Lex thought his problems would be over once the noblemen and their children left. But a new, unexpected problem cropped up.
Big Ben, the newly engaged man who had spent the last few days sleeping, finally woke up. He was healthier and more energetic than he had ever been in his life, but he did not celebrate his newfound health for long. It did not take long for him to find out the crew he previously worked with had been disbanded, and since he was asleep at the time, he was not amongst the few who were immediately taken into employment by his previous captain's debtors.
This was technically not Lex's problem, but he felt guilty for putting Big Ben in that state. Moreover, he was looking for workers, anyway. So he ended up hiring the big guy as his security.
Big Ben seemed quite sociable and knew almost everyone who visited the tavern by name. While this was not a trait that made him intimidating, like Lex had imagined for his bouncer, sometimes this would work out even better. Besides, who said Lex was limited to a single guard? He could hire more if he found someone suitable.
The one extremely important rule for his employment was that he couldn't drink while working. It was not Big Ben's fault, but in Lex's mind, he'd developed a reputation for knocking himself out a lot.
The rest of the day passed calmly, and due to the darkness, Lex had Big Ben walk the triplets home. They insisted that they didn't need the escort, but Lex didn't change his mind.
That night, Lex spent another few hours practicing arrays in the meditation room before eventually taking a break to watch some Lady Cosmos.
It was the top 30 now and Lex was fairly surprised to find a familiar face amongst them. It was Alissa Harmony, the youtuber who had won the Midnight Games. She was the only remaining contestant from Earth and had the backing of the entire planet. The remaining contestants weren't any weaker in terms of support, either.
One in particular, Lex noticed, seemed to get a lot of support from the Midnight Inn staff members. Her name was Hailey, and her charm seemed to have infected quite a few. Well, Lex couldn't exactly say he didn't understand the appeal of a beautiful woman with wings. As someone who had watched a lot of anime, he knew that she may have even stolen some supporters from Earth.
He asked Mary and learnt that the Inns barber, Harry Styles, had developed a relationship with her. They had left many things unsaid, and had not made anything official, as for now, both of them were completely focused on the competition. Regardless, all the staff from the Midnight Inn silently supported the duo. In fact, they had to be extra careful about supporting her silently, because if word spread that the Inn's staff had a favorite, it might influence others.
Lex was at first surprised when he heard the news. Then he sighed. It seemed more and more couples would be coming to the Inn, while he had more or less firmly cemented his position as forever alone. He briefly recalled his last girlfriend, who also happened to be his first girlfriend. He was not madly in love with her or anything, nor did he miss her, but watching his staff start dating while the noble Innkeeper himself remained single...
Egh. Lex ruffled his hair and quickly shook off such thoughts. After that, Lex totally did not go to the bar and pour himself a drink. It was even more impossible that he directly chugged the bottle and quickly threw himself in bed, leaving the poured glass on the countertop. It was simply false if one were to say that the following night Lex suffered from countless nightmares.
In the morning, for reasons completely unrelated to anything that had happened the prior day, Lex had a ridiculous headache. Fortunately, he had the perfect solution.
He took a dip in the hot tub and allowed himself to relax while he scanned the Inn. Either consciously or unconsciously, he avoided the Lady Cosmos competition in his scan.
Eventually, his curiosity landed on his new workers for the greenhouse, the rabbits. He scanned a random one to see what he could learn.
Name: Maradona Leopold Agnieszka
Age: 0
Sex: Male
Cultivation Details: Qi training
Species: Nibiruian Rabbits
Bloodline: Wild Root Ravager
Condition: A newborn rabbit that was born at the Inn. It is a pure creature born without malice, but should malice enter its heart, its bloodline will mutate.
Remarks: Prepare yourself for a rabbit infestation.
Lex told Mary to inquire about the details of the bloodline and let him know what was special about it. If it had attracted the turtles attention, then it probably was pretty good.
Done with that, he went to the main hall. It was still dark out, which meant that besides the sailors who were living at the tavern, no one else had come. Even they had limited what they ordered, and only stuck to ordering meals, for no one knew how long they would have to live in the dark.
Lex didn't mind though, for the margins on his more common drinks and food were so ridiculously low that it effectively made no real contribution towards his total MP. It was just enough to break even and pay all his employees.
The real source of income for the tavern would be the more exotic drinks, and when he could occasionally let guests into the backyard. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to let people into the backyard randomly, the services were not cheap and could not be afforded by everyone.
It was while Lex was ruminating on the tavern's finances that the main hall door opened, revealing Lex's latest workers. With Hena in the lead, all the troublemakers from yesterday walked in one by one.
The clothes they wore were very simple, with no frills or patterns of any kind, though the fabric was still the best. Still, you could tell how self-conscious they all were with their tiny, uncertain steps and the way they dared to only look down, and refused to examine the room. It was already a large contrast from yesterday.
Lex, however, did not take too long to observe them, and completely treated them like actual new employees.
"So tell me, what kind of experience do you have so that I can assign you the appropriate tasks? I take it that none of you know how to cook, am I right? What about scrubbing? Has anyone scrubbed the floor before?"
*****
With a weak, almost inaudible sigh, Pvarti stepped out of the Noel manor. There was no carriage for him to take, nor were there any servants following him this time around. His father's reaction could have been said to be mild this time around, for there was no screaming, yelling, or throwing him to join the armies to fight off the abominations of the dark.
At the same time, it could be said to be extremely severe. All he said was that Pvarti was a man now, and obviously had his own thoughts on how he should live his life. As such, he should no longer burden himself with the responsibilities and expectations that came with the Noel name.
His family name was stripped from him, and he was made to leave with nothing but the clothes on his back. The only glimmer of hope he was given to return was that if he made some exceptional contributions to the family, he would be allowed to appeal his expulsion.
Such a punishment was already severe enough, but out in the dark, he would be exposed to the harshest evils that the Crystal realm had until he found the refuge of another settlement. But one should not assume that the manor was nearby to other towns, based on how quickly they arrived from Babylon. Not only was the carriage special, so was the beast pulling it.
To make matters worse, Pvarti didn't really know the way to any of the nearby towns either. After all, he always traveled by carriage, so why would he need to learn the routes?
The pale man chuckled to himself as he started walking. In the manor, his brother, sister and mother watched him walk out of sight. As much as they wanted to protest, they could not. Pvarti truly had been too willful this time around, and it was not just a matter of honor or disgrace anymore. The family his former fiance was from was too formidable. If they didn't satisfy them by punishing Pvarti sufficiently, then the entire Noel family would be threatened.
Pvarti, who somewhat expected a harsh outcome, quickly regained his energy for a few minutes. He forced himself to smile and said loudly, "from now on, my name is Pvarti Party."
After a few moments, he groaned, and gave up that idea. He had to think of a better name.
"I need a drink," he said, as his hand pierced through the head of a creature beginning to take form from mist.
Suddenly he recalled the tavern he had recently visited, and decided to go there. There was just one problem. He recalled neither the name of the tavern, or the town it was in. This would take a while.