The Innkeeper

Lex did his best to not stare at the massive dragon, maintaining a respectful stance as he conversed with Eclipse, afraid to provoke anyone. It was quite a lot of stress facing so many powerful beings all at once. He usually liked to space out his interactions with beings at the peak of the universe's power level.

"Just so that I'm sure, does my request to attempt to study the laws of the Primordial Garden qualify as a reward for this obstacle course?" he asked, not taking anything for granted.

"I already told you that you can do that. Relax, why are you so uptight? Do I look like I'm miserly about my gifts?" Eclipse asked, waving her hand.

"In that case… for my reward… would it be alright if the Innkeeper brought some other guests along as well when he comes to meet you?"

Eclipse had already mentioned that she wanted to meet the Innkeeper, and Lex had stated for that to happen, the Innkeeper would need to bring his tavern here. Eclipse had already given permission for that. But such a thing did not mean she gave permission for the Innkeeper to bring other guests.

If he could host his Dao Lord tea party here in the garden, that would be ideal for many reasons. One, it would continue to enhance the image and prestige of the Innkeeper, making him even more mysterious for being able to achieve what so many others could not.

Upon hearing Lex's request, Eclipse sighed, as if she was somewhat disappointed.

"You're a little too responsible. It's always Innkeeper this, Innkeeper that. You should try to live a little," Eclipse instructed Lex, as if he was a little child, not living up to his full potential. "I had a few rewards stashed away that I thought might suit you, but since this is what you want, I won't dissuade you. Being loyal is also good. Since I gave you my word, I will honor it, but your request is not a simple one, so it must come with certain limitations."

Eclipse leaned back as she tapped her chin with her hand, thinking of what restrictions to place.

"First and foremost, guests can come to my garden, but if any of them try to harm my garden in any way, they're dead," she said very casually, as if she was merely stating a fact instead of giving a threat. Maybe, in her mind, that really was what she was doing.

"Secondly, since the Innkeeper is bringing some guests, then I'll invite a few as well. It'll be a party. Thirdly, this is a one time deal - for the Innkeeper I have yet to decide, but I can't be having guests over in the garden too often. Trust me, it's for their own good. Lastly, each guest must bring me a fitting flower to add to my garden - that includes the Innkeeper. It need not be a Primordial flower, but it must be able to endure the environment here."

Once she was done stating her conditions, her expression turned back to Lex, a faint smirk on her face.

"Those are my conditions. If they can be fulfilled, the Innkeeper may bring guests over. If they're too much, the Innkeeper can visit on his own - I'm still interested in meeting him."

"Thank you for your generosity," said Lex as he nodded to Eclipse, understanding that perhaps even these requirements were very lax and easy. Nothing good came easy, so it was only right that to host some guests in the garden, the Innkeeper needed to work for it.

"Don't mention it," Eclipse said, waving her hand. "Your performance was really great down in the obstacle course. For putting on a good show, I have to reward you, don't I? After all, there can only be one 'first person to exit Sin City'. Anyone who does it after you is merely repeating what you've already accomplished - before you, all the residents thought exit was impossible."

Lex simply shrugged on hearing that.

"Maybe my perspective is biased. I've done so many impossible things by now in life that I don't believe anything is impossible any more - just that the right way to do it has never been discovered. Since exiting was my goal, that's all I needed to focus on, not whether it was possible or not."

"Hah!" Eclipse chuckled, as if she found Lex's words hilarious. The fact that he was so serious while saying something so arrogant made it even funnier.

"Little child, be careful before making such big statements. There are genuinely things that are impossible to do, and there's not just one of them. Can you turn back time? Or can the Innkeeper? That's merely the easiest example I can give of the impossible."

Lex's expression turned solemn as he genuinely thought about her question. He had been informed by the mysterious man who had broken into the Inn that he should never even think of turning back time, let alone attempting it. If even someone that powerful was so wary of time, was it really something he should be treating casually?

Had this been the past, Lex would have accepted the man's statement as is. But he had a lot of exposure now, and exposure allowed him to think of problems from different perspectives. That is exactly why certain secrets carried such weight in the universe - knowledge itself was power.

"As I am right now, I most certainly can't turn back time," said Lex. "And I can't speak on behalf of the Innkeeper. But I believe that if someone were more powerful than this universe, or maybe if someone from a more powerful universe came here, they might be able to reverse time."

Eclipse's casual expression froze, while Harriot and the golden dragon looked at Lex with shock. What had he just said?

Lex felt his karma trembling just a bit, as if the words he said themselves were a form of sacrilege. Yet there was no change. His karma had merely trembled once, and there was no alteration in it. Even his instincts told him that his words had not invited some great trouble towards him - just that, they were words he should not repeat too often.

"Tell me, little Lex," Eclipse said, her voice absolutely filled with intrigue and curiosity. "Are those your own thoughts, or are they the thoughts of the Innkeeper? Have you ever heard him say something like that? Or has he ever commented on such topics before?"

The moment Eclipse asked the question, Harriot and the golden dragon disappeared. They were not courageous enough to listen in on a conversation about a Dao King's potential secrets - especially since they had successfully piqued the interest of a Dao Queen.