Weiss had already anticipated the result the moment the Innkeeper said that he does not interfere with his workers’ relationships. If he had known, he would have approached things differently, but he was not too disappointed. Even if the relationship had not been established, Weiss gained a deeper understanding of the Innkeeper, and now knew how to deepen their relationship if that was what he wished.

He found the way the Innkeeper operated quite unorthodox, but then again, such a thing was to be expected. In this day and age, the only Dao Lords who formed and operated their own, independent organisations were those who could not adjust in the setting of other, preexisting ones. Considering the large number, and variety of such organisations, it really required someone out of the norm to still choose independence.

After all, being alone drastically reduced the effectiveness and resources one could get compared to working as a part of an organisation. All Dao Lords were trying different ways to further progress their Daos, and that was easier said than done. In the absence of sufficient resources, that would become even harder.

The courage to go it alone, and the determination to value genuine relationships over traditional, contractual ones revealed just what kind of a person the Innkeeper was. Someone with such upstanding morals did not require complex and multitiered tactics to befriend. Being honest and upfront was more than enough.

"It’s a shame about the children, but perhaps it’s for the best," said Weiss as he shook his head. "Tildie is still a little immature, and requires further guidance and nurturing. This little outing might just be the little change of pace she needs to refocus on her own growth."

The Innkeeper nodded, as if understanding Wiess’ concerns.

"You’re quite accommodating. Sometimes, failure and difficulty are better stimulants for growth than constant success," the Innkeeper said tactfully, causing the Celestial to chuckle.

"You are right. Compared to Tildie, though, I have focused more on nurturing my grandson, Ur. He has been chosen as my heir, so to speak. I brought him here to meet your chosen heir, Lex, but it’s a shame that they couldn’t meet. Velma has praised him quite frequently, from what I understand."

Ah, that would explain it. Ur was the other Celestial who had a deeper karma with Velma because he was the one working with her. At the same time, if Lex’s suspicions were correct, then Ur was the one behind Oroo’s actions in helping Jack out when he faced Grimshaw, the Sage from the Karmari race. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Lex had a decent opinion of Ur because of that - not to mention how many resources he’d used to upgrade the Jolly Rancher. As far as he was concerned, Ur was alright.

"Lex is currently training," the Innkeeper said in an exasperated voice. "He has a habit of overextending himself, which is why I forcefully sent him somewhere to train for a while. I assume that is who you are talking about. Many people seem to think I am nurturing him as my heir, but I have never really claimed such a thing.

"Ur, on the other hand, has been doing wonderful work inside the Artica realm. Although I have not discussed Velma’s work with her, I have already heard about the stellar performance of the Celestial race representing the Humanoid Alliance there."

Weiss nodded, as if he understood, but Lex got the feeling that he was merely playing along, and still thought that Lex was the Innkeepers heir. Well, at least it was better than thinking Lex was the Innkeepers son.

"I would love to spend some more time and chat with you, Innkeeper, but I really must return," Weiss said as he stood up. "If ever the chance presents itself, you must give me the opportunity to host you in Avalon. I assure you, you will not find the ways of the Celestials’ wanting."

The Innkeeper paused, and considered the proposal.

"I may find it difficult to leave, however I may send Lex and a few others to expand their horizons. That will also give Ur the opportunity to interact with Lex and compare notes," the Innkeeper said.

Weiss seemed especially pleased at the notion, but did not linger much longer. It seemed he really was in a rush, departing quickly. In fact, the few hours he spent here for Tildie to have her meeting with Z might have already been pushing it.

Thankfully, the Celestial was quite friendly, and caused no issues whatsoever. Hopefully, he would also spread the word that the Innkeeper was not open to marriage alliances to prevent future problems.

He was sad to see Velma return, but having her serve as a connection between the Inn and the Humanoid Alliance may prove useful in the future. With the visit from the Dao Lord over, Lex dismissed his projection of the Innkeeper and focused entirely on training to control his Dao Body.

Unfortunately, this was not a kind of training that could just be imparted onto him. This was something he had to comprehend and train himself. Based on his current progress, Lex estimated that if he wanted to completely master his Dao Body, then even several centuries might not be enough!

Fortunately, all he was currently focusing on was restraining the Dao Body from directly being influenced by all his intentions - basically he was restricting it instead of using it effectively. That was somewhat easier.

Fortunately, Lex had hacks! Well, not really because this was real life - not a game. But he had something about as good as a hack! One day, before beginning his daily training, Lex left the Temple of Fasting and returned to the Innkeeper’s office and approached the Innkeeper’s Scent Diffuser.

This thing was restricted to use inside the Inns territory, which could be solved with the use of a tavern. However, that still did not allow him to use it while training inside the temple. Thus, he had to settle for the next best thing, which was to use it before he began his daily training, putting him in the best state possible to learn to control the Dao Body.

He didn’t immediately rely on a Dao ingredient - he started with a Celestial one. If this was useful, then the Dao ingredients could be next.