The Innkeeper-Novel

Lex sat in his office ruminating over the systems intentions. He had not lied when he told Ming Jie that he had to be careful about following the systems direction, for the system would endlessly push him towards its own goals, but Lex had experienced first had how getting in over his head had caused him problems.

Other than that, he also thought about the problem regarding his family. He was more than inclined to just ignore them, but just because he ignored them did not mean any problems they could cause would ignore him. Yet at the same time he was not in the mood to go face them, or investigate himself.

He also didn't want to use his resources at the Inn to investigate, because he did not know if the system had any relation to them. It was a headache all around.

Come to think of it, it had been many months since he last saw, or even spoke to his family. He was sure that they would have noticed his absence by now, and would have picked up his anomalous behavior as of late. Going back now might lead to a confrontation, which was a separate issue.

In the end, he sighed. This was not an issue he would solve any time soon. He also didn't want to discuss it with Mary. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but he felt talking to her about any suspicions he had regarding the system would be redundant. He'd heard the answer she'd given enough times to know how that would end.

Instead, he turned his attention to the next issue on the list. It was one that had plagued the Inn for a long time, but one he didn't get around to solving, not only because he was extremely busy, but because there wasn't a clear solution to it either.

"Mary, I'm sure you already know this, but people have been using the Inn's teleportation ability to cause a lot of harm. How can we fix this?"

"Gaining control over the teleportation function of the System requires a higher authority," she said, with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"We can't wait for a higher authority," Lex said as he perused the system interface. "Criminals and terrorists are using the teleportation feature in sensitive areas, using the Inn as a hideout, and then teleporting back at the most inopportune moments to cause chaos. If this kind of behavior is allowed to continue, it will not only ruin the Inn's reputation, but earn us a lot of unnecessary enemies."

More than Mary's reply, Lex waited in anticipation for a system notification. He had long noticed how the system had a tendency to react to his conversations as long as they had anything to do with the Inn, but this was the first time he was actively trying to use it for his direct benefit. The system, fortunately, stayed true to its previously set pattern.

New Quest: The Host's attention to detail has spotted problematic behavior with some guests. Devise a holistic solution to the given problem.

Rewards: Temporary authority to adjust teleporting permission, Fruit Knife upgrade material

Remarks: Some people, with great attention to detail, would also notice themselves having horrendous hairstyles.

"Rather than stressing about how, think of possible solutions first. What if the system checks if the location of teleportation is public property, or belongs to the guest teleporting. If they're teleporting to the Inn from a private place, like someone else's home, or say a secure facility, when they get sent back they're teleported to the nearest public space."

"There are too many ways that could go wrong. There are countless planets with toxic environments, and I'm sure many guests want to maintain their anonymity. What if changing their teleportation location sends them into a place with toxic fumes, or lands them in front of an enemy who is just crossing a random street. The probability is low, but it's also inevitable."

"Well, keep thinking of possible solutions. The only other thing I can think of at the moment is to prevent people from teleporting to the Inn if their location is problematic somehow. But that in itself is hard to judge."

After excusing Mary, Lex teleported away. The system's remark reminded him about Harry, so he decided to check up on him.

In his private room, a pale-looking Harry was holding Hailey's hand and softly talking to her. He had woken up a few days ago, and his soul had recovered completely, mostly due to the fact that the medicine used was meant for someone much stronger than him to begin with. The problem was his body. Although he had healed, his vitality was critically injured. It could not keep itself running for even a moment if he was taken out of the Recovery pod. Fortunately, all was not bad, and Harry had an idea of how to remedy the situation.

There was a soft knock on the door, attracting the couple's attention. They were not surprised, for countless visitors had paid short visits to check on Harry's health, from other workers to regular clients of Harrys.

Hailey opened the door and saw a rather handsome looking man standing politely at the door. She did not recognize him as the Innkeeper, for she had not seen him before, but she invited him in, nonetheless.

"My apologies for my late arrival." the Innkeeper said as he walked in the room. "I believe I also still owe you a wedding present."

"Innkeeper!" Harry was startled and tried to get up but the Innkeeper quickly dissuaded him.

"Don't get up, you need to rest. I came to check up on your condition. I am very ashamed that you had to suffer such grievous wounds at the Inn."

"No, no, it's not your fault, and you don't have anything to be ashamed of. If anything, I should be grateful. Nurse Jubilation informed me of how you personally had some medicine for me sent over."

"It seems I did not send over enough medicine," the Innkeeper mentioned as he observed Harry's weak physical condition. "Worry not, I will have something arranged. You'll be back to full health in no time."

"No, Innkeeper, you don't need to do that. In fact, I have been meaning to reach out to you myself. I want to build a Serenity pond, it's something I learned about from the Sorcery heritage you provided me with. With it, I'll be able to overcome my current situation on my own, and then I can even use it as a service I offer to guests."

"Say nothing of it. I'll send Luthor over, and you need only inform him of what you need."

"Thank you Innkeeper, I'll prepare the list immediately."

"Be sure to rest well and recover quickly. You have done a great service to the Inn. Once you've completely healed, I'll deliver your wedding present to you. You can look forward to it."

Lex left immediately after. He could tell that his presence was forcing Harry to be more energetic than he could afford, and he did not miss picking up on the faint disapproval Hailey felt for him. She did not show it, and had only silently stood in the corner while they talked, but could Lex be unable to detect it? Even if it wasn't for his incredible senses, the Host Attire made him even more sensitive to anything that was happening at the Inn. Well, he couldn't blame her. Not only had he missed their wedding, but Harry had nearly died protecting his Inn. It was only natural to develop a negative opinion about him. That was not taking into consideration the fact that whoever liked their spouses boss?

He sent Luthor a message to have him collect the list from Harry and help him wherever he could, before he scanned the Inn for the next target he wanted to meet.

While Ming Jie had attracted a lot of attention, and may seem like the most noteworthy guest that had arrived during his previous coma, there was one more guest that required his attention: the new spirit!

Not only did Lex want to greet this new permanent resident of the Inn, he even needed his help to figure out how to control the spaceship! Speaking of which, he should probably hire a permanent crew for the ship who can specialize in how to use it?

He looked up at the massive ship and wondered how many people it would take to run that thing. It was several hundred miles just in length, and covered almost the entire length of the Inn with its shadow.

Lex shook his head and hired a single new worker for now - the person who would captain the ship.

"Cirk reporting for duty, sir!" said a tall, pale man with dark hair who appeared next to Lex.

"Cirk, you'll be captain of that ship up there," Lex said, pointing up in the sky. "Now come on, you'll need to learn how to use it."