The Innkeeper
chapter-53

Lex immediately returned to the Inn and excitedly asked Mary, "What happened? Where did all this MP come from? Who was it?"

The tiny tologram appeared before, sparkling as she glittered and sparkled while gliding through the air, clearly infected by Lex's emotions. "It was Alexander! He bought the zombie cores and left Helen in our care, saying that he'd be back soon."

Lex was slightly disappointed that Alexander had left, but he couldn't care at this point. Finally he had a decent amount of MP to spend and he knew exactly how he wanted to spend it. Flying high into the air he looked down at the Inn, deciding where exactly he wanted to make some changes. After a few moments of consideration he flew over to the west where he'd created some hills earlier. He made the hills higher and added trees and shrubbery across them, but built a smooth yet winding path through them. At the peak of the highest hill he created flatland dusted with various wild flowers. In the middle he put the one building he'd had his eye on for a while now, the Meditation room! It cost him 1200MP, along with another 300MP for the remodeling of the hills but it was a necessary expenditure. All of his guests so far had been cultivators, and though they seemed satisfied with the amenities so far, how could they not be provided a place to cultivate?

The Meditation room was at level 1, which meant it provided only the most basic of advantages for now but that was enough for the moment. On the outside it looked like a hut, but the inside would change according to whoever was using it and would create the most relaxing environment. It provided a higher concentration of spirit energy, and made it easier for people to enter meditation and focus. There was a slight boost to the users comprehension - meaning anything they were contemplating or meditating on would be easier for them to understand. The Meditation room could only host one user at a time, but if he ever needed more he'd create them as necessary. The use of it cost him nothing, so he decided to price it at 100MP a day. This would be a great attraction, Lex imagined, for his guests. He'd noticed that a lot of them spent some time cultivating or meditating in their room. A specific place that would provide a boost would be even better.

Done with his little side project, Lex grinned and did what he had truly been waiting for! He paid 5000MP for his cultivation upgrade! His new total was instantly brought down to 8241MP but he didn't care. It was still a lot, and he'd really been waiting to elevate his cultivation. He closed his eyes and waited to be transported to the white room and…nothing!

After waiting a bit more, he asked Mary in a confused tone, "What's happening? Does the Inn need to prepare to elevate my cultivation?"

"Not exactly," she replied after a moment, as if communicating with the Inn. "Your body hasn't settled down from your first procedure. You underwent a major change, and although it seems like you are fine, your body has not reached the optimal stage to undergo the next procedure. Don't think of this as a video game in which you can upgrade whenever you want, things need to be done step by step. When your body has stabilized and is ready for the next procedure the Inn will let you know. If you want to speed up the process, rigorously exerting yourself and then fully recovering will hasten your body's stabilization. On the bright side, since you've already paid the price for the upgrade you won't need to worry about it when you're ready."

Lex groaned. Of course, his system would never make things easy. Other MC's had systems that made them OP instantly. Other MC's could instantly rule their worlds. He on the other hand had to continuously train and get beat up by a made giant and fight zombies senselessly. The news was disappointing, and it made a dent in his plans. He needed to consider what to do for now. He could slowly take his time, and wait till he's ready and then upgrade before returning to Vegus Minima to drop more Golden Keys. But he didn't want to go back to that zombie infested land till he was stronger. Little did he know that he had only encountered the lowest of the low zombies on that planet. If he had landed in the same place as Marlo he would never have survived. Another option was to use the third Golden Ticket when it was ready. It was another thing he wanted to put off till he was stronger, but it seemed that might take too long.

Although there was no rush really, Lex could take all the time in the world, he didn't like being excessively lazy. After thinking for a while, he made up his mind. He was already experienced at going to another world, he would be better prepared this time around. It seemed like it was time to expand his customer base to another world!