The Innkeeper

When the performance began, there was not much to it. Rezin walked around the stage in circles, the liquid that made up his body bobbing back and forth as if in an invisible container. One moment it was as if it had a complete head, but as the liquid receded, it seemed as if it was just a neck. The liquid did not spill, nor did it move around outside the clear border that defined the jaguar's shape.

Had the jaguar not been moving, Lex could have mistaken it for the most clear glass container. Yet it was moving, and as it slowly picked up the pace the liquid started moving even more violently.

Suddenly Rezin let out a roar and leaped into the air, its liquid body quickly changing shape to that of a sparrow. The now bird glided through the air in an elegant display, before flapping its wings right before it hit the stage. With each flap, Rezin changed into the shape of a different bird, flying higher with increasing speed.

When Rezin reached its crescendo, it changed to the shape of a human and dove like a swimmer about to enter the water. Right before it hit the stage floor, it changed shape again and turned into a snake, slithering onto the ground.

Rezin continued its performance for a few minutes more, entertaining the guests as it switched form. The few Beasts watching were intrigued while most of the humans watched it as a spectacle. Ragnar and his followers, however, looked on with a grave look in their eyes. In front of Ragnar were a few reports, some containing the information his soldiers were able to collect about Nibiru, while the rest were about the Midnight Inn. There was a distinct lack of reports on Earth in the pile.

Both had interesting information, but right now, Ragnar was concerned with the reports on Nibiru. At first, he had thought that Nibiru was just another planet that was heavily populated with Beasts. It was not unusual and considering that the definition of 'Beasts' used by humans included most non-humanoid or insectoid living creatures, they were some of the most common kinds of planets that supported life in the universe.

But quickly, an anomaly was spotted. Since the Beasts were not unified and did not have the concept of keeping matters confidential, any person who was even slightly friendly with any of the Beasts was able to extract a lot of information about the planet. What Ragnar had learnt was that Nibiru hosted an extremely high number of extremely rare bloodlines and Beasts.

An excellent example was the Mercury Gloubin performing on stage. This was one of the most deadly Beasts in the entire known universe. It did not need to fight. It could simply use its liquid body to intrude into the body of cultivators with realms much higher than itself and poison them. A single drop of its body could eliminate an entire Star class civilization should it want to do so.

Another example was the sentient tree, Igishima. It did not qualify as a Beast, but that did not change the fact that a sentient spiritual plant was so rare that entire civilizations would go to war to obtain it. Such a tree could greatly aid in the cultivation of spiritual plants and was greatly coveted by the Galactic Pharmacology Society, also known more traditionally as the Pill Refining society.

The two Beasts, Greens Haven and Blood Fang, were suspected to have rare and valuable bloodlines as well. This was not to mention, after Ragnar did a little research, he discovered that the Three toed Bradious clan that the sloth Golden Hair was actually a clan that ruled over an entire galaxy.

Such a thing must not be underestimated, even by a force such as the Jotun Empire. Since they controlled many galaxies, they knew exactly how much strength it took to take control and maintain control of an entire galaxy. This was not to mention that some forces were strong enough to take control of multiple galaxies, but actually chose not to. This was because, even with control over an entire galaxy, actually harvesting and using the resources of that galaxy was not an easy task. Even the Jotun Empire did not fully utilize the resources of any one of the galaxies under their control.

There were even more examples of rare Beasts on Nibiru, and if Ragnar knew that the Sovereign Galactic Turtle he'd seen in the Inn also came from there, he would be even more sure that there was something unusual about this planet.

All of that aside, what truly caught Ragnar's attention was a rumor. It was a simple rumor, with little evidence to support it, but still was not one he could ignore. It was a rumor that a mermaid existed in Nibiru. While Ragnar could ignore all other potential gains or dangers, a mermaid he could not ignore.

"Anthony, compile a report. Make a list of all known and suspected Beasts found in Nibiru, and also add the suspected presence of a mermaid in the report. Send the report directly to the Royal Family. Let me know when it's done."

"Yes sir," Anthony replied, and quickly got to work. Other than Ragnar's assistant, Anthony had another identity, which was actually the main reason he got assigned to Ragnar as an assistant. He was distantly related to the Royal family of Jotun. His relation was not enough to be anyone important, but still he served as a means of communication with the royal family in case of an emergency. Such was a common practice, and each General level and above in the Jotun army had such an assistant.

This was because if normally Ragnar wanted an audience with the royal family, he would need to go through proper procedure, which would take too long. This was a shortcut. A shortcut that Ragnar was using for the first time. Considering his mission, he could not divert his attention towards Nibiru. The royal family would decide how to deal with the situation.

In a different room, Havval El'Yun, the Serpent King of the Jade Sea stood before the sloth. The serpent had a serious and angry look in his eyes, but the sloth was enjoying Rezin's performance. Greens Haven stood in the back with a somewhat defeated look on its face.

"This is a dereliction of duty!" Havval roared at the sloth, barely containing itself. "Your laziness has resulted in great losses! You did not even make your presence known when you arrived and slept through many millennia of destruction! Had I known a representative was on the planet, how could I have let the Kinari tribe fall? Only a single descendant lives!"

"Life and death are a part of nature, child. As painful as it may be, as important as some may be to you, to the universe, all lives are equal."

"DO NOT…" Havval began roaring, but despite his anger controlled himself. After suppressing his anger, he spoke again, in an aggressive but quieter tone, "The child is in danger. The shark tribes have discovered the effects of their blood and have devoured almost the entire tribe. I was able to hide her, but the shark tribes have become too strong. They will challenge my reign, and I do not know the outcome. She must be taken off the planet, somewhere safe. The humans will no doubt hear of the tribe's existence."

For the first time, the sloth frowned a little. After a moment, it seemed to make a decision.

"I will be taking some of the Beasts to the Mammoths soon. Have the girl ready, I will take her too. If you want to send someone else as well, for your service, I will allow it. But I will not interfere between your feud with the sharks. They are as much residents of Nibiru as you."

"I do not need your help in my fight, sloth! Were I not held down by duty and responsibility, the whole planet would be under my reign. I do not ask for you aid, just that you perform your own duty."

With that Havval gave the sloth a derisive look and left. He had no interest in the games, nor did he care for Greens Haven who was standing in the corner. He had to ready the mermaid and his daughter so that they could leave prepared. Once they were safely off the planet, Havvel would have no more constraints. He would be able to finally begin his conquest. Though he had not earned the honor of being called a Dragon yet, he would snatch the title with his own claws. And even that would be just the beginning of his journey.

In the background, the last three performances took place - an artist who could make a painting and then enter it, changing it from within, a standup comedian who got an unusually large audience response and finally an entire cast of actors and actresses that performed a play that resonated with almost all the humans as well as the Beasts.

After a short break, the finale would begin and the selected two performances would take place. Yet Lex was not paying attention to that. He was focused on the status for the comedian. He could not believe what he was seeing. If he did not know better, he would think the comedian had walked out of a harem anime.