gn

Harry wrapped Lex in the Barbers cape and sprayed his hair with cool water.

"Before I begin I just want to be sure, you're okay with me styling it as I want, right?"

"Yeah no problem."

Harry nodded and as soon as he began his expression abruptly changed. Lex was staring at the kid in the mirror and saw his focused and serious look as he combed Lex's hair into various styles. Once he decided what he wanted to go with, he started snipping.

The teenager was snipping at an even pace, as if he knew exactly how many times he needed to cut in one area and by how much. With his comb in his hand he would measure Lex's hair length and then cut it as was required.

After a while Lex stopped paying attention to Harry and just relaxed. For some reason Lex always found the process of getting a haircut very relaxing. The gentle combing, the snipping sound of the scissors, the occasional cool spray of water, all soothed him. Without realizing it, Lex closed his eyes and slowly started meditating. His thoughts didn't wander towards the Inn, or his guests, or his cultivation. He was simply existing. The sound of the cutting and the feeling of Harry moving around him kept him from falling asleep, but the gentle rhythm relaxed him.

Time passed and eventually Harry finished grooming Lex's hair, but Lex himself was completely unaware and he was already meditating deeply. Harry noticed Lex's peculiar state, but did nothing as he had many customers who had inadvertently fallen asleep while he worked. He took it as a compliment, and was proud of his skills that would allow his customers to enjoy so much.

Harry gently took Lex's head and had him rest it backwards on the neck rest to get him ready for the shave. At some point earlier he had placed a face towel under hot running water which he now grabbed using tongs. He placed the towel of his forearm once first, to ensure the temperature was not too hot, then gently placed the towel over Lex's cheeks and neck. The warm, wet towel heated up Lex's face and opened up his pores. The sudden high temperature almost woke Lex from his meditation, but Harry quickly started massaging Lex behind the ears which helped calm him down..

After a short while he stopped the massage and prepared the lather, before removing the towel and applying it to Lex's face. Once that was done Harry took out a fresh blade and started to shave Lex. The shave itself did not take too long and once it was done Harry took out another face towel that he had placed in an icebox and put it on Lex's face like he did previously. This time the cold woke Lex up from his meditation, but the man discovered that he was feeling extremely refreshed. He felt even better than after waking up from a short nap, and was genuinely amazed at the experience. He had never gotten someone else to shave him before, but now he could say that the experience wasn't bad.

Removing the towel Harry messed up Lex's hair once with his hand, before using a blowdryer on it. Afterwards he quickly styled it and then retrieved a mirror to show Lex his hair from the back. Lex was surprised by how much he liked the new hair style and enjoyed the experience. He decided right there and then, he MUST hire Harry for his Inn. He was sure his guests would enjoy the experience, and even if they didn't he definitely would.

"You're better than I was expecting," Lex said as he took out another $50 from his wallet. "I'm impressed."

"I said for the first time there's no charge," Harry said, as if very disciplined. Although Lex tried to say it was a tip, the young man was proud and refused to submit. For some reason, that made Lex like him even more. They exchanged contact information so Lex could contact him in the future, but Harry was unaware that Lex was planning on seeing him much sooner than he anticipated.

Lex exited the building and returned to the Inn from somewhere nearby. He would wait a few hours before secretly sending Harry a platinum key to recruit him so that he does not associate Lex with the Inn.

Back at the Inn he teleported directly to his room and investigated what prestige did.

Prestige:

Gives guests different levels of perks based on how much MP they spend at the Inn.

Perks at Prestige level 1:

Can receive glasses equipped with Clark Kent effect (only work while at the Inn)

Perks at Prestige level 2:

Can instantly teleport to the Inn from anywhere in the universe once (great for escaping enemies)

Perks at Prestige level 3:

Can travel to a world connected to the Inn

Raise host authority for higher prestige classes.

All guests who arrived at the Inn would automatically reach Prestige level 1, but to reach level 2 they would need to spend 10,000MP and then 100,000MP for level 3! Since the prestige system was just unlocked it only just started counting the MP expenditure, and did not count any MP anyone had spent prior to this.

Lex was quite happy with this as it gave his guests an incentive to spend more while at his Inn. With nothing else to do now Lex really wanted to just relax and game for a bit, but for now he could not let himself relax. Once his cultivation was raised he could afford to take a few more breaks. He promptly returned to the meditation room and spent the next few hours both succeeding and failing at meditation. Once it had been long enough he teleported back to Earth, ready to send Harry the platinum key.

Something interesting he learnt was that he did not need to wait for people to use his keys, as long as they were holding them Lex could remotely activate them. This way he would not need to wait for Harry for a few hours or days or weeks like he did with Marlo.

How would he reach Harry's apartment? Of course, the easy way. It was already night so after making sure no one was in the area Lex equipped Icarus' wings and quickly flew to Harry's apartment window and snuck in. He had made sure to secretly unlock the window while he was at Harry's apartment.

The teenager was asleep at his desk, on his laptop in front of him a video about styling hair was playing. Lex nodded in appreciation at the dedication and dropped the platinum key in the kids hand before sneaking back out. As much as Lex felt the urge to fly around the city, he knew he would get into trouble so he resisted. As soon as he returned to the Inn he mentally activated the platinum key and was once again teleported to the familiar white room.

Soon Harry appeared in the room as well, still in a half asleep state. Drool was dripping down his chin and though he was standing, it looked like he himself was unaware that he was awake now.

Lex viewed his status to check for any unexpected information before he began.

Name: Harry

Age: 17

Sex: Male

Cultivation Details:

– None

Species: Human

Remarks: Seems extremely ordinary, so already better than the host!

Once he was sure all was as it seemed, he was ready for his performance.

"Welcome, young Harry, to the Midnight Inn," a booming voice shook the poor teenager awake from his reverie. The teenager was alarmed when he realized he was in an unfamiliar place, but before his thoughts could stray further away, his attention was attracted to the man standing in the middle.

"I am in the Innkeeper, and I have summoned you here because I've had an eye on your talent. The universe is a vast place, it would be a shame if your skills would be left unearthed…" Lex was using the full might of the Host Attire on the young man so that he could make a strong impression on him. He did not want to lose another potentially great employee due to carelessness.

*****

Hera was still dazed as she stood beside Will, who was welcoming a few guests to his house. Yesterday when she saw him looking so young and energetic she did not recognize him at all. The old man looked as if he had never been sick a day in his life, and as if he were the model for good health. Just as Hera was dealing with the shock of his recovery, the old man introduced her to the world of cultivation. He told her the repayment that he had promised her that was worth much more than money was cultivation, for her and when he came of age, for her son.

Since then she had seen countless amazing things, and the old man had already gotten an instructor for her and her son. She had started training her body today, but since she was not too athletic and completely out of shape it was very tough for her. Yet the old man promised that soon, he would help her overcome that barrier.

Once the last of the guests entered the room the doors were firmly closed and Will's bodyguard, Hugo, stood at the door.

"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, to the Rose Society, where we left off so many unfinished things long ago. I have found for us the path to salvation and redemption."

With a wide grin Will took out seven shining, golden keys from a pouch and started passing them around.

Harry was in awe of the man before him, and all the amazing things he told him. Cultivation? Multiple worlds? The whole universe? These things were too vast and vague for him to comprehend – but the one thing he did understand was that this was an amazing opportunity for him. Harry had a hustling attitude. Every minute of every day his mind was either on how to make money or how to improve his skills and make connections.

Truth be told the apartment he was living in wasn't under his name, even though he paid the rent. Harry was an orphan and at the age of fifteen he ran away from his foster home and came to New York. It took him some time, but eventually he worked his way into a decent life. His apartment was under the name of a rich student Harry met at an event at NYU. He liked Harry's skills, and had him cut his hair every two weeks. He even did all the paperwork to help Harry get the apartment, though he was very clear about the fact that Harry would have to pay the deposit and rent himself.

He was able to achieve all of this because he availed every opportunity that came his way, and he wasn't about to miss this one either. But before he could officially become a member of the Midnight Inn, he had to undergo a test. And what were the details of the test? He had to completely restyle some girl named Velma's hair. Harry was a little nervous as he usually cut men's hair, but he had seen a lot of tutorials online on cutting womens hair.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing his nerves. When he opened his eyes again they were filled with focus and determination. He would not fail.

Lex watched as Harry worked. He only set the test that he wanted to have Harry cut some hair. The system decided that the test would be cutting Velma's hair, but just the haircut wasn't enough. It would test various things, such as professionalism, knowledge, skill, Velma's satisfaction, her charm factor – whatever that was – and many more. To be honest, he wanted to use some loopholes and just hire him directly, but the system would never relax its standards for anyone – even its host.

The equipment was provided by the Inn, and the haircut took place in the white room. When Harry asked what kind of a look Velma wanted, she said that as she dealt with guests a lot a formal look is what she wanted. Other than that she did not have much in mind, as this was literally the first makeover of her very short life and she knew nothing about them!

As Harry worked everyone waited, filled with anticipation..

*****

Brother Chen and Blane had been through a lot the last couple of days. When they reached the 'reclamation outpost' they were shocked to see that this simple 'outpost' was already bigger than any settlement they had ever seen. They were led to the registration and background check department, where they were questioned by Golden Core cultivators about their past in general such as if they had any affiliations with other settlements, if they acted against any settlements and what kind of crimes they had committed. They were hooked up to lie detectors so they could only tell the truth. Fortunately, although the two had killed humans before it was mostly against bandits and they never attacked settlements for resources or committed heinous crimes.

Once their background check was completed and they were approved for registration, they were sent to a rehabilitation and reeducation center. The purpose of the rehabilitation and reeducation center was to diagnose what mental health issues they had, what disorders they had developed, and determine if they were suitable to join society. The Jotun Empire took it as a foregone conclusion that living their entire lives in survival mode, attacked at every opportunity all natives of Vegus Minima would have some mental health issues and disorders. Not that they would be discriminated against for having disorders, they would receive the appropriate help.

Once they were diagnosed, they eventually learnt why all this was happening. The Jotun Empire was not an empire founded by anyone on Vegus Minima, but was a galactic empire that had many solar systems under their domain. They were in a massive war against demons that spanned the entire known universe. It wasn't just the Jotun Empire that was at war against them, but various other Empires, Sects, Families, Organizations and powers.

The war was a complex issue and the two did not get too many details about it, but they were assured that as recognized citizens of the Jotun Empire they would be protected and no longer needed to fight – unless they wanted to!

The two could not believe it, and were in shock. They didn't know what their lives would look like now that they had a chance to live peacefully. Before they could wrap their heads around it, they decided to look for their lost caravan. It must be said that the people at the reclamation outpost were extremely organized. As soon as the two provided information about their caravan, they were informed about their whereabouts. The caravan had actually split up once they reached the outpost. The Jotun Empire offered them homes, security and jobs as well as professional training as to how to fit into a peaceful society and live meaningful lives. More than half the caravan took that offer and were relocated off planet. Among these people was Iris, Blane's girlfriend. Others, who had a strong hatred for zombies which were identified as lesser demons, joined the war efforts. Lily, Brother Chen's sister, was among those people.

The two soldiers looked at each other with mixed feelings as they knew that soon they would have to split up. For now however, they decided to go find Lily as she was nearby. She no doubt thought that Brother Chen was dead, and they had to let her know they were alive, as well as about the Inn. Even with the Jotun Empire bringing change to Vegus Minima, it was true that the Midnight Inn would be the best way to raise their strength.

*****

The Rose Society was an organization Will and his High School friends had formed. It was meant to signify that they looked harmless like a beautiful rose, but their thorns could cut if you try to pluck them. It represented a fanciful dream, but to them it was their lives work. The cultivation resources of Earth were limited, that much was evident, but how exactly were they limited?

The actual fact of the matter was, there was an abundance of cultivation materials for cultivators at the Foundation realm and below. However, the real scarcity was for Golden Core cultivators. In fact, most of them never make any progress after entering the Golden Core realm at all. Yet because the world was controlled by these cultivators, a resource shortage was artificially created so that fewer people would ever even reach the Golden Core realm.

The Rose Society was supposed to be a secret organization that worked behind the scenes to slowly take control of the resources from the few. Even though Golden Core cultivators were the strongest, it wasn't as if they could stay on their farms, mines and manufacturing plants all the time, or that they had a good or even adequate understanding of buisness. These things were managed by those at lower cultivations, so taking control of the flow of resources slowly but subtly was entirely possible. Yet the dream was cut short because the Society could not garner enough momentum and keep their activities secretive enough. Now however, Will wanted to restart the organization. The six other members as well as Hera looked at Will curiously, wondering what he wanted to do.

"Thank you for trusting me," Will said with a smile. "I know you all have questions. But this is not the place to answer them. To get your answers, we have to go to another place." Will smiled as he picked up the Golden key and activated it.

*****

"If what you're saying is true," said Brandon with a rare, serious expression, "then this truly will change a lot of things. We should go investigate this Midnight Inn with you. I'll call your grandma over and we'll leave once she arrives."

Alexander and Rorick nodded and began waiting. Everyone in the room was filled with anticipation.

*****

Somewhere in a forest in Nibiru, a giant turtle finally ended its daily tasks, and stopped to take a rest. Unexpectedly, in a rare occurrence, the Turtle actually fell asleep. It had recently experienced a breakthrough in its cultivation, so its control over its spirit energy was shaky, and in one of those moments where its spirit energy broke free of its control, it was attracted towards a Golden key it had placed in its shell, activating it.

*****

"But mom, I was only playing!" cried RussianPrincess77, but her mother would have none of it.

"I've told you a million times, you're not allowed to touch the book of prophecies! Now hand over the key and go to your room!"

"Never!" the young girl exclaimed and started running and laughing.

"I told you to hand it over!" the mother roared as she took off her slipper in an experienced manner and threw it towards her fleeing daughter. Like a homing beacon it followed RussianPrincess77 until it gave her a solid whack on her bum. The girl fell over, accidentally releasing some spirit energy and activating the key.

*****

Somewhere on a space shuttle near Vegus Minima, a lone man was meditating in a prison cell. His body was impaled with various chains that restricted the flow of spirit energy, yet the man did not seem to mind. The pain in his body did not torment him, it only served to strengthen his will and solidify his focus.

Suddenly, a floating, golden door appeared in the cell in front of him, offering him freedom. The man did not even hesitate. Before anyone one the ship could realize what was happening, the door was gone and the prisoner along with it.

*****

Lex was grinning as he read the notification.

Quest Complete! The Host's rewarded is being calculated:

– Reward upgraded for completing the quest in less than 24 hours

– Reward upgraded for locating employee with unique talent

Reward Rank: B-

Reward: Heritage for Glamor Sorcerer (given directly to employee), 1 barber shop, 1 employee residence, 1000MP, Event Manager panel

The little Innkeeper was too excited about his recent success, with no idea that he was about to welcome more guests than he'd ever had before!