The Innkeeper

Putting everything aside, Lex focused on the Protector token. There was no use in waiting to use it, as every moment he didn't was a moment he was left without protection. Without any further hesitation, Lex crushed the token.

Immediately, a display appeared before him with a few lines of instructions, which read:

Please wait while the system scans for suitable protectors of SSS rank. Please note, you may only select one of the displayed protectors. Please note, to protect the identity of the protectors, their names will not be displayed. Please note, the protector selected will be a real existing entity in the universe, and not a newly created AI. Any loyalty displayed by the protector will be a result of his/her/its particular circumstances, as the system will not influence or manipulate the mind of a preexisting being. Please note that while the protector will be subject to certain restrictions by the system as an employee, should the difference between cultivation realms between the host and protector be too vast, the system will not be able to prevent the protector from betraying the host in case the intention to do so should arise.

Lex could not help but chuckle. He should have known things were never so straightforward. Originally, he was looking forward to picking the strongest protector for his Inn, but now the situation had taken a dire turn. What should he do? It would depend on his options. Of course, it was more realistic this way as well. How convenient would it be if a Dao Lord directly agreed to be his protector?

But at the same time, even with the immense power of the system, how was it possible to restrict someone at that level? Even if not necessarily at the Dao Lord realm, any strong entity that realized that Lex depended on them for security might develop thoughts about gaining Lex's power. Even if they did not know about the system, it would not stop a greedy person from attacking an interrogating Lex. This was why choosing a protector suddenly became a lot more difficult.

Finally, the writing on the display changed, and five options showed up.

Protector A

Cultivation: ???

History: A lone warrior on a mission of vengeance, Protector A was left alone from the tender age of 8 when his family was killed by assassins. Escaping only due to the sacrifice of his siblings, this protector spent his life raising his skill and strength. He was eventually able to defeat his enemies and retook his place as rightful king. Once he became King, he gave rise to the most glorious Kingdom in the history of his planet, but even that could not escape from the sands of time. The King's cultivation rose endlessly due to his limitless potential, but only resulted in him having to watch as his new family died, and his once glorious kingdom eventually fell to ruin in the hands of his descendants. Defeated not by any enemy, but from the sorrow of his own heart, he roams the lands, searching for something that will not fade before his eyes, and can accompany him on his endless journey of cultivation. Inviting him to the Inn, an entity even beyond his own strength, may invigorate his beat heart and plant the seeds of wanting to protect it in his soul

Protector B

Cultivation: Nascent

History: Once a valiant warrior with endless potential, this protector suffered a grave wound that nearly destroyed his cultivation and took his life. With the loss of his talent and potential, he fell into depression and has spent 100 years in bed. If his talent were restored, he could cultivate back to his peak and beyond on his own, and his gratitude would be endless.

Protector C

Cultivation: None

History: A protection formation array that gained sentience, but awoke only to discover that the sect it once protected had long since perished. A protection array without anything to protect, the array feels like its existence is pointless. Although unable to move, the array has endless potential and can grow limitlessly as it has a deep understanding of how to grow the strength of its own array endlessly. The only thing it lacks is resources. By inviting it to the Inn and providing it a place to protect, you could give its life purpose.

Protector D

Cultivation: Mortal

History: A pup that has just been born a few minutes ago. It has no cultivation, but has a bloodline that will allow it to grow extremely quickly, with the only limits to its potential being the kind of resources it can absorb. It was put to sleep the instant it was born, and so its personality is unknown, but could easily be trained.

Protector E

Cultivation: ???

History: The sun and the moon are her food, and her very existence defies fate. Her glory is boundless and her supremacy is without question. She was trapped by her Father on a planet in a deadzone known as Earth where she protected a village of humans who worshiped her for thousands of years, but eventually escaped due to her own ingenuity. Now free, the Protector sought to roam the universe freely, but her escape alerted her father quicker than anticipated. This Goddess of pleasure and prosperity is searching for a place where she may hide from her father, without losing her freedom. If allowed to hide in the Inn, she will be extremely grateful. Probably. As long as she is worshiped properly.

Lex read through all the descriptions and had several thoughts. The first of them being, in the entire universe, were these the only qualified protectors?

When he asked Mary, she gave him an answer he should have expected.

"No, these are not the only ones available, but the limit you have on options is only 5. It's similar to when you only received 5 options for your previous rewards from which you picked Regal Embrace. So, when the system discovers any 5 that fall into the qualification category, it stops the search and presents you with the information. So these aren't the only ones in the universe, but the first 5 the system encountered.

"Since you have raised your authority sufficiently, I can tell you that in the future, once your authority rises even more, you can enter the search parameters for such rewards on your own. Of course, the premise for that is to once again receive an award at this level. I'm going to be honest, I never expected you to receive such an award even once, let alone twice, and it'll only get harder in the future."

"Teh, lazy system. Okay, now that I understand that much… look at Protector E and tell me that isn't Bastet. That's definitely her, right?"

Mary read the description and… based on what she knew… it did seem like it. But how was that possible? This was too much of a coincidence, right? One may think it made sense, as she was probably somewhere close to Earth, and any scan performed by the system would find her first, but the system did not work that way. The concept of space was vastly different from how mortals or lower leveled cultivators perceived it. The only thing she could chalk this up to was fate.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter if she is or isn't. She's not amongst the ones I was considering."

Lex's considerations were Protector C, the formation, and D, the pup. They both came with their pros and cons.

First, the formation. Since its primary purpose was defense and protection, using it to protect the Inn was perfect. Furthermore, as the formation was sentient, it could help guide Lex in letting him know how to strengthen and grow the formation. But for all the good it brought him, the sentience also presented him with a problem. Since the system could not guarantee loyalty, Lex felt hesitant about hiring it. He did not know what kind of personality the formation would have, and how effectively his orders would be. Lex was extremely vulnerable right now, and had to make a decision before any incidents could take place, after all, his Inn had garnered a lot more attention now, and from various groups of people. Lex was confident that he could continue to put on a performance so that the array would never realize how weak and dependent on it Lex truly was. Yet at the same time, a single slip up was all it would take to reveal that Lex was relying on the formation for protection. Of course, none of this truly even mattered if a random security incident ended up killing Lex while he was busy pretending to be strong in the first place.

If he showed any kind of weakness… well, Lex did not need to imagine what would happen to him. It was too dreadful.

Then he turned his attention to the pup. The system said it could grow quickly, depending on the kind of resources it was fed. Resources, with a bit of imagination on Lex's part, could easily be arranged. He rubbed his hands together like an evil villain in a movie.