Chapter 2031 — Chapter 2031 Real Father

Although Lex had taken to sporting a new, grey suit, the Innkeeper appeared in the same, black suit he always wore. Yet despite his unchanging attire, no one who saw him thought that it looked old, or out of fashion.

For some people, the clothes are what brings or adds appeal. Others, however, add their own charm to whatever they wore. In this case, the Innkeeper was the latter, for the simple, black suit, when worn by the Innkeeper, became a timeless classic. It was bathed in a graceful yet approachable presence, as if the one who wore it deserved to be placed on a pedestal, and yet was always within reach.

Yet, much more signature to the Innkeeper than his black suit was his soft, casual smile. It was as if he was always happy to see whoever he was talking to, and as if he could make all troubles go away. Oftentimes, his mere presence was enough to take away anyone's worries, yet his patient, welcoming charisma, his wisdom, and his insight were enough to attract anyone.

A king was just as likely to come to the Innkeeper and seek administration advice as a teenager seeking help with their homework. While the universe viewed him with caution and wariness, anyone who had actually met the Innkeeper viewed him as someone they hoped would become their best friend. When the Innkeeper walked out of his office and into the grass on the surrounding hill, he ran into Zen, the small patch of grass which had become sentient within the Midnight Inn. The poor grass, back when the Innkeeper had first found it, was frightened of absolutely everything. It was as if, at any time, one of the roaming giants would step on it and end its short existence.

Now, though, the patch of grass had a very calm demeanor, able to take on any obstacle in its path.

Zen waved at the Innkeeper, and the Innkeeper waved back as he continued his walk.

The Innkeeper wasn't going anywhere in particular - he was just walking through his Inn, looking at his guests.

Although the guests had been divided now according to level, he could still find all kinds in all levels. This division would become even more prominent once he made use of the tavern network properly, but it wasn't time just yet.

For now, the Innkeeper just took pleasure in watching the satisfaction of his guests, whether they were mortals or immortals. He missed the good old days where he used to interact with the guests more often - as the Innkeeper. Maybe after this tea party, he could return to that once again.

Even Lex did not know why he was walking through the Inn. Maybe it was a way of getting into character, or maybe he was really enjoying the Inn since he hadn't been able to do that in a long time. Or maybe, it was because his future was incredibly uncertain.

The next few hours would determine a lot of things. For better or for worse, the fate of the Midnight Inn would be heavily influenced by whatever happened in this tea party.

"Mary, watch over everything while I'm gone," said the Innkeeper out loud, summoning a full size projection of Mary. In this instance, she was dressed in a beautiful white gown that was both elegant and formal.

"You can rest at ease, Innkeeper," Mary responded with a gentle bow. "Everything will be as you left it when you return."

The Innkeeper nodded softly, and then chuckled. He had caught sight of one of the giant butterflies grabbing a kid's balloon and lifting it in the air, taking the kid along with it. Of course, the kid was incredibly excited to be flying, while the parents ran after him on the ground, alarmed by what was suddenly happening.

"Don't let the mischief get out of hand," the Innkeeper said before disappearing.

Primordial Garden, Tea Party Venue

The simple, wooden tavern appeared right in the clearing that Eclipse had prepared for the party as if the system knew exactly where to put it, even if Lex didn't specify.

It was a meadow surrounded by a forest on all sides, with a small, purple lake near the edge on one side. There was a lot of tall grass, and small furry animals running around, making the scene look quite peaceful.

Seeing the beautiful venue, and the lack of outdoor seating in the tavern, the Innkeeper waved his hand and added a small, fenced garden seating area to the tavern, visible from the main window in the groundfloor

lobby-cum-restaurant.

Within the tavern kitchen, Cole was already working on food for the party, while a number of other workers acted as staff. None of the usual names, such as Gerard, Luthor, Z or Velma were present today - the Innkeeper had purposefully left them out.

The tea party was not for a few more hours - at least according to the flow of time in the Midnight Realm. Over here, the beginning of the party was mere minutes away.

Of course, the Innkeeper had no way of knowing if his guests would be punctual. He would merely make the keys able to access the tavern at the designated time. As for when the guests arrived, that was up to them entirely. "Some lemonade?" asked one of the waiter staff, walking up to the Innkeeper with a tray full of traditional tavern mugs filled with lemonade. The drink menu had also been decided by Cole, and the Innkeeper had no idea why he thought lemonade would be a good option, but he wouldn't interfere. "Thanks," said the Innkeeper as he grabbed two mugs and exited the tavern door and walked into the newly added garden portion of the tavern.

As it happened, right in front of him, a lady was walking towards the tavern. Even now, with his host attire and the help of the system, the Innkeeper could not retain the knowledge of the lady's appearance - he merely knew she was beautiful.

"You must be Eclipse," the Innkeeper said as he walked up to the lady and offered her the drink. "Thank you for allowing me to host some guests in your

garden. I am greatly embarrassed for intruding like this."

Eclipse looked at the mug of lemonade, and then at the Innkeeper, and then

back at the wooden mug.

"You're Lex's real dad, aren't you?" she suddenly asked, sporting a smug look on

her face as she grabbed the drink and chugged it.

"What?" the Innkeeper asked, not at all expecting such a statement.

"Oh my, I seem to have overheard some interesting tea before the tea party even began," said another, unfamiliar voice from behind Eclipse.