Despite appearing as the Innkeeper, Lex allowed himself to laugh as he entered the kitchen. There was nothing wrong in finding some amusement in the moment. The funniest thing was how intensely serious Pierre, all 4 feet of him, was while Brenda was insanely happy-go-lucky. Actually, Lex thought of the perfect cultivation technique for Brenda. He made a mental note to pass it to her after the tea party was over.

"I see you all have been doing a tremendous job," said the Innkeeper. "But clearly, you're all getting tired now. Take a break, get some rest. Allow the nightshift to take over."

Despite appearances, the greatest issue in the kitchen was not Brenda, but the fact that the staff was too dedicated and refused to take a break. Considering their low cultivation techniques, they could only work so much before reaching the point of exhaustion.

That was the whole reason he had prepared multiple shifts of workers, but he forgot to take into account their zeal for their work.

Upon hearing the Innkeeper, Pierre looked incredibly reluctant, but eventually nodded.

"Good," said the Innkeeper. "I've prepared staff bedrooms in the basement for you all. Go, get some rest. Someone will let you know when it's your turn to come back up. Pierre, be sure to drag Cole along with you when you go, or he'll never leave the kitchen."

Although it may seem like not much had been done yet, the kitchen staff had constantly been pumping out refreshments. Finger food and lemonade might not sound like much, but anyone who would try feeding a hundred hungry Dao Lords, they would learn that no amount of drinks or snacks would ever be enough, thus keeping them running constantly.

The main course had not been served yet because it would be served on the third, the fifth and the eight days according to a schedule that had been created. In between those main courses, there would be countless drinks and snacks.

Once the Innkeeper was done overseeing the kitchen staff, he paid all the waiters a visit as well. Many of them were curious about why they were being switched out so frequently, but they didn't ask any questions.

Only Lex knew how necessary it was because of how exhausted he himself had become. Sure, the waiters would barely interact with the Dao Lords, so the protection of the system should be sufficient to keep the same. Yet they were also very weak, so it was better to play it safe.

Lex left the kitchen and began to walk around the tavern, keeping an eye on all the public areas and guests.

There was one decent thing that happened during this time, though he didn't know how much it would help. The Butter Knife had been fully charged!

While Lex was cultivating back at the Inn, once he'd recovered enough to think clearly, he paid using some of the Dao materials to charge the Butter Knife and had to use up two whole items. However, now the Butter Knife was ready.

His next attack would unleash the full, maximum might of the Butter Knife! That was a good thing since it offered him some protection, but it also meant that he couldn't use the Knife for other, smaller occasions.

Reassured by his recent cultivation session and the charged Butter knife, Lex met with the free Dao Lords with relative mental peace... right up until he met them, of course.

"Innkeeper," said the first Dao Lord he met, his voice deep and decidedly grave. "The discussion we must have now will henceforth divide our lives into before and after. The before will be a dark and despondent time, filled with ignorance and lost opportunities. The after, in contrast, will be a period of unequalled prosperity."

Lex was taken aback, even if the Innkeeper only revealed mild curiosity. What could a Dao Lord possibly want from him? The answers were infinite, but what he could actually offer them was extremely limited. At least if this was about the war, he had already practiced how to politely reject their invitation for alliance.

"That sounds important," the Innkeeper said, acknowledging the depths of the speaker's passion. "Shall we retreat to a private room for this discussion?"

The Dao Lord dramatically shook one of his five hands.

"Nay, I say! There are things that need to be spoken which can no longer remain unsaid, and they should not be uttered in secret. We are not thieves, conspiring in the dark! Nay sir, we are men, boldly heading into the future.

"Innkeeper, I will cut the matter short. I seek the hand of your lovely assistant for courtship! What say you?"

The Innkeeper blinked, because for once it was necessary that even the Innkeeper express some surprise.

"Excuse me?" the Innkeeper said, just in case he had misunderstood the question.

"I see an explanation is required - I would expect no less. During your absence, I had the absolute pleasure of interacting with Lady Mary. She is as wise and insightful as she is witty. Her loyalty to you is unquestionable, as many have already witnessed, and thus I concluded that it would be moot to court her without your blessing.

"Hence, we now find ourselves locked in conversation. What are your thoughts on the matter? If you would hear my qualifications to court her, I can list them

in detail."

Ah, so he had not misheard the original statement, nor had he misinterpreted it. The Innkeeper looked around the room and noticed many other Dao Lords present as well, observing the interaction. It seemed that this was no secret to anyone else, as if they had all long anticipated this.

"Dear guest, I fear you have become a victim of a misunderstanding," said the Innkeeper politely. "Mary works for me, that much is true. However, I have never restricted her personal affairs, nor do I maintain any say in them. As long as no force or coercion, or anything of the sort, are used in the process, I have no qualms with the matter. If you wish to court her, then I wish you the best of luck in your attempts."

Of course, Lex knew internally that Mary would never accept such requests - the system literally would never allow such a thing. That didn't stop him from enjoying the process a little while he could.

No sooner had the Innkeeper finished speaking that word of his statement spread throughout the tavern. After witnessing Mary's insight into war, many Dao lords wanted to build a connection to her, even if employment or partnership were off the table. They didn't need to poach her. Even a normal, personal relationship would suffice for their purposes. After all, they only needed access to her insight, and there were many ways of achieving that.

"I would have hoped for your blessings in my endeavors, but your permission will suffice nonetheless," the Dao Lord said. "Once my courtship has succeeded, and our union is strong, I will invite you to my home to celebrate and think back to this fateful moment."

The Innkeeper smiled, and summoned two mugs of lemonade.

"Here, to your courtship," he said, offering him a mug.

Seeming extremely pleased by the turn of events, the Dao Lord cheered using the mug and gulped it down in one go, eager to go find Mary. Unbeknownst to him, many had already beaten him to it. The moment they heard that the Innkeeper gave permission for them to pursue her, and that there would be no conflict of interest between them if they did, many Dao Lords vanished. The Innkeeper openly chuckled as he watched the Dao Lords head off towards her. Why should he be the only one getting harassed by Dao Lords? Mary should share in his misery. It built character.

Just as Lex was thinking of heading on over to watch the show, he spotted an unfamiliar owl, walking up towards him.

"Dear Innkeeper, I am here to inform you that the Queen has requested everyone's presence tomorrow afternoon in the front garden. She has prepared

some activities for the tea party, and everyone is invited to attend and

participate."

Suddenly, Lex got a very, very bad feeling about this. What had Eclipse prepared? Why was she inviting everyone again?

Lex was beginning to love the fact that all the Dao Lords had been split into

groups, and would not convene again into one big crowd.

Now, if they were all being summoned for an activity...

Lex sighed internally, and mentally prepared himself.

"Thank you for letting me know. Please, have some refreshments while you're

here," said the Innkeeper to the owl.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Innkeeper, but I must spread the word to the others. If you will excuse me, I will be off!"

The owl hobbled away, heading towards the next Dao Lord.

All the pleasure Lex found in sending Mary some trouble had now vanished,

because Eclipse had now sent some trouble his way. He just hoped they could get through it without almost inciting another universal war.