The Innkeeper

Lex flew all the way to Hip-leopard Lex's shoulder and sat down. Although he could not be sure of the exact height, at a glance, this other Lex was a little over 1000 (304 meters) feet tall. It was sufficient to say that if he ever visited the Midnight Inn, he would have no problem climbing over the boundary wall.

Sitting on Lex's shoulder, Lex felt like he was a flea or a mite. This was ridiculous. That was also keeping in mind that Lex, much like Lex, was smaller than the rest of his race.

"I've never seen one of your kind before. A bit on the small side, ain't ya? What are you called? I mean, your people, not you personally."

"Humans. We're called humans. Most of them are a little bigger than me, though from your point of view it probably won't make much of a difference. What about you? This is my first time in this region, so I'm not too familiar with the locale."

"I am naturally a proud member of the Leopold race. A human, you say? I have never heard of such a race. But then, perhaps, due to your size, it is best if you stay hidden. You must be brave, for a human, Lex. Since you're new here, allow me to give you a tour. You are currently within the territory of Larger Lahana, which is what this city is called. The surrounding region is a part of our area of influence, so as long as you obey the rules of Lahana, you can wander free from worry."

"Are there many rules of Lahana?" Lex asked. Actually, he was pretty intrigued in how the Leopold race had developed, and its relationship with not only its environment, but the other races as well. It hardly took him a moment after he got over his initial shock over their size that, perhaps, the Leopold race was of the average, or close to the average size of the creatures on this continent.

The centipede creature he killed had a body that extended for miles, and could be considered monstrous even among the creatures here, but it seemed to be a pattern.

But then he realized that it probably wasn't so, as the Leopold race even towered over many of the native forests he'd seen around the Inn.

"The great Lahana has many rules, but as a guest you only need to oblige with the main few. Do not steal, do not murder, and do not be a Kanaka 'ino."

"What's a Kanaka 'ino?" Lex asked as he looked around. The Leopold race was actually quite advanced. Their civilization seemed to be in or around the equivalent to the industrial revolution on earth. The houses in their city were well built and sturdy, which was surprising considering their size. There were countless shops easily identified all around them, and human Lex could even identify what most of them were for. Clothes shops seemed to be the most common, which led him to start noticing the fashion sense among the Leopold.

It… well, it did not make much sense to him, but it did vaguely remind him of the goofy outfits he'd seen in fashion shows and magazines.

"Kanaka 'ino are a race of evil, conniving creatures. By law, they have to be killed on sight within the lands of Larger Lahana."

Leopold Lex seemed extremely agitated upon the mention of Kanaka 'ino, so human Lex decided it was best not to focus too much on them. Instead, he asked random questions about who or what Lahana actually was.

As it turned out, Lahana was the name of the first ever Leopold. It seemed the drama-cats obsession with Bob might not just be a cat thing, but a trend across the entire realm. It made sense, maybe.

Regardless, Lahana was the strongest Leopold, and the leader of their race. It seemed that despite being the first of their race, Lahana was still very much alive. That was absolutely not normal. As far as he knew, at least back in the Origin realm, the average life expectancy of a human Nascent soul cultivator was 500 years. Even if it was different for different races, this seemed like a little much. Perhaps Lahana was a mythical creature, or close to being one.

Eventually, leopold Lex made it to the geysers, which were relatively close to the city.

As it turned out, the boiling hot waters that shot out of the ground were a popular bathing spot for the leopolds, and Lex's hotel, the Moonlight hotel, was in this area as well.

Without a powerful system to provide him with endless attractions, Lex had to be smart about location. Building a number of natural geyser powered baths was a very good idea.

The hotel, which reminded human Lex of the Midnight tavern in appearance, seemed to fit the leopold standard for quaint and cozy.

"Here you go, Lex. Can you find your way from here? Are you supposed to be meeting a friend? If you have time, you may as well stop by my place. Considering how small you are, I can offer you free food and drink. I doubt you'll make much of a dent in my reserves."

"Thank you for the generous offer, I'm on a bit of a tight schedule. But maybe once I've completed my task, I'll stop on the way back. I should be able to find my way from here."

"Well, safe travels," the massive hippo-leopard creature said as human Lex flew off.

Lex made a mental note of this location. After he got over the absurdity of the commonality between himself and this fellow, he decided to check out his hotel when he had the time. If the similarities between them were so insane already, who's to say that leopold Lex didn't have a system? Or that he didn't get pulled into events that were absurdly over his head.

If only Lex knew that within Hotel Moonlight who was waiting for leopold Lex, he'd realize just how accurate his prediction was.