The Innkeeper

A meeting was called including all the senior and upper level managers and members of the Midnight Inn. That naturally included the usual faces, such as Luthor, Gerard, Velma, Anita and so forth, but also a lot of the newer members of the Inn who had received promotions in the past few years.

The topic of this meeting was incredibly serious, which is why they all sat in silence, waiting to be briefed. Velma, however, could plainly see the hints of curiosity wafting from Gerard and a few other of the older members as they looked at her. They didn’t need to ask - she would explain everything on her own.

"I’ll start from the beginning so that there is no confusion," said Velma as she addressed the room. "From the moment I learned that Z had been kidnapped, I began to focus on using the Humanoid Alliances information database to locate him or any information about him. At first, my only motive was to leverage the alliance’s massive size and network. However, it was not long before I discovered that the kidnapping had been orchestrated, from the very beginning, by an anti-Midnight Inn faction of the Humanoid Alliance itself!

"Officially, these actions had been conducted in secret and went against the larger agenda of the alliance, so the perpetrators were given what I can only call a token punishment. Moreover, the punishment wasn’t because Z had been kidnapped, but because their actions would make it more difficult for the alliance to form agreements with the Inn in the future. Z himself never came within their considerations at all."

She took a moment at this point, and sighed.

"From that moment on I realized that I could no longer trust any organization other than the Midnight Inn, and formulated a plan to get any and all information on Z before leaving the alliance. For this, specifically, my tenet played an immense role, and it’s also the reason why I was able to reach the Celestial realm so easily.

"You see, back when I became an immortal, I created my tenet on a whim. It’s not something as simple as gossip, or rumors, or gathering secrets. My tenet is... a concept I came up with on my own. It involves wanting to hear the most interesting gossip and learn the most incredible secrets, but I also don’t want to be malicious and steal people’s secrets that they don’t want to share.

"Thus, my one, single tenet involves the concept of learning information, but only the things people want to share. In fact, after sharing, they feel much better about it, as if a burden has been lifted from their hearts.

"Well, that was the original concept of my tenet, and over the years of using it, my understanding and application of my own tenet became so advanced that it kept growing. While the original core of the tenet has remained the same, what I can do with it has advanced so much that my cultivation journey seems to have deviated from everyone else’s.

"Normal humans use their tenets to manipulate laws. I, on the other hand, simply apply and use aspects of my tenet, and the tenet itself manipulates the most optimal laws to achieve what I want. It has grown to the point where I can no longer be constrained by the original limitations of my tenet.

"So, naturally, I used my tenet to find information about Z. I reversed the order, no longer looking for information that others wanted to share so that they would not be harmed, but looking for information others were hiding to harm my interests. In doing so, I learned the truth about what happened to Z, all the finer details. At the same time, my tenet grew so much that I was able to elevate my cultivation to this level.

"Previously, I was always suppressing my level since I’ve heard growing too fast wasn’t good for you. Now, that’s no longer a concern I’m worried about. The reason I’m sharing all these details with you... is because none of this was taught inside the Temple of Fasting. It’s almost as if the Temple itself is unaware of this method of cultivation. I hope that by sharing this with you all, I can help you move forward on your cultivation path and grow stronger. Everyone of us needs to grow stronger, because in this universe, when you start trusting others to protect your interests, you make yourself vulnerable to them as well!"

Everyone paused, and could not help but marvel at Velma, who seemed to have created a whole new path for human cultivation out of sheer compatibility with her own tenet! That was incredible. Also, it was a reminder that while many cultivation paths already existed, that did not mean that there couldn’t be more or better ways.

"Another reason I told you all this was so that, moving forward, we’re on the same page to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings. During the time while I was at the alliance, I already planned out everything, from the method of our attack, information about the enemy, how we will rescue Z and more.

"However, this is not a mission that has been sanctioned by the Innkeeper. I have been unable to contact him and ask for permission, so everyone needs to make a choice whether to participate in my plan or not for themselves. I will, of course, shoulder all responsibility for this mission, but I cannot, in good conscience, force anyone to act alongside me.

"Please, make up your own mind about what you want to do. I will sincerely apologise to the Innkeeper for acting without his permission, but I believe he will not blame me for this. We have seen, from the very beginning, that the Innkeeper has always been very protective of us. I believe that this is exactly the kind of thing he would want to see from us - protecting one another in his absence, so that he can carry out his own work without having to worry about us."

Velma was prepared to give everyone time to ponder over what to do, but as soon as she was done speaking, Gerard put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her fondly.

"You have endured much alone for the sake of the Inn, but this is not a burden you need to carry alone. We will all help. Just tell us what to do."

Velma looked around and found that there was not a single look of doubt or hesitation in the room. None could keep secrets from her eyes, so if they were only acting but secretly begrudged her for putting them in this position, she’d know. Yet, as always, the members of the Inn were extremely united, especially when it came to their resolve to protect one another.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!