The Innkeeper

Truth be told, Lex was slightly wary of fully forming a Dao body. His lack of knowledge on the subject and even the nature of Dao made it so that he could only speculate. He had a certain level of faith in his own cultivation technique. Combined with the fact that he already had some level of Dao body, he felt like he could increase the percentage of it. He just wasn't sure if he should push it all the way to 100%.

That, however, was an issue for later. Right now, he wasn't even close to 1%.

"Alright, thanks for your help," Lex said, standing up. "I should go talk to Shireen now and get that over with."

"Not a problem," Mary said casually. "By the way, there is another thing. I may have already mentioned, but as the system recovers, so too does my soul. As my soul recovers, I am starting to recover some memories I didn't even know I had lost. If you… if you do decide to go after the Heavens Puppet, be very careful. I don't know why exactly, but I've suddenly started to get a bad feeling about going to Heaven ever since I suggested it."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Lex. "To start with, even if I do go there, I wasn't intending on being lax regarding my own safety."

Once he was done with Mary, Lex teleported to the Small Village that Shireen and her sisters had rented. After renting the place, they had kept the entire village sealed, and remained within, not interacting with anyone - even the Inn staff.

Lex was not going to intrude - he was going to knock. After all, he already knew what they were doing inside their village - a small perk of owning the entire Inn. They were preparing to be attacked!

The ideal situation would have been if the Midnight realm directly allowed them to attempt a Dao tribulation. It wasn't like any of them were ready, but if they were going to die anyway, might as well die in the tribulation.

But to their surprise, no one had attacked them yet. No one had come for them, nor had anyone tried to evict them. After spending a majority of their lives - actual, literal ages worth - they found it unbelievable that they could just leave the resort and there would be no fall out.

True to their expectation, the much anticipated knock came. Yet instead of an eviction notice, the knock was followed by a familiar voice.

"Welcome to the Midnight Inn. If I had known you guys were coming, I would have prepared a little something to properly welcome you all here. As things are, I'll just have to settle for greeting you all properly," said Lex from the boundary of the village, his voice spreading through the village itself.

Shireen, slightly doubtful about the situation, stepped out anyway. This could very well be a trap, but if Lex truly wanted to harm her, she believed he would have more direct ways than to ask her for admission into her village. Not to mention, based on her understanding of their abrupt exit, their actions may have caused Lex some issues, and yet he was smiling casually and warmly.

It felt… improper not to respond to him given all that.

"Lex, it has been a while," Shireen said as she allowed for the gates of the village to open.

"Really? I thought to you it would have felt like a very short period of time. Even so, I cannot deny that a lot has happened since we last met. How are you all doing?" Lex asked, appearing entirely normal and natural - completely as if he was meeting someone whose actions hadn't caused him to be condemned by a bunch of Dao Lords.

"We have been better," Shireen answered as she led Lex back into the building where her sisters were residing. "But we have also been worse. It feels good to be free of the oppression of captivity."

"Well, it's not like you're completely free, but yeah, unless you break the rules here, it's not like you have much to worry about inside the Midnight Inn."

Shireen nodded, though her demeanor was not nearly as relaxed as she made it out to be. In truth, their situation was precarious, and this meeting with Lex should serve to bring them some clarity about their future.

It wasn't like these former Valkyrie's were fearful of death. They had lived long, even if they had lived in captivity, and they had never hesitated to fight even in the face of death. However, being in a situation where they had absolutely no control over their outcome, regardless of their strengths or any efforts they may make, was unsettling.

"Your arrival here is at a fortuitous moment. We could do with some clarity about our situation here, and any expectations the Inn may have of us. I understand that our actions may have put the Inn under some pressure, and so we are willing to work with the Inn to create a remedy for the situation that favors everyone," Shireen said, directly speaking her mind.

Lex chuckled. Shireen was always so serious - but then again, that would only make his job easier, so he appreciated her for it.

"Have you kept up to date with what's happening outside since you arrived here?" Lex asked Shireen.

"Not really," Shireen answered. "We have maintained our isolation since we arrived, despite a few attempts by some angels to contact us. In a new environment, it is not so easy to ascertain who may or may not be reliable. It would not do to get pulled into new problems without addressing our old ones."

"Alright then, I can bring you up to date on what's happened since you arrived here," Lex began. "Then we can discuss some other business. I'll be candid - you've caused me quite a few problems, Shireen."

Although Lex's smile did not waiver, and his warmth did not fade, Shireen suddenly got goosebumps.