THE INNKEEPER

The Innkeeper stared at Wu Kong for a moment before responding.

“The Midnight Inn would, of course, be more than happy to host any friends you wish to invite here – given that they obey the rules of the Inn itself. But considering that it is your mission to protect one of my workers, for the sake of your own mission, I think it would be best not to attract any kind of unnecessary attention towards the Inn. Inviting some of your friends may be counterproductive towards such a goal.”

“Yes, yes of course,” Wu Kong agreed readily. “That makes perfect sense. I have to keep the Mothers mission at the forefront of my priorities.”

The Innkeeper nodded, and then paused for a moment, as if in thought.

“Normally, I do not make special allowances for guests,” the Innkeeper began, taking on a slightly more serious tone. “But seeing as how your purpose in coming to the Inn is to protect one of my workers, and that might include staying here for a long time, I think it is best we reach some form of an understanding.

“You can act as a deterrent against other Dao Lords and others as you wish, and oversee whichever one of my workers you want to protect. But if, for any reason, someone does decide to pursue you within the Inn, or you have some kind of altercation, it must be done outside the Inn. Neither the Inn, nor its guests, nor the realm can tolerate the power of a Dao being haphazardly used.”

“Yes, that’s naturally my intention as well. It would not do if I end up harming the target I was meant to protect by releasing my power carelessly.”

“Also, I would appreciate it if you did not repeat any incident that might attract antagonistic attention towards the Inn. If the Jade Emperor pursues any of my guests due to wine they consumed at the Inn, that would ruin the image and prestige of the Inn. Such a thing is not acceptable.”

“No, actually, you don’t need to worry about that. This is not the first time I’ve spread the Emperor’s wine. He won’t actually pursue the matter – he can’t beat me and he knows it.”

“Alright then. I think we are at an agreement. I will overlook any actions you take in your pursuit to protect one of my workers, as long as you do not harm the Inn or its guests – and that includes stealing from them! In turn, you can operate freely without concern of interference.

“If, in the future, you manage to procure assurances about Ventura, or have some other venture you wish to inquire about, you can directly ask one of my workers to send me a message. There is no need to burden poor Z with a letter of intent.”

“That’s no longer an issue anyway,” Wu Kong said, waving his hand. “Now that he’s delivered my letter, his Karma has been forever changed any way. No one will be able to detect his connection to Zarek if his Karma is overwhelmingly connected to me. Then again, I suppose you would not have let anything happen to him. Even so, he’s now safer than ever before.”

“Excellent. So I believe that wraps up all of our business – unless there’s something else you wanted to talk about?”

Unexpectedly, Wu Kong did not answer immediately, instead just staring at the Innkeeper for a moment. In that instance, his shy or embarrassed expression faded away, leaving behind only an imposing mien.

“I have a question for you, though I don’t want you to take it the wrong way,” Wu Kong said, his voice suddenly a lot more level than it had been during the entire conversation.

Before asking the question, Wu Kong plucked a single hair from his face and let it fall. The hair quickly began to change, suddenly transforming into another Wu Kong who looked and felt exactly identical to the first.

“I’ve heard that you excel in attacking through Karma,” both the Wu Kongs said simultaneously. “So does that mean if you attack me once, you can attack all my clones simultaneously?”

Even though Lex was keeping strict control over his emotions, the question couldn’t help but cause the hair on the back of Lex’s neck to stand up. Yet Lex’s mind did not waver, and his emotions did not fluctuate at all.

The Innkeeper, instead of seeming intimidated by the question, only chuckled softly.

“Before answering, let me ask you a question first. How familiar are you with Karma?”

“If you had asked me yesterday, I would say I am proficient in the ways of Karma. Today, meeting you and seeing your clear lack of any kind of visible Karma, all I can say is that I am slightly above average. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I ask because I wanted to make sure you understand that Karma is a two way street,” the Innkeeper politely instructed. “For example, if you go around and litter at the Midnight Inn, it can be considered as breaking a relatively minor rule of the Inn. The Karma, then, between you and the Inn would similarly be mild. If I attack you through such a chain of Karma, let alone all your clones, I doubt even the clone I targeted would feel anything.

“But let’s just say, for example, of course, that you, through some accident, broke a major rule of the Inn, and thus developed a very serious Karma with the Inn itself. An attack through such Karma… I truly wonder if it will reach all your clones after reaching your main body first. After all, a clone’s Karma must also affect whoever or whatever is controlling the clone first.”

A silence pervaded through the room as the two of them looked at each other – Wu Kong with curious eyes, and the Innkeeper with an unassuming, warm smile.

Eventually, though, Wu Kong smiled as well, and dismissed his clone.

“You’re right. I think that wraps up all of our business with one another for today.”

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