The Innkeeper

Soon after, the comedian went offstage, and the YouTuber went on. Similar to her last performance, she sat on stage alone on a stool. Her excitement was clearly visible on her face, though Lex did not think she cared for the award that would be granted to the entire planet. Clearly, whoever had brought her had promised her other prizes should she manage to get first place.

After taking a few moments to calm herself, she began her performance. This time she sang the song 'A thousand years'. Her voice was melodic and sweet and had great harmony. Still, it was surprising to Lex that this is what the Beasts appreciated. He could have sworn that the two fighters smashing each other's guts out was more appealing to them. Guess he learnt his lesson on stereotyping.

For a few minutes, the Inn went silent. The YouTubers' voice could be heard in every corner, and all the guests stopped whatever they were doing to enjoy the song. The birds and parrots native to the Inn arrived at the coliseum and started flying in circles around the stage.

Even Little Blue, who had been throwing a tantrum, stopped to listen, much to the relief of the Gardener as only he was watching the whale.

The Sovereign Galactic Turtle did not stop what he was doing, as he was busy using the Devil/fertilizer to nurture the three rare seeds Le had given it, yet gently bobbed its head along.

For the first time, Lex noticed that cultivators and Beasts alike were captivated by the young woman's voice, despite her being a complete mortal and having no bloodline to help her. Lex could not help but think of the ballerina at this moment. Had she not dropped out, would she have made it to the finals?

The thought was fleeting, and Lex quickly forgot about it as he lost himself in the moment. Hers was the quickest performance, yet its impact was undeniable. Once the performance ended, it was officially the end of the first part of the show.

Lex suddenly realized that at this moment he should have gone on stage to announce the winners, and share some details about the next portion of the games. But he was standing next to Harry and John, and it would be extremely suspicious if he suddenly disappeared, right before the Innkeeper appeared. He could not tell if this was just a result of him being forgetful or his tumor was affecting his decision making again. Either way, he needed to handle it.

After considering what to do for a moment, he made his decision. An announcement was heard across the Inn.

"The winner for the first portion will be declared at 6 pm, along with the details for the combat portion of the Games."

With that, those who were waiting for the prize ceremony relaxed. It also gave them time to call everyone who was absent so that they could also attend the ceremony. Once again, it all seemed planned for the benefit of the guests, and not at all like a planning debacle, which it actually was.

"It seems like the ceremony is a few hours away," Leo said, turning to John. "How about you tell me about bloodlines in the meantime?"

"Oh, do you already have 1000 MP saved up? Your Gamers den must make more MP than I realized. Sure, follow me to my room. I would rather not have such conversations in public."

Leo almost flinched as he realized another mistake. His income from the Gamers' den wasn't that much considering the cost of renting a PC was only 1MP, yet he dismissed the 1000 MP because he was considering his massive supply of MP as Lex. Leo should have tried to negotiate down the cost. This huge sum would also limit how many questions he could ask at a time. But what was done was done, there was no use in crying over spilt milk.

"Sure, let's go. Harry, do you want to join us?"

"Uh, can I?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course, since I'm paying anyway there's no reason you shouldn't take advantage."

With that, the three of them retreated to Battle Ax. Even now, there were a few people waiting to avail John's services, but he was taking a break for the rest of the day and told them as much.

Inside the trio made themselves comfortable as Leo sent John the 1000 MP. This was a hefty amount, no doubt, but the understanding was that anytime Lex had questions about bloodlines John would answer them now.

"Bloodlines are a vague concept," John began, his voice deeper than normal. "There is a general understanding of how they work based on many millennia of study, but there will occasionally be a new bloodline that contradicts previously understood convention, which is why they are not considered having strict rules.

"When talking of bloodlines, the first question that comes up is, what is the difference between a being with a bloodline and one without? This is because, even in the same species, there can be various bloodlines. The clearest example is the previous human who had a bloodline, but there are so many other humans present here who do not.

"The effect of bloodlines can be expressed in two main ways. The first is the effect on the person carrying the bloodline, and the second is the effect on those near the carrier. Usually, the effect on the person carrying the bloodline is some kind of enhancement to strength or ability, while to those near the carrier are some kind of suppression. I am being as general as possible, because bloodlines really are too varied and have too many effects.

"For example, the human performer. His bloodline did not seem to suppress those around him, but had some kind of charm effect. In Beasts, the role of bloodlines is more common and apparent. A Beast with a bloodline will have an easier time growing stronger, but its growth will be guided according to its bloodline. Here, they also suffer a drawback which is that if they encounter another Beast with the same bloodline, the one with a weaker or thinner bloodline will suffer an innate suppression.

"The second question that is asked often is how is a bloodline formed? Even this has a few different answers. The purest bloodlines are formed as a result of cultivation. When a being reaches a very high level of cultivation, his or her bloodline naturally gains certain abilities or attributes according to how that being cultivated.

"For example, if a human cultivator who is focused on cultivating with a technique with an affinity for fire reaches a high enough level, his bloodline will gain attributes that support fire based techniques. If that human has any children after that, a bloodline that aids in cultivating fire based techniques will be formed and passed on to his descendants.

"The second, and the most common way, that bloodlines are formed is through the descendants of two different species. For example, if a human and a devil were to have a child, while the child will be born in the same species as the mother, the child will also inherit a bloodline that mixes the strengths of both races.

"The third way, and perhaps the most unstable way, that produces special bloodlines is to absorb the blood essence of any being with a much higher cultivation than oneself. To succeed in this there are many precautions one must take, and one has to be very careful when selecting the blood essence. Any mistake or complication can easily end up in death. For those that survive the mistake may end up with a bloodline that is more detrimental than beneficial. This kind of bloodline also rarely passes down to descendants, and may pass many generations before showing up again.

"But this kind of bloodline is also the easiest to upgrade or grow, due to its unstable nature. All one has to do is continue to absorb the same or similar bloodlines at a higher realm or concentration. Usually, only those who are unable to continue cultivating choose such a path."

John kept giving the two a lecture, and they both listened avidly. They were both newcomers to the world of cultivation and their knowledge and experience was extremely lacking. They asked him various questions, and as if he were a living library John was able to give them all the answers they required. John's depth of knowledge was truly commendable, but then, considering his profession at the Inn, such a fact should already have been obvious.

John was incredibly patient in answering all their questions, as his actual profession, an assassin, also required an insurmountable level of patience.

Just as the conversation was coming to a close, and Leo started thinking of excuses to leave, Harry asked, "Hey John, is it okay if I ask questions unrelated to this as well? I can also pay, I've saved up enough."

"Sure, I see no harm," the man replied with a smile. It seemed poverty was no longer written in his destiny, as the MP came towards him without him even putting in any effort.

"I want to know how to raise the level of my soul."

John raised an interested eyebrow, and Leo froze where he stood. Maybe he should stick around a little longer.