Z felt quite reassured with the Innkeeper encouraging him to act as he saw fit. However, he still felt confused about when or how he had been appreciated - especially to the point of being considered for an arranged marriage. Or was this merely an attempt by someone to get connected to the Inn? That was also a possibility.

In fact, Lex also felt confused by the suddenness of this matter. He would not really care for it if the one doing the arranging wasn’t a Dao Lord! It was for that reason that he felt it was necessary to warn Z beforehand.

He dismissed his clone to focus on his training, though he kept a part of himself to monitor ongoing events inside the Inn. He really enjoyed just relaxing and meeting guests again, so maybe he’d take out some time to do a bit more of that. He felt like it really helped with his mental state to meet other people and learn about their unique experiences and lives.

Four days later, Lex sensed Velma leaving the Midnight Inn through her tavern, indicating that the Celestial Lord was about to arrive. He promptly summoned a projection of the Innkeeper, though the projection remained within his office. At the same time, he put his Butter Knife within his sleeve.

Although a mere Butter Knife was nothing in the face of a genuine Dao Lord, it was the only means of self protection he had besides the Host Attire.

A couple of hours later, Velma returned as a part of a much larger delegation. This time, all the Celestial Immortals that came were dressed in armor of gold, fully equipped with two long swords at their hips and a round shield on their back. Their helmets had long horns on the sides, almost looking like half a crown.

Behind them arrived three Celestials, hovering slightly above the ground as they moved, taking in the sights. Lex immediately identified Lord Weiss, and his daughter, though he did not know who the third Celestial was. Of the three, however, it was this third Celestial who had the most karma with Velma.

Although the procession was quite grand, Lex did not sense any hint of arrogance or sense of superiority from the three Celestials. While their actions may be taken as a form of showing off or of looking down on the others, Lex dismissed it as a simple cultural thing. He was a decent enough judge of character - at least for non-Dao beings - to be able to sense such things.

Upon arriving at the Inn, the three Celestials looked around and likely talked among themselves because the Dao Lord and the girl split off, heading towards the Innkeepers office, while the third Celestial went off on his own - accompanied by the delegation.

Mary appeared beside the Innkeeper, and looked at the delegation with a look of reminiscence in her eyes.

"The delegation supporting them is protocol," she said, though Lex hadn’t really asked. "Back in the early days, the leaders of the Celestial Immortal set some rules by which to govern the race, and throughout history, those rules have not been changed - one of the reasons for the success of the Celestials.

"This delegation is one of those rules. Any Celestial royalty leaving Celestial territory must take a royal guard with them, even if they are heading towards friendly territory. There can be no exceptions, regardless of how trustworthy the ally is. Although in the early days this rule caused a lot of problems, with many perceiving the guard as a sign of distrust, it also saved countless Celestials from betrayal and surprise attacks."

Lex nodded, accepting her explanation. It made sense that important people would be targeted more. He did not begrudge them their security.

"The boy, the one that went off, he is being groomed as an heir," she continued to talk, almost as if talking to herself. "You can tell by the laurels on his helmet. His mother must either be exceptionally important, or he must be extremely talented. You can tell that he’s quite young for his position - probably around the same age as you."

Lex raised an eyebrow, and took in the sight of the Celestial ’boy’ as he explored the realm. Rather than calling him boy, Lex should really call him a strapping young man, very early in his prime. Yes, very, very young.

"The girl, on the other hand, is a part of the royal family, but she does not have any official position - something you can tell by her official garb. That does not reflect her worth or value to her family, only her position with reference to the Celestial empire.

"Everyone, regardless of their background, is judged based on their position within the empire. So why are the descendants of the royal families allowed such privileges? Because one of their family members sits in the Celestial Court, marking them as royalty to the empire. The service of a single family member elevates the whole family. It is quite an honor."

Lex looked towards Mary, and saw the complex emotions in her eyes. It was rare to see her like this.

"Any advice for this meeting?" Lex asked, keeping the setting somewhat professional for now.

Mary thought for a moment, and then nodded. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I could tell you many etiquettes that would impress Celestials, but instead I’ll make a personal judgment of this Dao Lord coming to visit you, and give you advice on that. Ask him about his home, and how it’s doing. This is clearly a Celestial who pays great importance to sentiments, so he will appreciate the question."

Lex nodded, and then turned to sit at his table. Only a few minutes later, someone knocked.

"Please, come in," said the Innkeeper as he got up from his chair, and willed the door to open, revealing the Dao Lord Weiss, and the young lady who was likely his daughter.

"Innkeeper, it is an honor to finally meet you," the Celestial said as he took off his helmet, and flashed an earnest smile.