Ragnar before. How could he know the butcher's personality?

"Then let's get on with it," he said bluntly, as if he could not have cared less even if he tried. Ragnar did not put even a second thought into the fact that he had discovered a security flaw in the room earlier. As far as he was concerned, nothing would make him happier if the Devils would ambush him in the room.

The remaining soldiers stood face to face with the Devil as he teleported Ragnar inside. They grinned at him, as if welcoming any trouble he would cause. These were the elitist soldiers in their battalion. If they didn't face a near death experience every day, it would feel like they were wasting their time.

Inside the room, several Devils sat on sofas and on the bed, like a group of friends hanging out. Somehow, they already had drinks and food in the room and there was one, particularly emo-looking Devil playing a musical instrument in the corner. What did an emo Devil look like? Like an 80 year old man dressed like a teenager, with a single piercing that looked out of place and long unbrushed hair that covered his eyes.

Loretta was sitting in the corner, eating jumbo shrimp with a look that screamed avarice. This was the first time she had tried a 'shrimp' and had decided that she loved them.

"Tell me, Loretta, you wouldn't happen to be Stefan's daughter, would you? Or would it be son? Or some other third thing that I don't know the name for?"

Ragnar's voice was very serious, as if he was not asking a question and insulting her at the same time.

"Why would you link me with Stefan, General? Do I look like a progeny of the elves?" she asked in return, unbothered by the man's attempt at an insult.

"Not really. But I've already killed three of his sons. I thought killing one of his daughters would be a nice change of pace."

Though this time he was not insulting her, the hostility he received from the Devils was manifold. Basking in their killing intent, Ragnar revealed a generous smile, as if he were receiving the most relaxing of massages.

After glaring at the man for a moment, Loretta relaxed again. "I'm a little disappointed, General. Is that why you came here? To insult us? I would have expected a little more from the Son of the Empire.

Ragnar grinned and looked around the room. He looked each Devil in the eyes, and none turned away from his gaze as if challenging him. Both parties knew that in a situation where a Celestial could potentially be offended, there would be no combat. That effectively turned any interaction between the parties moot as they could not fight, and would not parley. In that case, it really did seem that Ragnar only came to insult them.

Finally, when he had looked each Devil in the eye, he turned back to Loretta and said, "12 Devils. Other than Warheil Heil Fendal, who is a confirmed anomaly, the rest don't seem to have an affiliation with Stefan the seditious. That means it's already time for the new generation to enter the battlefield, and you're probably the first, right? I'm sure the alliance will be interested to know that things are about to get heated once again."

Without waiting for a response, Ragnar left the room. He would have liked to stay and bask in their discomfort, but he could not risk letting them realize what he had actually done.

The new generation of Devils sat there ignoring the man known as Hell's Butcher, unaware that he had absorbed all of their auras in a special recording device implanted in his eyes. They thought he only meant to provoke them, yet how could such an important man waste his precious time just to antagonize them?

Soon, they would learn of his cunning.

"Who's next?" Ragnar asked his soldier, already moving away from the room.

The humans of Earth seem to be conducting a meeting of their own at the moment, so the Beasts of Nibiru will be next. Only the sloth and deer agreed to meet, the rest have either already returned home or started preparing for the games.

"Lead me to them," he said, as he started planning out his moves in his head. So far, this meeting had been very fruitful for the Empire. He was eager to see what other gains he could harvest.