The Innkeeper

While the standoff between Brandon and Marlo was one worthy of being contested, between these two kids, there was no point in fighting. Babur was a Qi training cultivator and Haris had only just entered the Body Tempering realm. But the passion of youth did not seek logic, and currently Haris was ready to kill.

That is, until Alexander, who was passing by, saw them. He did not recognize them, but the situation was obvious to read.

"I advise you not to fight here," he said in passing, not paying too much attention to them. "Not only will it be pointless, you'll get banned from coming to the Inn. If you're really desperate for a fight, go to the battle arena."

Despite his anger, Haris controlled himself and sheathed his sword. Babur, on the other hand, was startled when he saw Alexander. Even before Brandon proclaimed his own family royalty out of jealousy for the attention Marlo was getting, Alexander was considered a Prince on Earth. He was strongly admired by his own generation and those near him in age, and Babur was no exception.

Though technically Babur could also be considered a prince due to his ancient heritage, he did not behave arrogantly in front of the real deal. His attitude became even more docile when he thought of the reason he even came to this 'Inn'.

"Excuse me for the crass display, your grace," Babur said promptly, completely ignoring Haris.

"Don't worry about it," Alexander said.

"Your grace, would it be possible to talk for a moment," Babur said, quickly catching up to Alexander who was already leaving. "I have a message for you from… RussianPrincess77." Babur almost blushed as he said the name. Not only had he been beaten up badly by a prank she pulled, but later, through a series of coincidences, he ended up working for her.

Alexander paused and turned to look at Babur. RussianPrincess77 had been a great help to him many times, and he took her very seriously, but at the same time, he still knew next to nothing about her. This might be a good opportunity to resolve that issue.

Alexander eyed Haris, who was standing nearby, and said, "follow me."

After walking a short distance, he asked, "what's the message?"

"RussianPrincess77 said that she has some information that will greatly influence your future. If you want to hear it, then you have to agree to owe her a favor."

Alexander thought about this for a moment, but then eventually nodded and said, "alright, I'll owe her. What's the information?"

"She said it's very important that you enter the new Minor realm that will open on Earth as early as possible, the one gifted by the Inn. She says that if you miss this, you'll lose someone very important in your life without any way of getting them back."

Alexander frowned as he ruminated on her exact words. The phrasing mattered immensely. Still, he had some time to think this over before the realm opened. For now, he looked back at Babur and smiled.

"So you're her friend?" he asked, as he thought of ways to extract information about her.

*****

If Lex did not have the power of the Host Attire, he would never be able to keep up with this fight. He was expecting to see some new forms of fighting, but the direction this fight had taken was very surprising.

Marlo, in his new form of cultivation, had lost access to spiritual energy as well as spiritual techniques, but instead gained various bloodline abilities. Brandon, on the other hand, was practically the poster child for conventional cultivation, and so launched techniques like a toddler throwing candy at a duck - which was to say, very frequently.

The end result was Lex watching what looked like an anime battle, but in real life. He understood nothing about the complexities of their fight, but at a glance, Marlo seemed to be winning.

At a certain point in the battle, Brandon opened up his belt and started whipping Marlo with it, who only laughed as he dodged each attack. This was taking… an unusual turn.

"Lex, one of your guests wants to speak with you," Mary told him as she munched on holographic popcorn while watching the battle.

"Just when it was getting kinky," Lex muttered, before disappearing.

At the restaurant in the Midnight manor, a lonely teenage boy was slumped over one of the tables. There was a club sandwich on a plate beside him, but he had not touched it yet as he was lost in his thoughts.

When Lex appeared and saw him, he recognized the boy. He was one of the two teenagers who'd used the Inn for a date. He'd been anticipating the return of the two very dramatic kids, but they had not appeared together since. Last time, Ayesha appeared alone, and now this time it was Haris.

"Dear guest, are you alright?" Lex asked, his voice heavy with concern.

Haris was startled by the sudden intrusion, but quickly recovered when he noticed the Innkeeper. They had never really met, but he asked the bartender about the owner of this place and learnt about the Innkeeper. He really didn't know much about the Inn, despite coming here before, but only hoped the owner of the place was trustworthy.

"I heard you're the owner of this place," Haris said directly. "I have a request for you, and I can pay if I need to."

"What do you need?" Lex asked simply.

Haris took out a green-colored crystal from his pocket and held it out to the Innkeeper.

"I came here last time with a girl named Ayesha. If she comes back looking for me, can you give her this and tell her I'm being enrolled in Ventura Brown, and that I'll find a way to get to Ventura Silver? I have her picture here so you can recognize her."

"No need for a picture, I know Ayesha. I will pass along your message if she visits the Inn, there's no need for any payment."

"Thanks," Haris said, smiling weakly. He stuffed the club sandwich in his mouth, and directly disappeared. It seemed he was in a hurry.

Lex stared at the crystal in his hand, and wondered about what the teenager had just said. He was being enrolled somewhere? An academy for cultivators? Interesting.