The Innkeeper

Lex's journey to the camp was, for the lack of a better word, boring. A few times he ran into a few beasts, and just as he was preparing to give an explanation to avoid a fight, or perhaps even run away, the beasts would only nod at him and move away. How was he supposed to know that he was being identified as a mutated mole?

So in the end, the return ended up being him carrying the exhausted Barry through the forest for hours until he finally reached the camp. He hadn't had any time yet to think about his future plans, but this incident would surely affect them. Just as he was about to enter the camp though, Mary gave him an update about something happening at the Inn that put him in a foul mood.

He was cursing and whining internally, not realizing that he had made it to camp. This led to the misunderstanding where his eyes full of frustration were mistaken for unwavering determination by Ptolemy. This was a misunderstanding destined to never be cleared up, for when would two men actively talk about the expression in each other's eyes?

As matters at the Inn didn't actually require his attention, he put the matter behind him as he refocused on the matter at hand.

It was only when the doctors came and wrapped him and Barry in blankets that he actually realized he was nude. They started testing him and applying various salves on his skin, but it was only when he saw them prick his skin and he felt nothing that he realized that he had no sensation. Well, maybe considering the circumstances, that was for the better.

The doctors asked him some questions, and when he tried to answer, he discovered once again how difficult it was to speak. If he forced himself, like he had with the apes, he would release a grotesque, hoarse sound that did not sound human so in the end they stopped asking him questions for now.

During the entire process, Lex felt nothing, and in fact was once again bored so much so that he hoped he could fall asleep or at least faint so he could in a way 'fast forward' this process.

But to his viewers, Lex showed a silent resilience, and refused to utter a single wince even as his burnt and battered body was treated. Surrounded by valiant warriors who had fought off death and destruction with tooth and nail, it was instead Lex who did nothing but run whose legend once again began to grow. Accompanied by the already positive impression everyone had of Lex, everyone was more than happy to fill in the blanks of his no doubt perilous journey with the most arduous of trials.

Of course, Ptolemy refused to be one of those. So what if he was the heir to Cornelius II? The King had lived for hundreds of years, had thousands of wives and concubines and literally had tens of thousands of children. He never favored any until they made real, quantifiable contributions to the human race. It was actually because of how little he cared for his children that made the story of relinquishing his family name more believable. Who could know the real reason Lex never gave his family name was because he was seriously creeped out by the guy interviewing him, and didn't want to give him any accurate information.

In the end, one of the doctors gave Lex a powerful sedative and put him to sleep. Barry, however, did not receive the same treatment. This was not because they were being harsh on him, but because he would be able to communicate with his spirit sense at least, and Ptolemy really needed to know the details of what happened.

But Barry was in much better condition than Lex, and after being given a dose of stimulants, quickly recovered. He did not need to use his spirit sense, and told the tale of how Lex saved him multiple times; from somehow bringing them out of the cave in, to guiding him to avoid danger, to carrying him after he thoroughly exhausted himself.

Ptolemy, of course, was no longer listening. He had gotten the news he was hoping for: the spirit well existed!

One of the many objectives of the expedition was to locate valuable resources. Since he was hunting for resources, naturally the resources had been allocated ranks and value quantifiers. Spirit wells, while not being the highest value target, were still high on the list since about only one in a hundred mines ever even had the chance to become one. It was high enough that, using the potential danger to the well due to the ongoing war, he could request academy intervention!

Naturally, the academy would not interfere in the struggle between the Trelops, but as this was still the human domain, they retained the rights to any valuable resources. Distribution rights would be discussed later, for that had nothing to do with Ptolemy. He only had to report the situation back to the academy, and they would send someone over to secure the well - and, hopefully, take that irritating Lex away considering his situation.

*****

Midnight Inn, Gamer's Den

"I'LL MURDER YOUR WHOLE CLAN!" roared a wrinkled old man, dressed in traditional daosit clothes. His beard, hundreds of feet long and previously wild and untamed, now bore the signs of having been treated by Harry and braided in viking fashion. His weapon, an eight feet (2.4 meters) long spear, leaned against the wall, gathering dust.

Instead, the tool he was using to inflict damage was a controller. His character in Immortal Combat was constantly being beaten by his opponent who used the forbidden technique of repeatedly doing low attacks that knocked him back. He did not know how to block low attacks, nor did he know how to attack low either - the cause of his frustration!

"OLD MAN, YOU'RE MY FATHER! DOES THAT MEAN YOU'LL KILL YOURSELF?" yelled back another man who looked equally old. In fact, he was also dressed similarly and had a weapon that looked almost identical to his father, so that the two looked more like twins than parents and child. He was instead fighting using a mouse and keyboard - the superior option!

Hundreds of viewers gathered around them and hooted and chanted for the ones they supported. The group looked like they were taken from a comic con convention, as they were too varied and unique to look like they came from the same place.

In the end, the son won the round, using his forbidden technique, launching his supporters into a frenzy.

"Do not be so smug, child, for the journey to victory is long and filled with obstacles."

"The proverbs of a failure who could not even get past the qualifying rounds mean nothing to me," replied the son, as he ran his hands down his new beard braid.

The father, enraged, snorted before he left with his weapon.

While the father son match ended quickly, many matches in the Gamer's den were still going on. A gaming tournament organized by Booty, the pirate was taking place. After the Iron Heart pirates discovered the Inn, they began using it on and off until one of them had the idea to sell the keys as treasures. Their business was good, since they visited numerous space stations and planets on their journey to loot and pillage.

After they had distributed the keys to many places, however, it occurred to Booty that they could take things a step further. Immediately, he sent out a message to his entire network, and they organized a 'friendly tournament' over some of the video games Booty liked.

The idea was an instant success, and hundreds of people paid a good deal of money. It made sense, for not everyone who was a cultivator was highly motivated. After living over a 100 years, most people would actively pursue new forms of entertainment.

Of course, Booty specifically targeted the non-problematic people from his network for this tournament. He didn't want to risk a fight breaking out over disagreements and then being blamed by the Inn staff for it.

It was the entrepreneurial efforts of Booty that saw a sudden spike in new Inn guests, and what's more, ended up in a gaming tournament for contestants from around a galaxy. Lex was extremely bitter over missing the tournament, for he wanted to be there for it. Z was also bitter, because the Gamer's Den had never been more popular, and he didn't like being around so many people.

Another round of cheers erupted as an intense match finally came to a close. As for what game they were playing? Call of Da-money: Modern Capitalism II. There were a few tournaments happening concurrently, and this game was the one that had the highest anticipated finale.

That was because, in one qualifying bracket was a team from Earth formed by famous Youtubers who just happened to be visiting the Inn, while in the other, soldiers trained to remotely operate combat robots in active war zones. To them, this was more than just a game. It was a matter of pride. And good quality content for their channels. No one would back down.